ATF Normal Operating Temp

[PhdNPrerunners]

Hey guys I am currently driving from California to Texas. I have been monitoring my ATF temps which have been anywhere for 174-212. I did a search to see what the normal operating range should be but come up with different answers. Can someone please tell me what the normal operating range should be? Thanks

 

[LittleCaesar]

A little high, but nothing to get overtly concerned with while on the road. ATFs are effected by a myriad of different variables.

After the trip though, drain the ATF, and refill. If there is enough $$$ in the cookie jar, do a complete flush and procure a tranny cooler.

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

A little high, but nothing to get overtly concerned with while on the road. ATFs are effected by a myriad of different variables.

After the trip though, drain the ATF, and refill. If there is enough $$$ in the cookie jar, do a complete flush and procure a tranny cooler.

On one big hill I saw it go as high as 230! I have a tranny cooler but it doesn't seem like it. Hopefully this drive doesn't ruin the tranny

 

[TegoXR]

I'm looking into a tranny cooler, is it worth it?

 

[Drcoffee]

Is the cooler mounted flush up against the AC condenser? How do you have it plumbed? Have you bypassed the radiator?

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

Is the cooler mounted flush up against the AC condenser? How do you have it plumbed? Have you bypassed the radiator?

I'll have to check it came on the 4runner when I bought it. Yes the radiator has been bypassed

 

[Drcoffee]

I'll have to check it came on the 4runner when I bought it. Yes the radiator has been bypassed

Reconnect the radiator and monitor the temps again. I'll bet the temps will stay below 190 all day long.

The radiator cooler is on the cool side of the radiator which means the coolant is well below the engine temperature. The extra trans cooler should bring you down 20 degrees'ish further from what you are experiencing now. Please do this before the next road trip. It's been a huge discussion here on several threads and it could be very illuminating.

Honestly, if you intend to bypass the radiator, use two coolers.

My best guess is you want the temps between 140*-170*

I've subscribed

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

Reconnect the radiator and monitor the temps again. I'll bet the temps will stay below 190 all day long.

The radiator cooler is on the cool side of the radiator which means the coolant is well below the engine temperature. The extra trans cooler should bring you down 20 degrees'ish further from what you are experiencing now. Please do this before the next road trip. It's been a huge discussion here on several threads and it could be very illuminating.

Honestly, if you intend to bypass the radiator, use two coolers.

My best guess is you want the temps between 140*-170*

I've subscribed

I thought the whole point of running a trans cooler is to bypass the radiator to avoid the pink milkshake

 

[Drcoffee]

I thought the whole point of running a trans cooler is to bypass the radiator to avoid the pink milkshake

there's the "one percenters" out there who are terrified of the pink milkshake, yes. If you are running on a 10 year old radiator, you may want to be concerned. My contention has always been, keep the radiator connected but replace the old radiator as part of the normal maintenance for the vehicle. It's only $120.

The radiator modulates the transmission fluid temps in all conditions. In the case where you are exposed to higher ambient temps, the addition of an extra trans cooler will help prolong the life of the transmission.

Boy, I'd really like to see how the temps run with it reconnected.

How old is yours?

 

[nissanh]

Yes, if you are bypassing the radiator, use at least 2 coolers. I have mine with 12x5x0.75 inch cooler fitted after the radiator. I did freeway driving at 75 MPH for 1 hour and the temp was 120 F. This was on a hot summer day at about 95 F.

 

[quicksilvr]

Just more numbers to add, use them in your decision process as you wish.


Single cooler (B&M 70264), bypassed radiator. Today I pulled a 5x12 trailer with some furniture on it (300lbs), about 150 miles. Ambient air was 95.

Trans temp never went higher than 189. Most of the freeway and even in town was 155-175.

 

[curtperry]

I thought the whole point of running a trans cooler is to bypass the radiator to avoid the pink milkshake

The pink milkshake prevention issue is divided into two camps.

Camp 1: replace the radiator with OEM quality unit every 100k and add an external cooler in-line with it if you want.

Pros:

• heat transfer between coolant and ATF gets tranny to optimal operating temps faster
• assuming an external cooler of the same size as camp 2, can get greater overall cooling

Cons:

• more expensive
• there's still a small risk of pink milkshake (can you sleep at night?)

Camp 2: bypass the radiators integral tranny cooler and route the lines through an external cooler only.

Pros:

• cheaper
• There is no risk at all of pink milkshake (yep, you can sleep)

Cons:

• Your tranny may not reach optimal operating temps in very cold weather or on short trips. If the cooler is good enough for towing up a mountain in the summer then imagine in the winter coasting downhill. (this should be somewhat mitigated by coolers that have in internal bypass like B&M)

I might have missed some aspect here... If I did someone chime in. I am in camp 2 and use a B&M 70264 mounted on the front of the AC condenser and approximately centered on the fan. If some day I have to replace my radiator anyway then I can see myself switching to camp 1.

 

[opie74]

The tranny will run cooler with a properly sized tranny cooler bypassing the radiator. When I did all my AC work, I also replaced the radiator and hooked it back up in series with the tranny cooler just to see the difference in efficiency.

Alot of parameters come into play though. Cooler size, location, ambient air temp, city/highway driving. City driving I would see my tranny temp go up to maybe 190. With the radiator reconnected, and the same city driving its gone up to 210. My cooler is a Tru Cool. About the same dimensions of the B&M everyone suggests, but its 1.5" thick, not .75"

 

[curtperry]

The tranny will run cooler with a properly sized tranny cooler bypassing the radiator. When I did all my AC work, I also replaced the radiator and hooked it back up in series with the tranny cooler just to see the difference in efficiency.

Alot of parameters come into play though. Cooler size, location, ambient air temp, city/highway driving. City driving I would see my tranny temp go up to maybe 190. With the radiator reconnected, and the same city driving its gone up to 210. My cooler is a Tru Cool. About the same dimensions of the B&M everyone suggests, but its 1.5" thick, not .75"

Is it plumbed outlet > radiator > Tru Cool > inlet ?

If so I'm surprised by the trans temp going up to 210 with city driving. Your coolant/radiator shouldn't get much higher than 210, and the Tru Cool in series after it should bring things down considerably.

 

[Drcoffee]

Is it plumbed outlet > radiator > Tru Cool > inlet ?

If so I'm surprised by the trans temp going up to 210 with city driving. Your coolant/radiator shouldn't get much higher than 210, and the Tru Cool in series after it should bring things down considerably.

That was my concern as well. I could only think that the cooler is not flush against the AC condenser which means its not getting enough air through it to be effective.

 

[95bb2]

I have been running a transmission cooler for less than a month, with no external fan and the radiator bypassed. I have mounted on the ac condenser. I am monotoring the temperatures via a scangaugeII, I've seen the temperatures range between 140-190. I took a drive from Tampa to Orlando, with the terrible traffic at the i4/275 junction and by the theme parks the car had a lot of stop and go. The transmission never went higher than 180, cruising at 75-80mph I was looking at 150-165, even saw some 140s.

But the highest it's got was maybe around 193, and that was in stop and go traffic on a very hot day, even while stopped and at idle after driving it stays cool.

I plan to run it in line with the radiator when I replace it I have it bypasses now since I don't know when it was changed if ever

 

[Full_Throttle]

I have been running with the radiator bypassed for over a year. I have taken this vehicle up into the mountains on a 2000 mile trip and never had a problem. This summer it has been over 100 degrees with high humidity here in southern Illinois and the B&M cooler has done the job. The KEY is to either; a) mount it up against the AC condenser or b) add an electric fan to the tranny cooler. I have done it both ways and both ways work. I would NOT re-connect that radiator under any circumstances and here is why:
You don't know the condition of the radiator. For all you know, it has already failed. If you can be certain it is a new(er) radiator then maybe. My thought here is why in the world take the chance? As others have said you can replace the radiator and have confidence. I for one will not trust it, and it is peace of mind to me. The biggest problems car owners have time and time again is transmission failures. Do yourself a favor and make sure the cooler is mounted properly or add a cooling fan and you will be golden and have no worries.

 

[opie74]

Is it plumbed outlet > radiator > Tru Cool > inlet ?

If so I'm surprised by the trans temp going up to 210 with city driving. Your coolant/radiator shouldn't get much higher than 210, and the Tru Cool in series after it should bring things down considerably.

Yes it is plumbed to go through the radiator to the cooler and back.

210 doesn't surprise me. And I was trying to see how hot it would get, just as a did when I had the radiator bypassed. So call it extreme city driving. Normally It wont see much above 180-190 in the city.

 

[opie74]

That was my concern as well. I could only think that the cooler is not flush against the AC condenser which means its not getting enough air through it to be effective.

Its not touching the condenser, but the distance between the cooler and condenser is only the thickness of the small, square foam that comes with a cooler kit. I mounted it with the straping that came in the kit, not with the ties that run through the cores. But I used the foam squares as spacers/bushings to gauge distance.

 

[Trekerjohn]

The KEY is to either; a) mount it up against the AC condenser or b) add an electric fan to the tranny cooler.

I have a 96 T4R and I have ordered a B&M 70268 cooler that will arrive in a few days. I planned to install the cooler and bypass the radiator. How would you mount an electric fan in front of the trans cooler and still keep the cooler and the fan centered on the condenser with that vertical bar in the way? Or would you move the cooler off to the left and mount the electric fan centered on the trans cooler?