Hi everyone, I have a 98 SR5 4 runner with 146k miles on it. I have had no trouble with the tranny, but am quite nervous about the possibility of Pink Milkshake issues I have seen others mention on the board. I know one way to avoid this is to plumb in an auxilary tranny cooler in place of the one going through the radiator. However, I was wondering if I could just bypass the cooler altogether without having to put in a replacement. I know heat kills trannys and all, but I don't tow and correct me if I'm wrong but most light duty trucks and SUVs don't have tranny coolers unless you get a towing package. So basically which problem is more dangerous for my vehicle at its age - overheating the tranny or pink milkshaking? THANKS!
Avoiding Pink Milkshake of Death
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echo4tango
New member
why mess with it then. You dont tow so i wouldnt worry about it. change your tranny fluid and coolant when it is supposed to be changed and you wont have any problems.
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RonMAIDEN
Super Moderator
At 146k your radiator might need to be replaced and if it does then get a new one and plumb everything back up and you won't have to worry about it for another 10+ years. I'd run a cooler regardless since you never know if you could be in a situation that strains the tranny and could cause issues.
but I don't tow and correct me if I'm wrong but most light duty trucks and SUVs don't have tranny coolers unless you get a towing package.
Every auto vehicle I have ever owned had a internal tranny cooler in the radiator.. I know because I usually broke or tweaked one of the metal lines when I removed them
lol..
Towing package coolers are usually optional heavy duty external coolers mounted infront of the Rad/AC cond..
I seriously doubt mfgs would not have some form of tranny cooling and know of none that dont...
Every auto vehicle I have ever owned had a internal tranny cooler in the radiator.. I know because I usually broke or tweaked one of the metal lines when I removed them
lol..Towing package coolers are usually optional heavy duty external coolers mounted infront of the Rad/AC cond..
I seriously doubt mfgs would not have some form of tranny cooling and know of none that dont...
maxspeed96ct
New member
you can either replace your radiator , or leave your current radiator , hookup a external trans cooler and bypass the stock radiator all together .
Both are cheap to do.
Both are cheap to do.
The easiest thing you can do is replace the radiator. You are at risk of pink milkshake and the cost of a tranny rebuild is not worth the chance. For about $100 and a few hours of easy labor you can install a Koyo radiator, without bothering with an aftermarket tranny cooler.
I installed a Koyo rad at 172k miles and saw signs of degradation when I disected the original radiator.
Toyota 4Runner Forum - RC57's Album: Radiator Dissection
In another 150k miles, I may replace the koyo and disect it to see if has fared better.
Whatever you decide, do something now. Either replace the radiator or install an external cooler.
-RC
I installed a Koyo rad at 172k miles and saw signs of degradation when I disected the original radiator.
Toyota 4Runner Forum - RC57's Album: Radiator Dissection
In another 150k miles, I may replace the koyo and disect it to see if has fared better.
Whatever you decide, do something now. Either replace the radiator or install an external cooler.
-RC
echo4tango
New member
how are you guys getting so much corrosion in your radiators? mine is 10 years old with 107k and not any corrosion. are you all using tap water or what ?
Avarice
New member
If you live in an area with really cold winters I wouldn't suggest bypassing the radiator with an external tranny cooler unless you run it inline, in which case, it won't save you from pink milkshake. From what I've read the tranny fluid won't heat up quick enough and will run below ideal temps. It's why I haven't done it yet. I'll most likely just replace my radiator next year and plumb an inline cooler in then since I will be towing my dirt bikes.
maxspeed96ct
New member
This was debated about in a few other threads. And I think most agreed as long as you let your truck idle for a bit and get up to proper temp.
Everything will function just fine.
Cant just get in on a below freezing day, start up and pop it into D right away .
zcruiser
Senior Member
Regular maintenance won't prevent the seal between the tranny cooler and the engine coolant from being compromised.
echo4tango
New member
umm..yes it will.
maxspeed96ct
New member
that may be true for out were you live in New Mexico
But out in new england our trucks take alot more of a beating from the cold weather , and the dirt/salt combo used on the roads in the winter.
RonMAIDEN
Super Moderator
At idle the tranny doesn't get up to operating temperature for quite a while and only driving it gets it there but in my case I let the engine idle about 3-4 minutes then drive slowly for about a mile.
I think with radiators it's age and not mileage that is the issue and while I'm past the 10 year mark with my radiator I recommend a change by that time.
echo4tango
New member
you know youre right..i dont ever think about you guys having salt on the roads and having to drive through that stuff. The only thing we worry about here it the 110 degree summer heat thus most people around here change coolant and atf every 36k or 3 years.
zcruiser
Senior Member
If you're willing to bet on that, good luck to you sir.
echo4tango
New member
Thanks..ill give you an update at 200k:hatsoff:
quicksilvr
New member
They CAN last that long. It's all about percentage's....a small percentage are going to fail, even with regular maintenance. It's about whether or not you want to risk having your rig be part of that small percentage. I personally would rather spend the ~$100 to prevent it.
alaskaflyer
New member
:iagree:
zcruiser
Senior Member
...and it takes all of about 30 minutes to put one in.
my 98 seems to be stuck in 2nd gear for the first half mile (at ~30mph) when it's cold and by cold I mean under 50 degrees outside temp. does anyone else experience this? I always figured it was just a cold tranny and by reading this thread might be the issue.
