B&M 70268 SuperCooler Transmission Cooler Install on a 3rd Gen

[BartleDoo]

Right, i expected that.

That coupled with the shiny silver on this radiator as opposed to old and rusty leads me to believe this is a fairly new radiator. I think i may send back the new one that i bought and just install the external cooler bypassing the radiator.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

I installed mine using the zip ties as well. I instLled mine in the opposite direction though. Square tab tab on the cooler side and clipped on the radiator side.

I did the same. Although I messed up a little and put the sticky foams on the radiator side (under the tabs) rather than between the oil cooler and the AC condensor. Hopefully it doesn't cause an issue, I just wanted the cooler to be as tight to the condensor as possible to take advantage of the rad fan.

I also made sure to position as much of the cooler core as I could within the fan's flow of air.

 

[BartleDoo]

So whenever i see a 3rd gen in a parking lot i get down and look if they've installed an external tranny cooler. Haven't seen a single one that has, I guess most people don't know about the milkshake.

 

[3bears]

thanks to all for the great write up and all the other hints. went B&M 70264
my new to me....with all service records...was on the original radiator with 150k. A ticking time bomb. Along with the cooler I bypassed. the radiator for now and ran a loop for the stock tranny cooler lines in case the radiator goes..for now..the radiator in gonna replace b4 too long and will prob go back to running through radiator as well as winter I run in the cold mountains. I ran new lines all the way back to the hard pipes coming out of the tranny. Did a flush....did 12 quarts....it shifts so much better now
and peace of mind is so so worth it.
thanks all
josh

 

[gamefreakgc]

So whenever i see a 3rd gen in a parking lot i get down and look if they've installed an external tranny cooler. Haven't seen a single one that has, I guess most people don't know about the milkshake.

The pink milkshake, in all honesty, isn't very common. There are literally millions of these 4Runners on the road and it does not happen all that much. You are more likely to have a rear axle seal fail than your radiator to fail.

The difference is that a pink milkshake ruins the transmission, which is a $2000+ repair (as opposed to a rear axle, which can be repaired for under $300). Plus most people on these forums either off-road, tow or do other strenuous things that the average Joe would never do, increasing the likely hood of heat or other factors damaging the radiator.

Same goes with the LBJ failure, but once again it's an expensive repair if you crash or much worse, you might hurt/kill someone if you neglect it.

 

[Chim]

Just ordered mine today! LBJ's are next.. checking the box on preventative maintenance.

 

[BartleDoo]

Yeah, my LBJs were replaced in '05, im guessing after the recall. Hopefully I'm good there.

 

[warriorwagner]

I just ordered my cooler, hoses and clamps last night off Amazon and hope to tackle it on Friday if here in time. I think my radiator's in good shape, but it gets damn hot in South Florida and want to make sure (with 236,000 miles) that I don't get the pink milkshake and it lasts me at least 3 years. I'm planning on giving my 4Runner to my son when he turns 16ish. Shhhh, don't tell him though.

I also ordered new window visors and a JVC stereo.....don't tell the wife either.

 

[rubegoldberg]

i bought a B&M 70264,

is it strong enough to run 100% independent of the existing in-radiator cooler??

can i just cut the old hoses from the existing cooler and run them to the B&M 70264???

 

[cashmoney]

Yes and no. Yes it's strong enough to run independent of the radiator and no you will need longer lengths of hose than stock to run it.

 

[KainDrag]

Going to do my install tomorrow, quick question I picked up the 4 ft hose from my auto parts store, am I cutting the hose in half to use on both the send and return lines, im guessing its 2 ft per? or do I need 8ft total hose.

 

[baja1]

you'll need 8 feet. the auto parts store I went to didn't have bulk hose so I had to buy the pre packaged hose, 20 bucks!

 

[Brveagle]

I just used the hose that came with the cooler and two unions to pipe in the B&M cooler to the stock hoses that normally went into the radiator. No need to buy more hose.

 

[Unner]

I just used the hose that came with the cooler and two unions to pipe in the B&M cooler to the stock hoses that normally went into the radiator. No need to buy more hose.

Personally I would go buy the right size of hose and use only new hose. That's what I did with my install. The point of this mod is to protect the transmission so why skip out on $10 worth of hose when a transmission is thousands and a ton of headache if an issue occurs?

 

[KainDrag]

Alright cool so im back off to the parts store, I heard that the supplied hose is to small or something

 

[KainDrag]

you'll need 8 feet. the auto parts store I went to didn't have bulk hose so I had to buy the pre packaged hose, 20 bucks!

That's actually funny because the bulk hose at my parts store was more expensive than the pre packaged one

 

[KainDrag]

Woot just saved my transmission!
So I lost like maybe a quarter of a quart of fluid, where is the refill port? I don't see it anywhere, anyone got a diagram?

EDIT: Also is it fine if I just leave the 2 ports of the stock cooler open? Or should I put another hose connection like bigfishallday?

 

[SpidermanGeek]

You top up the transmission fluid by pouring it into the dipstick tube.

And it's not necessary to close the loop on the rad after a bypass, but it would ensure that you wouldn't lose all your rad fluid if ever that barrier broke.

 

[t4rFL]

thanks for the write up. just finished up today. although i have a problem....before i started it for the 1st time after the install i checked the dip stick and it was slightly lower than the Cool mark. turned it on, let it run for a few minutes while i checked for leaks....no leaks. shifted through the gears and checked the dipstick again, now it is almost dry! only about a cm on the dipstick. i lost a little bit of fluid during the install, but not that much.

 

[kball]

thanks for the write up. just finished up today. although i have a problem....before i started it for the 1st time after the install i checked the dip stick and it was slightly lower than the Cool mark. turned it on, let it run for a few minutes while i checked for leaks....no leaks. shifted through the gears and checked the dipstick again, now it is almost dry! only about a cm on the dipstick. i lost a little bit of fluid during the install, but not that much.

Checking the level with the engine off is no good. It has to be running for an accurate measurement. Sounds like you need to add a quart or so.