A few years ago I was returning home in my 01 from a little grocery shopping. Coming off a stop sign under the interstate, I noticed my motor revving while my speed decreased - this isn't normal. The county road goes up a small incline at this point, but the truck was slowing down as the motor increased rpms. Even though it was a nice warm day and the house was actually less than 2 miles away, I went in to "drive home at any cost" mode instead of "preserve the old but reliable truck" mode. Short version is that I discovered how to drive home on the starter in low range, even up small hills. As I approached my driveway, it finally dawned on me that should have pulled over and called a tow truck immediately when the problem started, instead of doing what I did, since that was how the truck got to the mechanic anyway. It turned out to be the "strawberry shake" - trans cooler in the radiator failure thingy. New radiator and multiple trans fluid changes ensued, but, she still runs, and my capacity for bad decisions still amazes me. Thanks for reading.
Bad idea - don't do this!
- Thread starter Last1out
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
nc-grayson
Member
sorry to hear that.
what happened to the 15 post rule?
what happened to the 15 post rule?
tvpierce
New member
+1 :noidea:
Food for thought. LOL. It's funny you should share this story. I know the fluids mixing is a sort of common issue with these trucks, I've seen it mentioned in numerous threads during my year of research before I bought my 4runner. Sorry to hear of your troubles, but it's good info for those of us just getting started with these trucks.
Airmapper
New member
Introducing the "I own a 3rd gen" kit:
Radiator bypass stuff, fuel filter, and hatch struts.
Guaranteed to extend your life span by eliminating worry over the milkshake, happiness due to better throttle response, and fewer concussions.
I should start selling this..... :naughty:
Radiator bypass stuff, fuel filter, and hatch struts.
Guaranteed to extend your life span by eliminating worry over the milkshake, happiness due to better throttle response, and fewer concussions.
I should start selling this..... :naughty:
fan of fanboys
New member
Introducing the "I own a 3rd gen" kit:
Radiator bypass stuff, fuel filter, and hatch struts.
Guaranteed to extend your life span by eliminating worry over the milkshake, happiness due to better throttle response, and fewer concussions.
I should start selling this..... :naughty:
ha I might buy that kit from you
Me too. Please include a T4R.org sticker, some oil pan gaskets, a trans pan gasket, diff gaskets and transfer gaskets.
DK327
Member
A new radiator plus trans cooler in line and periodic coolant flushes to fight off corrosion is the way to go IMO. It's not a good idea to bypass the radiator.
