California to Argentina Overland - which cooling system enhancement?

[aawolf]

Hello-

I've just purchased a 3.4L 2000 Automatic SR5 with 162,000 miles. The radiator has never been replaced.

I'm planning an overland trip from California to Argentina. I'll be leaving this June, so that means I'll be heading through Mexico and Central America in the hottest months.

Before leaving, preventing the possibility of a pink milkshake while on the road is definitely one of the many modifications I plan to make.

My options are:

A) replace the radiator
B) add an external transmission cooler
C) Both A) and B)

I'm leaning towards B) with the following reasoning: these radiators can last 300K+ miles without issue. If it aint' broke, don't fix it. If I take the transmission out of the cooling needs of the radiator, it will likely have to work even less and last even longer. Also: with an external cooler the transmission is no longer at risk if the radiator fails. Worse comes to worst and it does fail, we have a minor breakdown followed by a fairly straightforward repair.

Assuming my reasoning is sound, which external cooler should I go for? It's true that I'll be in some pretty hot weather for a majority of the trip, but I'll also be hitting up Patagonia in the late fall/winter. Is the B&M 70264 (which is perfect if you live in a warmer climate) going to be problematic in below freezing weather? Should I go for the B&M 70268 to be versatile in all climates?

 

[JoeBand]

gran viaje!

hey aawolf,
i pm'ed you with info regarding this trip, i ran it south to north in 2003-04. it's an amazing route!

joe

 

[BrianSD_42]

without a doubt replace the radiator. If you want to do the external trans cooler that is fine but I would replace the radiator either way.

It doesn't cost very much and is just the smart thing to do considering where you will be going.

 

[aawolf]

Thanks Brian,

If I decide to do both: Any problem running the stronger external cooler in colder climates? Am I over thinking it?

 

[Nelsonmd]

I agree wit Brian, but I would also bypass at the same time. The external tranny cooler is half the price of the radiator, cools better, and has fer less risk of failure.

If you are carrying a heavy load, then you might consider adding the external tranny cooler in line, just make sure that the fluid goes through the external cooler first so as to not tax your radiator unnecessarily.

I think you're fine running the external in colder temps. You can always duct tape some cardboard over it if your tranny is running way too cold, but you'll definitely be hitting some high temps, so the extra cooling will be good.

 

[white_n_slow]

Do both for insurance sake. My folks spent a lot of time in Baja in their Town & Country Minivan (great idea!) and I used to live in Guadalajara. Mexico runs on a different time scale than we're used to. Even in the big city, breakdowns can take 3x as long to hunt down parts as here in the land of NAPA and a robust dealership network.

No harm in running a tranny cooler in colder temps. The 80-series landcruisers have bigger tranny coolers than most of the aftermarket ones the 4runner guys use, and they are used in all climates with no issues.

 

[Frontier719]

Subscribed. Post some pics from the trip. I want to do this so bad!

 

[aawolf]

One more question on this: should I replace the thermostat while I'm at it? I'm having a hard time finding out how often it's recommend to do this and I'd definitely trying to stick to the if it aint broke don't fix it attitude.

-Adam