Engine oil cooler

[Camprunner]

So I bought a new travel trailer the other day a Jayco 23B about 4,100lbs empty and maybe about 4,900lbs under full load and I was wondering what people here think about the need for an engine oil cooler on my 06 V6 runner? I did install a heavy duty trans oil cooler and I have done a hitch upgrade last year when I was towing my old camper a little lighter being 4,400lbs under full load.

By the way my 06 V6 4runner had no problem at all towing my old camper (4th gear on the hills and no problem with 70 mph on the flats) ........ To be honest the truck did better then any V6 suv should have.

Also I was wondering can someone tell me what the stock rear diff ratio on my 4runner is I think it's 3:73 but im not sure?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I, if I lived in MA, wouldn

 

[Muffin-Man]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this but from reading what you stating is your taking a v6 4runner and towing at about 95% capacity. Does that strike you as being really hard on your vehicle, not to mention dangerous.


Even if you upgrade your coolers and your hitch, you still have an engine that is pulling at the limits of what it can handle, as well as the other components such as suspension ect.


I would highly recommend first purchasing the tow vehicle then purchase the trailer that is well within the tow vehicles' capacities.

 

[Camprunner]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this but from reading what you stating is your taking a v6 4runner and towing at about 95% capacity. Does that strike you as being really hard on your vehicle, not to mention dangerous.


Even if you upgrade your coolers and your hitch, you still have an engine that is pulling at the limits of what it can handle, as well as the other components such as suspension ect.


I would highly recommend first purchasing the tow vehicle then purchase the trailer that is well within the tow vehicles' capacities. [/QUOTE

Good point Muffin-Man but just a few comments ...... Other then the V8, The hitch upgrade and the trans cooler there is not much difference between the V6 and the V8 4runner and the V8 is rated to tow what 7,000lbs or is it 7,500lbs?

Second lets take a look at the Toyota Tacoma it is rated to tow 6,500lbs with the V6 and the trailer towing pkg and my 4runner has a fully boxed frame whare the Tacoma is not a fully boxed frame. So as far as the frame the V6 and the trans (with the trans cooler upgrade) I think im covered towing 5,000lbs.

My father towed a 28ft 6,500lb loaded camper with a GMC full size van in the 80's with a week! 350 V8 (190HP 320FT.lbs) and a three speed auto with tall 3:08 gears for three years with no problems.

 

[Falls]

My personal opinion.....

1. Add tranny & oil cooler .

2. Add a trailer brake system.

3. Dont know what you upgraded on the hitch , but a weight distribution system would also be a good idea.

I have always had oil and tranny coolers on my trucks/suv's ( usually comes with a designated trailer tow package ) usually does not come with a std. trailer hitch/bumper hitch. I've always felt good peace of mind with doing it that way.

Just my .02 my friend

 

[boston_kevin]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this but from reading what you stating is your taking a v6 4runner and towing at about 95% capacity. Does that strike you as being really hard on your vehicle, not to mention dangerous.


Even if you upgrade your coolers and your hitch, you still have an engine that is pulling at the limits of what it can handle, as well as the other components such as suspension ect.


I would highly recommend first purchasing the tow vehicle then purchase the trailer that is well within the tow vehicles' capacities.

Sorry to disappoint you, but this is incorrect. The limiting factor with the V6 is the hitch, not the engine. Toyota even states if you upgrade the hitch to the same on the V8, the V6 can tow 6700 lbs. An external cooler is good to have when towing anything over 4k in moderate to warm climates. The reason why Toyota does not install the same hitch on the V6 and V8 is because Toyota markets the V8 as a more tow friendly vehicle and charges a slight premium for it. If both V6 and V8 had the same hitch and similar tow ratings (6700 versus 7000) they would have a difficult time substantiating the $1k premium for the V8. And by the way, the suspension, transmission and all other components of the V6 versus V8 are exactly the same...

 

[MicaBlue03]

Transmission temp gauge?

Friends who have done a bunch of towing with auto trans vehicles all recommend a transmission oil temp gauge. It's a way to see how hard you are working the transmission, and to stay away from overheating the transmission oil. It's not always easy to predict or sense (while driving) how hard the transmission is working, so this can keep you out of trouble.

All the towing I've done was with manual transmission vehicles, so I have only 2nd hand info to report here.