Help with tranny cooler.

[Yotacollector]

Ok. Call me stupid, dumb dumb, whatever you want. But I need help and that's what forums are for!

2000 4runner sr5 3.4 4x4. Just installed a new radiator and want to install a b&m 70264 tranny cooler but also want to bypass the stock radiator transmission cooler. There's two ports on the new transmission cooler. Do these go directly to the transmission return and send lines? What do I do with the two barbs on the radiator? Just plug them?

I know this is probably simple but I'm trying to get over the strawberry milkshake and I think I caught it early enough but don't want to hook the new cooler up wrong. Thanks In advance.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

Yes the hoses from the transmission go to the new cooler.

I took a piece of the old hose I cut off and just ran it between the unused fittings on the radiator. That way if the radiator ever fails (which would have created the pink milkshake) you won't lose all your anti-freeze out of those fittings.

 

[the great him]

yes make sure you run the out line(from the trans) in at the bottom of the cooler(if you stand it up vertically) and the return line our the top- this will actually require the fluid to fill the cooler and use the cooler before it returns back to the trans. or you can mount the cooler horizontal as long as the ports are sticking up, in which case it wont matter what lines you run to what port. -use hose clamps


but as Ozarks stated you can just run a lenght of hose between the two ports on the rad to prevent any loss of fluid if a radiator gives out down there(i too did this). -use hose clamps here too, hot fluid could be pressurized and push off the hose if a failure occurs.

 

[Skidmarcx]

Personally I don't think its a good idea to bypass the radiator as it helps to warm the ATF... The after cooler will more than keep the temp under control and prevent another failure

 

[98OzarksRunner]

Personally I don't think its a good idea to bypass the radiator as it helps to warm the ATF... The after cooler will more than keep the temp under control and prevent another failure

The problem is that the o-rings in the radiator fail mixing antifreeze with trans fluid - the pink milkshake. If you continue to use the radiator you gain no protection from the pink milkshake. The atf should be plenty warm after you go a few miles, unless it's way subzero.

 

[THatfield]

I believe the 70264 has a cold fluid bypass. The fluid won't go trough the cooler until it's warm enough

 

[Skidmarcx]

The problem is that the o-rings in the radiator fail mixing antifreeze with trans fluid - the pink milkshake. If you continue to use the radiator you gain no protection from the pink milkshake. The atf should be plenty warm after you go a few miles, unless it's way subzero.

You may be right, but I think it's due to the ATF getting too hot and compromising the seals. I see it at work a lot with our buses without an external trans cooler... The ATF gets too hot and the same thing happens with the radiators... Install an external cooler inline and problem solved

 

[thor999]

I believe the 70264 has a cold fluid bypass. The fluid won't go trough the cooler until it's was enough

70268 as well, correct? Oh and this is truly beating a dead hooker, calling Dr. Coffee! Calling Dr. Coffee! uke: LOTS of info here on trans coolers, you can spend a whole weekend on it! But FWIW, I am running a 70268 rad bypass and experience high trans temps (detected by a SCll) driving in 4hi in the middle of winter, nothing ridiculous either. I recommend trying the 70264 (larger) or this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/prm-13515 another member is running that with a trans temp gauge to automatically kick the fan on at a certain temp... I will be adding that to my setup but have an inline switch as I can monitor my temps with my SCll. Hope this helps!

 

[Robb235]

You may be right, but I think it's due to the ATF getting too hot and compromising the seals. I see it at work a lot with our buses without an external trans cooler... The ATF gets too hot and the same thing happens with the radiators... Install an external cooler inline and problem solved

That's an interesting, and certainly plausible theory, but without any proof to support it, I think most people who buy a trans cooler will continue to bypass the radiator completely. It's really the only way to be certain that a pink milkshake will never occur.

 

[Skidmarcx]

The only reason I disagree is that the transmission is designed to operate under a certain temperature range and the radiator helps to keep it that way... If it were that simple I'm sure the designers would have a single external cooler closer to the transmission rather than run it all the way up front

 

[Robb235]

The only reason I disagree is that the transmission is designed to operate under a certain temperature range and the radiator helps to keep it that way... If it were that simple I'm sure the designers would have a single external cooler closer to the transmission rather than run it all the way up front

Personally, I think it's more of a manufacturing and labor install savings more than anything else. The transmission is more than capable of getting itself up to operating temperature without help from a warm radiator. Trans should be up to temp before the thermostat opens anyway.

 

[Skidmarcx]

Personally, I think it's more of a manufacturing and labor install savings more than anything else. The transmission is more than capable of getting itself up to operating temperature without help from a warm radiator. Trans should be up to temp before the thermostat opens anyway.

Yea I hear ya... I guess it's one of those things if you don't experience any negative effects from eliminating the radiator circuit then you're good to go

 

[the great him]

The only reason I disagree is that the transmission is designed to operate under a certain temperature range and the radiator helps to keep it that way... If it were that simple I'm sure the designers would have a single external cooler closer to the transmission rather than run it all the way up front

Yea I hear ya... I guess it's one of those things if you don't experience any negative effects from eliminating the radiator circuit then you're good to go

so for the past few days(5 or so) here in vancouver/portland area, it has been dipping down into the twenties and even high teens at night, and only getting up to 45 or so during the day, while not supper cold no, but i run dual coolers, and i still see temps of around 130*+ with in 5-10min of driving and about half of that is at 50+mph. now i purposely leave my truck in 1st gear while on the surface streets and speeds are at or below 30mph to help warm up(i would do this with out the trans coolers as well, helps warm up the heater as well -yes i sometimes will let the truck warm up in the driveway too). my point is that even with dual coolers and cold temps i still can get my temps up enough to work just fine. by the time i get out onto the hwy about 5+/-min of driving and shifting into D i get nice smooth shifts and my temp gauge is still well under 150*. i have done this without holding the trans into 1st gear and still well before i get to the hwy i have nice smooth shifts, but the trans will hold shifts till higher RPMs to help get the temps up and im sure it also has something to do with the valve body and torque converter arent warmed up either...

your trans will work just fine at a temp of 150* you do not need your trans to be 180* to work "optimally" thats just plan untrue. ATF at 120* is more than warm enough to operate a transmission without any ill affects. and if you think 120* is not hot enough take some water and heat it to 120* and stick you hand in it and try and tell me its not hot. the radiator is not so much of a cooler for our transmissions as it is a temperature regulator. but the only problem with that is if your motor overheats its gonna cook your trans too. and heat on heat will compound much faster that way. so say you are pulling a trailer up a long hill or grade in hot weather, and at slow speeds. -you dont have the air flow over the radiator to keep the motor warm as well as the trans, and with both being hooked into each other they will compound on each other, but if you separate them they will take longer to heat up as the fluids cant heat each other. heating will happen much faster than cooling will, and this is why i dont think the radiator is a good trans cooler, as it is always hot and never cool, you can never get the radiator much lower than 170-180, but it can get much much hotter

 

[the great him]

another member is running that with a trans temp gauge to automatically kick the fan on at a certain temp...

that would be me

 

[Skidmarcx]

so for the past few days(5 or so) here in vancouver/portland area, it has been dipping down into the twenties and even high teens at night, and only getting up to 45 or so during the day, while not supper cold no, but i run dual coolers, and i still see temps of around 130*+ with in 5-10min of driving and about half of that is at 50+mph. now i purposely leave my truck in 1st gear while on the surface streets and speeds are at or below 30mph to help warm up(i would do this with out the trans coolers as well, helps warm up the heater as well -yes i sometimes will let the truck warm up in the driveway too). my point is that even with dual coolers and cold temps i still can get my temps up enough to work just fine. by the time i get out onto the hwy about 5+/-min of driving and shifting into D i get nice smooth shifts and my temp gauge is still well under 150*. i have done this without holding the trans into 1st gear and still well before i get to the hwy i have nice smooth shifts, but the trans will hold shifts till higher RPMs to help get the temps up and im sure it also has something to do with the valve body and torque converter arent warmed up either...

your trans will work just fine at a temp of 150* you do not need your trans to be 180* to work "optimally" thats just plan untrue. ATF at 120* is more than warm enough to operate a transmission without any ill affects. and if you think 120* is not hot enough take some water and heat it to 120* and stick you hand in it and try and tell me its not hot. the radiator is not so much of a cooler for our transmissions as it is a temperature regulator. but the only problem with that is if your motor overheats its gonna cook your trans too. and heat on heat will compound much faster that way. so say you are pulling a trailer up a long hill or grade in hot weather, and at slow speeds. -you dont have the air flow over the radiator to keep the motor warm as well as the trans, and with both being hooked into each other they will compound on each other, but if you separate them they will take longer to heat up as the fluids cant heat each other. heating will happen much faster than cooling will, and this is why i dont think the radiator is a good trans cooler, as it is always hot and never cool, you can never get the radiator much lower than 170-180, but it can get much much hotter

Very informative and good to know... this makes me want to see what my ATF temps are in the summer time

 

[Yotacollector]

so for the past few days(5 or so) here in vancouver/portland area, it has been dipping down into the twenties and even high teens at night, and only getting up to 45 or so during the day, while not supper cold no, but i run dual coolers, and i still see temps of around 130*+ with in 5-10min of driving and about half of that is at 50+mph. now i purposely leave my truck in 1st gear while on the surface streets and speeds are at or below 30mph to help warm up(i would do this with out the trans coolers as well, helps warm up the heater as well -yes i sometimes will let the truck warm up in the driveway too). my point is that even with dual coolers and cold temps i still can get my temps up enough to work just fine. by the time i get out onto the hwy about 5+/-min of driving and shifting into D i get nice smooth shifts and my temp gauge is still well under 150*. i have done this without holding the trans into 1st gear and still well before i get to the hwy i have nice smooth shifts, but the trans will hold shifts till higher RPMs to help get the temps up and im sure it also has something to do with the valve body and torque converter arent warmed up either...

your trans will work just fine at a temp of 150* you do not need your trans to be 180* to work "optimally" thats just plan untrue. ATF at 120* is more than warm enough to operate a transmission without any ill affects. and if you think 120* is not hot enough take some water and heat it to 120* and stick you hand in it and try and tell me its not hot. the radiator is not so much of a cooler for our transmissions as it is a temperature regulator. but the only problem with that is if your motor overheats its gonna cook your trans too. and heat on heat will compound much faster that way. so say you are pulling a trailer up a long hill or grade in hot weather, and at slow speeds. -you dont have the air flow over the radiator to keep the motor warm as well as the trans, and with both being hooked into each other they will compound on each other, but if you separate them they will take longer to heat up as the fluids cant heat each other. heating will happen much faster than cooling will, and this is why i dont think the radiator is a good trans cooler, as it is always hot and never cool, you can never get the radiator much lower than 170-180, but it can get much much hotter

I live within 15 miles of summit racing. I talked extensively with their techs about this and they all said the cooler you can keep your tranny temps, the better.

 

[the great him]

yeup... and again 150* is more than warm enough to optimally operate your trans

 

[opie74]

Mid 20's here lately with the mornings in the teens. Trans never gets to 100. Cooler run in series with the radiator. About 2 miles of city streets, 2 lights and then highway for about 4 miles at 55. Then another 2 miles of surface streets. During the summer it gets to about 170 around the city, and 130 cruising on the highway at 70.