How common is the Pink Milkshake?

[4-Ripcord]

That one was on yotatech somewhere.

 

[Nelsonmd]

That one was on yotatech somewhere.

Yup. I never bookmarked it though.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Here you go, the title sucked...probably why you couldn't find it:

any body ever crack-opened up OEM rad, if not, here we go! - YotaTech Forums

.

You got it. I remember the funny title.

 

[buzzzam]

I added a tranny cooler this summer just for insurance. It had the milkshake problem at 100,000 miles and trans/radiator were replaced before I purchased it.

 

[Garage Guy]

any body ever crack-opened up OEM rad, if not, here we go! - YotaTech Forums
My Radiator

Those pictures of the OEM rad are pretty interesting. Sure seems to be some issues with the design. Maybe okay if all the parts are put together exactly right, but it's easy to imagine how a little manufacturing variation and you've got a situation where the pink milkshake is likely to happen sooner or later.

Now what I'd like to know is, does anyone have similar pictures of the Koyo A1998 replacement? If it's exactly the same inside, it's still a crap shoot. If it's got a better design, then I'd feel a lot better about doing the swap.

--Paul

 

[jinxed13]

The fact that it has happened to more than a handfull of people made me choose to do it, considering my luck. 50 bucks for b&m oil cooler on amazon plus 20 bucks for various parts at auto parts store vs. 2000 bucks for a new tranny.
Preventative maintence.

 

[Martinjmpr]

And it is an issue with the original design. If the original design can't meet the intended use, then it is a design problem, not an intended use problem. The corrosion causing the failure is on the inside, so that suggests external environment has nothing to do with it, it is a design issue of material compatibility or the like.

The way I see it, by the time you get to 125k or so, the vehicle has already lived what any manufacturer would deem to be it's normal, full life. The fact that we can get 200k out of these is a bonus. If anything, Toyota is kind of shooting themselves in the foot by making vehicles that last so long - it keeps people from buying new ones (when I bought my 99 4runner in 2009, Toyota didn't get so much as a dime from me.)

If you're getting 150k before any major problems, then the vehicle has already exceeded its "intended use."

Based on a pure seat-of-the-pants assessment based on the hundreds of 3rd gens I see running around here, my guess is that fewer than 3% of auto tranny equipped 4runners will ever experience the pink milkshake before 150k. After 150k that number probably goes up, but then again, so does failure of other components (engine, T-case, axles, etc.) Getting the external tranny cooler probably drops the likelihood by a significant percentage but of course, the only way to get a 100% guarantee of no pink milkshake is to get a 4runner with a manual tranny.

Here's something else to consider, though: Even if you did trash your tranny, the 4runner's residual value is high enough that it would probably be worth it to replace the tranny rather than to salvage the vehicle. That's something you can't say about a lot of vehicles out there.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Still better IMO to replace the radiator after 150k miles anyway so you kill two birds with one stone instead of an external cooler and a radiator but whether you spend $50 on a tranny cooler or $130 on a radiator it's still better then spending a couple grand later even if the chance is small.

 

[getlam]

i've experienced ith dreaded pink mikshake, cost me close to 2000 and did most of the work except the trans rebuild in my garage. i live in canada in a cold climate, and was recommended to avoid external cooler because in the cold the rad will help warm the trans up quicker, so i skipped the cooler and replaced the rad and used internal cooler. hard to say what is better but with 295km on the 99 runner it did well. if i still have it at 400km i might just spend the 150 on a rad for peace of mind...

 

[Killa-Cotton]

Opinion on "pink milkshake" for a Alabama 4Runner

I've just bought a 98' 2wd SR5 with 150K and I'm wondering should I go ahead and add a separate trans cooler. The truck has been dealer maintained since and the original owners appear to have done just about anything the dealer recommended. It's had the timing belt and water pump replaced twice already and all of the other general maintenance items like plugs, wires, oil, air and fuel filters are all OEM and install by the dealer. I mean even when the factory radio died they had the dealer install a OEM Cassette/CD player. Actually, the main selling point for me was the BOOK of service receipts they had on it. The radiator doesn't appear to have been replaced although it's been serviced regularly and looks to be in great shape. As easy as it would be to install a good cooler I don't see why I shouldn't. I'd like to hear some opinions of experienced 4Runner owners though. Oh, here is a pic I took on the way home with it. It's about to get a serious detailing and I'll post some pics after. Thanks

 

[kball]

Even one owner 4runners with regular maintenance have had the milkshake happen. Your 98 is 14 years old. I would either replace the radiator or put a cooler on and bypass.

 

[Killa-Cotton]

Thanks and I agree. After reading up for a few hours last night I went ahead and ordered a 70268 from Summit before I went to bed. I'll pop that baby in this weekend mark that potential future problem off the list. Any input on the elbow removal and deckplate mod? My TR4 has a K&N but I'll probably grab a Toyota filter as I'm not a big fan of the K&N's anyway.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Not reading all 3 pages here but I'd just like to offer this:

The cooling system is pressurized, over time the radiator will fail. Case in point, do you need to replace the timing belt on a 5VZ before it fails, no. Should you, yes. Same thing with the radiator, as these 3rd Gens get older, it's just good maintenance. The radiator won't and isn't design to last forever. I run an external trans cooler so that I WILL NEVER have to worry about the milkshake. However, there is still the whole keeping the engine cool, not overheating, no blowing a head gasket aspect to the radiator too. I'd much rather replace a $100 radiator than my engine.

 

[Nashvegas34]

^This^

I'm replacing my radiator but still bypassing it with an external cooler. I would likely be fine with just replacing the radiator, but not having to ever worry about the milkshake is worth it to me.

 

[fivegear]

I replaced my radiator for peace of mind because my 4Runner is 15 years old!

Two of the 4Runners I looked at before buying mine had the pink milkshake when I was looking at them. Two of the 3 I looked at. One of them I would have absolutely bought otherwise, it was exactly what I wanted.

My family primarily owns vehicles in the 10+ year old range and I can tell you that radiator failure is extremely common with these junk radiators that all manufacturers use these days. Plastic should never be involved in anything having to do with engine function!

 

[Sheepdog]

Thanks for all the responses so far. So a quick search on wikipedia shows that my truck is one of 112,000 units made in 2000. Even if the milkshake happens to 10% of them that means there would be 11,000 4runners just from that model year with this failure. So between 1996 and 2002 there might be as many as 100,000 trucks with the milkshake if it happens 10% of the time. Are there really that many?

I just wanted to point out that this problem can only occur with automatic transmission equipped 4Runners. Many Base and SR5 variants came from the factory with a 5-speed.

FWIW, my '95 Suburban experienced a similar failure at 175K. As has been stated earlier, radiators DO wear out. Though flushing and other maintenance approaches may extend radiator life, heat and pressure will eventually prevail.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Still better IMO to replace the radiator after 150k miles anyway so you kill two birds with one stone instead of an external cooler and a radiator but whether you spend $50 on a tranny cooler or $130 on a radiator it's still better then spending a couple grand later even if the chance is small.

This is what I was wondering about. Cause even if you install a tranny cooler the radiator can still fail on the coolant side right? Then you would have to get a new radiator anyway. So why not just skip the cooler and get a new radiator that you know will easily last another 100k.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

This is what I was wondering about. Cause even if you install a tranny cooler the radiator can still fail on the coolant side right? Then you would have to get a new radiator anyway. So why not just skip the cooler and get a new radiator that you know will easily last another 100k.

Simple, for a few extra bucks you are guaranteed to never have the pink milkshake. A new radiator can fail. Hell, it can be broken inside when you get it. You install it, go for a drive and Boom! Pink milkshake from your brand new replacement radiator. Is it likely to happen, no. Could it happen, absolutely. For a few extra bucks it's well worth eliminating any chance of it happening. IMO anyway.

 

[jeff_connors]

Pink Milkshake -- Radiator

I am installing the external transmission radiator. The return transmission nipple came out of the radiator. It's one of the L shaped aluminum ones attached to the bottom of the radiator. It has an O-ring on the end but no threads. It appears it was held in by form a gasket. I did not think that would hold it in so used JB Weld on it. Came right out again. Any ideas on how to seal this hole off? Plug? I JB Welded the holes and they seem to be closed up okay.

 

[RichmanA2]

I'm having a hard time bringing myself to pay for replacement of a part this isn't broken.!

That can be a very expensive expensive attitude to have.