New Radiator to avoid pink milkshake

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I was wondering if you could help clarify some points for me. Figured it would be better here than making a new thread:

Just bought a 99 with about 160k miles on it. At around 70k miles the previous owner needed to "do transmission work and replace the radiator." Didn't really give me any info other than that, but since that was almost 100k miles ago I figured it wasn't too big of a concern. Having done about a million searches now I'm wondering if it was an attack of the milkshake kind.

I'm now stuck in a debate on the best method to protect against any further AT problems. The radiator in it (dont have the name on hand) looks pretty solid, was installed by the dealer, and came with a lifetime warranty against failure. Seems as though it has held up well, but I'm sure it could use a replacement now that it's been on for about 100k miles.

I've also thought about the aux cooler for the radiator, but I'm concerned about using it in low temps. I bought the runner specifically for winter driving, and it regularly gets to 0 degrees in my area in the winter. I don't plan on using the runner much in the warmer months, aside from the occasional offroad trek.

Any recommendations? Should I stick with a new radiator only, or would the aux cooler do alright in the winter?

I've been searching throughout the day to find some clarity, but I apologize in advance if this has been address succinctly in another thread. If so, feel free to point me in the right direction.
 
GB4Runne4 said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I was wondering if you could help clarify some points for me. Figured it would be better here than making a new thread:

Just bought a 99 with about 160k miles on it. At around 70k miles the previous owner needed to "do transmission work and replace the radiator." Didn't really give me any info other than that, but since that was almost 100k miles ago I figured it wasn't too big of a concern. Having done about a million searches now I'm wondering if it was an attack of the milkshake kind.

I'm now stuck in a debate on the best method to protect against any further AT problems. The radiator in it (dont have the name on hand) looks pretty solid, was installed by the dealer, and came with a lifetime warranty against failure. Seems as though it has held up well, but I'm sure it could use a replacement now that it's been on for about 100k miles.

I've also thought about the aux cooler for the radiator, but I'm concerned about using it in low temps. I bought the runner specifically for winter driving, and it regularly gets to 0 degrees in my area in the winter. I don't plan on using the runner much in the warmer months, aside from the occasional offroad trek.

Any recommendations? Should I stick with a new radiator only, or would the aux cooler do alright in the winter?

I've been searching throughout the day to find some clarity, but I apologize in advance if this has been address succinctly in another thread. If so, feel free to point me in the right direction.
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If it's going to be mainly a winter vehicle I'd stick with the radiator cooler. Your radiator only has 90K on it so it's still fairly young. The PO having an issue at 70K is abnormal.
 
kball said:
If it's going to be mainly a winter vehicle I'd stick with the radiator cooler. Your radiator only has 90K on it so it's still fairly young. The PO having an issue at 70K is abnormal.
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I would also hope (?) that the replacement radiator would not succumb to the same fate as the OEM radiator...

I found on my 2nd install that I had a new radiator (bought the vehicle with 125K, no specific records on radiator replacement) so I put the B&M in series. For this vehicle it makes sense because it will be in the mountains over the winter and will benefit from keeping the radiator tranny cooler in-line.
 
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kball said:
If it's going to be mainly a winter vehicle I'd stick with the radiator cooler. Your radiator only has 90K on it so it's still fairly young. The PO having an issue at 70K is abnormal.
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I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I have a B&M that bypasses the radiator and winter is going to be around the corner. I know a lot of people on here feel the same as you about using this setup in the winter.

Here's what I've been thinking...If you are running the atf through just the radiator, there is not going to be any warming effect until the thermostat hits its temperature and allows warm coolant into the radiator. It could take up to 10-20 minutes of driving before the thermostat opens meaning the coolant in the radiator could potentially be sub zero, depending on how cold it got the night before.

It seems that everyone's concerns about bypassing the rad with an external cooler are based on worries about the cooler over-cooling the atf. This is a legitimate concern. Does anyone have quantified data via scangauge or other atf temp gauge?

I'm not sure if B&M's Low Pressure Drop feature works as advertised or not. I guess I'll find out this winter. I was planning on installing a series of ball valves on the lines which would allow me to run the atf through either the B&M or the radiator depending on the seasons, but I think I'm just going to run it through the B&M this winter and see what temps look like.
 
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zcruiser said:
I would also hope (?) that the replacement radiator would not succumb to the same fate as the OEM radiator...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the responses. I guess my main problem is that I'm still somewhat unsure as to where the problem originates. Is it the OEM radiator that has the source of the problem, or is it the wiring itself that conjoins both lines? I wasn't sure if the new nonOEM radiator eliminated the problem, but the quote above seems to point to the OEM radiator as the source of the problem.

I'd prefer to stick with the radiator instead of going with the aux cooler. The cost isn't an issue (since they're pretty cheap)...it's the usage in weather that's commonly in the teens.
 
GB4Runne4 said:
Thanks for the responses. I guess my main problem is that I'm still somewhat unsure as to where the problem originates. Is it the OEM radiator that has the source of the problem, or is it the wiring itself that conjoins both lines? I wasn't sure if the new nonOEM radiator eliminated the problem, but the quote above seems to point to the OEM radiator as the source of the problem.

I'd prefer to stick with the radiator instead of going with the aux cooler. The cost isn't an issue (since they're pretty cheap)...it's the usage in weather that's commonly in the teens.
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It's the internal structure of the combo OEM radiator... There's a link around here somewhere where someone dissected a broken OEM radiator.

Edit: Found it - http://www.yotatech.com/f2/any-body-ever-crack-opened-up-oem-rad-if-not-here-we-go-194976/

Have no idea if the aftermarket radiators are any stronger in that area...
 
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zcruiser said:
Have no idea if the aftermarket radiators are any stronger in that area...
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I wouldn't trust the aftermarket radiator any more/less than the OEM. If you are going to use the radiator cooler setup, I'd change the radiator every 100K.

My feeling is, if you can make an external cooler work for your situation- driving conditions, off road, weather. If it can keep your trans cool, I see no reason to chance having the radiator fail. The only reason I suggested to the previous poster to use the radiator setup is because it was going to be used almost exclusively as a winter vehicle in sub freezing temps.
 
rerouted my hoses from going into the radiator's internal cooler today and drove the vehicle and im not happy with the results the scangauge reads that i am runing 10-20 degrees hotter than when i had it hooked up to the radiator and my trd cooler. so im definatly going back to the original setup.
 
SIKHILUXSURF said:
rerouted my hoses from going into the radiator's internal cooler today and drove the vehicle and im not happy with the results the scangauge reads that i am runing 10-20 degrees hotter than when i had it hooked up to the radiator and my trd cooler. so im definatly going back to the original setup.
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I'm confused. Let's see if I understand.

Your original setup was your trd cooler inline with the radiators cooler?

You changed it today and just ran it to the radiator's cooler? Or you just had it running to the trd cooler?
 
SIKHILUXSURF said:
rerouted my hoses from going into the radiator's internal cooler today and drove the vehicle and im not happy with the results the scangauge reads that i am runing 10-20 degrees hotter than when i had it hooked up to the radiator and my trd cooler. so im definatly going back to the original setup.
Click to expand...

Where is the TRD cooler located?
 
domstriker said:
I'm confused. Let's see if I understand.

Your original setup was your trd cooler inline with the radiators cooler?

You changed it today and just ran it to the radiator's cooler? Or you just had it running to the trd cooler?
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Your original setup was your trd cooler inline with the radiators cooler?

YES


You changed it today and just ran it to the radiator's cooler? Or you just had it running to the trd cooler?

i ran the lines directly from the trans to the TRD cooler and eliminated the Radiators internal cooler. i am going to hook eveything back up like i had it before. so it will go through the radiators cooling system and the TRD Trans cooler.
 
zcruiser said:
I know I don't have one. :moon:

I was asking where your TRD cooler is located.
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well the way you asked it it sounded like you were asking as if they were on all 4runners. anywho mine is right behind the bumper in the center where the lower grill is so it should be getting alot of airflow.
 
I actually dug through the maintenance records and found that the radiator currently in the truck only has about 40k miles on it, not 100k as I previously thought. I guess it was replaced again more recently by the PO.

With that in mind, and given the weather conditions it will primarily see, would keeping the current setup (just the newer radiator without aux cooler) be alright? I wasn't sure if the consensus was that I should stick with what I have or go for an aux cooler.

Sorry if I'm not getting it - just wanted to be clear on the best advice prior to doing anything.
 
GB4Runne4 said:
I actually dug through the maintenance records and found that the radiator currently in the truck only has about 40k miles on it, not 100k as I previously thought. I guess it was replaced again more recently by the PO.

With that in mind, and given the weather conditions it will primarily see, would keeping the current setup (just the newer radiator without aux cooler) be alright? I wasn't sure if the consensus was that I should stick with what I have or go for an aux cooler.

Sorry if I'm not getting it - just wanted to be clear on the best advice prior to doing anything.
Click to expand...

I think your fine to leave it for now. Does the coolant look fresh? Maybe put the money towards a flush instead.
 
GB4Runne4 said:
I actually dug through the maintenance records and found that the radiator currently in the truck only has about 40k miles on it, not 100k as I previously thought. I guess it was replaced again more recently by the PO.

With that in mind, and given the weather conditions it will primarily see, would keeping the current setup (just the newer radiator without aux cooler) be alright? I wasn't sure if the consensus was that I should stick with what I have or go for an aux cooler.

Sorry if I'm not getting it - just wanted to be clear on the best advice prior to doing anything.
Click to expand...

Lowering your tranny fluid temp (within reason) is always good for your transmission life. Putting another tranny cooler in series with your radiator cooler is recommended if you're in cold climates, where one of the radiator cooler's purposes is to WARM your transmission fluid. You can go without an external cooler at all and you'll have normal transmission life. But, if you want to get to 300K, an extra cooler will help you get there.
 
What's a OEM radiator run and do you need any extras when swapping out the old? I'm planning on a new radiator and external cooler.
 
I believe the OEM radiator is somewhere north of $400, which is why many people opt for the Koyo or another aftermarket rad. With mine, I replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses and clamps, the thermostat (I replaced this twice actually) and the 3 nuts that secure the thermostat in it's housing. Probably around $210 not including the coolant and distilled water.
 
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