Pink Milkshake Transmission Help

[Njbenzick]

My girlfriend parked her 2000 4RUNNER 3.4 in my driveway last night, and after 30 minutes, we noticed massive bleeding of trans fluid under the truck. Massive dripping from the trans crossmember and all around the case. Also there was dripping of frothy trans fluid dripping from the driver side front wheel well.

I have read previous posts on the topic, and I am pretty sure the radiator and internal trans cooler has failed.

The question is this: Can I install an external trans cooler and bypass the internal trans cooler by installing a piece of hose between the line-in and return ports? Will the radiator be ok with the internal leak? I will be flushing the transmission and radiator.

She has to make a trip on Monday and we cannot wait a week for a new radiator to be shipped in..

Any help and advice would be appreciated. I am a former mechanic, but have never worked on a 4 runner.

 

[combatmedic]

Im pretty sure you can, but first you need to flush that transmission out, also the radiator is pretty much toast.. I'd rent her a car before driving the 4runner and doing more damage. My local autoparts store had my radiator in stock, and I know oreillys can get parts next day, so you shouldn't have to wait a week unless youre ordering online

 

[WK15]

Yes, can bypass the internal trans cooler by installing a piece of hose between the line-in and return ports. When, I did my TB service I noticed weeping from the radiator. I replaced the old rad with a new one and installed my external trans cooler.

As Combat Medic states flush everything out, then reinstall.

B&M Cooler:
# 70268 is rated at 13K BTU
# 70267 is rated at 14K BTU

I used the MAXI-KOOL XL # 243012, it’s the largest that they carried. It is a bit larger that the B&Ms. You will need to add a 1 or two quarts more transmission fluid to make up the difference with the external cooler.

Here is a transmission drain and flush link:

Dropping Pan And Flushing Transmission

Hope this helps. Good luck with your project.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Drain the trans ASAP. There's a good chance the trans is toast after the milkshake happens. The sooner you get that stuff out, the better chance you have of saving it.

 

[T4R_Finally]

You got bigger fish to fry before strapping on a new tranny cooler. Flush the hell out of the transmission and maybe you can save it. If I were you, I'd order a new radiator and run the tranny cooler inline with that, or just skip the extra cooler altogether. I just got done swapping my radiator out and there wasn't even anything wrong with mine. I just wanted to avoid this potential disaster. I considered an external cooler but couldn't find a reason that I needed one with a brand new radiator.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

I run an external cooler just because it guarantees this will never happen. I didn't want to chance it, new parts do fail sometimes. Better safe than sorry I figure.

 

[kman55]

You can bypass it, but I'd flush out the tranny ti he safe and throw on a new radiator.

 

[Drcoffee]

Give this a try.

diy-automatic-transmission-flush

It'll save you gallons of Trans fluid and works well. I did it on my IS300. In your case, do this once. Drive around to move the fluid throughout the transmission and do it again. Do it until the trans fluid looks like new. For the first flush you can use non-toyota fluid but the final flush should have Toyota fluid.

*As a side note, do not just bypass the radiator. The radiator cooler serves two functions. It warms the trans fluid to operating temp quicker than it can do on its own which help prolong its life. Second, it cools the transmission better than just an air cooled aux cooler can do. A liquid to liquid cooler is far more efficient than an air to liquid cooler. If you overheat the transmission, it will die quickly. Why then add a cooler to the transmission line?? Because the optimal temp for a transmission is around 160-180 degrees. The radiator is typically at 180 degrees. So by adding the cooler inline "after" the radiator, you bring the temp up quickly using the engine coolant, but then keep it down below 180 degrees by cooling it again through a 2nd cooler. I've been able to monitor this effect on other cars I've had with a diagnostic interface and always had to restore the radiator cooler because the transmission temps would sore above 220 degrees with just an aux cooler alone.

Good luck.

 

[tbst]

You will be fine bypassing the tranny cooler in the radiator. Many many have done it. You will be fine.

 

[T4R_Finally]

No right or wrong here. Just do what makes you feel the most comfortable and is within your budget. I went the new rad route and am fine with that for my driving applications. My runner survived 12 years in fine fashion with the stock setup.