T4R radiator design questions / Pink Milkshake

[daugherty83]

Have seen numerous posts here and elsewhere on the net regarding 4Runners tranny coolers that are located in the bottom of the radiator bursting, or the lines getting rusted and opening up allowing tranny fluid to mix with coolant in the tranny and radiator. Is the cooler in the bottom of the rad. not a standard desgin on most vehicles? Mine recently went out, and had to do some major flushing at a close friends personal shop as well as buy a new aftermarket radiator. Would this new aftermarket rad. have a cooler inside at the bottom as well? And would it be smart to always replace radiator when buying used 4Runner. A tranny is not cheap, and for alot of people this fail turns into buying a new tranny. Any thoughts?

 

[Elton H]

a real tranny cooler in front of the rad

 

[dkovac]

change you trans fluid as fast as possible this happened to me and coolant got into the trans fluid. this led to the clutch packs deteriorating and having to get a new trans.

 

[ryani]

That whereI'm at. I'm going to replace mine when I do the timing belt. I have a 98 with only 102K but I'd rather spend the 150-200 extra bucks now before the milkshake instead of dropping 2000-3000 later

 

[dkovac]

mine went after 175k and it was my fault I added water in the summer never replaced the fluid and it froze in the winter cracked the inside of the rad all downhill from there

 

[BTO]

a real tranny cooler in front of the rad

Yep. I had the same idea and posted it in the other thread. What are the downsides to that arrangement? Longer to heat up tranny? Less air flow to cool down?

 

[Franker]

99' Radiator Issue

just thought i would share my 2 cents on this matter. no way to tell when it can happen, it starts by they temp gauge going up and the transmission starts shifting harder. i only drive 10 min back and forth to work and after just a few days the two systems fluids were completely mixed. I purchased a new radiator and 5 gal of new AT fluid, and a new AT filter. After flushing the coolant system out with the hose until all old fluid was removed i installed the new radiator. I then flushed the transmission about 4 or 5 times. I would fill, then take it for a test drive, come back and drain while also dropping the transmission pan to get all the mixed fluid out. The transmission seemed to be working properly, but i decided to start looking for a new 4th gen 4runner. Didn't want to chance having to get a new tranny, and this gave me a reason to upgrade. In my opinion this is a terrible flaw in the otherwise bullet proof 99 4runner. This also happened to a friend of mine in his 99. He totally fried his tranny by overheating twice. I think every 3rd gen owner should go out and either purchase a new radiator or seperate tranny cooler.

 

[ryani]

Oh yes that picture is exactly what I would like to try and avoid. And I figure if i have the rad drained anyway when I do the timing belt the extra cash to put new rad in is worth it to me. 150 vs 2000 simple to me

 

[96743runner]

This issue seems to be fairly common for 3rd gens. I guess that the whole radiator could be changed but that can be expensive, depending on which you buy. After reading so many stories of the stock radiator cooler failure, I decided to just get an external tranny cooler. It actually seems to shift smoother now, but that could just be my imagination. But to me, it was worth it, since it was only $55 shipped.

 

[240m3srt]

This issue seems to be fairly common for 3rd gens. I guess that the whole radiator could be changed but that can be expensive, depending on which you buy. After reading so many stories of the stock radiator cooler failure, I decided to just get an external tranny cooler. It actually seems to shift smoother now, but that could just be my imagination. But to me, it was worth it, since it was only $55 shipped.

Might i ask where you purchased the tranny cooler? Got a link to make my life easier?:keyboard:

 

[Franker]

Might i ask where you purchased the tranny cooler? Got a link to make my life easier?:keyboard:

imagine that! for 55 extra bucks Toyota should have done that from the beginning!:bash:

 

[ryani]

So when you added the tranny cooler you eliminated the use of the factory radiator cooler?

 

[96743runner]

I got my cooler from here:

Long Tru-Cool LPD Cooler SR4454 - SR4454

It's called the Long Tru-Cool 4454. I have read the posts of many people who have bought this cooler and have had it on for a while with no problems. It's basically the same size as the TRD one, but it costs wayyyy less and it also has an internal bypass for cold weather, so the fluid doesn't get too cold, which is a plus.

ryani - yep, I completely bypassed the stock in-radiator cooler

 

[ryani]

Thanks 96743 runner for the heads up. I'm thinking of doing that. I put one on a mazda 6 i owned in series with the stock rad cooler. Shouldn't be any harder than that. Just eliminate the stock cooler sounds like the way to go. 96743 runner do you live where it gets below zero? Two days ago it was 23 below zero here!

 

[BTO]

I got my cooler from here:

Long Tru-Cool LPD Cooler SR4454 - SR4454

Thanks 96743runner. It's on my list for sure.

 

[alp]

This issue seems to be fairly common for 3rd gens. I guess that the whole radiator could be changed but that can be expensive, depending on which you buy. After reading so many stories of the stock radiator cooler failure, I decided to just get an external tranny cooler. It actually seems to shift smoother now, but that could just be my imagination. But to me, it was worth it, since it was only $55 shipped.

By any chance you can share with us details of installation? Did you use any special hardware or installation kit that comes with the cooler is good enough?
Can you post more pics of this installation, please?
I think this is one of the most important mods that must be done with our trucks.
Thanks.

 

[daugherty83]

Eye opening discussion with pics here.
any body ever crack-opened up OEM rad, if not, here we go! - YotaTech Forums
I think this issue should be brought to the attention of all T4R owners and enthusiasts. IMHO, it is cheap insurance to bypass the factory cooler, and run a dedicated cooler in front of the radiator. Cheap insurance to protect these otherwise bulletproof rigs. Anyone with any mileage whatsoever on the rig definitely needs to replace their radiator or go with the tranny cooler.

 

[240m3srt]

I got my cooler from here:

Long Tru-Cool LPD Cooler SR4454 - SR4454

It's called the Long Tru-Cool 4454. I have read the posts of many people who have bought this cooler and have had it on for a while with no problems. It's basically the same size as the TRD one, but it costs wayyyy less and it also has an internal bypass for cold weather, so the fluid doesn't get too cold, which is a plus.

ryani - yep, I completely bypassed the stock in-radiator cooler

Ordered mine, thanks again!

 

[96743runner]

Thanks 96743 runner for the heads up. I'm thinking of doing that. I put one on a mazda 6 i owned in series with the stock rad cooler. Shouldn't be any harder than that. Just eliminate the stock cooler sounds like the way to go. 96743 runner do you live where it gets below zero? Two days ago it was 23 below zero here!

No, it actually is fairly warm here where I live. (Kinda like Florida's weather I guess) The only times that I would ever drive in sub-zero temps is if I were to drive to the top of the mountains on my island. It gets pretty cold up there and it even snows if the time is right.

 

[96743runner]

By any chance you can share with us details of installation? Did you use any special hardware or installation kit that comes with the cooler is good enough?
Can you post more pics of this installation, please?
I think this is one of the most important mods that must be done with our trucks.
Thanks.

The kit comes with all of the hardware that you should need. The only thing that I would recommend getting extra of is transmission hose. The amount that they gave was too short.

Sorry, but I did not take pics of the step by step installation. But, here's two other pics of the finished product:

Haha, if you look closely, you can see that I tightened the left bolt too much, causing me to bend the metal. Lesson learned: never have a funny conversation with a friend while tightening bolts. :bash:

The kit came with metal brackets which most people used, but I just decided to bolt the cooler on there using only those two holes. It may not sound very sturdy, but if I try to wiggle it, it will not move.

If you need more info, try this link: Bypass the OE tranny cooler? - YotaTech Forums. That's where I got most of the info I needed to do this.


Hope this helps!