T4R radiator design questions / Pink Milkshake

[240m3srt]

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!

Great pics. And good link, its amazing how much info is on the internet but how hard it as to find it without searching for hours on end.:smashputer:

So what did you do with the holes in the radiator, plug em or just leave them open?

 

[96743runner]

Great pics. And good link, its amazing how much info is on the internet but how hard it as to find it without searching for hours on end.:smashputer:

So what did you do with the holes in the radiator, plug em or just leave them open?

I plugged them, since I wouldn't want anything to get in there. It can get pretty dusty here and I find dirt/dust in all kinds of places that it shouldn't be on my rig. Plus, if the radiator does begin to leak, I wouldn't want all of my coolant to leak out, leaving me stranded with no coolant. :crybaby:

 

[alp]

Thanks a lot 96743runner!

I will do this mod as soon as we get warm weather over here in New Jersey.
Have you also installed the temperature sensor and gauge to monitor the ATF conditions?

 

[ryani]

96743 runner. Do you think the extreme cold will affect the tranny fluid temp. I would hate to have the fluid to cold. I've heard thats bad for it too

 

[240m3srt]

96743 runner. Do you think the extreme cold will affect the tranny fluid temp. I would hate to have the fluid to cold. I've heard thats bad for it too

If you click his link it says it has a bypass for when the fluid is cold(thick), as it warms up it passes it through the cooling ducts. Just fyi...

 

[96743runner]

Thanks a lot 96743runner!

I will do this mod as soon as we get warm weather over here in New Jersey.
Have you also installed the temperature sensor and gauge to monitor the ATF conditions?

No, I haven't installed an ATF temp. sensor or gauge. I kinda don't want to be drilling things in or making a hole anywhere on my center console.

Also, my scangauge is supposedly able to read ATF temps with the right codes, which I have not found yet for my year. There was a thread a while ago on here that gave the codes that works with 99-02 models, but those codes don't seem to work with 96-98 models. I personally prefer to just wait a while for the right codes to show up, instead of adding a separate gauge.

Anyway, many people with 3rd gens have done this mod before me, and they all have had no problems with the 4454 cooler.

 

[96743runner]

96743 runner. Do you think the extreme cold will affect the tranny fluid temp. I would hate to have the fluid to cold. I've heard thats bad for it too

Yeah, what 240m3srt said. :frog:

 

[BTO]

One more question, 96743runner

What did you do with the original tranny fluid connections on the radiator? I saw somebody ran a hose connecting the two. Why not simply cap them off?

 

[96743runner]

One more question, 96743runner

What did you do with the original tranny fluid connections on the radiator? I saw somebody ran a hose connecting the two. Why not simply cap them off?

You could do either, but I just cut small pieces of ATF hose, stuck a snug bolt in it, and clamped it tightly in place on the radiator connections.

 

[pbcolt]

is this something that should be just be done for rigs in extreme weather conditions? i.e. freeze/thaw or scorching heat

 

[96743runner]

is this something that should be just be done for rigs in extreme weather conditions? i.e. freeze/thaw or scorching heat

This mod is something that should be done for ALL 3rd gens. The OEM in- radiator cooler design was IMO poorly designed and the strawberry milkshake can happen to anyone, regardless of the kinds of weather conditions you drive in. Doing this mod is cheap assurance that the milkshake will never happen to your rig.

 

[pbcolt]

This mod is something that should be done for ALL 3rd gens. Doing this mod is cheap assurance that the milkshake will never happen to your rig.

thanks for the info....lol my question and your response made it sound like an infomercial...this can happen to anyone, now for only two payments of 19.95 the heavy duty transmission cooler can be yours. make sure the milkshake will never happen in your rig! ...maybe its just funny to me... :lmao:

 

[GoFaSSter]

This mod is something that should be done for ALL 3rd gens. The OEM in- radiator cooler design was IMO poorly designed and the strawberry milkshake can happen to anyone, regardless of the kinds of weather conditions you drive in. Doing this mod is cheap assurance that the milkshake will never happen to your rig.

Out of curiousity, what makes the design on a Toyota different than any other in radiator cooler design that other manufacturers use? I am somewhat new to 4Rs and am curious.

 

[96743runner]

Out of curiousity, what makes the design on a Toyota different than any other in radiator cooler design that other manufacturers use? I am somewhat new to 4Rs and am curious.

A lot of other manufacturers install external ATF coolers from the factory to begin with. The original in-radiator design that our 4Runners have is not a very good design by nature and if the radiator springs a leak, it would then leak into and mix with the ATF on the bottom of the radiator, resulting in the "strawberry milkshake of doom".

 

[GoFaSSter]

A lot of other manufacturers install external ATF coolers from the factory to begin with. The original in-radiator design that our 4Runners have is not a very good design by nature and if the radiator springs a leak, it would then leak into and mix with the ATF on the bottom of the radiator, resulting in the "strawberry milkshake of doom".

Some do, I agree. However, it is probablt 50/50 on cars right now. As a matter of fact a lot of vehicles only get an external cooler if they have a towing package. I am just curious because I have had a lot of cars and worked on even more without them Many people on this sight complain that Toyota made a terrible design, but it appears to be the same as all the others.

 

[240m3srt]

Some do, I agree. However, it is probablt 50/50 on cars right now. As a matter of fact a lot of vehicles only get an external cooler if they have a towing package. I am just curious because I have had a lot of cars and worked on even more without them Many people on this sight complain that Toyota made a terrible design, but it appears to be the same as all the others.

Speaking of bad designs i hate where they put 4runners oil filter, on my crossfire its right up at the top next to the fill cap. Any one got a relocation kit and pics?:boink:

 

[240m3srt]

I did my tranny cooler today. Ran the lines in between the fram and body(i have a 1.5" BL).

 

[96743runner]

^ Looks like a very clean install! Good job. :guitar2:

 

[alp]

I did my tranny cooler today. Ran the lines in between the fram and body(i have a 1.5" BL).

Is orientation of cooler inlet/outlet ports important?
It looks like you used connectors to connect existing transmission in/out hoses to the smaller hoses supplied with the cooler. Am I correct?

 

[BTO]

I ordered my Tru-Cool 4454 and look forward to installing it.

I have always had the philosophy that auto engineers design things a certain way for a reason. But I can't understand their reasoning for integrating the tranny cooler with the radiator. I have done some reading on the subject and don't see any advantage of that setup except maybe cost savings.

I have read opinions that the radiator serves a purpose of heating the fluid and that trannies don't work well when cold. I'm not sure this is true and think the logic is flawed. The radiator does not begin to warm until after the thermostat opens. I'm thinking the tranny would be warm by then. How many have done coolant changes and waited for the t-stat to open? It takes a while. At least 5 minutes while idling. During that period the radiator would not warm the fluid and only serves to keep it cold.

IMO, the best arrangement is an external cooler with a thermo bypass built in like many do. There is no benefit to routing fluid through the radiator.