Tranny cooler yes or no?

[zonianbrat]

Hi.

My 4 runner has 200k miles and it has no tranny cooler. I live in Colorado where at worst I have seen it hit 40* below zero. I will only occasionally tow my small 6ft by 12ft trailer maybe the 17 ft boat (like 3500lbs) on rare occasions. We usually use the tahoe for the boat. Do you guys think installing a cooler is a good idea? I am curious as a buddy of mine has to put cardboard in front of his stock tranny cooler on his chevy because when it is too cold it shifts really hard.

Thanks,

Bri

 

[raidernation]

That type of weather is pretty extreme if you bypass the stock heat exchanger (radiator) and just use a cooler. In that climate, I would just buy a new radiator and keep the stock setup possibly with an external cooler after the radiator.

 

[ultimatt]

or you could install one of these with the cooler:

transmissioncoolers.us: Tru-Cool Remote External bypass

 

[Martinjmpr]

Are you a gambler? That's what it comes down to.

$250 now or $2500+ later. Of course, a tranny cooler won't absolutely prevent your tranny from getting the dreaded "pink milkshake" but it makes it much less likely if you take the radiator completely out of the equation.

Up to you, I guess. I spent the $$ but at 200k you may not think it's worth it. :shrug:

 

[RonMAIDEN]

A new radiator is a better option since at slow speeds (like when off road) the internal cooler in the radiator is more efficient than just a stand alone cooler but I've seen good things from coolers with electric fans mounted on them.

 

[raidernation]

or you could install one of these with the cooler:

transmissioncoolers.us: Tru-Cool Remote External bypass

I might have to try one of those. I didn't know they made separate bypass valves. I bypassed my stock exchanger (has 200k) and opted for just a cooler, but it doesn't have a built in bypass. In the mountains in CA it doesn't get too cold, but we do see some days in the winter near single digits. I was going to wait and see what the temps were now that I have a SGII. It's either that, or partially cover the cooler with a piece of cardboard/plastic.