Transmission Cooler & Temperature Gauge Question -- 2008 V8 SE

webby

webby

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I have read in threads on this forum that the V8 runner has a transmission cooler inside the radiator, plus an auxiliary cooler. In the picture below, is that the auxiliary cooler in front of the radiator on my 2008 4WD V8 Sport Edition?

I am purchasing a 21' travel trailer with a Dry Weight of 3637 lbs. and a GVWR of 4777 lbs. I live in Phoenix, AZ, and during the summer months when we will go camping, I will be towing it from 1150 ft elevation, where the summer temps can reach highs of 105-110 in mid-summer, to almost 7000 ft elevation, where the high temps are around 75 degrees. Anyway, my point is, I want to make sure my transmission gets the necessary cooling when towing up grades in these extreme summer temps. We won't necessarily always be leaving during the peak temps of the summer days, but on occasion we might, so I want to protect my transmission.

So my questions are:

Do you all think that the trans cooler inside the radiator, plus the small auxiliary cooler will be adequate, or should I add a larger transmission cooler? And if so, should I add the aftermarket cooler in addition to the existing auxiliary cooler? Or should I simply replace the OEM auxiliary cooler with a larger aftermarket cooler?

I definitely want to add a transmission temperature gauge, as I feel that is key to knowing if and when I am stressing the transmission too much. I have done searches and read threads where forum members here asked how to install a trans temp gauge on the 4Runner, but I haven't read where anyone knows how to best do that. I looked into the ScanGauge, but it looks as though it does not provide the transmission temperature. Does anyone know the wisest and best way to install a transmission temperature gauge on the V8 4Runner?

Thanks in advance for any comments / info!


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chaz said:
the scangauge 2 does read trans temp, but you have to add the code for it.X-Gauge Commands : Linear Logic - Home of the ScanGauge Toyota Specific : Linear Logic : Home of the ScanGauge http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/5367-transmission-cooler.html
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Thanks for that link! It does indeed look as if the ScanGauge II can be programmed to read out transmission fluid temperature. I think I'll be ordering a ScanGauge in the next few days and installing in my 4Runner.

Can anyone tell me if the cooler in front of my radiator in the pic I provided is an engine oil cooler? Or is it a transmission fluid cooler?
 
chaz said:
the link above, http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/5367-transmission-cooler.html & this may help, how to tell if a sport v8 has a transmission cooler? - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum this may also be of interest. ScanGaugeII Xgauge codes for 4Runner [Archive] - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum
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Thanks for all the links. Very helpful! I think I'll order a ScanGauge II in the next few days. Once I install it, use it, and get a feel for it, I'll report back to this thread on my experience, plus maybe a pic or two.
 
I have a Scangauge II. Last time I tried the trans temp code last year it didn't work. I'll try it again as it looks like they may have posted a new one and report back as to if it works. That was a peeve of people on here was that it wouldnt do transmission temps..
 
08T4R said:
I have a Scangauge II. Last time I tried the trans temp code last year it didn't work. I'll try it again as it looks like they may have posted a new one and report back as to if it works. That was a peeve of people on here was that it wouldnt do transmission temps..
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Great! Thanks! I would love to know if with a new code, whether the transmission temp gauge will work for you or not.
 
judging from that link i posted above ,it seems some have had no problems adding the codes & getting it to work, while others have had to send the unit in for firmware updates. webby, if it were me id call em up to make sure the new units already have the updates.
 
chaz said:
judging from that link i posted above ,it seems some have had no problems adding the codes & getting it to work, while others have had to send the unit in for firmware updates. webby, if it were me id call em up to make sure the new units already have the updates.
Click to expand...

Actually, I was planning to call them today. Good idea. And I'll report back here what they tell me.
 
I just got off the phone with the ScanGauge company -- not really great news. They said for Toyotas, sometimes it will read out trans fluid temp and sometimes not -- no guarantee there one way or the other.

However, I will say, in their defense, the gauge is just reading data off each vehicle it is plugged into. So if the data for trans temp isn't there, obviously the gauge can't display it.

For myself, in the next few days I think I will go ahead and order one. I am an Amazon Prime member, so I can get that gauge from them on Prime with 2 day shipping, and easy no questions asked return on their dime. So I think I'll give it a shot. It may be a week or more, but I will report back here once I get the unit and test it out on my T4R.
 
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FYI if I remember correctly the normal operating temperature for the transmission is roughly from 110F to 175F
 
Just plugged in the code while I had a break at work. Its now displaying a number, before it didn't, ill have to test it later to see if it works and is accurate..
 
zstampe said:
My tranny temp works great on my SG 2
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What does yours normally run at? Mine was showing 56.4 just sitting and the water temp was 58. The truck hasn't been driven today. Forgot what it IAT was displaying..something close to that 60* mark I think..
 
webby said:
I just got off the phone with the ScanGauge company -- not really great news. They said for Toyotas, sometimes it will read out trans fluid temp and sometimes not -- no guarantee there one way or the other.

However, I will say, in their defense, the gauge is just reading data off each vehicle it is plugged into. So if the data for trans temp isn't there, obviously the gauge can't display it.

For myself, in the next few days I think I will go ahead and order one. I am an Amazon Prime member, so I can get that gauge from them on Prime with 2 day shipping, and easy no questions asked return on their dime. So I think I'll give it a shot. It may be a week or more, but I will report back here once I get the unit and test it out on my T4R.
Click to expand...

Someone is selling one on here for a good price. I paid a little over $100 for mine. Just make sure wherever you get it from it has firmware v 4.0 or later..
 
I bought a new ScanGuageII from Amazon, 159.95 delivered. It has what I believe is the latest firmware, version 4.06. As you can see in the pic, I have installed it and programmed a couple of extra parameters, so I am reporting back here with results as promised.

The real reason I bought the ScanGuageII was that I have a new 21' travel trailer on order, so will be doing some significant towing. I want to monitor transmission fluid temp to protect my transmission. Even tho as I reported earlier, the manufacturer said it would not, I was hoping that I could mine that data with the ScanGuage. OK, here is the great news, as you can see pictured, TFT is trans fluid temperature. I've got it, and it is working! I did have to program that in, using the data on the ScanGuage site for pre-2010 Toyotas.

As you can see, I also programmed in the Altitude -- ALT. It says where I found the parameters to program in for altitude, that it makes 274' jumps. I haven't tested that out yet, but that altitude showing should be very close for where I live. Coolant Temp, as you can see comes up without programming. You can display 4 items on the screen, and can scroll thru other data at any time. You can check if the computer is kicking out any codes (mine is not), and can clear them. That ability to see error codes and search them on the web, could potentially be a money saver. There is a wealth of other data available, which you can check out on the Scanguage website. When scrolling thru data there, I even ran across the interior temp. At first, I was surprised, but then I thought about the fact that I have Climate Control, so of course, the computer knows the interior temp.

My runner: 2008 SE V8 4WD, so I have apparently, a trans cooler in the radiator, plus the supplemental one in front of the radiator. I had just started the vehicle, so the temp was only 103 in the pic. I think that was running about 184 degrees F last night on my short trip. I have only driven 8 miles from start so far to see what the TFT temp fluctuations are, but at the end of that trip, the temp was running in the range of 140 to 152 degrees. So my trans seems to run very cool, which I am pleased about, since I will soon be towing a travel trailer. FYI, I live in Phoenix, AZ, and we have very mild winter temps.

If this gadget holds up over time, I will consider it a great investment. Oh, BTW, there are a number of background colors offered for the display, but none of them matched my dash lights. However, I discovered there is a "Custom Color" option. It allowed me to mix red, green, and blue, and by doing so, I got very close to a perfect color match with the OEM dash lights. And BTW, the gauge is very legible when I am wearing sunglesses. -- the display does not wash out when I have my shades on.

It comes with a couple pieces of peel and stick velcro, but as you know, the steering column is slightly curved. I used the velcro, but I knew it would never stay on long term with just velcro, so as you can see, I secured it with black ties.




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