Transmission oil cooler placement recommendation from my mechanic

[Drron]

new and thanks

I am new to the forum and to modifying my 00T4R. I am about to add a tran cooler. Is the TRU COOL 4454 the way to go? Also, I have 141K miles, original owner on mine, does it make sense to swap out my radiator at the same time? If so what brands do you all like.

Much Thanks

 

[Mgyver1]

I am new to the forum and to modifying my 00T4R. I am about to add a tran cooler. Is the TRU COOL 4454 the way to go? Also, I have 141K miles, original owner on mine, does it make sense to swap out my radiator at the same time? If so what brands do you all like.

Much Thanks

Being in a hot environment like Tuscon, I would go with the TruCool 4589.

I wouldn't bother replacing the radiator, but be thinking about getting one on standby in the near future.

 

[Drron]

Thanks, I appreciate your input. Congrats on your lift!!

 

[Roc Doc]

Being in a hot environment like Tuscon, I would go with the TruCool 4589.

I wouldn't bother replacing the radiator, but be thinking about getting one on standby in the near future.

I had a TruCool on my F250 and I sold it with the original transmission at 250k, and with a fair amount of towing. I never saw temps above 200, and usually about 160, even towing to Johnson Valley. Great products.

 

[Mgyver1]

Thanks, I appreciate your input. Congrats on your lift!!

Haha! Yeah my rig was stock for (felt like) the longest time, so my signature was pretty boring. So when I got my lift I was very excited to join the club of modified rigs.

Anyway back to trans coolers, The 4589 will require some finesse to get it in, but it's very doable. If you can get your hands on a Dremel that will make life much easier. You will have to notch the bracket somewhat and [MENTION=73515]ajonesnv[/MENTION] had some great pics of where to cut in his write up but the pics seem down. Maybe if you bug him enough he'll get them back up for you. Here's the write up:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/114385-radiator-bypass.html

 

[TheDurk]

I really don't think it's necessary. Even if you were blasting the A/C, the residual heat transfer from the condenser to the transmission oil cooler is still way less than it would be on the stock oil cooler. If you've ever gone wheeling on a hot summer day, your coolant would have seen temps consistently at 200 degrees or higher, that radiator is still stinkin' hot, meaning your transmission fluid could see temperatures of about 200 degrees.

Now, let's say it's a hot day wheeling with your new oil cooler installed, maybe 100* and you've got the A/C going. The condensor lets off heat, so let's say the air passing through the condenser is heated up to 140*. That's still 60 degrees cooler than stock, and that's a worst case scenario. Best case is that you're moving and it's seeing air temps of 110-120*.

I really think you are fine. It's not at maximum cooling capacity but by no means is it ineffective.

I don't buy your physics. It sounds persuasive if you only think about the ΔT (the difference in temperature). Yes, the stock cooler is radiating into an ambient of 200°F+, but it is radiating into FLUID, which has a thermal density many times that of air. That means a much lower ΔT is required to accomplish the same amount of cooling. That is why they stuck it inside the radiator in the first place.

I'm with DrCoffee on this one.

#slushboxproblems

 

[diverscale]

I don't buy your physics. It sounds persuasive if you only think about the ΔT (the difference in temperature). Yes, the stock cooler is radiating into an ambient of 200°F+, but it is radiating into FLUID, which has a thermal density many times that of air. That means a much lower ΔT is required to accomplish the same amount of cooling. That is why they stuck it inside the radiator in the first place.

I'm with DrCoffee on this one.

#slushboxproblems

Another reason to why this is not all that true:

The stock cooler is located at the -bottom- of the radiator, and the fluid gets in the radiator at the top of it. The fluid that is entering the radiator may be at 200, but after passing through all of it, and hitting the trans cooler, it is much colder than it was up there. You can easily see that by touching the top and bottom radiator hoses with your hands.

 

[gamefreakgc]

I don't buy your physics. It sounds persuasive if you only think about the ΔT (the difference in temperature). Yes, the stock cooler is radiating into an ambient of 200°F+, but it is radiating into FLUID, which has a thermal density many times that of air. That means a much lower ΔT is required to accomplish the same amount of cooling. That is why they stuck it inside the radiator in the first place.

I'm with DrCoffee on this one.

#slushboxproblems

Oh I don't doubt the ability to cool, I was just responding to the OP's original question of if his cooler was useless being behind the A/C condensor. He was concerned that it would be rendered useless in that location since it didn't get maximum cooling. But the stock cooler is not only behind the condenser, but it transfers heat with the radiator and still cools it enough just fine.