Transmission oil cooler

[TonyN]

It won't be increasing the coolant temperature in the rad any more if the cooler was before or after it, the ATF temperature would eventually equilize as it's being pumped around. It will be at a lower temp though as will the coolant.

I don't disagree, but you have to put it one end or other, why not give the best chance possible for every extreme?

At least this way round you're sure its going back to the gearbox at the nearest design temps as it leaving the rad last.

[Maverick]

I don't know the right or wrong way. But I plumbed mine in before the rad and have had an engine block (not coolent) temperature drop of about 10 degrees C

[Bogus]

Im with Tony and the other "befores". The ATF has to be at its hottest when leaving the gearbox. If it first passes through the added ATF cooler, it will arrive at the radiator already cooled, and therefore putting less load on the factory cooling system, meaning that the cooling system should not overload and the water to the engine cooling jacket stands a better chance of arriving at design temp. As also said by others the added benefit is that if your add on ATF cooler is over designed and over efficient, which it could easily be, when you are sticking on something from a scrappy or wherever, you will reheat the ATF to nearer design in the radiator.

Bogus

[BUSHWHACKER]

I'm not saying there's a right or wrong way to install a transmission cooler, just that it seems to me that it doesn't matter if it's before the radiator or after.
Just incase you can't see this bit, as I've said it twice now........EVENTUALLY, THE AFT WILL EQUILIZE AT A LOWER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURE AS IT'S BEING PUMPED AROUND THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION AND BOTH COOLERS.

Every manufacturer of ATF coolers says install it after the main radiator's cooler.


What we need to do here is wait for Apache or Wishbone to chime in with the definitive answer, they've had plenty of time to Google it by now.

[Tallyman]

.

Every manufacturer of ATF coolers says install it after the main radiator's cooler.

Hi Vince,

If Toyota had fitted a better design of ATF cooler then I'd agree with you. However, we all know how poor a design it is, especially when the gearbox is working hard and pumping all that extra heat back in to an engine that really needs to be cooled. It's possibly part of the reason why so many 2.4 heads failed.

Mine, like the others, is plumbed in before the standard cooler and even in hot weather, pulling my caravan up hill so that the engine temp is climbing into the +115C range, I've never had the ATF light come on since installing the kit.

[gary-r]

when i fit extra coolers ive always blanked off the main rad atf cooler. my thinking was seperate cooling for each fluid and no hot oil going into a water radiator thats working harder when towing or offroad. oil stats cure overcooling in the winter.
i guess everyone has their own ideas, at the end of the day if it works you've done something right.
my 4.0l cherokee towing a heavy trailer used to overheat very quickly. an atf cooler seperate from the system cured it and the water temp ran a lot lower.
im having vince do the same with my truck at the moment.

the world would be boring if we all did the same things

[Bogus]

Just incase you can't see this bit, as I've said it twice now........EVENTUALLY, THE AFT WILL EQUILIZE AT A LOWER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURE AS IT'S BEING PUMPED AROUND THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION AND BOTH COOLERS.

:

Twice posted, but confusing both times. I suppose all you are saying is that the ATF cooler position is irrelevant as it will be cooler regardless, and therefore the heat added in the gearbox can not take it to a temp where it compromises engine cooling due to excess heat transfer to the engine water system.

PS I can see you are getting frustrated , all that shouting and spelling errors, its not like you.

Bogus

[ziggy]

when i fit extra coolers ive always blanked off the main rad atf cooler. my thinking was seperate cooling for each fluid and no hot oil going into a water radiator thats working harder when towing or offroad. oil stats cure overcooling in the winter.
i guess everyone has their own ideas, at the end of the day if it works you've done something right.
my 4.0l cherokee towing a heavy trailer used to overheat very quickly. an atf cooler seperate from the system cured it and the water temp ran a lot lower.
im having vince do the same with my truck at the moment.

the world would be boring if we all did the same things

That sounds like a good idea

[wishbone]

What we need to do here is wait for Apache or Wishbone to chime in with the definitive answer, they've had plenty of time to Google it by now.

??

My ATF cooler is fitted with a thermostat - it goes through the normal cooler until it reaches 90 degrees (from memory - can't be ar$ed to google it) At which point it goes through the extra cooler 1st then on to the stock cooler.

[IanB2]

Having done a lot of reading on 4runner forums the last few weeks, I've seen LOTS of mentions of what they call the "pink milkshake" failure, where the factory rad/trans cooler fails, and mixes coolant in with the trans fluid. If you drive like this for any length of time, it destroys the transmission.

Is this a problem on the surf's as well? I would have thought I'd have seen a mention in a thread of this size, on a topic this close to the issue. What many of them do is bypass the factory trans cooler altogether, and install an aftermarket in its place. You eliminate the risk of the pink milkshake, but lose the benefit of the engine coolant heating up the tranny fluid on cold starts.

[si tate]

Not heard anything on the milkshake theory on here before but i suppose its possible for the rad to fail at the point where transmission meets water.

[TonyN]

Not heard anything on the milkshake theory on here before but i suppose its possible for the rad to fail at the point where transmission meets water.

Happened to Sledge on the plains over xmas.

Vince is right, fitting instructions say fit it after, but they aren't aimed at using them like we are, thats really just for tranny cooling. They also tell you to stack them in front of the A/C rad, which on a 3.0 is already in front of the main rad, so you'd end up with the main behind two other rads which I also didn't fancy (these are bigger rads than the ebay one, they are nearly 1/3 or the size on the coolant rad.

Like Gary I've fitted a bigger stand alone cooler and took it out the rad completely on my truck.

But we're talking about more of an auxilery cooler in this thread, I wouldn't want to run the smaller coolers on their own, they are just to take the excess heat out of the AFT fluid, so it dosn't overheat the engine coolant, which these trucks can easily do if you have big tyres or tow a heavy trailer.

Put it where you want, someone asked how to do it, I told them how I do it and its worked on lots of trucks

[ziggy]

Hi, all thanks for all the info from everyone on this one, lots of knowledge on here from you guys, i am heading for the cooler now for a Beer to think it all over