Trans cooler.....before or after radiator cooler

I am going to install an after market trans cooler on my 99 prerunner, v6. Do I install it before the fluid enters or exits the stock cooler?


Thanks,

Fred

 

what do the instructions say?

 

I have not purchased it yet........just gathering info before I order it this afternoon.

 

What's wrong with the OEM cooler?

If it doesn't work sufficiently, then why not remove it completely and install the aftermarket one in its place?

Or - if you gotta have both - I would crawl underneath the truck and look around to find the best suitable location that'll offer the best cooling and/or access to flowing air for best operation. You need to find an appropriate spot for best results regardless if its before or after.

 

As I have said in previous posts,
I was told by a tranny guy to get a cooler and not use the one in the radiator.
He has seen them rot out and put coolant into the tranny. its too late when you find it.
I installed a cooler in front of my radiator, with hard lines through the rad support. Than I put short hoses to make it flexible before going back to the original hard lines to the tranny.

I bought the $65 cooler from Amazon, same number cooler as in the TRD kit.
I made my own lines and whatnot, moved an AC line, and horn a little, not bad.

Good luck.

 

It would seem to me that if you put your cooler in-line before the radiator, your trans fluid will always be as hot as the water in your radiator since the internal cooler is surrounded by radiator water. If you were to install the external cooler after the return from radiator it might stand a chance to drop to lower temps…….

 

All depends on where you live and the weather you deal with every day .
TRANSMISSION COOLERS
If you do not have a transmission cooler on your truck and you plan to tow or haul heavy loads or you are in heavy stop and go traffic and use 4X4 low a lot , consider purchasing a cooler . The cooler thats built into your rad is designed to cool the transmission with the weight of just the truck by itself .When you are in 4x4 low , your torque converter is usually in the stall stage and creates a tonne of additional heat .
160 - 200 are considered normal temps providing your engine radiator is functioning properly . If your engine overheats , your transmission will also overheat
Normal fluid temperature in transmission to be 175 deg. F.

Rate of oxidation to double for each temperature increase of 20 deg F above normal (175 deg F). As oxidation rate doubles, useful life of fluid is cut in half.

At 175 deg F life is 100,000 miles
At 195 deg F (20 deg above 175) life is 50k miles
At 215 life is 25k miles
At 235 life is 12k
At 255 life is 6,250
At 275 life is 3,000
At 295 life is 1500
At 315 life is 750

At temperatures much above 300 deg F the metals in the transmission will tend to warp, twist etc. high temperatures causes the formation of varnish deposits which impair or pre vent transmission operation.

At a fluid temperature of 415 deg F fluid life is 30 minutes!

Source: Empire Lubricants Inc.
Consider a scan guage http://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Comp.../dp/B000AAMY86
Here is the best information for the scan guage http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...-pressure.html

You could also use the Torque app with an Android phone as a cheap alternative to watch your temps http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/per...d2-reader.html

This is how Low Pressure Drop technology works::
When Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is cold it is viscous. The unique Tru-Cool design allows the colder, thicker ATF to flow more efficiently through two open bypass channels positioned at the top of the cooler. As operating temperatures increase, the ATF becomes hotter and thinner, It's then directed through the core where it is cooled. Tru-Cool's highly efficient cooling technology combines improved protection against lube failure with optimal heat transfer.
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Tru-Cool-.../dp/B005XZXB1M
Long Tru-Cool Oil Coolers offer advanced cooling protection for many towing applications. The advanced technology out performs TUBE & FIN Designs, Delivers up to 15 times less flow restrictions, 30% more cooling delivers maximum heat transfer, Self-Regulating for maximum lube flow protection through start-up, varied temperatures and driving conditions, heavy loads and towing.
Here is Toyotas fluid flow guide ...Look at page 8 on this PDF http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/pdf/A750E.pdf
And here is a guy who recently installed a cooler correctly http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st...agram-pic.html

 

Instead of the radiator cooler. Plug the radiator cooler ports off. This way if you rad goes bad it dosen't turn you tranny fluid to strawberry milkshake.

 

OP, put it BEFORE the OEM cooler. Don't worry about radiator rot, that's mostly an issue with 4runners.

 

I installed mine after. Trace the two lines from the radiator to the r/side of the transmission. The rear most line is the return line which I spliced my aux cooler lines into.

Search the forum and you will find a post that has pictures with installation as well as a scribbled diagram of a aux cooler plumbed in with the radiator.

As mentioned above, the strawberry milkshake is associated with the 4Runners.

I installed a Tru-Cool LPD 4589. The transmission hose from Toyota are 10mm which you will need extra of because there's not quite enough hose provided with the kit. I bought 3/8" hose which is essentially 10mm. You can use 11/32" hose but I found that difficult to slide over the end pf the factory line.

I should've read gearcrunchers post a little more closely, but he provided you a link to that hand scribbled diagram.

I

 

It won't make a huge diff bf or after but the OEM cooler is designed to heat up the trans fluid with the engine coolant (heats up faster than the trans). By putting the aux cooler before the OEM cooler, you can be sure the fluid is heated properly when you first start up. Especially in cold weather.

 

ok its hot tranny oil that goes through a hot radiator that isn't quite as hot so it cools off but when it comes out its still hot so if you put an ad-on cooler, you always install it after it leaves the radiator to cool it down even more.

if you installed it before the radiator it would add more heat from the radiator and actually warm it up again going through the hot radiator rather then cool it.

 

I'd like to see someone who actually put a temp sensor on the tranny before installing the cooler and then seen what the actual difference is to know if this is actually worth the time or not.

Plus, i'd like to see what the temp is Before any of the coolers (straight out of the trans) and after the coolers (right before going back in the trans) and see how much it's actually being cooled down

 

The diff b/t bf and after the OEM is negligible when the trans is running hard and the temps are high. The only time you will notice a difference between the two is during initial warm up and light use (ie, don't really need the aux cooler anyways).

Having the cooler after the OEM cooler can net lower temps in light use scenarios but having it before the OEM cooler will keep from over-cooling the fluid, especially when its trying to warm up and/or during cold/snowy weather. Its almost a must for anyone in the northern states IMO.