Quote:
Originally Posted by slipspe
Hi Bill. We have the same generation 4 runner as you and will be picking up a 19 in a few months. How is the transmission cooler working? And was it an easy install? Thanks for your time.
Chip
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Hi Chip,
We now have 54,000 miles on our 2014 4Runner and 522 nights in our 2014 Escape 19, so a bit more experience than our earlier posts.
We have driven lots of mountains with the trailer. Transmission fluid temperature has been less than 190 degrees in the pan and less than 210 degrees in the torque converter. I am very glad I installed the ScanGauge, as I know when the transmission is unlocked and exactly how hot it is running. I can't prove that I needed that transmission cooler, but for less than $100, I'm glad I did it. Cooler fluid temperatures are always good and I don't want to worry about where we take the trailer. I plan to change the transmission fluid at 60,000 and will have a better idea then how it has held up.
The install was modest difficulty. I'm not a fan of zip-tie mounting, so I made frame-mount brackets for the cooler from steel bar stock and even painted them, so it looks almost factory. Removing a transmission line and adding the cooler in series wasn't difficult, but protecting the lines going through the radiator support took some engineering. I cut an aluminum plate and mounted 2 electrical conduit ends, so there is strain relief and no sharp edges. Near the transmission, the new line could rub in one section, so a section of larger hose fit around the line to absorb any wear. The cooler adds volume, so you need several quarts more transmission fluid. The fill procedure in the manual says to get the fluid to a certain temperature, so the ScanGauge was helpful for that.
FWIW, I just replaced the front and rear differential fluid at 54,000 miles after driving through some high water. The front looked as good as new and the back looked only slightly used, so I probably didn't need to do it just for towing.
Hope that helps.
Bill R