Is this a tranny cooler?

Is this transmission cooler? If so is this a factory one? Its a trd and not the towing package so I'm assuming its aftermarket, unless they put tranny coolers in the trd ones too. Also, does this mean i dont have to worry about the pink milkshake problem? I'm assuming it is still possible, but thanks. Just didnt know if the trd versions had stock tranny coolers or if it was aftermarket.

 

Factory auxiliary trans cooler.

 

And the fluid still runs though the radiator first.

 

Yes to the first two questions.

 

I had a smart ass remark and a picture of a different tranny cooler, but I don't wanna get banned. I think I have posted it in the past but..I guess the past is the past.

 

Sometimes silence is golden !

 

The radiator helps keep the trans fluid within proper operating temp. If it's cold outside, it will keep it warm. If you bypass the radiator & rely on a separate trans cooler, you should install a thermostat in the trans lines.

 

Good info.

I’d leave it the way Toyota designed it. Our trucks have lasted this long with the original set up so no need to change. Its funny reading back circa 2007-14ish at all the trans cooler mods some people have done over on another site. Magnefine clogging filters were raging back then, too.

I can’t find the 15 page 6 year long thread on a Taco forum I was reading like a novel back in the early summer. One guy started it re:coolers/rads/etc. and about 6 guys jumped on him over that span. Many others chimed in out of curiosity. Guy stayed cool over that time period, but ended up with redemption in the end. The biggest douche bag of the 6 ended up with pink milkshake due to not listening.

Guy found douches milkshakes pics on another site and screen grabbed and reposted.

 

So the biggest douche modified his transmission cooling lines? And ended up with a problem or vice versa?

 

Yes. The former. Douches transmission overheated and radiator exploded iirc. I need to find that link and put it up. Its awesome reading. Give yourself about 2 hours.

 

When I was Hanging out on iH8mud.com, I remember a lot of people were getting pink milkshakes inside their radiators, so people just started bypassing the radiator. There was a lot of talk about the radiator moderating the trans temps, cooling when hot & warming when cold. So you want something like this in your trans cooler lines if you decide to bypass the radiator.

https://www.amazon.com/Tru-Cool-Lon...7HQ68W2F4Y6&psc=1&refRID=H1PJG1ERY7HQ68W2F4Y6


or

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...SKdHn19ojT_8BrJRxe3FEKfAn8pov-PsaAuekEALw_wcB

 

Is pinkmilkshake really that big of a deal? Im a paranoid person as it is already lol. Or should i ask, is it really that common?

 

I think that the general opinion around here is that it's fairly rare on our trucks. Some of us replaced our 15-20 year old radiators just to be safe. The nice thing about your 01 is that you still have a transmission dipstick so I would just check the fluid regularly. Consider replacing the radiator if it 's the OG unit or at least flushing out the old coolant.

 

My previous vehicle was a Gen-3 4Runner (2002). It suffered a pink milkshake at about 15 years old with 140k miles. I caught it immediately and drained the transmission. I preceded to power-flush the cooling system several times using Dawn dish soap and hot water, then flushed the transmission thoroughly -- it took 9 GALLONS of ATF! I drove it for several years after and never had a problem.

The failure is caused by corrosion of the fittings on the ATF heat exchanger inside the radiator. It's really a crappy design. If the fittings were external, this wouldn't be an issue. When I bought the replacement Denso radiator, the fittings were different -- so Toyota must have taken notice. The design is the same for 4Runner and Tundra radiators, but for some reason, the 4Runners seem to be more susceptible. In fact, I've never heard of anyone on this forum who's experienced a pink milkshake with their Tundra. There were a number of members on T4R that had the PM.

 

I forgot I had these images on here.
Here's what the heat exchanger inside the radiator looks like:

Here's the problem area. If that fitting starts to corrode, it compromises the the seal of that little o-ring on the left -- which is INSIDE the tranny. That's the only thing keeping the collant and ATF apart. When it fails, the coolant and ATF mix. (BTW: Denso makes radiators for other manufacturers. Honda Ridgeline owners were having the same problem with their OEM Denso radiators because of this fitting.)

Here's a heat exchanger from a Volvo 940. Same idea, but a better design with the ATF connection made outside the radiator. If the seal to the radiator fails, coolant leaks outside the radiator. If the connection to the ATF line fails, ATF leaks outside the radiator. It's impossible for them to mix, unless the heat exchanger itself fails -- which is highly unlikely.

@Professional Hand Model : How's my hand-work in this shot?

 

Fake news. They don't "clog". And they have a built in by-pass in case the idiot user doesn't follow instructions to swap out every so often.

Maybe they do on a tundra but not on 4Runners. Used them on my 01 since 05, no "clogs".

Thinking about how the OEM magnet sits, it can only catch fine metal debris that makes its way near it, the magnefine has all fluid past thru it, much better at that job.

 

Anyone have tips on how to check for pink milkshake? Check tranny level? Check dipstick color? Check coolant for discoloration? Kinda hard when the atf fluid and coolant are both red

 

Coolant is mostly water, so when it mixes with ATF the result is a pink, milky substance -- hence the name. You'll see it clearly on the dipstick if you don't notice it first in the coolant overflow bottle.

Radiator

Transmission pan