Do I Need A Transmission Cooler?

Hello All,

I just bought a 2021 Toyota Tundra CrewMax, SR5, short bed 4x2. 5.7L V8. I tow a boat that weighs 2600 lbs including the boat, motor, trailer, 4 batteries and a full tank of gas. Add misc fishing tackle, coolers/ice, etc and probably at 3000 lbs?

So, do I need a transmission cooler? I've read a few posts and it seems to vary, but most say it can't hurt, while others would say it's not needed for lighter loads (like mine?). Thoughts? Thanks all.

 

I say it can’t hurt, but 3k is nothing to these trucks. Unless you are regularly going up steep inclines with the boat (like a mountain not a boat ramp) then your are more than fine. Itd be a waste of money for 3k lb.

 

I tow a travel trailer that's almost double that @ 5,500 lbs. not to mention the added aerodynamic drag of a large frontal surface area, which IMHO opinion has much more effect than the weight.

I tow in S4 with Tow/Haul per the manual, and I pay attention to Torque Converter lock-up, and don't allow it to up/down shift excessively or hunt for gears.

I just did the first drain n' fill after almost two years. (I bought it with 20K miles and did the drain/fill @ 31K) My mechanic said the fluid was somewhat discolored, darker but not burnt by any means.

I'd say your fine with that weight and lower profile. Don't just put it in "D" and let it shift all willy-nilly. Keep TC locked up as much as possible and you're good.

 

My experience is very similar. Concerned I sent a sample of my ATF to Blackstone Labs from my 2nd D&F at 35k, first being 22K. They told me I could go 50K between D&Fs. Get a Scangauge or other device to monitor transmission fluid temps.

 

Where are you rippin lips at? The only thing I really tow is a 12’ Jon boat but ambient temps range from 110-40 on the journey. So I’m glad I have one regardless if it’s a low payload

 

Thanks Everyone. I'll get the scan gauge. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area and don't tow many hills, but I bought the truck with thoughts of towing to San Diego and Oregon some day.

 

In SF if ambient temps stay under 75 it will be fine - above 85 starts to get sketchy. Try 105 for 42 days like in central texas in '22 and '23 and an external cooler is needed without towing - just for normal stop/go. Ask me how I know.

 

Don’t be a stranger
https://www.tundras.com/threads/post-your-fishing-pics.605/

 

Congrats on the truck and welcome to the forum. Since you bought it used, have you checked to see if previous owner did install the cooler? If previous owner was a forum member, chances are they may have done the install already as that's a hot topic for the 2.5gens. That would be great if that was the case.

When I first joined the forum, I learned alot about my used Tundra and had no idea if I had or didn't have a cooler on mine but came to find out that I should have it from factory

 

Thanks Everyone. The temps in the Central Valley here in California can easily get and stay in the 100s during the summer, so I'll need to monitor the temp. This is a great forum. There's so much information here. I have a lot to learn. My guess is that there's no transmission cooler since the hitch was super clean. I don't think he towed, but I'll research some of the info here and then compare it to what I have to see if there is one.