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Transmission cooler missing…I know I know

Discussion in '2.5 Gen Tundras (2014-2021)' started by ColoradoCub, Sep 27, 2021.

  1. Sep 27, 2021 at 8:45 PM
    #1
    ColoradoCub

    ColoradoCub [OP] New Member

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    I just discovered that my new Tundra does not have a transmission cooler, like my 07, 10 and 13 did. What’s shitty is that the true damage to these transmissions running ridiculously high temps isn’t going to surface for a couple more years and most likely after the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty expires. So as a new owner you have to decide to drive the shit out of it since it’s under warranty knowing it probably won’t fail until it’s out of warranty or modify your truck now so that it lasts for many years and risk a dealer saying warranty has been voided because you installed a cooler. I live in southern Colorado, 5,000 ft 7 degree grade passes in high ambient temps is all summer long I can’t imagine what the tranny temps will be pulling my camper up those passes. Very disappointed in Toyota on this one. I’m looking at buying the Toyota thermostatic plate and some tranny hose and a basic cooler, can’t see spending $1,000 on a kit when it’s just two hoses and something for the fluid to flow through. Not happy!
     
  2. Sep 28, 2021 at 4:11 AM
    #2
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    :deadhorse:

    Cooler has been gone since 2019 and I think the forum is only aware of one failure so far.
     
    Henry1jg, PWMDMD, coldcanuk and 14 others like this.
  3. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:01 AM
    #3
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    Yep, you need to add a cooler to avoid premature failure. Buy the factory steel lines, much better, if you get a roll of like 25 ft. Of 3/8 fuel line hose then you have enough to also do the rear diff breather relocate. Pick up the fitting for that from Amazon.
     
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  4. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:04 AM
    #4
    Tundra234

    Tundra234 New Member

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  5. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:08 AM
    #5
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

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  6. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:08 AM
    #6
    Bammer

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  7. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:15 AM
    #7
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    If concerned about warranty, one can remove it before going to the shop.
     
  8. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:45 AM
    #8
    Summitroad

    Summitroad New Member

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    True but, my understanding is that the cooler is back in the 2022 Tundra so, for me, that is a confirmation that is need it.
     
  9. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:48 AM
    #9
    ezdog

    ezdog New Member

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    So just spend $50 instead first and get an OBD monitor and see if you are even in the danger zone before going too crazy.
     
  10. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:55 AM
    #10
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    Well, Toyota calls the coolant to transmission fluid heat exchange "puck" a cooler or "warmer/cooler" (after calling it a warmer in past years). I have yet to see any confirmation that the 2022 has an air to ATF exchanger, though I'll admit to not having watched every video that's out there.

    The 2022 also has a completely different transmission.
     
  11. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:58 AM
    #11
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    First I've heard of this issue......
     
  12. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:58 AM
    #12
    Bammer

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  13. Sep 28, 2021 at 5:59 AM
    #13
    bsktball55

    bsktball55 New Member

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    Have any of you actually put a temp gauge on the truck to see what your temps get up to without the transmission cooler compared to the older trucks that had them? Just curious if there is a significant difference in temps to even be worried about.
     
  14. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:07 AM
    #14
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

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    Completely different engines so that's an apple to oranges comparison you are drawing your conclusion from. Turbos cause heat you know, and it's a new transmission... and gearing... and aerodynamics.

    Your comment is akin to saying that we need more engine cooling because a supercharged truck does.
     
  15. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:11 AM
    #15
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    Yep got mine up to 260 before a cooler, pulling empty tandem axle 6x12 enclosed at 80 mph rolling hills. Scan guage 2.
     
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  16. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:11 AM
    #16
    blanchard7684

    blanchard7684 New Member

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    Heavy towing or long uphill trails you need a cooler.

    everything else is ok.

    I’ll say though the ab60f is a remarkably tough transmission and waiting for it to fail in statistically significant frequency is a fool’s errand.
     
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  17. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:14 AM
    #17
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    It didn't seem to me like there was that much anecdotal difference from what I've seen posted here.
     
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  18. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:15 AM
    #18
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    Before a cooler mine would easily go to 270 or more if allowed. After cooler 210 max
     
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  19. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:17 AM
    #19
    blanchard7684

    blanchard7684 New Member

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    Pinned thermostat with mhx kit I saw 57 degree difference.
     
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  20. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:22 AM
    #20
    Oey12

    Oey12 New Member

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    I don’t mean to be provocative here… did you expect something different driving at those speeds with a small anchor (box trailer) attached? IMHO speed will kill a transmission due to excessive heat exponentially faster than towing at a reasonable speed.

    Towing at that speed is extreme duty…
     
  21. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:24 AM
    #21
    pman9003

    pman9003 New Member

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    Many of the members here have done that.

    Adding a cooler is only needed if you tow heavy/often and even then its still a maybe. Toyota knows what they are doing. I'm not concerned about warranty stuff but would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Since the thermostat is available, I saw no harm in adding one to my truck.

    Personally, just driving around empty my pan temps dropped from ~220F down to ~195F. The delta is even larger when loaded or towing. As a point of reference, the thermostat from the 07-18 trucks for the ATF opens somewhere around 195F (I think). I should mention I designed/built my own cooler mount, so my setup is slightly different from what most are running.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
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  22. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:25 AM
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    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    Also outside of the manufacturer's recommendations.
     
  23. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:47 AM
    #23
    Bammer

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  24. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:50 AM
    #24
    gladecreekwy

    gladecreekwy Wyoming

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    I tow all summer without issue. Sorry but the engineers at Toyota haven’t steered me wrong yet. Looking for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist
     
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  25. Sep 28, 2021 at 6:53 AM
    #25
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    Pulled many heavy trailers many a miles at 75-85 mph with several different trucks. Only smoked 1 transmission and it had 400k on it plus ambient was about 100 f. Air movement cools. It's a matter of a good quality truck with enough torque to not shift often as well.
     
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  26. Sep 28, 2021 at 7:18 AM
    #26
    Pmac

    Pmac New Member

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    OP, here is what I have experienced.

    My 2019 has the warmer/cooler puck. Unloaded in D I see up to 235-240, but generally stays 210-220. I pulled about a 4,000 lb. boat about 90 miles, there were a few gentle grades, maybe the longest 2 miles, mostly moderate terrain, max speed 62, max elevation 550 feet or so. Was in D with Tow mode on, only saw a few 235’s on the longest climbs, the rest of the time 215-220. It actually ran cooler than some level freeway trips at 72 mph on hot days. These are pan temps, the TC temps spike up and down all over the place depending on conditions. I did use S4 and noticed slightly cooler, but similar temps while towing. Unloaded on the fwy S4 will give noticeably lower temps in my truck, but at the cost of mileage.

    I am wondering why I would not run in Tow mode at all times? Would that be bad for the tranny? Going to need to take an unloaded higher speed fwy run in Tow mode and D to see if that gives lower tranny temps. I remain unsure about adding a dedicated cooler, as I tow maybe 1-2 times a month. I too am not exactly happy about this, especially as the sticker does indicate a cooler. While one can finely parse words and call the puck a cooler, it does not fit the commonly understood definition of a cooler.
     
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  27. Sep 28, 2021 at 7:49 AM
    #27
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    If you're still driving the 2014, it has the cooler. It was removed in 2019.
     
  28. Sep 28, 2021 at 7:53 AM
    #28
    gladecreekwy

    gladecreekwy Wyoming

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    Ha! Don’t I feel like a dumb ass. Yes. A cooler is essential
     
  29. Sep 28, 2021 at 7:58 AM
    #29
    ColoradoCub

    ColoradoCub [OP] New Member

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    Normal operating conditions is a pretty grey area. If you live in Florida or Texas your truck is not going to work as hard as it will in Colorado, Arizona , Nevada, etc. I don’t drive anywhere on flat roads. Hell my house is 1500 ft above town. Every direction I go will have a 4000-5000 ft increase in elevation and we have many 100 deg days here. To me it’s like not putting a cold weather package on trucks up north on some model vehicles when you put a towing package with no trans cooler on a truck that’s sold in the Rockies. That Ike gauntlet video is all cool and dandy but it’s never even that hot up there. Hitting some of these passes in southern Colorado at 90+ deg temps is gonna be a very different animal. My biggest concern is not what’s happening in the first 30,000-50,000 miles to a tranny turning 250 deg trans temps regularly , it’s the adverse effect on it in the long run. Many of these transmissions on these Tundras have gone 100’s of thousands of miles without problems and I don’t feel like these last 3 year models will do the same unless they are only used as grocery getters. I know now this has been hashed out like crazy, just can’t believe this slipped past me in my research of getting a new Tundra that they degraded the strength of the drivetrain for unknown reasons. I don’t care who you are or what you think you know, a transmission should never be running 250 degrees regularly and it be considered normal or ok.
     
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  30. Sep 28, 2021 at 8:07 AM
    #30
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

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    Nailed it pretty good. Toyota decided they could save money by putting in an idiot light and a computer to record the customer drove it hot, computer documented it all. No warranty when you drove it after the light was on. Consumer SOL. Corporate profit for shareholders nowadays! They know most are grocery getters and they will repeat purchase.
     
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