5.7L Transmission Cooler Kits

cool

 

I’ve had mine installed for 1700 miles and towed a 3800lb dry 5000lb GVWR travel trailer. Mine is unpinned. Driving empty I see 190-195 no matter what. Towing the highest temp I’ve seen is 197 in the pan and 233 on the torque converter climbing from 1500 feet to 4000 feet at 55-60 MPH. On the Interstate going 65 MPH it maintains the same temps as empty. I leave it in D and let the computer manage shifting.

I’m very happy with the MHX-514. After seeing how small and basic the OEM cooler is in the older trucks I suspect the MHX-514 makes a huge difference especially in the overdrive gears.

 

Just another testimonial. Just bought a 2021 SR5 TRD Off Road DC, installed the MHX-514 kit with 800 miles on it. Never towed without the cooler, but I saw temps as high a 216F on a quick 15 minute highway ride to test out the OBD Fusion app to see that I was reading ATF temp. Installed the kit and Towed my 4400# boat to the lake and never saw higher than 190F. Mostly stayed between 180F - 185F. I would watch the TQ hit temps as high as 225F and cool down in seconds to ATF temp after cresting the top of the hill in cruise control. I have the thermostat unpinned to let it do it's job if you are wondering. I couldn't be happier.

The directions were well done, and mixed with the install video on youtube, it couldn't have been any easier.

Not here to debate if you need it or not, (obviously I feel it make sense) but if your on the fence, I'd recommend it. I plan on having this truck for a long time.

Thanks chasenicholas93. Well put together kit.

 

So after about a week with mine I'm happy I decided to go with it. The only odd thing i noticed is that engine coolant temp is up a little. I guess that's from installing the cooler in front of the radiator? It's literally only 2-5 degrees at times.

 

I took this yesterday on the way back from the beach, interstate cruising, outside temp was 89F I think, I guess these do take their intake air from a cool source.valso the coolant was really seemed to stay right at 199, I wonder if that's how the thermostat is set on these. I have got the Setrab kit but not installed yet. The main reason I was watching temps this time was I was beach driving in 4hi at about 10 mph for a bit, temps did not spike up during that. I was on relatively packed sand, not the really soft stuff.

 

I installed my cooler kit like June 2020 and my last trip to the lake was July 2021. Truck was full of vacation stuff and towing my 4500# boat, was watching my temps and overall the transmission pan, converter, and engine coolant all were around the same temps. Saw mostly around 199 through low 200's, I do think my tranny temps are a bit elevated since installing the cat protection plates from Valhalla's Shield, but not enough to matter.

 

I get 199 engine temp on mine regularly and I haven’t installed the cooler yet.

 

My first towing (about 5000 pounds) is coming up next weekend and I won't have the cooler in by then. Luckily it is in one of the many pancake flat areas of FL. Should get some good data points. I'm going to put on tow/haul and S4? I'm heading to read the manual right now

 

This isn’t really an issue for the transmission cooler thread ... but if driving over 60 mph for long stretches, you’ll likely want to bump to S5 to manage rpms/mpg. Without the cooler, S4 is good for controlling temps when towing around town, stop lights, etc. up to 55-60 mph

 

Agreed, I felt I was heading off topic. Thank you for the guidance, I'm heading over to the tow/haul section for more guidance.

 

I may add the cooler however i will say my 21 trd pro runs way cooler that my 19 trd offroad did idk y. Today I towed my 18' pj trailer with 4 atvs loaded(aprox 4k lbs )4 passengers in the truck and cooler and spare in the bed. Tow haul mode in s5 running 70 mph for 125 miles temps never exceeded 230 and ran pretty steady 221. S4 made zero difference but s6(D) temps would climb.

To me this isn't bad tbh but i still may get the cooler since i wanna keep the truck a while.

 

Well i bit the bullet and ordered a kit. I got the cheaper one for 899. Supposed to be here friday ill be installing this weekend

 

I think i am going to order it too, it just doesnt sit well with me that my pan and TC are at 225 degrees cruising on the highway without any load.

 

I’ll definitely be installing one in mine before next spring. I took a trip into the mountains the other day about 60 miles at 55 mph average highway speeds on a 2 lane road , no major passes, but lots of up and down with about 2500 ft of elevation increase upon arrival to our destination, empty truck with no trailer attached. I saw 237 at the TC and 225 oil pan temps just about the whole trip. I travel this route regularly with either my camper or my boat and can’t see how I’d keep my temps under 250 without a cooler unless I unnecessarily drive in S3 or S4 reving the engine to higher rpms and consuming large amounts of gasoline. I’m hoping the colder winter temps we are about to see will help with trans temps during some upcoming hunting trips pulling the camper.

 

I felt same way. Now with my MHX kit installed I run about 195 doing same highway/interstate cruising

 

Yeah, thats a big difference. How long did your install take? Any issues? I feel like the hardest part would be leveling the truck.

 

I am planning on the MHX install this week , I have the same questions as MadMaxCannon , I had to take off my RCI skid plate . I am going to be doing a install in my friends garage , hopefully it won't be hard to level for fluid check . little nervous as this is a new vehicle.

 

The fluid check is really quite easy. The hardest part will be threading the steel lines through to the front of the truck.

 

I had a local independent transmission shop install mine. Took them about 4 hours, most of that was waiting on the transmission temp to drop.

 

Is there a picture install or more install details of this setup I've missed somewhere? Something similar to a paper install? The kit I received is a bit different from the video and didn't include the braided hose protector or orange clamps that attach the hose to the back of the cooler. Naturally the cooler I got is the MHK-514 same showed in OP and not the cooler shown in the video. Just trying to make sure I have everything and do it right the first time. Thanks!

@chasenicholas93

 

There are many youtube videos on installing the trans cooler. I also think people make a bigger deal out of the fluid check than necessary. It is easy to determine the fluid capacity of the hose and the cooler, then all you need to do is determine how much you lose when you unfasten the puck (which will be very little if you are careful). For me, I needed to replace about a 1/2 of a quart, which I added to the transmission when done.

 

When reading the instructions for the fluid check, you think that you will not have a big window time to complete it. But after the cooler is installed and pinned open for the test, the there is more than enough time.

 

So just to confirm. Does the MHK-514 kit not come with or need the heat shielding piece of rubber that goes over the hoses from cooler? Nor do I need the orange clamps from the video that connects the hose to the cooler?

it looks like I got everything else and can figure out the differences from what I watched.

 

The hose protection and adel hose clamps were exclusive for a previous kit I no longer offer (Hayden 778HD). The YouTube video is only relevant for installing the Toyota thermostat and lines leading up to the front of the truck. For detailed instructions on installing your kit please view/download the instructions from the link below.

https://genuinecoolingsystems.com/instructions/

Please email me at genuinecoolingsystems@gmail.com for a faster response to any questions. I only check this forum once a day.

Don’t sweat the level check too much. Most garages are quite level already and you should only need to make slight corrections to the level in the front or rear.

 

Whew! Thank you a ton! That’s a load off my mind. Thanks again

 

The kit from Nick has everything that you need including the WS fluid.

 

Thanks, I couldn't seem to find the link for the install instructions, my fault for not looking harder on his website. I'm good to go now, gonna print it out in color and get my weekend set up.

 

@chasenicholas93 ,
14.Pin the thermostat and remove the refill plug on the transmission. Once all connections are secure from the transmission to the cooler, pin the thermostat (the thermostat should already pinned open when it arrives to you). Remove the refill plug (24 mm) on the driver side of the transmission (see picture on next page). Fill the transmission with 1.5 quart of Toyota WS ATF utilizing a pump. install the refill plug back on the transmission. The torque spec for the fill refill plug is 29 lb-ft. You may re-use the crush washer on the refill plug.

Do you unpin the thermostat after you fill fluid and then check the fluid level ?

 

Fluid level should be checked with the thermostat pinned.

However after driving in the Southwest Desert in the summer, I'm keeping my thermostat pinned year round. Driving with it unpinned keeps both torque converter and pan around 175. It doesn't take much longer to get to operating temp either.

But to each their own.

 

This may seem painfully obvious but I’m going to ask anyways. Is the only difference between the setrab and MHX kits (for a 2020) the fact that the MHX has a larger radiator and thus more cooling power? The only reason I ask is it seems like a no brainer to spend an extra $100 and get more cooling power but maybe there are other reasons I’m unaware of.