5.7L Transmission Cooler Kits

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.

 

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 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

@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.

 

Like you stated, the only difference is the MHX will have a greater cooling efficiency over the Setrab for those who need it. If you are towing heavy or off-road a bunch the MHX will be better at controlling those high spikes in ATF pan temperatures. I’d say 90% of folks will not see the difference in temperatures between the two coolers as the thermostat doesn’t open until around 185 degrees.

 

Personally, I didn’t want the shiny MHX visible behind my black grill, and the Setrab seems better than anything Toyota has used stock. So I saved the hundo with the Setrab and it has worked great. I could’ve saved a bit more cobbling together the parts plus a Hayden cooler, but bought the kit as kudos to Nick (a person, not a huge corporation) for making this available and accessible for everyone.

 

Thanks for the reply, sounds like MHX is worth it for me then.

edit: order placed

 

The MHX has a lifetime warranty. Cooling capacity is

• Up to 46,000 BTU/HR for MHX
• 27,000-39,000 BTU/Hr for setrab i'm not sure why there's such a drastic difference in cooling rates in setrab

I believe the setrab works with supercharging without doing anything different, whereas the mhx is larger and interferes with supercharger but can be done with modifications.

 

I painted my MHX with eastwood radiator black paint. Can't see it at all behind the grille. Doesn't affect cooling either.

 

I have the MHX-514 and while I have no idea if it’s better than the Setrab for my application I am happy with it. I leave the truck in Drive when I tow and it pretty much stays in 5th on the highway. The highest pan temp I have seen while towing was 203f and it was climbing a steep grade in 3rd and 4th for several miles. Most of the time I’m between 190 and 195, empty or loaded.

I went with the Improved Racing cooler because I liked the fact it was made in the USA and it had higher cooling ratings.

 

I'm with you I ordered the setrab also It was delivered today I'll be installing on Monday likely.

 

@chasenicholas93 For future reference, can the unit be mounted lower on the radiator and still retain its cooling qualities? I have some plans for what's directly behind the grill, and this would clash with that. Thank you in advance.

 

Just got my new Techstream cable and here’s the updated ATF thermal degradation estimate:
4960 miles: 320 (trans cooler installed, winter-spring)
9898 miles: 594 (summer-fall)