There are ways to fix that.


Yeah there is a thread on that around here somewhere.

 

Same thing happened to my dad... 20,000km later and tranny still runs great....

 

Another way that external coolers work great on the trail without mounting a new fan (not that that's a bad idea) is by putting it in front of the a/c condenser to utilize the motor fan. In this case too Fogrunner did a great post with temps and everything here https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/t...covery-215128/

 

You guys have got me convinced! I'm doing the radiator as PM when I replace my fan clutch. My 135K 00 is running hot after driving at highway speeds. I suspect fan clutch but have not tried the magazine trick yet.

 

I do like the idea of mounting the cooler right up against the condensor and thanx for the link JBurt but as my 4Runner is going over 12 years on the road and 160k on all the parts I'm thinking a new radiator will still be the way to go for now.

 

Fan clutch is not the issue if overheating is at highway speed. Fan clutch IS the issue if overheating is in stop-and-go traffic. My '99 was under half on the temp gauge on the way in to the Lincoln tunnel on a 95°F day with A/C on and traveling at 65+ miles per hour. I hit tunnel traffic, and within three minutes I was in the red. THAT was a fan clutch issue. Turned around, got out of traffic, and back to half right away driving at 65+ again.

 

Should have been more clear there....It overheats after slowing down/stopping after driving at highway speed....so I agree, like your Lincoln Tunnel story...the fan clutch is shot.

 

Just to note, Toyota's are not the only vehicles that suffer from this issue. When I had my 09' Frontier I read that this is a common problem for the 2nd gen's and would happen at a lot lower mileage.

Here is a link if anyone is curious: http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f...failure-34877/

Even worse, some would have the failure under the powertrain warranty and the dealer would deny as the radiator was the cause even though the transmission failed as well.

Some of the reason why I traded in the truck.

Anyone know our factory radiators are date stamped? Just curious if mine is original or not. It looks old as I noticed some corrosion on some of the hardware when I was doing the tranny cooler bypass. If it is original it went 163k w/o leaking. Wonder if the failure has anything to do with climate as mine has always been an Oregon truck.

 

Ouch!

 

I believe I would sue Toyota for not covering tranny destruction due to radiator failure, if they denied that claim. The radiator's ATF cooler is an integral part of the transmission system.

 

Yep, I think any judge would agree with you too.

 

Yeah, but is it part of the drivetrain? The radiator is also part of the engine, like the alternator is, but I don't think either is covered under powertrain.

Here is the official list of AT components covered:

* ALL internally lubricated components and:
* Torque converter
* Shift linkage
* Seals and gaskets
* Solenoids
* Transmission mounts
* Vacuum modulator
* Case

Now, is the cooler 'internally lubricated'? It has fluid inside it, but nothing moves...lots of fun for the lawyers.

 

Maybe Seals and Gaskets? It is a "seal" that fails when this happens...

Unless they say only seals and gaskets that are associated with the case itself.

 

That's why I don't buy any extra warranties, just a bunch of rip-off written in legalize.

 

Here is a pdf link to an old (read late 80s, early 90s; just look at the ATF fluid types) Toyota training manual concerning transmission fluid. What suprises me is that since the manual talks about the result of coolant mixing with the ATF (top of p.83), then other Toyota models must have had the same problem in prior years.

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/AT06.pdf

It is also an interesting look into the ATF temps Toyota considers normal to severe.

 

I change my gearbox fluids every 40k miles/4 years whatever comes first just to be safe.

 

radiators do not last forever. a judge would throw this out if the radiator is 10 years old.

breakage and failures in cooling systems....it happens

nothing lasts forever

 

seals and gaskets mean replaceable parts. the internal connection in the radiator is not replaceable. so...no

 

I think he was saying they were still under warranty and it was happening, so unless they had a 10 year warranty...you know?

 

if under warranty then yes...should cost zero to fix or rebuild