3L (KZN130) Hilux Surf Auto Trans Cooler Setups

[bronx89]

Anyone out there have (or had) a 130 Hilux Surf that was automatic and fitted an aftermarket (big) transmission oil cooler? Have one in mine but the A/T Oil Temp light still comes on when driving on the beach - not happy. The overall size is about 12" x 9" x 3/4", core size about 9" x 6" x 3/4" - need to go HEAPS bigger but there is stuff all room in there.

Anyone have any experience fitting a massive cooler in there somewhere to keep AT temps RIGHT down whilst on the beach? Going to scrap my in-rad cooler altogether and just run the external if I can fit a big enough one in there but I can't see anywhere else they can go!

My current one (looking at the truck from the front) is fitted on the right hand side of the radiator (in front of it) vertically as the left side is taken up by the air-con (I think?) fan.

Any help much appreciated I want to get this frickin AT temp sh*t sorted the light is driving me insane.

[jonossiksilvia]

may help but i have a 7inch fan fitted to my transcooler same size as urs fits perfect behind it. i v8 and no sand driving yet so cant comment on rest

[tweake]

bronx89, have you got a pic of the setup?
nothing silly like airlocked?
on jonossiksilvia pic the left hand one is good, outlet at the top air gets pushed out. but the right hand one is really prone to filling with air resulting in a cooler that dosen't work.

[bronx89]

Yours has a different grille than mine but would the spacing be the same? Fan wouldn't fit behind mine as is as it's right on the rad, not sure if grille would fit on with it spaced forward like yours? I'll have to have a look. You sure your cooler same size? Looks a lot bigger!!

Air lock? What do you mean? Does the cooler have to go a certain way round? If yes wish the instructions mentioned that!! My coolers inlet and outlet are both on the bottom, is that bad? Is there a way to bleed it?

And what is a better cooler out of these 2 styles? Does one perform better/worse?

One:


Two:

[jonossiksilvia]

my instructions also said that too for the transcooler - which is why i mounted it that way

[bronx89]

my instructions also said that too for the transcooler - which is why i mounted it that way

Said what? To mount inlet/outlet at the bottom?.. From what tweake has said now I dont know if my AT is still overheating because it is too small or because it is mounted wrong lol

[jonossiksilvia]

my instructions also said that too for the transcooler - which is why i mounted it that way

Said what? To mount inlet/outlet at the bottom?.. From what tweake has said now I dont know if my AT is still overheating because it is too small or because it is mounted wrong lol

yeah mount them at bottom. i havent had a problem with it this way - only used the fan once crawling up a steep rocky hill in 30c temp

[bronx89]

Anyone know for a fact whether one of the above coolers cools better than the other? I guess out of whatever style works best I could just flag the internal amd go biggest external possible and try fit a 7" fan in there too and wire it to a switch and just leave it on when on the sand and off during normal road driving?

Anyone have pics of an external cooler setup with standard auto rad and aircon fan etc.?

[NJV6]

have you checked the sender unit to make sure its not dicky and giving you a wrong signal?

[Jafa]

Anyone know for a fact whether one of the above coolers cools better than the other? I guess out of whatever style works best I could just flag the internal amd go biggest external possible and try fit a 7" fan in there too and wire it to a switch and just leave it on when on the sand and off during normal road driving?

Anyone have pics of an external cooler setup with standard auto rad and aircon fan etc.?

The lower one, a "plate and fin" style is best, and the popular opinion is that bypassing the factory cooler in the bottom of the rad is best, and to fit the biggest aux cooler you can fit/afford with a fan is the go...
Most guys are saying that both the engine and trans run much cooler with this setup
Search on the Surf owners forum in aussie

[bronx89]

The sender unit for the AT Oil Temp? Nope, do you know where it is? And how to check it? I've had a quick look online can' find any mention of its location.

ok at getting a plate and fin one and as big as I can fit. Is there any point in having a fan there though if the big viscous fan is pulling air through anyway? I'll also be ditching the in-rad one.

[Jafa]

no need for an extra fan if you can flow plenty of air with the viscous one

[crazyclark31]

first of all. how many rows is your cooler ? I don't run a fan on my cooler and have never had the trans over heat(yet). But it does get pretty hot at times. And thats pushing a lwb safari around

If possible take your truck into a trans care place and get them to check it over/service it.They will be able to give you an indication on the condition of the trans and check for any faulty senders.

[bronx89]

Same as this one here:


Rated to 12,000 pounds. Suppose I need bigger due to the sand driving though? Yea was really wanting to avoid taking it to a trans place for a full service and inspection as I will be paying a lot of $$$$$$$.

Does anyone happen to know where this sender unit is for the AT Oil Temp light? If it was faulty would it always throw a fault code? Or no?

[Sadam_Husain]

Does anyone happen to know where this sender unit is for the AT Oil Temp light? If it was faulty would it always throw a fault code? Or no?

Its all here in the other auto trans oil cooler thread you posted last week mate Hilux Surf 1KZ-TE Auto Trans Oil Cooler

Yea I was thinking the same about the sensor, so, where abouts is the sensor for the trans oil temp? And is the chaffing (if that is what it is) likely to be around the box or could it be anywhere even up in behind the dash (please tell me no lol). Also, how do I test the sensor? If it is cheap enough I will just buy a new one and replace it to tick that off the list of possible faults/reasons.

Sensor is here...

As for the wiring, follow it back. Chaff more likely to be under the truck.
P/N is 89429‑34010 and used in many different vehicles.

http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/xref?s=894 ... J=on&mG=on

[tweake]

plate and fin cooler works best, especially in the smaller sizes.

tube coolers are a bit daft, they have the hottest part right next to the coldest part, so it heats the cold oil back up. its not to bad on the big coolers where the inlet is a long way from the outlet. but the small ones are a waste of time. i have a thermal pic of it somewhere. however tube style don't have problems with air in them.

i would just spin the cooler around. the outlet MUST be on the top side. very important on the big coolers. last time i was looking at coolers that was in the manufactures instructions.

[bronx89]

Mine is a Hayden cooler, never saw anything aout that in the instructions. In the process of finding a big plate and fin cooler now and going to bin or sell my one in there now, and ditch the in-rad one. Going to be hard to fit a big one sideways though to have the outlet on the top!!

Any idea of the minimum core size I would want to go to ensure it stays cold on sand and having no use of the in-rad one at all? At least 12" core? Or even larger?

If anyone knows of anywhere in NZ or Aucks that does good prices on these coolers let me know

EDIT: oh and if the inlet and outlet hoses are touching or too close can it heat up the oil coming out of the cooler back to the trans? Or is the rubber hose made so that they do not absorb and transfer heat that easily? The 2 hoses are right next to each other on my gearbox so they end up touching for quite a bit.

[tweake]

EDIT: oh and if the inlet and outlet hoses are touching or too close can it heat up the oil coming out of the cooler back to the trans? Or is the rubber hose made so that they do not absorb and transfer heat that easily? The 2 hoses are right next to each other on my gearbox so they end up touching for quite a bit.

keep them apart if you can. i don't think its a big issue, the cooler itself is the main thing to fix.

[bronx89]

Ok, I have been scouring eBay and found these 5 coolers that I think will do the job, am I right? What do you think is the best one? Simply the biggest lol?? I will also have to see what will actually fit in there, might mock up some cardboard coolers to see what will fit.

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hayden-TRANSAVE ... 50&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-TRANS ... 15&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Transmission-Oi ... 54&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hayden-Transmis ... 49&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/LONG-4590-TRU-C ... 81&vxp=mtr

EDIT: took the grille and headlights out and measured up what would fit without too much f*cking around, max size I got was 400mm x 180mm x 50mm, or for you odd folks 15" x 7" x 2". Looks like the only one that is gonna fit is the 4th one in the list above, is that big enough though you reckon?

Or this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 675758.htm

Or this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 037265.htm

[T-Boon]

Thats how I did mine.

[jonossiksilvia]

Ok, I have been scouring eBay and found these 5 coolers that I think will do the job, am I right? What do you think is the best one? Simply the biggest lol?? I will also have to see what will actually fit in there, might mock up some cardboard coolers to see what will fit.

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hayden-TRANSAVE ... 50&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-TRANS ... 15&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Transmission-Oi ... 54&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hayden-Transmis ... 49&vxp=mtr

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/LONG-4590-TRU-C ... 81&vxp=mtr

EDIT: took the grille and headlights out and measured up what would fit without too much f*cking around, max size I got was 400mm x 180mm x 50mm, or for you odd folks 15" x 7" x 2". Looks like the only one that is gonna fit is the 4th one in the list above, is that big enough though you reckon?

Or this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 675758.htm

Or this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 037265.htm

i running last one on that list craig davis but 8 cyclinder http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 032072.htm

[bronx89]

Yea the 8 cyl wont fit in front of my rad though, where is yours? And would the other tardme listing be better as it is a bit taller and thicker? Just not as wide only by 30mm!

T-boon, is that the cooler where the right hand battery normally is? How does it get any air flow?

[jonossiksilvia]

Yea the 8 cyl wont fit in front of my rad though, where is yours? And would the other tardme listing be better as it is a bit taller and thicker? Just not as wide only by 30mm!

T-boon, is that the cooler where the right hand battery normally is? How does it get any air flow?

look at my pic i posted first page

[bronx89]

Oh yea mine wont fit there as the standy rad has some crap goin into it there, would that other tardme listing be better than that 6cyl one? As it is thicker and a bit taller?

I am not sure who (or what company) to ask/call who will be able to tell me what cooler will definitely suit and work to keep my trans plenty cool on the sand.

[crazyclark31]

either one of those two coolers will be fine. If you put one of those in and it still gets hot then you will definatly have to take it to a trans shop.No two ways about it.

Personally buy either of those to coolers off trademe and get it on your truck

[bronx89]

either one of those two coolers will be fine. If you put one of those in and it still gets hot then you will definatly have to take it to a trans shop.No two ways about it.

Personally buy either of those to coolers off trademe and get it on your truck

Yep think I am just gonna buy one and install it and see what happens. When you say either will be fine that is with the in-rad one blocked off and the external one being the ONLY one being used?

[T-Boon]

T-boon, is that the cooler where the right hand battery normally is? How does it get any air flow?

long story short, thats where the factory airbox sits, so if its good enough airflow for the engine, its good enough for the cooler, and it wont get coated in mud and not work.

[bronx89]

T-boon, is that the cooler where the right hand battery normally is? How does it get any air flow?

long story short, thats where the factory airbox sits, so if its good enough airflow for the engine, its good enough for the cooler, and it wont get coated in mud and not work.

Lol isn't that the issue with these things overheating though; a lot of the standard stuff isn't good enough? But if you haven't had any issues I suppose why move it! Hopefully going to get my new cooler before weekend, and the shop reckons when running in series to run the cooler AFTER the standard one otherwise it is pointless, most on here opted for the other way round!

Also wouldn't an oil cooler be the same as a radiator? The thicker the better? I am not sure which of the tardme listings to go for..

[tweake]

the thicker it is the harder it is for air to flow through it. so it only works well at high speed or requires a fan to help. also a thick one will reduce air flow to the radiator behind it.

i would go for http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 037265.htm

also mount it away from the bottom of the radiator. that to allow the bottom of the radiator to get the coldest air possible.

[bronx89]

the thicker it is the harder it is for air to flow through it. so it only works well at high speed or requires a fan to help. also a thick one will reduce air flow to the radiator behind it.

i would go for http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 037265.htm

also mount it away from the bottom of the radiator. that to allow the bottom of the radiator to get the coldest air possible.

Yep going to mount it where the current small one is up the very top right side of the rad. Going to see if i can fit the 8cyl one in there if not will get the 6cyl one. Will be running the externalone on its own this time.

EDIT: 8cyl one is going to fit will install this week or weekend if poss. Fingers crossed it finally works.