Legal disclaimer: This is my procedure and it is by no means the only way to install a cooler. You accept all responsibility for your own work. Don't blame me if you break your vehicle. This is simply a synopsis of my install.
*Do not use fuel hose. The additives in the transmission fluid can damage the fuel hose and contaminate the transmission or or cause the hose to rupture.
____________________________

So here we go. I have had good success with B&M supercoolers on all my previous vehicles. They are stronger than the fin and tube type which can be easily damaged by road debri. Here's what comes with the kit from B&M: Cooler (1.5" thick), 5/16" transmission cooler hose(too small) and hardware for mounting. I ended up buying 3/8" cooler hose. Also in the picture is a Magnefine inline filter. These are unique because it has a large doughnut magnet at the inlet which attracts metallic bits that will damage the transmission and block passages and clogs valves. Then the fluid passes through a paper filter media like an oil filter. Should the filter ever clog, no worries, there is an internal safety bypass valve that will let fluid flow through the filter. These transmissions only have a screen in the pan so there's no reason to ever drop the pan. I spoke with several Toyota dealership parts departments and they all told me the same thing. A new strainer has to be ordered as its only stocked in CA because unless the transmission grenades, they have no reason to replace them. A clean transmission will last longer, so I use these inline filters. They are easy to install and easy to replace every 30,000.

Open the hood and remove the front fascia by popping the center rivet and lift out the fastener.

The cooler will be routed around the side of the radiator on the passenger side. There is a large cavity behind the headlight with nothing to rub against. There is also a wind dam between the front bumper and radiator. This is where the cooler hoses will be routed.

The rubber grommets (7/8") will protect the hose from rubbing and help stabilize the hose mid point between the cooler and radiator.

Its held by 3 tabs on the rear face. Press them forward to detach the wind dam and pull it out. I used a 7/8" spade drill bit to cut the holes for the grommets. It cut easily, just go slow at a medium speed.

You need to gain access to the radiator and AC condesor (in front of the radiator). Remove the top radiator support. remove the plastic air intake by removing two silver bolts and unplug the wire connection so you can lift it up and out of the way. There are 3 black bolts across the top of the radiator support and 2 bolts on the front ends. I suggest using a camera to keep images of where these bolts came from. Most are 10mm except for the 2 silver bolts beneath the radiator support which are 11 or 12mm. There are 2 phillips screws on the front of the bridge that connects the AC condensor to the radiator and 4 bolts across the back of this bridge. 2 hold the cooler lines and 2 attach the radiator fans to the radiator. Remove the 2 bolts that attached the hood latch to the top and bottom of the core support, disconnect the electrical connection behind the hood latch and you should be able to lift the top core support/hood latch up and forward out of the way. The bridge can be lfited up and back so you can now gain access between the condensor and radiator. It will be tight and you'll need small hands.

Be sure to use towels to protect the paint on the bumper. The AC condensor has unusually small spaces between the horizontal tubes. I used a very small phillips screw driver to create the holes in the fins. Lift the cooler into place and gently slide the screwdriver into one hole just far enough to pass thru the condensor (don't hit the radiator). Then wiggle the screwdriver left and right to make a space big enough for the plastic zip ties that come with the cooler (about 1/4") Don't go up and down. Do one hole at a time. Insert the zip tie into the first hole and place the cooler back in place on the zip tie. Then mark the next hole and repeat until all 4 holes are made.

Now you are ready to affix the cooler to the condensor. Put the foam pads on the cooler between the cooler and condensor over the holes you chose for the zip ties. This keeps them from falling out and protects the condensor from the cooler. If everything lines up properly, run the fastens down the zip ties to permanently attach the cooler. The hard part is almost over. Put the radiator supports back on and reattach the air intake and hood latch assembly.

Now is a good time to install the filter and wind dam. The typical path for the trans fluid is into the top port and out the bottom port. I want the fluid to pass through the filter last so it will be attached to the bottom port fairly close to the cooler. Then route the hose through the bottom hole in the wind dam. With the hose pulled through the wind dam, reposition the wind dam into place.

Like I said the hard part is complete and now I'm taking a break because I didn't buy enough hose. I bought 4' of 3/8" transmssion hose from O'Reilys auto parts when I needed 6'. The hose that came with the cooler was 5/16" which is slightly smaller than the factory steel lines. I could have used the 5/16" but its a struggle to get it on the factory cooler lines. It probably adds resistance to the fluid flows as well. I will do a flush before adding the cooler to the circuit.
------------------------------------------------
Flush is done. Link to: DIY Transmission flush on an '08 Sienna XLE

First things first. Before reconnecting the cooler line you need to identify the correct flow of the fluid through the radiator. I used the easiest line available to verify flow. Using the top radiator trans fluid line I disconnected the 5" shaped hose from the steel line above the radiator and attached a hose to each side. The hose needs to be long enough reach a gallon milk jug positioned behind the passenger headlight. This is strictly waste fluid collection.

Once you have the hose in place, you will need to start the engine for 3 seconds and shut it off. This will pump enough fluid out to see which hose is the ejection line. In the picture below, there is a black hose connected to the steel line and a clear hose connected to the top radiator port hose. The clear hose fit tightly inside the rubber hose. There's no back pressure so no need to use a clamp. In the picture below you can see the clear hose is now full of ATF. This is the ejection port for the radiator.

The fluid flows: Tansmission -> lower radiator port -> upper radiator port -> back to transmission.

This short hose will be removed entirely to connect the cooler back into the circuit.

Connect the cooler lines this way.

Route the hoses through the cavity behind the headlight and around to the top radiator port and steel transmission fluid return line. There is no modification needed to the steel lines. Just connect them with worm screw hose clamps. The factory clamps won't fit the new hose.

This is the finished install behind the radiator. Its hard to tell from stock.

Up front, the cooler gets connected with the top hose for the cooler input and the lower hose for the cooler output. I installed the filter after the cooler primarily to slow the flow through the cooler and make it more efficient by keeping the fluid in the cooler longer. I dont know if its true but thats what I believe is happening.

*Add 1/2 to 3/4 Quart ATF to compensate for the new cooler & filter and then check the dip stick before starting the engine. Start the engine and check the dip stick again adding ATF as needed. After running the engine for 5 minutes, check for leaks and fluid level. Test drive it for 15 minutes and recheck for leaks and fluid level. Lastly, new rubber hose tends to soften with a few heat cycles, so after 100 miles, remove the grill and re-tighten all the hose clamps one last time.

:cigar-smoker:

For more fun, Check out my Magnefine power steering filter install.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/2...010/1006602-diy-power-steering-filter-install-magnefine-filter-2008-sienna.html

 

Anyone interested in monitoring their pre 2010 Sienna's transmission temp here is the input for the codes.

Header: 0
PID: 21D9
formula: ((((E*256)+F) * (7/100) – 400)/10)
Min value: 0
Max value: 300
Name: TFT or antything you like
Unit factor: F

I am using the Engine Link iPhone app $6 and the Vgate WIFI iCar ELM327 OBD2 II Diagnostic Scanner iV350 for iPhone $30 on ebay.

From a quick test drive cruising at 60 mph, here are my numbers:
Ambient temp 67*
Coolant temp 185*
Trans temp 150* +/- 2*

Hit the highway 6/21/2014 75 mile road trip
Ambient 80*
Coolant temp 186*
Trans temp 165* +/- 2*

 

This worked like a breeze...thanks for the write up.

Two comments/questions...

1. Do I need 12 quarts? I used 12 quarts but I saw that the capacity of the transaxle is 3.7 quarts. - on a side note, I bought 3 gallons of Valvoline, synthetic, high mileage Multi ATF which specifically says it works with Toyota WS. $16 a gallon.

2. My transmission oil still looked dirty after the flush. I am going to add a magnefine filter soon. Is it normal after a flush to still be blackish? I did not drop the pan. Maybe there was some goo in the pan that did not drain when removing the plug??

Thanks,

 

The pan contains 3.7 Qts by itself. The Transmission actually has much more within. By the time you have flushed out 10-11 Qts, the fluid should look more red than black. I found that it takes all 12 Qts to clean out the torque converter. It will also begin to re-dissolve the old crud in the tranny so the Magnefine is important to keep the particles from recirculating.


As for the fluid. Penny wise, pound foolish. I would only use OEM in modern transmissions. Just cause its red doesn't make it a good substitute. The manufacturers put in additives specifically for their newer transmissions that control slip and function. To me its worth a few dollars more to use the correct fluid. On older vehicles, I prefer Valvoline Max Life and use it in my 99 4runner. My 2001 Lexus IS300 only gets Toyota Type-IV because the tranny is already temperamental and my Sienna will only get Toyota WS because I want it to go well beyond 300,000 miles. If you find that it works for you, great. If it starts shifting differently, I would re-flush with OEM fluid.


If you keep the fluid cool with an external cooler, the fluid will last much longer. I have put 50,000 miles on the new fluid and its as red as the fluid in the bottle. Heat is the enemy of ATF. As for dropping the pan. I didn't do it but its up to you. I have seen the filters in the pan and I'm not impressed with their ability to clean more than chunks of crud. But their are some here that feel differently. We will just leave it at that.

 

Thanks DrCoffee. I was able to move my original installation of the mag filter and install the cooler as you did. I did notice even driving around town it cools down much quicker and doesn't try to equalize with the coolant temp.

The only issue I had was my grill had a 10mm bolt holding each end to the main bumper. They were a pain to get out. Those were in addition to the snap clips on the bottom you mentioned. I also could not get my big meat pucks between the condenser and radiator to install the two lower zip ties. I used a foot long pair of needle nose pliers and it worked great.

 

Nice work. A plus with this install is the manefine filter is easy to change out. All you need to do is remove the five push pins and lift off the front grill. Its all right there and plenty of room to get at it.

 

Does well thus far. It was only a little over 81F here today. The highest it got after stop and go and a couple of hills was 172F. This was early on the highway. On the return it leveled out around 163F on the highway.

 

Great write up on the cooler install - I will be installing one soon, as I found my '08 LE's transmission to be hitting upwards of 220 degrees or more! Would anyone think that installing a cooler with a fan as overkill? I've looked at a few by B&M and like the idea of keeping the trans within a certain temp range with their thermostatically controlled fans. Here is one I'm looking at:

http://www.bmracing.com/products/70...ler-medium-hi-tek-cooling-system-with-fan-350-cfm-rating/?mk=&yr=&md=&smd=&eng=

Thoughts and ideas appreciated...

 

Its not needed. If you mount it against the condenser per the instructions, the vans cooling fans will ll do the job of the extra fan.

 

Update:


I grabbed this screen shot after driving 4 hours in 88* ambient temps at 80 mph. Working perfectly.


Without the B&M cooler, the transmission would be running routinely at or above 200*

 

After Reviewing your thread and Others Here is my take on the transmission cooler install.

I did not need anything other than what what in the B&M Kit ( minus tools)

I installed the newer style Magnifine filter at the output of the stock raditator BEFORE the B&M one - Why? You are able to filter oil more effectively when it is hot. i would have put it before the stock Radiator but i did not want it to be crammed.

I re purposed the Pipe that is bolted along the radiator (stock outputs into it) to make a hose connector and the Stock U output hose to connect to the Magnifine Filter.

I routed the Output of the stock Radiator into the filter and then around the Radiator on the same side as the input and output of the stock radiator (drilled hole and grommeted Wind Dam

See Pics

 

Hey everyone , I am a new 2008 xle owner here 12 days Great write up, I plan on doing this since I live in the desert and 110* days are common in the summer. Plus it does have the tow prep option and I plan to tow a trailmanor camper. SO I think this tranny cooler will be a great addition, also the tranny drain info was great as well. Going to do all the fluids in the next few weeks. The sienna has 108k miles on it , love it so far. Thanks for the write up, you guys will be seeing me around here I am sure asking a ton of questions.

 

DO you think this tranny cooler would be good enough for my 08 sienna that has the tow prep package..... Derale 13502 13 Row Series 8000 Plate & Fin Transmission Cooler Kit 17,500 GVW

thanks

 

Just be sure to use 3/8" ID cooler hose. Derale uses a smaller size (11/32") which slows flow and puts pressure on the trans pump. Gates is the brand I use. And also mount the cooler against the ac condensor to allow air to be pulled across the cooler by the fans. A free standing cooler mounted on its own is virtually useless in cooling the oil within.

 

Thanks drcoffee, what do you think of the
Hayden Automotive 678 Rapid-Cool Plate and Fin Transmission Cooler ?

 

I prefer coolers that account for low ambient temps and shunt cold fluid past the cooler plates. B&M 70264 and Tru-Cool 4544 are great coolers. The thinner Tru-cool will be more efficient, but both will keep you below 180*.

I saw a better cooling when the fluid went in on the lower port and out from the upper port.

 

..……

 

deleted

 

delete

 

horn does not work

after my install the horn stopped working.
I have one unplugged connector, could this be the culprit?

 

after my install the horn stopped working.
I have one unplugged connector, could this be the culprit?

Looks like an unused plug. Too much corrosion and too short to reach anything.

 

I completed my B & M transmission cooler upgrade about 2 weeks ago. Thank you "drcoffee" for such a well written presentation on how to do this. I purchased my 2010 Sienna XLE two months ago.

I also purchased 13 quarts of Toyota Type WS ATF and had my system flushed by my local mechanic who has the fluid changing machine, it took about 12 1/4 quarts of new fluid to get it all.

Regarding the horn not working, I experienced the same issue. After checking fuses and relays and finding nothing, I decided to disconnect and reconnect the horn connectors several times. I had put some silicone grease on the horn connectors when I re-assembled them.... Whatever the issue was, after two rounds of unplugging them and re-connecting them both horns started working again, and no issues since.

I ended up not separating the condenser from the radiator as I ran into some rusty bolts and screws when taking off the upper radiator support, and one of them holding the air intake broke off.... The brackets holding the condenser to the radiator were rusted just as badly, so rather than get into a situation I couldn't get out of easily, I fabricated a single aluminum strut for one side, and attached the other side of the cooler to the hood latch bracket running from top to bottom.

Thanks again for the great post.

 

That zip tie could cut through the hose. Might want to fab something using a bracket. Just a suggestion.

 

Thanks, good suggestion. I couldn't find what I needed to make up a small bracket and really didn't want to leave it rubbing on the AC lines below it..... I will circle back and make up a small aluminum L bracket and anchor it in the same hole in the radiator support cross member.

One quick question drcoffee: How often, if at all, do you change the Magnefine filter ?

 

So, I change mine at 50,000 miles or 3-4 years. They dont clog but the paper filter only lasts so long. Never had a failure yet, and I open each used filter to see what it collected. Im amazed at what is stuck to the magnet.

These work great and protect the hose. I got mine from harbor freight, but auto zone or home depot should carry them.

 

I've been considering installing one of these systems into my 2005 and all the pictures and instructions included here make it look like an absolute necessity for anyone in the heat or towing a trailer, especially up steep inclines.

 

Dear Dr Coffee,
My sincerest gratitude for your willingness to share this transmission cooler, filter, and flush DIY. It went pretty well for me but I definitely had to take my time with it. I f'd up and misunderstood one of your steps to remove some bolts and inadvertently unscrewed that 10mm bolt holding the aluminum tube to the condenser..... noticed a hissing and quickly tightened it back up. I was like %$&... The only thing that sort of held me up was getting enough space between the condenser and the radiator to bring the zip ties through and locked down and excess cut off (I used a hack saw actually). Other thing was making sure my hose lengths were OK...kind of eyeballing them to see what length worked, and then cutting them to size. Also, I had to buy 2 extra hose clamps for anyone else wondering.
Thanks again,
TucsonTuba

 

Hello,
I just got a 2008 Sienna LE with 196k and want to install the cooler. I just got cooler and filter off amazon. Due you still have the pictures?
Thanks
Roy