transmission temperature

[jawkdna]

Conveniently some one will try and sell you a solution right in the forum... shady. OP is asking for help and crappy sponsors are shilling bad advice to sell their after market product not even built for our vehicles...
We haven't even diagnosed the problem and here's someone sending links to solve a problem they don't even understand, that will void warranties... clownish

 

[RideWithYanu]

Conveniently some one will try and sell you a solution right in the forum... shady. OP is asking for help and crappy sponsors are shilling bad advice to sell their after market product not even built for our vehicles...
We haven't even diagnosed the problem and here's someone sending links to solve a problem they don't even understand, that will void warranties... clownish

No, actually that “crappy sponsor” is a well-regarded member here in excellent standing. Matthew is a huge resource for members here, whether or not they are buying anything.

You on the other hand, never heard of you.

 

[jawkdna]

No, actually that “crappy sponsor” is a well-regarded member here in excellent standing. Matthew is a huge resource for members here, whether or not they are buying anything.

You on the other hand, never heard of you.

Fair enough... but I dont stand to make any money selling you items meant for a tacoma that will void your warranty....
Just trying keep things honest and helpful for the OPs question.

So I assume then you yourself have taken his advice that you need to install a transmission cooler???

"To some degree, most modern vehicles should have a trans cooler but especially on turbo'd engines with low viscosity fluid."- seller

Feel free to point out any flows in my logic.... I can easily point to the flaws in the person selling the Tacoma transmission cooler. Regardless of who has been on the forum longer.

I think the point is someone asking questions about their transmission temps fluctuating, not overheating, and being told to install a transmission cooler, by a seller of said transmission cooler, doesn't sound very logical, or appropriate, or helpful.

 

[TakaraLC]

In the U.S., the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for a manufacturer or dealer to deny warranty coverage just because you used an aftermarket part, they can only deny a claim if they can show that specific part actually caused the problem you're bringing in.

That is not what Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects. What it is about tis hat if you install a transmission cooler, they cannot deny warranty for a blown rear differential. They can still deny transmission warranty.

 

[grandsons]

They can still deny transmission warranty.

It'd be pretty funny watching them try to prove in court that an oil cooler caused the transmission to overheat. But you're right: if the install used cheap hose clamps or garden hose fittings, skipped topping off the fluid level, pinched a tube, or anything along those lines, that hands them an easy way to deny the claim.


I was probably influenced by social media on this, because I'd also noticed the oil temperature bar graph didn't give me a real sense of the fluctuations. So I got equipment to actually monitor the temperature. Despite one alert flagging conditions but described as inappropriate in the user manual, I went ahead and had a cooler installed, with OEM tubing and clips, of course, done by a professional, with some variation in the tube routing and fixation. I'm still tracking the temperature depending on road conditions.


I have no real idea what the long-term effect of the cooler will be, but shaving off a few degrees and recovering faster after a sudden spike is probably unnecessary, but for me it's reassuring and worth the installation.

 

[TakaraLC]

It'd be pretty funny watching them try to prove in court that an oil cooler caused the transmission to overheat. But you're right: if the install used cheap hose clamps or garden hose fittings, skipped topping off the fluid level, pinched a tube, or anything along those lines, that hands them an easy way to deny the claim.


I was probably influenced by social media on this, because I'd also noticed the oil temperature bar graph didn't give me a real sense of the fluctuations. So I got equipment to actually monitor the temperature. Despite one alert flagging conditions but described as inappropriate in the user manual, I went ahead and had a cooler installed, with OEM tubing and clips, of course, done by a professional, with some variation in the tube routing and fixation. I'm still tracking the temperature depending on road conditions.


I have no real idea what the long-term effect of the cooler will be, but shaving off a few degrees and recovering faster after a sudden spike is probably unnecessary, but for me it's reassuring and worth the installation.

They will not need to prove anything. They will simply deny warranty. After that what will the owner do? There is no enforcement mechanism that would force them to make the repair or prove it is related to the mod. So once they say they will not cover it, it is more or less over. The owner would either need to pay for the fix, or take Toyota to court and most certainly not get a favorable ruling.

 

[MSINAL]

OP should just keep an eye on it, snap photos if it gets higher than normal (with location tagged), and notify dealer of concerns during next visit.

Point out you want it documented that the temp is rising higher than is to be expected per the owner's manual.

 

[RideWithYanu]

The owner would either need to pay for the fix, or take Toyota to court and most certainly not get a favorable ruling.

This is the trouble. The law may be on our side in this case, but I have far fewer resources to prove my position than Toyota does. I’m holding out for revised programming, but am sure will be installing a cooler once the warranty is up.

 

[Mopper]

Get the gauges up on the instrument panel and increase your measurement capability via OBD if you see the reason to. I don't think a simple poll of answers is robust enough because it neglects your physical environment and your driving style, both of which can heavily impact normal operating temperatures. I recently completed a trip with significant (think 15 KM) climb and descent and was concerned about transmission oil temperatures. I didn't have the gauges (analog, low res) displayed enough early and did see the temperature climb after making them visible (I don't remember if it was climbing or coming down) but not to anything I found alarming.

Edit: altitude 3-8,000 feet, ambient temp 75-95 F

 

[Mtn40]

This maybe should have it's own thread, but I'll try this.
Those of you with a ScanGauge 3, can you setup bar graphs for the temps you want to monitor, or just a grid of numbers?
Since it's a lot easier to keep on eye on a graph than watching a number and having to think about what is too high, I hope the former is possible.
Or even if you can set when a field turns red or something like that would be helpful.
I know I could probably go waste an hour watching youtube videos about it, but hoping I can get more straightforward answers here.

 

[Meteor]

i was cruising a long bumpy rood full of speed bumps and I was slowing down very frequency and then accelerate until the next speed bump for like 30mins or so

Without witnessing exactly what OP was doing for the duration, nothing here sounds out of spec. Most vehicles will see a spike in temps during these activites.

What I would suggest is using the center diff lock (if equipped) when off-road, always. Make it easier on all components by limiting wheel spin and forcing more traction to all the wheels.

 

[grandsons]

They will not need to prove anything. They will simply deny warranty.

If the gearbox has a known design flaw and they're denying everything anyway, I'd rather just invest in a cooler proactively than wait around and deal with the problem later.

 

[grandsons]

Those of you with a ScanGauge 3, can you setup bar graphs for the temps you want to monitor, or just a grid of numbers?

No fancy 3D colors graph there, just grid numbers

Or even if you can set when a field turns red or something like that would be helpful.
I know I could probably go waste an hour watching youtube videos about it, but hoping I can get more straightforward answers here.

What it does give you instead of a bar graph is a monitor/alarm feature. You can set the ScanGauge to monitor sensors and alert you when they're at, above, or below certain conditions the gauge will flash red and sound an alarm when the threshold is hit.

Anyway, the gearbox oil temperature stays pretty calm, nothing very interesting going on there. It just appears to be hot sometimes...

 

[TakaraLC]

If the gearbox has a known design flaw and they're denying everything anyway, I'd rather just invest in a cooler proactively than wait around and deal with the problem later.

Where did you get “they are denying everything” from my statement?

 

[perigree]

Had a similar experience coming out of the Lost Coast in CA. Was driving out on a dirt road up hill. Trans temp gauge stayed at 3/4 while center diff was unlocked. Actually ended up locking it and temps dropped between 3/4 and 1/2. After I hit pavement but still going uphill, I unlocked the diff and the temps never went back to 1/2, stayed above until things leveled out/start going back downhill.

 

[grandsons]

Where did you get “they are denying everything” from my statement?

from this

They will not need to prove anything. They will simply deny warranty. After that what will the owner do?

Sorry but I understand that basically, you submit a warranty claim, they reject it, and there's nothing more you can do.

 

[GR8Santini]

Wow. 2 weeks ago the sky was falling over cv joints, & now we are on to the transmission. The OP doesn’t even know if his tranny got remotely hot, his comment is that the temp bar moved up & down - as it is designed to do - & he wants to know if it’s normal. We don’t have enough info yet to understand if he has an overheating problem, but how he describes that drive I would expect the tran gauge to do exactly what it did.

The LC does have a OE tranny cooler, it’s just a liquid to liquid cooler using radiator coolant to stabilize tranny temps. The radiator helps warm up the tran fluid when it’s cold, & operating normally it keeps the tran temp in an optimal temp. It is reasonable that OE cooler could also stop assisting & transfer heat the wrong way if the engine coolant temp was getting too hot.

I may be alone, but think @MathewLC250 was pretty classy in offering the OP that there is a proven DIY option if OP chooses to prevent tran cooling issues - in a challenging Middle East environment. Many of us have all sorts of mods on our vehicles & our vehicles are still under warranty. I’ve had many Toyota vehicles - many with mods - & never been denied a warranty claim. Relax.

 

[ultane]

Had a similar experience coming out of the Lost Coast in CA. Was driving out on a dirt road up hill. Trans temp gauge stayed at 3/4 while center diff was unlocked. Actually ended up locking it and temps dropped between 3/4 and 1/2. After I hit pavement but still going uphill, I unlocked the diff and the temps never went back to 1/2, stayed above until things leveled out/start going back downhill.

I really wanted to drive the lost coast when my GF and I drove out west for her to see the redwoods, but never got around to finding it. DANGit

 

[halaweh]

Wow. 2 weeks ago the sky was falling over cv joints, & now we are on to the transmission. The OP doesn’t even know if his tranny got remotely hot, his comment is that the temp bar moved up & down - as it is designed to do - & he wants to know if it’s normal. We don’t have enough info yet to understand if he has an overheating problem, but how he describes that drive I would expect the tran gauge to do exactly what it did.

The LC does have a OE tranny cooler, it’s just a liquid to liquid cooler using radiator coolant to stabilize tranny temps. The radiator helps warm up the tran fluid when it’s cold, & operating normally it keeps the tran temp in an optimal temp. It is reasonable that OE cooler could also stop assisting & transfer heat the wrong way if the engine coolant temp was getting too hot.

I may be alone, but think @MathewLC250 was pretty classy in offering the OP that there is a proven DIY option if OP chooses to prevent tran cooling issues - in a challenging Middle East environment. Many of us have all sorts of mods on our vehicles & our vehicles are still under warranty. I’ve had many Toyota vehicles - many with mods - & never been denied a warranty claim. Relax.

I am going to repeat the same road today weather is cooler today.. I will report back the exact details again

note, in the previous trip, I was driving for 1 hour on highway and side roads and the outside temperature was 37degrees, the fans was working to keep the engine cool and the AC was on blasting.. it was really hot outside

when I saw the transmission temp fluctuating the outside temp was 33

I am keeping an eye and will report back today again!

to me no errors or any messages I am just used to see that mark stuck in the middle during normal driving even under some loads but..

 

[TakaraLC]

from this

Sorry but I understand that basically, you submit a warranty claim, they reject it, and there's nothing more you can do.

That is if you modify the part that need to be warrantied. If you blow a factory transmission inside the warranty period, they will fix it.