Comment: Prado TD 150 Series Trans. Cooler

G'day Bob,

Thanks for your blog - it has prompted me into action.

I have a 120 D4D auto Prado. I tow a 2200kg off-road hybrid caravan/camper (Kimberley Karavan) into some pretty rugged places. I have a Scangauge and can monitor the ATF temps. In hilly country they're regularly around the 120-130 mark and I've had the light come on at 150 on a long pull in high first inthe Border Ranges NP. Most times those temps occur at low speed with not much airflow, so I have chosen a fan-assisted B&M cooler:
http://bmracing.com/?wpsc-product=hi-tek-automatic-transmission-cooling-system-10x7-12x4-with-7-diameter-fan

It is fitted up now. I just have to do the plumbing which you have made easier by having identified the ATF return line.

If I understand your blog correctly you have run the outlet from the radiator to the top of the cooler and the bottom outlet of the cooler to the return line to the transmission. I hope I've misread what you wrote, but in any case I think it is worth noting B&M's guideline about that sideways configuration (Third dot point at http://bmracing.com/wp-bnmcont/uploads/bm_cooler_techdoc.pdf):
"When mounting the
cooler with the fittings on the right or left side, the
lower fitting must be the inlet with the top fitting
routing the fluid back to the transmission."

Cheers mate, and thanks for doing my research for me :-)

All the best

Frank