Does everyone with these years use a transmission cooler? Just bought a used 2020 with 105K miles. It’s never towed anything, just local and highway miles.
About to do its first transmission service—just a drain and fill was recommended. I’m also about to start towing a trailer here in Tennessee for work (just a trailer and a couple of lawn mowers). Wondering if a transmission cooler is really necessary?
Also, for the drain and fill, is it necessary to use the dealership fluid, or can my mechanic use Amsoil synthetic? There’s about a $150 price difference…
Thanks in advance for any help! You guys have been great, and I want to get everything ready before the season!
You have a puck heat exchanger-style cooler that uses engine coolant to cool the transmission. It’s more than enough unless you’re towing close to the max (~10k lbs).
Since you’re only hauling a utility trailer at less than half that, I wouldn’t worry about adding a cooler. Lots of misinformation about the 2019+ setup out there.
60k+ miles is a good time to do the drain and fill. It’s pretty easy—the hardest part is getting the temp right to check the level. Only takes a gallon of fluid, a 24mm socket, and a long funnel/hose. I did mine in less than an hour in my driveway. If you don’t have running boards, you might not even need ramps.
@Kale
Thanks for the info! And, that’s what I was figuring. Most of these people are probably towing at the max weight and in hilly areas.
It’s easy to get lost in the rabbit hole of fear.
105,000 mile Probably not gonna attempt to do it myself. Not very mechanically inclined when it comes to vehicles. Both the dealership and the mechanic said it calls for 6qts of fluid for the drain and refill. And, I don’t know anything about having to be a certain temp, which I’m sure they do.
@Finnley
You’ll be fine. Usually, it takes about a gallon, but they might want extra just in case.
Yes, you get it up to temp, open the overfill plug, and let the excess drain out. The tricky part is getting the temp right—it’s around 110°F, IIRC. With the puck setup, the engine coolant actually warms the transmission fluid when cold, so it heats up pretty fast at idle.
Toyota WS ATF always comes out dark, like red wine, but that’s normal.
Been towing with my 2020 1794 since day one. Pull a 16ft trailer 5–6 days a week for my landscaping business. At 196K miles now—added a cooler at 10K miles ago just as a precaution, but never had issues before or after.
Might want to check out Tundras.com—lots of great info on this.
For your use case, probably not an issue, but transmission temps (if you monitor with something like a ScanGauge) tend to run higher than most people like. A cooler helps a lot, and I’ll probably install one soon.
I wouldn’t worry about adding a cooler since you’re not towing much. I have a 2019 and tow a 23ft boat mostly on two-lane roads—no issues at all. Hardly know it’s back there.
Had my transmission serviced at 70K miles, but the fluid still looked brand new. Just did it for peace of mind.
I use tow mode and shift into S4 to keep it out of overdrive. These trucks are built for this stuff.
Not very mechanically inclined when it comes to vehicles. Both the dealership and the mechanic said it calls for 6qts of fluid for the drain and refill. And, I don’t know anything about having to be a certain temp, which I’m sure they do.
Just want to make sure I treat it right!