Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePair
You do not need a transmission cooler or anything else for that van. I have personally confirmed with Toyota that your van, and mine (2006) have the tran cooler and everything else already in place, and you just need to have the wiring and the hitch. I'm in the process of finishing this project myself  |
When you state, "I have personally confirmed with Toyota that your van, and mine (2006) have the tran cooler and everything else already in place", are you saying that you have something in writing from the factory? or are you saying that some salesman (that may or
may not know what he is talking about) told you that?
If you are towing a 3,000# trailer plus passengers & cargo with a Sienna, I would highly recommend an external trans oil cooler. The risk is that the higher transmission fluid temp passing through the stock radiator of the Sienna will increase the burden on the radiator and may also overheat the engine.
The theory behind using an
external cooler is to lesson the burden on the factory radiator and protect, not only the transmission but the engine as well. It's very cheap insurance. Being wrong may cost you $3-8K in engine and trans damage. The cost of a cooler is about $200-$300 installed. No brainer...
If I owned a Sienna, I'd install the (slightly higher priced) trans cooler with the electric fan (like this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-H...Q5fAccessories ). That one can be installed away from the radiator and will be much more helpful for climbing grades at slower speeds. As the vehicle speed slows, the amount of air passing through the cooling system is reduced. Having that electric fan on the trans cooler is a big help in those conditions.