I decided that I wanted to add a heavy duty transmission oil cooler to the truck before our relatively long summer trip since they were a default part of the “tow package” if I’d bought the truck with a tow package when it was new. I recently added a ScanGauge II to the truck, specifically so that I could watch the transmission temperature, but I haven’t had a chance to go camping since I got it installed.
Last week I had the truck in the shop for some other work. The shop that I’ve used for over 10 years is very trustworthy but won’t touch mods or most after-market parts. When I asked them to install an after-market cooler, they refused without any explanation other than it was “after-market”. That forced me to go shopping for a new shop or spend four times as much for the Toyota factory part.
Some homework online led to a diamond in the rough. If you drive by the place, it’s really rough! In talking with the owner, he asked why I wanted a cooler installed. I explained that it seemed like a good idea. He suggested we go camping on the rim this weekend so we’ll have some real-life temperatures to justify the expense. His belief is that the existing cooler will be more than adequate so why spend the money. When was the last time you had a mechanic take time out of his day to talk you out of spending money with him? Toyauto in East Mesa. Three points in his favor!
Thanks to his suggestion, the trailer is hooked up, the canoe is loaded, and we’re heading up to the rim for a boondocking weekend, keeping an eye on the transmission temperature as we go.
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