...what th' is this!? ...extra rad!?/

[micah202]

There's already what I assume to be a transmission cooler in front of the primary radiator,, but then I found this!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/59103003@N05/albums/72157669719796091


Is it a 2nd radiator? Looks to be a fan on top, wonder how to get it working?

[originalkwyjibo]

That is the a/c condensor. On 4WD vans the radiator is shorter to make room for the front differential. The a/c condensor presumably was relocated so the radiator received maximum airflow. If you have an auxiliary transmission cooler it is likely an aftermarket add-on.

[micah202]

That is the a/c condensor. On 4WD vans the radiator is shorter to make room for the front differential. The a/c condensor presumably was relocated so the radiator received maximum airflow. If you have an auxiliary transmission cooler it is likely an aftermarket add-on.


...aah, thanks for that! I've had toyo's with AC gear, but don't remember seeing one of these.

it's a 2wd btw. Are these usually somewhere else?


Trans cooler ...after market? maybe,, the van used to belong to a teacher of toyota mechanics, quite eccentric,, with add on's everywhere you look :dizzy:
...it's even got a nifty brake booster!

[originalkwyjibo]

My mistake. I've only owned and worked on a 4WD. After looking at your pics again I see that the horizontal condenser appears to have just one fan. The 4WD units have two fans and are twice the size so I would have to assume you may have a condenser in front of the rad as well as the horizontal unit. I appears your receiver/dryer is mounted to the front of the radiator as well. It's the round cylinder with the a/c lines attached to it. You should be able to follow the a/c lines to and from the horizontal unit to see if its connected to the one in front of the radiator. If the radiator is correct for an automatic, it should have a transmission cooler built into the left/drivers side. Again, following the lines to and from the transmission should confirm whether you have an auxiliary cooler or not.

[micah202]

..thanks for the very useful clues.

I recently changed the rad, and trans cooler lines went in as normal, I simply assumed the extra rad in front was a trans cooler, but it looks like I should actually look around.

370k, 30 years, a history of trailering, and the vacuum test showed 25inHG, which I'm told is good. The trans is the tightest I've had in ~5 toyo's,,, Extra trans cooling? 2 sets of AC coolers? I wouldn't put anything past the previous owner.

[originalkwyjibo]

Here's a parts diagram showing the 2WD condensors.
http://www.toyotapartsdirect.ca/images/parts/toyota/fullsize/MEF877A.jpg
And here's one for the 4WD.
http://www.toyotapartsdirect.ca/images/parts/toyota/fullsize/MEK134A.jpg
I believe there was also a factory installed and a dealer installed a/c system that may have some differences in components and locations az well as options of rear heat/a/c and icebox/cooler that may have some effect on components in the system as well. Since it was being used for towing, an add-on tranny cooler would be very possible. Like I said before, I think tracing the lines between components is your best bet for determining their purpose. As far as the horizontal condensor with the electric fan? That's definitely a/c.

[micah202]

.

....^^thanks!.....

so it looks like both of those, forward of the standard radiator are for AC and OEM.


I wonder how possible it would be to convert the horizontal one into cooling. An extra fan driven rad would be something else. I guess it's need a custom radiator.

...and the verticle one could convert to a trans cooler...

...... or just get rid of them and let the airflow in,,

.....or maybe even get the AC going :LOL2: :dizzy:


..sooo many choices,, I'll likely do nothing for now. :?:

[originalkwyjibo]

...it's even got a nifty brake booster!
I'm intrigued with this add-on. Could you possibly provide a pic and description?

[micah202]

I'm intrigued with this add-on. Could you possibly provide a pic and description?

here yer go ....https://www.flickr.com/photos/59103003@N05/albums

...mostly for trailer brakes,, but seems to have effect on vehicle braking too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldwcdYbj9vI

[timsrv]

here yer go ....https://www.flickr.com/photos/59103003@N05/albums

...mostly for trailer brakes,, but seems to have effect on vehicle braking too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldwcdYbj9vI

It's a proportional electronic brake controller. It's function is to control trailer brakes only (not tied to the "business end" of tow vehicle brakes). There are other types of brake controllers out there, but the proportional ones are the best. It's tied to the brake light circuit and becomes armed when your brake lights are illuminated. There is a pendulum inside that swings forward when you apply the tow vehicle brakes. The farther it swings forward, the more brakes it applies to the trailer. The unit pictured uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to increase/decrease power from tow vehicle battery to the trailer brakes.

The pendulum inside the unit is mounted inside a cage. It's the relationship between the cage and the pendulum that determines brake intensity. The cage is attached to the little lever on the side. Since gravity & inertia control position of pendulum, you need a way to synchronize the two. When you rotate that lever, you are rotating the pendulum cage. When you aim the lever toward the floor, you are setting/aligning the pendulum to the "start" point of the cage. If the pendulum cage is adjusted too far back, the trailer brakes will start out aggressively. If the cage is adjusted too far forward, the trailer brakes will not begin to activate unless tow vehicle brakes are aggressively applied. This cage adjustment is necessary because the slant of the unit will be different from vehicle to vehicle (allows unit to function in a variety of mounting angles). Unlike some of the cheaper units, the proportional brake controllers must be mounted straight with vehicle (front to back). Proportional brake controls will not function if mounted sideways because the pendulum will not swing during a slow-down.