No way a used transmission is better than going with a remanned or rebuilt one for the reason I stated above. You have no idea the mileage the transmission you purchased had on it unless you were there to see the vehicle it came out of and you could check the mileage. You have to take their word for it. It's the same deal with a JDM engine. No freaking way would I drop big money down on a total unknown. There are crooks everywhere and I'm not going to take somebody's word for it unless I know them personally or someone I respect has vouched for them.

A remanufactured transmission means every moving part was replaced. The only things reused are the case, bell housing and other non-moving parts. Rebuilt on the other hand means parts can be reused if they meet acceptable tolerances. The terms remanufactured and remanned are used synonymously but they do actually mean different things.

I use to steer people to buy a remanufactured transmission from Toyota but Toyota has stopped remanning them from what I have heard.

Definitely give Yota1 a call and ask to talk to Nick so he can describe to you their rebuild process and the warranty they offer.

I have a 99 transmission in my 97 and I didn't have to switch any connectors if I remember correctly. Everything bolted up and plugged in to the same connectors. You definitely can't use an 01/02 tranny because the lack of a kickdown cable but any 4WD 96-00 transmission should work. I'll see if I can find my post and share it here when my original tranny bit the bullet (died because of a pink milkshake).

I put in a used transmission because I bought a donor truck from another member on here who got rear ended. He had meticulous maintenance records for his truck and I was even able to drive it around the block a little bit to make sure the tranny was good. Many years later, the tranny is still going strong. Best case scenario is if you do go the used tranny route, you have a least some knowledge of its history and that it was taken care of. That's probably not going to happen if you just get one from a junkyard but maybe you can find someone parting out their truck or something. The transmissions in these 3rd gens are pretty damn reliable if they were taken care of.

I thought I saw someone on here recently (gamefreak?) say they found a dealership who still had rebuilt OEM toyota transmission for sale. That would obviously be the best choice.

Good luck either way!

Thank you for your sound advice. I called Yota1 and placed an order- they'll have a reman unit for me in ~3 weeks.

I checked with my usual Toyota parts dealers and indeed they were not able to source a new or remanufactured unit.

For those following along, Nick clarified that the Federal and California transmissions differ at the range switch, which is reused anyways. Also I'm required to replace my radiator and aux cooler to receive the warranty, he said they are extremely difficult to completely flush. He also suggested I replace my external transfer case seals given my usage, but would have suggested doing nothing if conditions were less abusive and no issues were present.

Thanks again Tim and everyone for the timely support.

Thanks! Perhaps you have a pre 06/99 donor transmission and that's when the connector changed? Starting to make some sense of all the part numbers and maybe that explains it.

CA vs. Federal is also the dipstick tube to clear the slightly different exhaust routing. As part of that '97 trans in my '99, it was a Federal emissions '97 into my CA emissions '99. I just used the complete dipstick that matched my trans.

-Charlie

Glad Nick was able to hook you up.

You're very welcome!

Glad to hear their lead times have dropped significantly. Yota1 sounds like the best option if you can afford it. Their site still states 6-8 weeks. Please share the details of this transaction and R&R, as it will no doubt be more common in the near-term as our rigs age! Does Yota1 want a stock tranny cooling system for warranty?

These threads are gold in this forum. So much respect and information from you guys. I'm praying I don't need to ever go this route but glad to know if I needed info I can get it here. Excellent.

$2650 + $500 core + tax. I live about 3.5hr drive from them so they are building from a different core to save me a trip. I plan to drop off my failed trans when I pick up the reman. They will then inspect over a several week period to determine if I get the core refund. Definitely a rather pricey solution but hopefully the most reliable.

No, Nick seemed to approve of my running an external cooler in series with the stock radiator, they just don't want to have to warranty a transmission that gets destroyed by residual metal shavings. I will make sure they explicitly approve of my setup/installation and that nothing is voiding the 1 year unlimited mile warranty upon installation.

I'm pulling and replacing the trans myself. So far the hardest part has been building a winch anchor so that failed rig could drag itself into the garage. I plan on replacing all the easily accessible transfer case seals, the radiator, the aux cooler, the rear main seal, and anything else this fine community suggests. LMK if there are any other details you would like.

Glad Yota1 could take care of you. My rig is getting closer to 300k and my tranny still shifts strong but im doing drain/fill maintanence every 20k just to keep fresh fluid in there.

Going to be following this closely.

Since there's some interest here I'll keep the updates flowing.

A little additional background that might influence failure rate analysis: my rig is fully armored (skids, bumpers, winch, sliders), stock gearing (elocker 4.30 I believe?), true 32" tires, I've owned it for ~40k miles prior to which I have no maintenance knowledge, I sometimes wheel hard in triple digit temperatures, been running valv maxlife synthetic ATF since Ive owned it at which time i replaced the gasket and filter, replaced all the fluid, installed transcooler in series, replaced the radiator, installed a magnafine filter. I recently replaced the magnafine filter. Fluid has always been clean and at a good level. My road driving is usually pretty gently and I would say this 4runner has always shifted better than my previous 96 or 98. When the trans finally failed I was on the way elk hunting loaded with an extra 800lbs of gear and people, but was just cruising the highway at ~65mph.

Yesterday I received a transmission jack, https://www.autozone.com/engine-and-...jack/94936_0_0 very similar to the HF one Timmy uses in his transmission video but a little cheaper and delivered faster with a 20% coupon.

Here is my first draft parts list generated after digging into the FSM, Timmy videos, and threads on here:

Transfer Case
2x 90179-22016 Companion Flange Nut
90311-41012 Front Transfer Case output shaft seal
2x 90312-23001 Companion flange seal
10x 90430-18008 Gasket Drain/Fill plugs
90311-40021 Transfer Case Input Shaft Seal
2x 90311-15008 Transfer Case Shift Shaft Seal
90311-41020 Transfer Case Extension Housing Seal (Front)
MCTM-523 Marlin Crawler Heavy Duty Shifter Seat
75W-90 Gear oil

Transmission
90301-09011 Automatic Transmission Dipstick Tube O-Ring
Hayden 699
Hayden Mounting Bracket
3/8" Transmission Cooler Hose
3/4" heater hose
Valvoline Max Life Synthetic
Magnafine transmission filter

Starter
28226-54340 STARTER KIT, BATTERY TERMINAL
28226-72010 STARTER KIT, MOTOR TERMINAL
28235-54380 PLUNGER, MAGNET SWITCH
28175-54380 GASKET; PACKING

Engine
90311-A0027 Engine Crankshaft Seal (Rear)
16410-AZ011 Radiator Assembly
Toyota Long Life Coolant
distilled water

I would love suggestions on anything else I should replace while im in there. Since I'm removing the radiator I thought about doing timing belt/waterpump but it's only been 40k so I think I'll wait. I plan on running the transcooler in series again trans -> hayden cooler -> radiator cooler -> trans. I'll be ordering parts and pulling the transfer case and radiator this week.

Gulah,
Sorry to read of this failure, but it looks like you're equipped to do the swap successfully. I replaced my transfer case with a lower-mileage unit a few years ago - not an enjoyable experience working alone and with a rickety, Harbor Freight transmission jack. Uggh.

Tim - I love watching your videos and appreciate the time & effort you put into them. Great lead on the transmission shop.


Andreas

Thank you Andreas, I hope you're right! Most of the tasks involved are new to me but I'm plugging along with much gratitude for the folks here and Tim's videos.

I haven't had much time to work this week, but I have pulled off the shifter assemblies, reinstalled the trans pan, drained the transfer case, and a few others odds and ends. My shifter seat had also disintegrated like Sean's in Tim's trans replacement video. It was hard extracting all the pieces without contaminating the transfer case. I'll probably flush a quart through it and definitely going to order the marlin heavy duty seat. Next tasks are to finish removing the driveshafts, transfer case, and radiator.

When it comes time to pull the transfer case and transmission and reinstall them, hopefully you'll have someone that can help you. Having an extra set of hands and eyes makes this job much easier.

I bet there's someone on this forum who's in your area that would be willing to lend a hand if you don't have someone to lend you a hand.

Or, you could try looking for help on a Facebook page like 3rd Gen Mafia. There's a lot of immaturity on that page but there's also a lot of good and knowledgeable people who contribute.

You are coming through this about $1,500 cheaper than I did three years ago. The transmission on my '01 went out and nobody would touch it or warranty it because of the supercharger - except Toyota of Fort Worth. They did everything for $4,800 and gave me a loaner car for the week.

The good side is the remanufactured transmission has held up great (very identical build as your rig) without any issues. It was expensive but money well spent to keep the rig on the road.