Okay so recently I started hearing what I can only describe as chatter noise when in overdrive and fluid is warm. If I turn OD off it goes away and sounds fine. When I give it gas in OD, it gets louder and if I take my foot off the gas It quiets down.

I cant find much talk about this sound but I did find a youtube video that has the same sound.

Im okay with a rebuild if I need to but since I cant get a toyota rebuilt anymore id like to find a good trustworthy shop if needed.

I will hear it a brief second some times when it shifts from 1st to second, but gone as soo as its in gear.

This is a 2002 with 270k miles

2000 4runner Transmission noise. - YouTube


Ill add I live out by Death Valley so vegas would be the place I look for a shop or the LA area

Nothing...

Okay lets ask another question, I read everyone says the planetary gears in the 2001-2002 go bad. Anyone know what this actully sounds like and what happends when this happens? do they break apart , do you loose gears?

About 5 yrs ago my '01 began making a whining sound in 1 and 2 very little in 3. I changed the entire fluid and filter - sounds diminish for about 2 yrs

Then very rapidly one day as I drove about 60 miles thru hill country sometimes turn OD off and back on on hill climbs and decents I noticed a high pitch whine in OD. Within about 40 more miles it began making what sounded like marble sounds bouncing around inside the trans - this would only last a few seconds but it really was telling me to park it.

I drove it to a friend's (mechanic) house knowing this was near the end - at stop lights it locked up once or twice when those marble sounds (probably chunks of the OD gear or bushings disintegrating) - I would start it back up and it would drive OK shifting as usual. It sat there for 6 months while Yota One built me a knew one - a good core will save you about $400 Mine was no good - the TC would not even slide off anymore once we unattached it from engine - it was toast - lasted 337K - maybe even longer if I had changed the fluid more often - twice I waited over 100k - my bad. It was very good despite.

They sell one out the door for about $2700 but of course shipping to Texas cost a chunk more so if you can go get it or take your unit there would be best - they are located in Riverbank CA. The rebuilt one is superb - works silently - shifts firm - and it even gained the truck 2 mpgs - stronger acceleration and feels overall better. Luck.

Yota1 Performance Engine & Machine - Your Toyota needs all in one place!

Thanks for the detailed info. Maybe ill go that route,im not too far from there. I jsut sent them an email asking for a quote and turn around time.



I called a random tranny shop in vegas. They said $3400 to rebuild + $1000( to remove old one and reinstall). Said its a about a week to finish it.

@calimobber : FWIW I tried and tried to get a quote in writing via email from Yota1 and the nice, possibly overworked at the time, woman running the business end of the shop just couldn't get it together. I would definitely pay them a visit to get a firm quote and see if they have a core in stock. At the time I inquired a year or more ago, they didn't have any cores to build or ATs ready to ship. In fact they were going to rebuild mine and offered to R & R it at a good price. Coincidentally, I noticed today that some Toyota parts departments have Reman 'CA' 4X4 ATs for 2000s in stock and 'on sale'.......

2000 Toyota 4Runner Transmission 35010-3G040-84 | Toyota Parts Center

Edit - sorry, I thought you had a 2000 when I read your post, but I don't think that matters. Actually, when I changed vehicles to 2002 it says Discontinued....

Something tells me the Yota1 Performance unit would be better, but who knows.

Update: Im having Yota1 build be a new tranny from a core they have.

I didnt get an email replay so on Endlessblockades's advice I just called and talked to the nice lady on the phone. She was able to give me a quote and said she thought there was 2002 core in but had to talk to the tech.

She got back to me with an email quoteing $4200 for the rebuild and $800 for the core, so hopefully mine will still be good.

I paid and im waiting for the build( about 3 weeks) and then ill plan the 7hour drive to get it swapped. Hopefully I can make the drive in 3rd gear without something exploding along the way haha.

Yota1 is very good at their rebuild business (engines-heads-trans-ect) yet they're admin side appears to suffer from not enough staff they can keep.

I also had to call them - the front office girls were funny- after the 2nd or 3rd call they'd say oh yeah I wrote it down on my hand to talk to the guys in back but forgot - this time I'll write it down on a sticky (good idea).

My trans works great - no complaints.

One thing to look out for is the rear of your transmission. Though I gave them my VIN to ensure a 100% match (and they said it was) there was a cover plate missing on the new trans - my old one does not have one so we made one for it . See attached pics of old and new trans for reference. To Yotas credit they did send the cover plate out yet we had already fabricated one. No big deal yet you can double check in advance to avoid this small install slow down.

Luck and enjoy that new trans.

Attached Images

   

Good stuff! I'll probably go this route too. I spoke to the office staff so many times that I know their names but never got a quote. LOL

Edit - did they have a core to build or did you provide yours? Sorry if I missed that previously.

They found one - had to pass up a couple they said due to extra poor condition - glad they are choosey.

It matched except for that cover plate on rear - my '01 doesn't have a cover there but the one they sent did and they did not include the cover thinking I had the one from mine. Just made one - nbd.

It works flawlessly and improved mpgs a solid 2! (even though I did not feel any slipping and shifts seemed firm enough on old one).

Best of Luck.

Dude, this sounds exactly like what I was going thru about a year ago. Guess the bearing on the overdrive gear is known to go bad in 2002’s specifically, what luck.

I actually drove mine up from the Coachella valley last December and had Yota1 do the swap. Zero complaints. Price was steep but they’re an amazing outfit, definitely worth it.

Well Im back home with my new transmission. Its what I assumed and the planet gears were shot. Drove 7 hours to Yota1 for the install. They ran into a little issue and it took me 2 days for the swap but its been working good.

After the swap I drove another 1000 miles all over Nevada exploring remote back country and had no issues. For some reason it seems harder to get into 4 low without grinding gears so I need to look into that one more. I just shut the car off and shifted then restarted it when had the issue.

Im happy with the experiance, they were friendly and helpful. Ill update later if anything comes up.

Im at about 272k ish miles now so hopefully this one out lasts the car.

Great news - guessing you're moving the shifter Fast from H to L - I've always had to do it that way to avoid any grinding. Gonna run an external cooler?

Continued Luck and Enjoy that Runner.

Tried shifting a variety of ways slow and fast. It used to mesh very smooth when in neutral but I guys little things can effect it.

Yeah currently It going to radiator then to a thermal switch then to a cooler. Once the fluid warms up past a certain temp (185 maybe can remember) the switch opens and lets it flow through the external cool then back to the transmission.


I had it bypassing the radiator for a while but when I replaced the radiator I put it back in cause cold morning in winter almost never warmed the fluid.

A tighter 'new' transmission might just be letting a little output shaft speed through when in neutral. It might get better once the trans is broken in.

Park sometimes works too - but then sometimes the gears don't mesh...

-Charlie

Glad you had a similar experience with Yota1. Like I said I had this exact same Failure on my ‘02 in December. Have a couple thousand miles on the new trans, maybe 25% of that off-road. At first it was a little stiff and had what I can only describe as vibrate-y behavior at idle but I think that was just due to everything being so tight and new. Like change in the cup holder would rattle at idle kind of vibrate-y. That fixed itself as well as the rough shifting in to 4lo by the time I got back from Riverbank to the Coachella valley. Has been like butter ever since.