Recent content by twalk

Mine might be for sale soon too :( Just found out my wife is pregnant with our second child, so what was supposed to be my tinker-toy (money pit) 4Runner may have to go in favor of a gas-efficient hatch or wagon :( We already have a gas guzzling minivan, and babies aren't cheap, so we are...

I hear ya. I know it's a typical sounding case of "I know a guy" :) I don't hesitate to take my car to my mechanic when things get hairy, but I've seen my FIL handle two prior radiator replacements, timing belts/chains, alternators, pumps etc. Knowing that the 4runner didn't need heavy...

And for the curious, the issue was definitely a corroded radiator, not a head gasket. The sump pan for the trans revealed no transmission wear (no fragments, metal shavings etc) and very little sludge, which was a major relief.

$300 later, my 4Runner is running great! I'll post a thorough update later, but the quick recap is: - Ordered new radiator last week - Radiator delivered Wednesday - Bought transmission filter/gasket kit yesterday - Bought case of ATF - Bought 2 gal coolant / 2 gal distilled water This...

Also I just did an oil/filter change on Friday. The engine oil still looked fine as of yesterday morning. Do you recommend I do another oil change after flushing the cooling and transmission systems?

Thanks. The thread got so long because it started with trying to track down the source of the fluid on the floor sent to me in a picture from my wife while I was traveling. Speculation spanned brake fuid, front diff fluid, motor oil etc... While Pitbull did reiterate that the trans. should be...

After the radiator drain, the trans fluid level was almost completely empty.

Well now it's bothering me. I'm going to be out of town all week :-/ Should I have someone local to get the truck somewhere to get flushed ASAP? What sucks is it'll have to be towed to the shop, then back home for the DIY radiator swap. I was hoping I could do the radiator next week... What...

Thanks for the alternate viewpoint :) I am fairly certain that I need a new radiator at this point, and that it's not a head/gasket issue. While the transmission fluid looked fine the other day, after draining the radiator, the transmission fluid level also dropped significantly, indicating...

Thanks, Brian. As soon as I saw the ATF level was low after the radiator flush, I haven't touched the truck. I was initially chasing what I thought was a head gasket or cylinder head leak. Now that I'm 90% sure it is the radiator, the truck will sit until it has a new radiator and new AT...

After flushing the radiator, then running the engine for a few minutes, the transmission fluid was very low, and pinkish (for the first time ever). I've never had any shifting issues in the truck. Always smooth. So, while it looks like the radiator is definitely shot (pink milkshake) it must be...

Is the general consensus that the transmission is toast? I've never had a single slip or hard shift. I only know it's a transmission issue because of all of the "pink milkshake" posts online (and that draining the cooling system also lowered the ATF level). Is it possible that a few full...

Here's my short-term plan. Let me know if anybody advises otherwise. - Order new KOYO radiator - Install new radiator - Get truck towed to shop - have shop check transmission (almost certain to have coolant contamination) - have shop flush/fill transmission system - have shop flush/fill...

That's the direction this thread is headed in. Except, that would be too easy. The insurance company would pay me for the book value of the truck. Something mechanically catastrophic would be more likely.

LOL I hope this motivates you all to be thorough and diligent with your 4runners :) I'll be fine. I think I'm committed to making this truck work. I think I'll make it my mission to make it great again and get 300k miles on it, then hand it down for generations from children to grandchildren...