2000 4Runner Transmission Issue...

T

TheWeez

New member
So for my very first post, I'll say that my wife's 2000 has a noise coming from the transmission. It's a sort of "whine" that occurs only in gear and only during acceleration. I took it to my local Toyota stealership yesterday only to have the guy call me and say it needs a new transmission and it would cost $4200.00. This diagnosis was made without removing a single bolt.

My best friend is a mechanic so I called him and the first thing out of his mouth was "that's complete BS!". He seems to think a 10 year old truck could possibly have a clogged filter in the trans that can cause the same sort of noise. I'm taking it to his shop tomorrow to have him service the trans. He's pretty sure he'll know if it needs to be rebuilt or replaced soon after the service.

Anyone else run into this before?
 
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Clogged filters don't whine. Let us know if the service doesn't take care of the problem. Lots of transmission problems stem from just low or old fluid. And your 10 year old truck is probably ripe for the milkshake (do a search). Nows the time to nip that in the bud.
 
Qyota said:
Clogged filters don't whine. Let us know if the service doesn't take care of the problem. Lots of transmission problems stem from just low or old fluid. And your 10 year old truck is probably ripe for the milkshake (do a search). Nows the time to nip that in the bud.
Click to expand...

Did a search and that does make sense. Thanks for the quick reply! When checking the fluid level, the fluid looks just like it's supposed to. Would it have the "milkshake" on the dip stick?
 
Yes. If you had the milkshake, it would appear on the dipstick. My point is, do the new radiator or external cooler NOW, while you are doing the trans service. Don't put it off, or it will bite you. If the fluid looks and smells good - bright red and clear, it's probably in need of a general overhaul...which is nowhere near $4K. Heck, you could get a donor transmission installed for less than $1500.

New radiator is a little over $100, and an external cooler is around $60.
 
A while back I was talking to a tranny shop and he mentioned something about planetary gear failure on some of the Toyota tranny's, specifically the 4runner, taco, and tundra.

He said that there is nothing you can do to prevent it and it will make a whinning sound before it fails. If I were you I would go to an independant reputable tranny shop and have them take a look and listen.

I've also read somewhere that the main years affected for the 4runner was the 00 - 02's. Some sort of design change.

Read this off the Tundra forum. They used the same tranny for the tundra for a few years.

Question 2002 Tundra Transmission Planetary Gear Failure - Toyota Tundra Forums : Tundra Solutions Forum
 
Thanks for the advice. I should know much more tomorrow. The ***** of it is, this truck is in great shape (other than the tranny). My wife loves it and was hoping to keep it running for at least three more years.

I'll report back once I know more. Thanks again.
 
either way there's no way a new transmission or even to rebuild yours is in the 4500 range, 2500 is more like it, if i had 5K i could get an brand new engine and a decent transmission put it, or new trans and a rebuilt motor.

thats very high price. and if that's the case, i would just drive it until it broke if it's going to cost 4.5-5K to fix.
 
theizzardking said:
either way there's no way a new transmission or even to rebuild yours is in the 4500 range, 2500 is more like it, if i had 5K i could get an brand new engine and a decent transmission put it, or new trans and a rebuilt motor.

thats very high price. and if that's the case, i would just drive it until it broke if it's going to cost 4.5-5K to fix.
Click to expand...

The $4200.00 figure was from my local Toyota dealer. The dude never even turned a bolt; he just listened to it and made the decision that a brand new transmission was needed. Like I said before, I'll know quite a bit more tomorrow and if it turns out the trans needs to be replaced, I've already found a few used ones in the $700.00 - $800.00 range.
 
I have the same problem with a whine in my transmisson also. It only does it while in gear and being driven. As soon as you take your foot off the gas it goes away. I took it to a local shop and they suggested a change of tranny fluid and filter. This didn't solve the problem. I just kept driving it for another month until I needed an oil change and then brought it into the dealership. After 2 days of looking at it, they called and said my transmission pump is going out, and thats making the sound. I was told the transmisson would need to be replaced at a cost of 2700 for one pulled out of a wrecked 4runner, or 3600 for one pulled out and rebuilt to toyota specs. I told them thanks, and will be down to pick it up. I called a couple of tranny shops and got prices from 1800-2300 for a rebuilt and installed one w/ a 2yr/24k warrenty. The service writer a toyota said that I might as well just keep driving it around until it breaks.
I have a 97 w/ 208k miles.
 
The noise only happens when the 4runner is in gear, and you are under acceleration. If you take your foot off the gas even when you are still moving, the whine will go away. I can have the vehicle in park or neutral and be giving it some throttle and it will not make the whining sound. It has to be in gear. At some point, I will take it to an independent tranny shop for a second opion.
 
If you plan on rebuilding it you may not want to wait until it actually breaks as it will cause additional damage and more $$. If you plan on buying used, I would just keep driving it until it fails.

I took my 4runner in due to what I felt were hard shifts. Shop said it was fine, but if it ever needed a rebuild in the future it would run around $2k. He said they are great trannys with the exeption of the planetary gear failure. Nothing can be done to prevent it either. He said a whining sound is the warning sign and failure could happen in a few days to months.
 
So I took it to my guy and sure enough, the pump is going bad. He said it could run for months or it could break down at any time. Being that this is my wife's only mode of transportation, I did what any good husband would do. I took it to Carmax and traded it in on a 2009 Corolla. I still have my 02 Tacoma double cab so it really doesn't bother me too much. I really did not want another car payment, but they gave me $4000.00 for the 4Runner and the Corolla was only $11,000.00 so the payments are stupid low.

I already miss that truck. It did everything I've ever asked it to do for ten years without a single failure. It towed my boat, utility trailer with dirt bikes up and down crazy mountain roads, etc. Not only was it the best vehicle I've ever owned, it was a damn nice looking truck.
 
boooo hhhhsssssssssss:boxer:
lol

hope you guys like the new ride! i'm sorry it just wasn't worth it to keep the runner, take care and safe travels!
 
Ahhh....someone linked this thread from my thread. Sounds exactly like what mine is doing. Only whining when I am pushing the gas, etc. Son of a **&*&W B*R#Q)(
 
Hey everyone,

I'm having the exact same problem with my 2002 4Runner.

It seems that everyone here is in agreement that the only resolution for this problem is replacing/rebuilding the transmission. Has anyone here actually done that yet, or are y'all still driving around with whining transmissions? Or have y'all all traded in for new vehicles?
 
I replaced mine with a Toyota remanufactured tranny and had someone install it off book. Had them bypass the radiator as well to avoid the milkshake. Everything was $2400 and that was after a discount from Toyota on the reman bc I know the mechanic. He said it is rare for these transmissions go out.
 
I hadn't heard of the milkshake problem until a few months ago. Fortunately, my original radiator was replaced since it failed at about 200,000 miles (I'm at 218,000 miles now).

Now, if only I had a buddy in Southern California that could replace my transmission at a discounted cost....
 
I had a similar issue:

I have a 1999 4Runner Limited. It has just over 150,000 miles and was making a low whining noise when put in gear, and the front seal was leaking.

I took it into my local transmission shop and the front seal, front pump, and torque converter wear replaced. The new torque converter was manufactured by the transmission shop.

Now that I have it back I noticed that the shift points have changed and it won't go into 4th. Now it won't shift til I get up around 3,500 rpms (or higher with acceleration).

Anyone have any ideas about what they may have changed or not done?

Thanks in advance!
 
2000 4Runner 4cyl Transmission Whine

Dear Community,

I have a 2000 4Runner with 160,000 miles. It's the 2.7 L 4cyl engine and the A340E transmisson. I noticed a whining noise recently after I purchased the vehicle from someone on Craigslist. The records show that the owner before me had the 4Runner in AAMCO for a $2400 repair. I bought the vehicle thinking that it had a good transmission because this repair was less than a year prior.

Symptoms: Whining in Drive and Reverse gears only. During acceleration the whining is increased (sounds like a supercharger as others have mentioned). Also, the truck feels a little bit too sluggish to just blame a lack of power due to the 4cyl engine.

Any ideas of what the issue could be? Or advice?

I'm a college kid who does not have $3,500 to dish out to the Toyota stealership for a new transmission!!!

Thank you in advance for the replies!!
 
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