2001 4runner tranny won't engage

9

954RUNDEN

New member
pulled engine, tranny and transfer case in order to install rebuilt heads and new head gasket.

Put everything back together. Engine started no problems.

Transmission will not shift out of gear without using screw driver to flip the lock under the little square cap.

Once in drive, tranny won't engage.

Shift the 4wd shifter from 2wd to neutral to 4wd and back. Very loose. Pulled 4wd shifter off. It appears to be in hole. Put back together, same thing

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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Are you sure you didn't miss something simple like forgetting to reconnect one of the electrical connections for the transmission or transfer case? When [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I did his auto trans swap, there were lots of electrical connections we had to disconnect and reconnect. Maybe it's you park neutral safety switch.
 
I will double check all wiring connections to the tranny but thought i had them all attached. Does anyone know what plug is the parking switch?
 
Did you do anything with the auto shifter assembly in the truck? Do your brake lights work (and is your foot on the brake when shifting - sorry, yeah, stupid question)? Was the shifter and the trans shifter arm both in Park when you re-attached the shift linkage?

The 4WD shifter can be a bit tricky to get right. The spring that holds the shifter to the "2-4" side gets compressed as you are inserting the shifter. Also, make sure your shifter seat is in good condition. This is mine, with the disintegrated stock seat removed before being replaced with a Marlin Crawler shift seat:

VZSZGJm.jpg


-Charlie
 
954RUNDEN said:
pulled engine, tranny and transfer case in order to install rebuilt heads and new head gasket.

Put everything back together. Engine started no problems.

Transmission will not shift out of gear without using screw driver to flip the lock under the little square cap.

Once in drive, tranny won't engage.

Shift the 4wd shifter from 2wd to neutral to 4wd and back. Very loose. Pulled 4wd shifter off. It appears to be in hole. Put back together, same thing

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Was the trans disconnected from the engine? Was it filled to the proper level with new fluid? Why was the whole engine/trans assembly pulled just to replace the heads? Was there something else done that you left out that could help us diagnose? Need more info!:pop2:
 
Brake lights work. nothing done with auto shifter. Engine, tranny transfer case drive shafts were removed. Everything except the engine was operating as it should. All wiring connections were triple checked.

The shifter was in park when the tranny was removed. When in park the truck won't move. Checked the shifter to insure it's in park when installing linkage.

I replaced the engine with a low mileage engine with plans to rebuild the engine I took out.

I didn't put the 2wd-4wd shifter in, my son did.

Went home over lunch. Put the spare torque converter in spare tranny and engaged keys in the input shaft of tranny. It seems to me that since my transmission slid in easily and bolted right up without problems, that the tranny in the truck is bolted up right. How much fluid will the ATF take to fill if empty?

Thanks
 
If the connector at the shifter mechanism is disconnected, you won't be able to shift out of Park normally. A signal from the brake pedal and power from the ecu-ig fuse (key in ON position) are both required to engage the solenoid that allows the shifter to move out of park.

You should be able to check and add fluid to the trans while the shifter is in Park (edit - and engine running once you have some fluid in there!). You'll want to get it up near the bottom of the "cold - low" level before trying to put it into gear.

-Charlie
 
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You may have two problems, one related to the shifter and one related to the tranny not working.

I'd check the linkage for the shifting issue.

When you reinstalled the transmission, was the torque converter installed all the way? Also, what is the fluid level like?
 
Pulled the Xfer case and tranny again. Pulled out the torque converter, filled with ATF until it poured out. Reinstalled the torque converter. Made sure it was seated. Measurement from the bell housing to the torque converter face. Measured within spec so sure it was fully engaged. Checked all connections to the transmission plugs. Linkage is installed and in proper position. Made certain the 2wd-4wd was installed correctly. ATF is at the proper level. Also, we changed the radiator. Someone asked the question if you need 12 quarts of fluids when empty. Is that the proper quantity to refill? Could there be an air lock in the tranny cooler?

One other question, when working correctly, the transmission pump will pump at all times even in neutral? Is that correct? Thanks
 
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