2004 4Runner V8 4WD with Tranny Issues

[lj4r]

We picked up our fourth 4Runner about a month ago. It is a 2004 Limited 4WD with a V8. 121,000 miles. Looks like it has been pretty well maintained.
very Clean. It lived part of its life in New Hampshire and has some surface rust on the frame. Nothing too serious. Really nice truck.

Issue 1: the tranny has some issues. It will hesitate and then clunk into gear occasionally when starting up from a stop or from a California stop.....

Issue 2: The transmission has been slipping occasionally. It happened a couple of days ago. The truck moved forward, but would not drop into the lower gear. I could hear the tranny whine as the rpms increased but the truck didn't move any faster. I pulled over, shut off the truck, started it back up and it worked fine.

I do not know if the fluid has ever been changed. I have not changed it.

I am a bit perplexed. Is this a transmission disk issue or perhaps an electronic issues. thanks Phil

 

[eli.sanchez.3344]

Start by checking the fluid level of the transmission first. If it is low it could cause the symptoms that you are describing.


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[lj4r]

I finally got a chance to research the proper way to check the transmission fluid level in the 4th Generation 4Runner. It took about 30 minutes for the transmission fluid to get to the correct range. Verdict, low fluid. I am picking up a 4 quarts of Toyota WS Fluid today and will do a drain and fill to see if the transmission issues are resolved.

Procedure for the drain and fill:
1. remove drain plug and drain fluid, approx. 3 quarts
2. replace drain plug (new crush washer)
3. Fill transmission through filler hole on side of transmission. I will fill with 1/2 quart more than comes out to make up for the low fluid (replace filler plug with new crush washer).
4. move the gear selector between gears and reverse multiple times as the car sits at idle.
5. let transmission get to between 105 and 113 degrees.
6. with truck running and in park, check fluid level by removing the fluid level plug.
7. replace plug with new crush washer.

Did I miss anything?

Can the transmission pan be removed without removing the exhaust pipe that runs under it? I am not inclined to drop the pan right now, but if I get adventurous, I would like to know. Dropping the rusty exhaust pipe does not look like a fun job.

thanks for the feedback!

Phil

2004 4Runner Limited 4WD V8 121,000 miles

 

[AuSeeker]

I finally got a chance to research the proper way to check the transmission fluid level in the 4th Generation 4Runner. It took about 30 minutes for the transmission fluid to get to the correct range. Verdict, low fluid. I am picking up a 4 quarts of Toyota WS Fluid today and will do a drain and fill to see if the transmission issues are resolved.

Procedure for the drain and fill:
1. remove drain plug and drain fluid, approx. 3 quarts
2. replace drain plug (new crush washer)
3. Fill transmission through filler hole on side of transmission. I will fill with 1/2 quart more than comes out to make up for the low fluid (replace filler plug with new crush washer).
4. move the gear selector between gears and reverse multiple times as the car sits at idle.
5. let transmission get to between 105 and 113 degrees.
6. with truck running and in park, check fluid level by removing the fluid level plug.
7. replace plug with new crush washer.

Did I miss anything?

Can the transmission pan be removed without removing the exhaust pipe that runs under it? I am not inclined to drop the pan right now, but if I get adventurous, I would like to know. Dropping the rusty exhaust pipe does not look like a fun job.

thanks for the feedback!

Phil

2004 4Runner Limited 4WD V8 121,000 miles

You got everything listed correctly.

Unfortunately with the V8 you need to remove the exhaust to get the pan off, but unless you're leaking I wouldn't brother, there isn't a filter, it's a screen and no one who has replaced it or cleaned it which is all you would really need to do, reported anything clogging it or any or very little sludge/debri in the pan, if you later decide to clean the screen and thus remove the pan you will need a new gasket, and also another quart or so of fluid, when the screen is removed more fluid will drain out of the transmission.

 

[Morphyne]

I've done a fluid exchange on my 07 v6 t4r and my 05 V8 gx470 and I dropped the pan on both. oddly enough, the exhaust wasn't in the way on either. but i can confirm, there is absolutely no need to change the filter/screen. The only good reason to pull the pan is to clean the pan itself and see how much metal are on the magnets in the bottom of the pan.

I would recommend either doing multiple of these "drain and fills" or researching a fluid exchange (which is what I did) and that gets all of the tranny fluid replaced.

 

[lj4r]

Wow. It is amazing how these transmissions work when the filled with transmission fluid. I drained out the okd fluid. I got less than 1.5 quarts out on the drain. I filled with just less than 3 quarts. I still didn’t get the steady stream out of the level check plug. The truck was warmed up and I didn’t want to burn my arm. It took less time today to get to 111 degrees. (I have seen one manual that says 115 to 125 degrees. I have seen another the says 97 to 112, what is the actual temp that should be used to check the transmission level?) I will add another half quart this weekend. I took it out for a 20 mile test run. It was fantastic. Transmission shifted smooth as a hot knife through butter. What a relief. I was not excited about replacing the transmission.

 

[lj4r]

Checked and the trans fluid was still low. Another trip to the dealer for fluid. The truck took a total of 4 3/4 quarts. Tranny feels like brand new. Thanks for the resources of this forum! Phil

 

[Seymore Butts]

Where did all that ATF go? Any leaks or seepage?

 

[djkurious]

I have a 2003 V8 4runner and I have dropped the pan and changed the filter. What year did they start with a screen filter?

 

[AuSeeker]

I have a 2003 V8 4runner and I have dropped the pan and changed the filter. What year did they start with a screen filter?

The sealed transmissions have a screen, if the transmission has a dipstick it's the unsealed transmission, mine is a 2004 V8 and has the sealed transmission, the 2004 V6s I believe still had the unsealed transmission.

 

[djkurious]

The sealed transmissions have a screen, if the transmission has a dipstick it's the unsealed transmission, mine is a 2004 V8 and has the sealed transmission, the 2004 V6s I believe still had the unsealed transmission.

Gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

 

[AuSeeker]

The sealed transmissions have a screen, if the transmission has a dipstick it's the unsealed transmission, mine is a 2004 V8 and has the sealed transmission, the 2004 V6s I believe still had the unsealed transmission.

Gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

Actually I mispoke in such that the 2004 V6s still had the unsealed 4 speed transmission, in 2005 both the V6s and V8s had the sealed 5 speed transmissions.

 

[Jackkill1]

Transmission Dipstick Kit?

Actually I mispoke in such that the 2004 V6s still had the unsealed 4 speed transmission, in 2005 both the V6s and V8s had the sealed 5 speed transmissions.

I have the sealed 2005 V8 transmission, is there a kit to add a Dipstick, as I believe it would make adding fluid and maintaining proper level a lot easier. Any thoughts?

 

[AuSeeker]

I have the sealed 2005 V8 transmission, is there a kit to add a Dipstick, as I believe it would make adding fluid and maintaining proper level a lot easier. Any thoughts?

I and I'm sure most everyone else would love it if there was a way to add a dipstick on the sealed 5 speeds, but as of yet no one has seemed to find a way to do so.

It maybe possible to change out the pan from a 2003 5 speed which if I'm not mistaken the tube for the dipstick attaches to it, but I'm afraid there's no way to know for sure it would be acurate as to the proper fluid level.

 

[Montego Murph]

but I'm afraid there's no way to know for sure it would be acurate as to the proper fluid level.

Unless I'm missing something, it shouldn't be too hard at all. I'd say fill it up and check the level the "old way" using the check plugs. Once the Hot Full mark is verified, pull the dipstick and see where the lines match up. If the level is different, scribe a new Hot Full mark, and if the pans have the same depth, then the next three (Hot Low, Cold High, Cold Low) should be the same relative distance down. Full Hot would be the most important to get right though.

 

[TLChip]

I don't think I saw anyone say anything about the clunk feeling on stop and goes. It's a common problem fixed by greasing the driveshaft. There's a thread on the forum about it(on phone can't search well) I think it was called "4x4 v8 Driveshaft zerks".

 

[Montego Murph]

TL -- You're not wrong and that is something that should be checked out.
For what it's worth, when I was having my 1-2 violent shift issue, it was always preceded with a "jolt" as I was coming to a stop, similar to shifting in or out of gear at a higher engine RPM. I don't know exactly what it was, but somehow I decided that it was torque converter lockup letting go at the wrong time.

 

[TLChip]

Yeah you had real tranny problems to start with so it was probability just that. The zerks most people seem to just hit every other oil change or so.

 

[AuSeeker]

Unless I'm missing something, it shouldn't be too hard at all. I'd say fill it up and check the level the "old way" using the check plugs. Once the Hot Full mark is verified, pull the dipstick and see where the lines match up. If the level is different, scribe a new Hot Full mark, and if the pans have the same depth, then the next three (Hot Low, Cold High, Cold Low) should be the same relative distance down. Full Hot would be the most important to get right though.

I'm thinking the only way to know for sure would be fill it to the proper level with the sealed pan installed, then drain the pan and make sure you collect every drop of fluid that's in the pan and that may drain/drip out of the transmission/valve body and then accurately measure the volume, install the dipstick pan and then add the same volume back in and then note where it is on the dipstick, this of course will only work if both pans have the same dimensions and hold the same volume, if the dipstick pan is deeper I would think more fluid would be need so the screen/filter is submerged to the same degree as it is with the sealed pan if this is the case then careful measurements from the transmission gasket surface to the screen level would be need to determine what the fluid level needs to be, a few variables to deal with for sure to get it right, also hopefully all bolt holes line up as well, if not it's a mute point, it won't work.

 

[Montego Murph]

I'm thinking the only way to know for sure would be fill it to the proper level with the sealed pan installed, then drain the pan and make sure you collect every drop of fluid that's in the pan and that may drain/drip out of the transmission/valve body..............

For someone venturing down this path... This could save some time and headaches when comparing the two.
I wonder if one could put the two pans together on a workbench (would have to make some sort of frame to hold them perfectly level) and measure the amount of fluid each one holds.