2nd Gen Transmission problem.. Please help

[Chrisrises]

I own a 1993 auto. 3.0L sr5 4Runner and right now I'm out of a car

One night I was coming back from a friends house(about an hour and a half drive) and as soon as I got back to my house, the underside of my runner started smoking very badly. I recently found this to be because of a fluid leaking on my catalytic converter, but thats not the big issue here..

The next morning I put my car into drive to go to work and it would produce any power at all.. I would push on the gas and I would move inches.. I'm not sure what would cause this problem but I'm fairly sure my transmission isn't blown(yet). I really need some tips on what to do in this situation because as of right now I am out of a car and without a mode of transportation. If anyone has had the same problem please feel free to help..

And if it makes any difference, the days previous to the breakdown and the night of, I did some pretty heavy mud bogging and was wondering if this could maybe be the cause of the problem..

Any help would be very greatly appreciated!

 

[Jeff4runner]

Check the transmission fluid level first. If you went mudding or the like, you could have damaged a line or anything else.

If you do find a leak, there could be the problem. Otherwise, it may be internal. But, go by process of elimination first (and by that, least expensive to most expensive.) Top off the fluid (check it by having the car running in park and "warm"), and see what happens. Next, consider the transmission filter. If there is an obvious leak, fix it (or get it fixed, which ever you choose). If all else fails, you might have an internal problem. If thats the case, a "new" transmission is your best bet. With transmission shops, internal problems start to reach the thousands, where a junkyard tranny is about 800-1000

 

[Chrisrises]

I determined it might either be the solenoids or the filter, and today I changed the filter but don't know how to test the solenoids to see if they work or not..
putting the casing back on tomorrow and putting more transmission fluid in to see if it works..

 

[Batfishjoe]

I determined it might either be the solenoids or the filter, and today I changed the filter but don't know how to test the solenoids to see if they work or not..
putting the casing back on tomorrow and putting more transmission fluid in to see if it works..

Was this issue ever solved? My 4runner has been having similar issues, one day the truck will be fine, the next day I can't move it at all. I can't quite figure this one out

 

[GryphonRunner]

Sounds like a low ATF pressure problem to me, but I'm no expert. I agree with the others - check the fluid level first. If that doesn't fix it, then I'd get the FSM and start troubleshooting. New and rebuilt transmissions are apparently made of gold and lubricated with unicorn tears, so it's worth your while to do a LOT of troubleshooting before going to the stealership.

 

[Dropzone]

Best of luck getting the OP to respond on a 6 year old thread

You can get the 3 solenoid for $65.
Instead of troubleshooting each one, just replace them, easy access by dropping the transmission pan, replace the filter while you are at it