94 auto tranny issues

[Clone of the Mean]

Hi, new guy here. I'm not looking for advice so much as I'm looking for people with similar experiences with their trannies. I have a tendency to ramble so I hope I don't lose you guys in the process. I'm going to read and edit as I go. I hope it works, so here goes....

I'm pretty sure the tranny is toast. For the last 4 years I've had to manually shift the tranny. It doesn't take off from a start too well. Seems like it's in 2nd or even 3rd gear. When I first bought it it was sporadic, now it's constantly.

I took it to a few tranny shops over the years who said it needs a rebuild for around $3000, and one guy said a rebuild would be a waste of my money. He's done 3 of my Blazer trannies (I trust him) He told me the shift sensors were no good. Great, now in the meantime my son has got the runner 300 miles away at college and after visiting him this weekend and driving it around the tranny goes forward and backward but the OD is gone and it is gutless. Oil is pitch black. Gas mileage is terrible, 3-4 MPG. I'm thinking of buying a used tranny in town, replacing the sensors and doing the swap up where he is (I'm in Tucson, he's the Flagstaff area).

Here are some of the symptoms, again over the last 4 years... lack of shifting, but no over revving or slipping. RPM's never go higher than 2300 RPMs, eventually around 35-40 MPH it will shift normally. OD used to work. OD light on dash blinks, brake light comes on.

So, again I'm looking for people who have had the same experiences, and what WAS the problem.... I've heard the dash bezel needs replaced, the thermostat needs repalced, shift sensors, ECM, a swift kick in the ass.....

 

[markfagus]

I just had a similar issue on my 88 3.0 with an auto. My issue was it was shifting fine thru all the gears but would not go into OD. I unplugged the computer in front of the console and manually shifted it and got OD to work. So I knew the tranny was good and my issue was an electrical problem and not a mechanical problem. I figured it was the solenoids as the previous owner had the truck parked for 2.5 years and drained the tranny before he parked it. wtf???? I bought the kit and replaced the solenoids. Still no OD. In my case it turned out to be the main ECU that was bad. Once I swapped that out the tranny has worked perfectly and with functional OD I am now getting a little over 19 MPG in mixed driving in Albuquerque.

 

[smithoman]

I'm no expert but I had overheating problems with my 90 automatic. My recollection is that there are clutches inside there and that's what I thought my problem was until the rod bearings went on the engine and then I was a free man transmissionwise.

Sounds like your torque converter is shot for starters. Hence the tranny seems to work when the pressure is up (higher speeds). Rebuilding toyota tranny's is a situation where the juice isn't worth the squeeze. Get a used one. And get a new torque converter at the same time. That should solve most of the problems you describe.

You can probably find a used tranny from someone parting out a 4 runner on craigslist. If you pull it yourself you will save a boatload of money. That's what I'd do. Good luck!

Also, if you want to read about automatic transmissions, Wikipedia has really good information. They have good info about 4runners too.

 

[Clone of the Mean]

I've decided what I'm going to do is trailer it down to Tucson from the Flagstaff area, have a shop throw a diagnostic on it to pinpoint the problem and fix it from there.

I'm definately going to replace the tranny. I found a used one with a 6 mo. warranty for $450. I think that's pretty fair (the kid is paying for it) and I'll do all the dirty work while he stays up there and works.

Funny thing, a year ago he drove it to Flag and it puked fluid all over the place, overheated the tranny, smoked was pouring off of the truck. We both thought it was done for. The next day I checked the fluid, black, stinky and way over filled! Drained it, poured the same cruddy fluid BACK in and ended up with 3 QTS too much. (after all the overflowing). Took it to the carwash and drove it 85 MPH from Phoenix to Tucson. No issues. It acted completely normal for 3 weeks before it got back to its old habits.

Now it feels like the carpet is lumped up under the gas pedal when I drove it.... Same fluid, it's a tough tranny, just done for I'm afraid. Hopefully this "new" one will last for the remainder of his schooling!

Thanks for the replies!