Hello all, long time lurker here, first time poster. First and foremost, this site is a wealth of knowledge and information for our beloved 4runners, and I'm slightly ashamed that my first post here is one asking for some assistance.
I've searched long and hard and can not come up with another post that resembles what I'm experiencing in my 4runner.
1998 SR5 4wd V6 Automatic, approximately 155k miles. Bought over a year ago with 142k miles. Service history unknown.
The Problem:
When driving at cruising speed (anything over 50mph) if the transmission is subject to a load while in OD and then drops into 3rd gear, upon shifting BACK into OD, there is a almost shudder/slip/hesitation in the shift. I can replicate it almost every time, and it is enough to cause a slight jerking of the vehicle...which feels like it's coming from the transmission. If I keep my foot in the gas, it will drop back down to D and accelerate normally, and shift into OD normally if I keep my foot in it....it only does the shudder/hesitation if I'm gradually applying the gas and shifting into OD. Otherwise, the truck shifts through all other gears perfectly fine, regardless of the load.
Fluid levels looked fine when checked via the dipstick. I have pulled the pan and the fluid looks nice and bright, red as can be. There is no foul order from the fluid. No unreasonable amount of buildup in the pan, magnets have the typical amount of goo with a thin murky film of very fine metal, but nothing different than anything else I've seen in other pans from a vehicle with some age/use such as this one. I am in the process of cleaning old permatex residue off of the pan now, and refilling after cleaning the filter. I'm hoping the addition of some new fluid may help, but I am not holding my breath that it will be that simple.
SO....my thoughts if simply changing out fluids doesn't solve my issue are...clutch packs going bad (how common is this?), or maybe a solenoid (is there a diagnostic approach to checking this?)....and hopefully, any other ideas that may prevent a rebuild/replacement in the near future.
Thanks in advance for the responses....this is our current "family" vehicle, and it's pretty tough having it out of commission.
I've searched long and hard and can not come up with another post that resembles what I'm experiencing in my 4runner.
1998 SR5 4wd V6 Automatic, approximately 155k miles. Bought over a year ago with 142k miles. Service history unknown.
The Problem:
When driving at cruising speed (anything over 50mph) if the transmission is subject to a load while in OD and then drops into 3rd gear, upon shifting BACK into OD, there is a almost shudder/slip/hesitation in the shift. I can replicate it almost every time, and it is enough to cause a slight jerking of the vehicle...which feels like it's coming from the transmission. If I keep my foot in the gas, it will drop back down to D and accelerate normally, and shift into OD normally if I keep my foot in it....it only does the shudder/hesitation if I'm gradually applying the gas and shifting into OD. Otherwise, the truck shifts through all other gears perfectly fine, regardless of the load.
Fluid levels looked fine when checked via the dipstick. I have pulled the pan and the fluid looks nice and bright, red as can be. There is no foul order from the fluid. No unreasonable amount of buildup in the pan, magnets have the typical amount of goo with a thin murky film of very fine metal, but nothing different than anything else I've seen in other pans from a vehicle with some age/use such as this one. I am in the process of cleaning old permatex residue off of the pan now, and refilling after cleaning the filter. I'm hoping the addition of some new fluid may help, but I am not holding my breath that it will be that simple.
SO....my thoughts if simply changing out fluids doesn't solve my issue are...clutch packs going bad (how common is this?), or maybe a solenoid (is there a diagnostic approach to checking this?)....and hopefully, any other ideas that may prevent a rebuild/replacement in the near future.
Thanks in advance for the responses....this is our current "family" vehicle, and it's pretty tough having it out of commission.
