Automatic transmission acting funny

[bay_area4runner]

So today I was leaving work and dropped off my buddy at his house. When I pulled in to his drive way I talked to him and then put it on reverse and the truck jolted pretty hard.

I pulled out, drive a few blocks and decided to see what was going on. I put the truck in drive, drove for a block then came to a complete stop, then I placed it I reverse and it jolted pretty heavy Again. I stopped, put the truck in drive and it shifted like nothing even happened. I drove home, put the truck on my drive way and backed up, it shifted smoother then before

Is this an early sign of something? It's an 02 sport. Can anyone give me any advise

 

[StreetCreeper]

So today I was leaving work and dropped off my buddy at his house. When I pulled in to his drive way I talked to him and then put it on reverse and the truck jolted pretty hard.

I pulled out, drive a few blocks and decided to see what was going on. I put the truck in drive, drove for a block then came to a complete stop, then I placed it I reverse and it jolted pretty heavy Again. I stopped, put the truck in drive and it shifted like nothing even happened. I drove home, put the truck on my drive way and backed up, it shifted smoother then before

Is this an early sign of something? It's an 02 sport. Can anyone give me any advise

Did you check the tranny fluid?

 

[gamefreakgc]

Did you check the tranny fluid?

I second the fluid. Should be red and bright, no brown/black coloring. Make sure it's not low either.

 

[4runnerWiniarski23]

Agreed with previously stated check the fluid make sure it hasnt "pink-milkshaked"

If the fluid is low or looks old its an easy swap to prolong the life of the tranny.

 

[mckennar]

I second the fluid. Should be red and bright, no brown/black coloring. Make sure it's not low either.

Third. Also check for strawberry milkshake in coolant overflow / radiator. Good luck!

 

[Supermoney]

I just had my 02 sport completely flushed at Toyota and refilled. Yes there are associated risks with this however, the truck has 180k on it and I don't know the history. Trans feels brand new.

 

[mtbtim]

OP, if you decide you want to renew your ATF, you don't need to take it to Toyota or another shop to get this done. You can do your own flush using the transmission fluid pump to move the old fluid out via the transmission cooler return line. It's not a hard job at all but it helps to have a friend or family member to help with the process.

Here's a video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I did showing how to do it.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RumPXivBlk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Rock_Rat]

I just had my 02 sport completely flushed at Toyota and refilled. Yes there are associated risks with this however, the truck has 180k on it and I don't know the history. Trans feels brand new.

I would be incredibly surprised if you had a true flush at a Toyota dealership. Toyota does not do flushes on our rigs anymore because of the filter. They only do drain and fills.

 

[Ironman707]

I just had my 02 sport completely flushed at Toyota and refilled. Yes there are associated risks with this however, the truck has 180k on it and I don't know the history. Trans feels brand new.

What "associated risks" are you talking about? I thought flushing your tranny fluid was regular maintenance

 

[kiana]

Explain the jolt to me.

Let's say you're in Park, then put it inReverse, if your foot is completely depressing the brake does the car still have a jolt feeling when the gear is changing?

My 4Runner has an audible clunk when I put it from Park to Reverse or Drive to Reverse, I've always thought it was normal :shrug:. Maybe I'm wrong though? Anybody else wanna comment? I've always noticed, if I quickly shift from Drive to Reverse then give it gas I will get a jolt while the car is moving, I'm assuming this is because I'm immediately shifting then immediately giving it gas mid-shift or while the car is still shifting. (16 year old transmission, I don't exactly expect it to be lightning quick at shifting)

Also to note, I bought the car at 160,000. Transmission fluid color was good and at the correct levels. Now the car is at 165,000, color of fluid and levels still good. Personally have not touched anything with the transmission.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Explain the jolt to me.

Let's say you're in Park, then put it inReverse, if your foot is completely depressing the brake does the car still have a jolt feeling when the gear is changing?

My 4Runner has an audible clunk when I put it from Park to Reverse or Drive to Reverse, I've always thought it was normal :shrug:. Maybe I'm wrong though? Anybody else wanna comment? I've always noticed, if I quickly shift from Drive to Reverse then give it gas I will get a jolt while the car is moving, I'm assuming this is because I'm immediately shifting then immediately giving it gas mid-shift or while the car is still shifting. (16 year old transmission, I don't exactly expect it to be lightning quick at shifting)

Also to note, I bought the car at 160,000. Transmission fluid color was good and at the correct levels. Now the car is at 165,000, color of fluid and levels still good. Personally have not touched anything with the transmission.

A jolt on these aging vehicles is normal in my experience, especially when the transmission is cold. Some are worse than others. I was told that putting in a new rear engine mount (transmission mount) helps so I'll do that if it gets too bad.

I think the OP is talking about something else, as in it jolted way more than what he was used to and then it went away. Something more out of the ordinary.

 

[stir_fry_boy]

Grease your u joints too.

 

[bay_area4runner]

Explain the jolt to me.

Let's say you're in Park, then put it inReverse, if your foot is completely depressing the brake does the car still have a jolt feeling when the gear is changing?

My 4Runner has an audible clunk when I put it from Park to Reverse or Drive to Reverse, I've always thought it was normal :shrug:. Maybe I'm wrong though? Anybody else wanna comment? I've always noticed, if I quickly shift from Drive to Reverse then give it gas I will get a jolt while the car is moving, I'm assuming this is because I'm immediately shifting then immediately giving it gas mid-shift or while the car is still shifting. (16 year old transmission, I don't exactly expect it to be lightning quick at shifting)

Also to note, I bought the car at 160,000. Transmission fluid color was good and at the correct levels. Now the car is at 165,000, color of fluid and levels still good. Personally have not touched anything with the transmission.

The jolt came when the truck was at a complete stop. When I put it in reverse on the driveway, it made the jolt. It was not cold, I drove for 30 minutes before getting to his house. My foot was all the way down because when I went around the corner I tried the process all over again and made sure I made a complete stop and had my foot down on th breaks and yes, it made the jolt

I checked the fluids, all good and clear. No milkshake and it's full

 

[mtbtim]

The jolt came when the truck was at a complete stop. When I put it in reverse on the driveway, it made the jolt. It was not cold, I drove for 30 minutes before getting to his house. My foot was all the way down because when I went around the corner I tried the process all over again and made sure I made a complete stop and had my foot down on th breaks and yes, it made the jolt

I checked the fluids, all good and clear. No milkshake and it's full

Sounds like transmission mount to me. I'd have someone you trust in the driver's seat while you're under the rig. Have them switch gears from Park to Reverse and Drive to Reverse while you're watching the mount for excessive movement. The mount is made by sandwiching two pieces of hard rubber between two pieces of metal. The rubber is bonded to the metal and over time can detach from the metal. When that happens, you'll get excess movement in the mount and you could experience a jolt like that.

If it ends up being a bad mount, let me know. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I could help you out and we could make a video of the replacement.

 

[Rock_Rat]

My 4Runner has an audible clunk when I put it from Park to Reverse or Drive to Reverse, I've always thought it was normal :shrug:. Maybe I'm wrong though? Anybody else wanna comment? I've always noticed, if I quickly shift from Drive to Reverse then give it gas I will get a jolt while the car is moving.

This is not normal. I started to reply to this thread yesterday but wanted to make sure I haven't gotten used to any clunks. I took it out drove it a while, parked and ran it through the gears. No audible clunks. I purchased my rig brand new in October 2000 and I now have 347K miles on it. My transmission is very quiet in all gears. I'm not sure why you would shift from drive to reverse and give it gas before the transmission had a chance to lock in place. Unless you were stuck and needed to jockey the car back and forth, I don't see any reason to give the rig gas in the middle of a shift or while the car is moving. That's never good. Hopefully you ALWAYS use the parking brake. I was going to post up some audio but there's really nothing to listen to. I still might do it.

 

[T4R2014]

Make sure your drive shafts are lubed. You'd be surprised at how big of a difference it makes. Make sure your fluid meets Type IV spec.

 

[mtbtim]

This is not normal. I started to reply to this thread yesterday but wanted to make sure I haven't gotten used to any clunks. I took it out drove it a while, parked and ran it through the gears. No audible clunks. I purchased my rig brand new in October 2000 and I now have 347K miles on it. My transmission is very quiet in all gears. I'm not sure why you would shift from drive to reverse and give it gas before the transmission had a chance to lock in place. Unless you were stuck and needed to jockey the car back and forth, I don't see any reason to give the rig gas in the middle of a shift or while the car is moving. That's never good. Hopefully you ALWAYS use the parking brake. I was going to post up some audio but there's really nothing to listen to. I still might do it.

Very good point. I didn't read this comment thoroughly. If you want to be nice to your transmission, do not shift gears from Reverse to Drive or Drive to Reverse while the truck is still rolling. Come to a complete stop and then shift.

Also, do not let the weight of the truck rest on the Parking Pawl. Over time, by putting the weight of the truck on it, it could break and then you're screwed. When you're going to park, always, always, always do the following: Come to a stop and keep pressure on the brake pedal. Shift into Park. Set parking brake. Now you can release the brake pedal. You want the truck's weight resting on your brakes, not on your parking pawl.

 

[Supermoney]

What "associated risks" are you talking about? I thought flushing your tranny fluid was regular maintenance

Drain and fill is normal maintenance and has no risks.

I had the entire trans and transfer case 100% drained and refilled. All 16 quarts, which some people say has some risks to it.

 

[kiana]

This is not normal. I started to reply to this thread yesterday but wanted to make sure I haven't gotten used to any clunks. I took it out drove it a while, parked and ran it through the gears. No audible clunks. I purchased my rig brand new in October 2000 and I now have 347K miles on it. My transmission is very quiet in all gears. I'm not sure why you would shift from drive to reverse and give it gas before the transmission had a chance to lock in place. Unless you were stuck and needed to jockey the car back and forth, I don't see any reason to give the rig gas in the middle of a shift or while the car is moving. That's never good. Hopefully you ALWAYS use the parking brake. I was going to post up some audio but there's really nothing to listen to. I still might do it.

I say this will be very worth the research. Go ahead and post a video of yours and I'll post a video of mine. Let's try and capture the audio as best as possible.

 

[Canary]

Grease your u joints too.

I'd do that first.