CEL Shift Solenoid... Should I buy?

[bent77]

Really would like to get a T4R and have been looking for a while...

Found one i really like but further inspection shows that the CEL on it is for shift solenoid. from what i have read, to change it you have to drop the trans pan, drain fluid, replace filters and fluid and 3 solenoids (since your already in there).

They are asking 5999 for this vehicle "as is". Job sounds close to 1000 for labor and parts (since i have never torn into a T4R i will probably pay someone to do this).

Was thinking of offering them 4k. Would you buy it for that?

I am torn. part of me says dont buy anything that needs work and another part of me says that anything that old will need something and probably sooner than later!

 

[Nelsonmd]

Really would like to get a T4R and have been looking for a while...

Found one i really like but further inspection shows that the CEL on it is for shift solenoid. from what i have read, to change it you have to drop the trans pan, drain fluid, replace filters and fluid and 3 solenoids (since your already in there).

They are asking 5999 for this vehicle "as is". Job sounds close to 1000 for labor and parts (since i have never torn into a T4R i will probably pay someone to do this).

Was thinking of offering them 4k. Would you buy it for that?

I am torn. part of me says dont buy anything that needs work and another part of me says that anything that old will need something and probably sooner than later!

Got more details on the 4runner, year, trim, condition, etc...?

It sounds like 6k is pretty high if it has tranny problems. You could call a dealer and ask for the price on that to use as a negotiating point. They're probably not going to want to drop their price by 1/3, and it may not even be worth that.

It could be done yourself, but I would be a bit nervous about digging into the tranny. I know a number of guys here have, but I am pretty nervous about it.

Also, how consistently is that code actually resolved by just replacing the solenoid? I'm not too familiar with it, so I don't know how many other potential causes there are.

 

[matthinnant]

you should post the CEL code on here as well to see if anyone else has dealt with it and it could be somethng that affects the solenoid that may not require diggn into the trans.

 

[bent77]

cool and thanks guys! i appreciate you all helping out with this.

and sorry, i should have posted more details... it is 1997 T4R Limited Auto Trans 6 cyl w/ 196k. overall condition of the vehicle appears to be great minus the CEL. no significant rust or abnromal wear and/or tear.

i called the salesman to ask about the code for the CEL and he was going to have to get with service to get it and then he is supposed to text it to me... he told me that it was the "electric shift" which i think would translate to solenoid - correct me if i am wrong.

here is what i am thinking though... if there is a solenoid that needs to be replaced the 3 of them costs 180 (might as well put in all new ones while you're in there), the fluid for trans will cost about 100, and the filters will be about 80 (again, might as well change it while you're in there). AND, generally solenoids don't just go bad for no reason... most likely cause? contamination i would suppose... which this makes me think of the pink milkshake you read about on here which means new radiator at very least. so, you are looking at about 700 in parts alone and then at least that if not more for labor (even if i do it myself, i am charging THEM for the labor). so, we are looking at 1500$ of work and that is still making the assumption that there was nothing damaged in the transmission except for the solenoids which may or may not be the case. that said, when you are buying a vehicle that old, even if properly maintained, there is still a chance of this kind of stuff coming up.

help me out guys? am i overthinking this?

clean retail for this would be a hair over 6K. i was thinking of offering 3500 with the explanation above

 

[Nelsonmd]

clean retail for this would be a hair over 6K. i was thinking of offering 3500 with the explanation above

Yeah, I'd say they are severely overcharging for not fixing it. They have a shop, why are they not willing to fix it? That seems pretty suspicious to me, like they know that it could be an expensive fix and just hope to dump it on some poor sucker.

Even at that, I wouldn't trust their shop very much anyway. I could see them clearing the code and saying they fixed it, or just replacing a single part, clearing the code and calling it fixed. I'd keep looking. Even it is a cheap fix, that's not a screaming deal anyway.