Changing shift solenoids

[Miyota]

I replaced mine yesterday used the kit above along with a felpro gasket and I installed a granny cooler externally externally for insurance. But this morning i started my truck and let it warm up and when I went to take of it would not go into gear. If I revved it at 3000 rpm it would slowly crawl. So I kept doing that and it eventually got going and ran great. Any thoughts? Wrong fluid? I used Valvoline max life synthetic. Not enough fluid? I took out about 1 and a half gallons and put 4 quarts back in.

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[no_masters]

I did all three 2 weeks ago on mine. I found a kit on ebay that had all 3, gasket and new filter for $100. 2 of the solenoids have the same bracket one does not, at least from my kit. They install very easy, I used a razor blade and then a wire wheel to clean the pan. The entire process was pretty easy. Mine was throwing CEL shift B solenoid. It fixed my issue.

 

[T4R2014]

Not enough fluid? I took out about 1 and a half gallons and put 4 quarts back in.

Sounds like you found your problem.

 

[Miyota]

Sounds like you found your problem.

Is it really supposed to have that much fluid in it? It seems like alot

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[StreetCreeper]

Is it really supposed to have that much fluid in it? It seems like alot

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Yes. More in fact. In order to do a full flush you need about 16qts. I don't recall what the exact specs are but I think it's in the neighborhood of 14-16 qts total. Much of which is inside the tourqe converter.

Just draining the fluid will net you maybe 4-6 qts or so but you need to add back exactly how much you removed (assuming it was at the correct level to begin with).

So failing to re-add a half gallon of tranny juice is a bad thing and likely to be the cause of some issues.

 

[Miyota]

Yes. More in fact. In order to do a full flush you need about 16qts. I don't recall what the exact specs are but I think it's in the neighborhood of 14-16 qts total. Much of which is inside the tourqe converter.

Just draining the fluid will net you maybe 4-6 qts or so but you need to add back exactly how much you removed (assuming it was at the correct level to begin with).

So failing to re-add a half gallon of tranny juice is a bad thing and likely to be the cause of some issues.

Thank you for all of that. I really was in aware of how much was in there. I just read in the manual that a drain and fill was something stupid like 2 quarts. I've got 6 in it now. I'll recheck my level tomorrow.

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[Down by the Water]

I got a kit from these folks:

Discount Automatic Transmission Parts

I think it was $98 for all three solenoids, a filter and rubber gasket. Like the dunder-head I am I ordered the kit with the wrong filter (solenoids and gasket were correct.) Cascade was nice enough to pro-rate the filter, even though it was my mistake.

Though changing the solenoids did not fix my problems it was a good learning experience. I've since replaced the thermostat and it seems to be running fine. Lesson learned, start with the cheapest, easiest fix and work from there.

 

[no_masters]

Cascade is who I got my kit from as well. I installed about 2-3 weeks ago and seem to be going just fine.

 

[XxTiBEARiusxX]

I got a kit from these folks:

Discount Automatic Transmission Parts

I think it was $98 for all three solenoids, a filter and rubber gasket. Like the dunder-head I am I ordered the kit with the wrong filter (solenoids and gasket were correct.) Cascade was nice enough to pro-rate the filter, even though it was my mistake.

Though changing the solenoids did not fix my problems it was a good learning experience. I've since replaced the thermostat and it seems to be running fine. Lesson learned, start with the cheapest, easiest fix and work from there.

The solenoids aren't the same as the ones I took out. Doesn't seem legit to me. Did it change, or are the ones you put in also different?

 

[Cripsician]

I found a kit on E-Bay, three shift solenoid's,filter and pan gasket, 168.00 shipped. I did my 01 in March no problem's.

So I wanted to personally ask you if you could share the link from your email, or wherever you got this kit at on ebay. I am surely not in a place to spend $700...

Please and thank you.

 

[zoombyu86]

So I wanted to personally ask you if you could share the link from your email, or wherever you got this kit at on ebay. I am surely not in a place to spend $700...

Please and thank you.

I used the ebay kit which StreetCreeper referenced in a thread. They are not the same style per say, they look different and have a different mount but they work 100%.

 

[Adnstorm]

Replaced solenoids

Hi I have never got help online so I don't know if I am posting in the right place.
Recently I got the error code for failed solenoid so I ordered the solenoid online. It was a set of three. With a gasket and filter Included. I opened the transmission box drained it and changed the solenoids and then put the new transmission oil back in. And everything went smooth. Took me at least 6 to 7 hrs. The truck ran at least 1500 miles without any problems and then last week it happened again. The same problem occurred and now the truck wont go into D after few minutes of running. And when the gears stop working I hear a strange annoying sound from underneath the truck near the transmission box. Please I am on the verge to loose all hope and just sell the truck to a scrap yard. Can someone help me out in this situation?

 

[thegipper]

You said it is making a strange annoying sound, expand on that (what kind of noise is it making? Grinding, marbles bouncing around etc).

What specific code were are you getting?

When you dropped the pan to replace the solenoids, how did the fluid look? Was it burnt/black looking? Did it smell burnt? Did you find excessive metal shavings in the pan (anything other a small amount of metal sludge)? Have you checked your fluid level since you did the repair? Is it where it should be and are you checking it correctly (tranny needs to be at operating temperature, while the truck is on and in park). Sometimes it's something as simple as your fluid level is too low or the tranny itself is failing (or something in the middle).

We will need some more details to be able to help ya.

Also, what year truck do you have and how many miles are on it.

 

[Adnstorm]

Hi. I have a 1999 Toyota 4runner sr5 RWD 3.4L. (Odometer at 164k)
The code was P0770.
Yes the oil had a burning smell to it. But I didn't see any metal fragments in the fluid. And fluid looked in a really bad shape. But the level was still good. It had the same noise at that time as well( marbles bouncing).
When I took the pan off I saw one solenoid in bad shape. The other 2 looked good when I clean them with a cloth but one was like burnt or something. But I changed all 3 solenoids anyway cause I didn't wanna do it again. After adding oil and running it for a while on idle and then just changed the gears while it was still in the garage.i checked the oil level and it was all good. The sound also went away. But last week coming back from work the sound came back and it wasn't shifting anymore again. So I just stopped at a gas station and turned the car off. After 5 mins turned it on again and sound went away and everything back to normal. So when i was about to reach home it happened again and the sound came back But luckily I was home.so i just turned it off. I checked the fluid level again and it was good. I haven't moved the truck since then bcz I don't wanna mess up anything big.

 

[thegipper]

Did you replace the transmission filter when you replaced the solenoids? It should have come with two new cork gaskets that go on top of the filter between the valve body. If you did replace the filter, hopefully you installed the new gaskets and they stayed in place during installation. If the filter isn't in it's proper place or it's plugged up with gunk, the pump can be starved of fluid and make that rattling marble sound. There are other internal issues that can cause that same issue though, keep that in mind.

The reason why I asked if you heard a "marbles bouncing around" sound is because my tranny made that same noise before it ultimately died. I was able to fix the rattling marble noise by cleaning the filter (I would suggest replacing it not cleaning it though). Mine was plugged up with brown clay like crap from the pink milk shake my truck got about a year prior.

Even though I fixed the rattling marble sound, a few months later it wouldn't shift out of 1st gear until the truck warmed up. I believe the damage was already done from starving the pump. Eventually it got worse and worse and I swapped in a new tranny.

I believe that sound is the pump failing in the transmission. It would explain why your truck is not shifting.

If I were you, I would drop the pan again and make sure the filter is seated correctly, including the gaskets. If everything checks out fine then unfortunately it may be time for a new/used transmission.

You said the fluid looked burnt. If the fluid was never changed and/or the transmission was overheated, you (or previous owner) may have caused permanent damage to it.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[thegipper]

If you do have to replace the transmission, there a couple options. I opted for a used one. I actually bought an entire truck from a member on here who got rear ended. He had very good maintenance history and I was actually able to drive it to confirm it ran good and the tranny worked fine.

Car-part.com is a good source for used transmissions.

The other option is to buy a rebuilt one but keep in mind, most aftermarket rebuilds do not last long (documented on this site). If you do go the rebuilt tranny route, I would buy an OEM rebuilt tranny from a dealership. It should last very long compared to ones you can buy on rockauto or at other tranny shops.

You would then need to decide if you want to do it yourself or pay a shop to do it. I wouldn't use a dealership as they will charge you a fortune (find a good independent shop).

I replaced mine in my garage over the course of a couple weekends. Only thing I didn't have was a tranny jack which I rented for like 25 bucks. You just need some basic hand tools, a helper and a tranny jack. And you'll definitely want to watch Tim/Seans video on how to do it, they show you step by step. It really isn't that hard, it just takes time and patience.

Youtube search "timmy the toolman" and find his tranny replacement video.

Lets hope you don't have to replace it but on face value, it sounds like your tranny may have shit the bed.

 

[Adnstorm]

Thank you for your time. Yes I did change the old filter with new one and before closing the pan I did check all the screws one last time and then closed the pan and put new gasket as well. I dont understand why did it run fine for 1500 miles without any problems after I installed new solenoids in it? If the tranny was bad It shouldn't have worked like it did.

 

[thegipper]

Sometimes things don't just quit working all at once, they start to fail intermittently.

Transmissions are pretty complex mechanical parts, that's why it hard to say for certain what your issue is.

Have you tried shifting into other gears (L, 2, R)? Do those gears work but D doesn't?

You could take it to a tranny shop but they almost always just say "you need a new tranny", many times, that is the case unfortunately.

How does the fluid look now? If you only dropped the pan and didn't do a complete flush, you only replaced about 1/3 of the fluid. That means 2/3 of the old fluid is still in the system. You may want to consider doing a total fluid flush (again, reference timmy's videos on youtube).

The P0770 code according to the FSM:

A) Faulty solenoid.
B) Clogged valve body.
C) Faulty torque converter clutch.

Do a search on this site for "3rd gen p0770" and read some of the other posts that people have made.

It's entirely possible your torque converter could be dying or maybe even the pump, again, it's hard to say.

 

[Adnstorm]

Yes I tried. Everything works for a while and when this annoying sound starts coming the transmission stops working.
Well before changing the solenoids the truck was totally stuck in neutral. No matter what gear I use it didn't move.but changing solenoids worked and it ran uptil now. I dont have money to put new tranny in the truck. So looks like I have to sell the truck to a junk yard I guess. If I have no other solutions to make it work.

 

[thegipper]

Wish I had better news but it sounds like your tranny/torque converter took a dump.

Maybe someone else will chime in with some other insight or suggestions.

Good luck