HELP!! Is my transmission done!

This seems like a low fluid scenario to me. You check the transmission level with the truck RUNNING and up to temp (97-115*). There is a 5mm head on the transmission pan you remove. If fluid leaks out, you're adequate, if nothing comes out, the transmission was low.

Had I seen this sooner, I feel like you might be better off verifying that it WAS or WASN'T low on fluid prior to them taking it. A dealer looking to make a buck, can easily just blame 155k miles as "worn out" when it was their negligence to begin with. Adding fluid back after a radiator replacement is an easily overlooked task.

Hope it works out for you. The fact they sent a tow truck so quickly, shows some liability on their part in my opinion. Hopefully they remain courteous with you.
 
they just gave me an update. since the check engine light reset over night they aren't able to pull the codes i guess.
but they did find a mis-fire on cylinder 6. she also said there was no radiator fluid in reservoir (not true, i checked it last night)
shes hinting that i have a blown head gasket but they will 're-check' now that they know the check engine light tripped when i was driving.
that would be the biggest coincidence to blow a head gasket days after they worked on it.

nothing about transmission fluid/issues
 
leftyguns21 said:
they just gave me an update. since the check engine light reset over night they aren't able to pull the codes i guess.
but they did find a mis-fire on cylinder 6. she also said there was no radiator fluid in reservoir (not true, i checked it last night)
shes hinting that i have a blown head gasket but they will 're-check' now that they know the check engine light tripped when i was driving.
that would be the biggest coincidence to blow a head gasket days after they worked on it.

nothing about transmission fluid/issues
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Their software would be able to see recently stored codes. So that is false as well.

That report does not inspire confidence in me, that they aren't going to try an **** you for a nickel if they can get it.
 
she asked if they did plugs too. didn't sound very confident on what she was telling me.
she went back to the mechanic and will call me again later.

$3000+ for a new head gasket will be a hard decision to make if its true and they take no blame
 
leftyguns21 said:
she asked if they did plugs too. didn't sound very confident on what she was telling me.
she went back to the mechanic and will call me again later.

$3000+ for a new head gasket will be a hard decision to make if its true and they take no blame
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A blown head gasket will not cause a transmission to slip or make the vehicle difficult to move in "D" as opposed to "2". You would have white exhaust fumes (coolant burning), milky oil (coolant and oil mixture), or just outright coolant loss. This combined with overheating, did you experience overheating?

Code's do not appear and disappear with a head gasket failure. You are going in the wrong direction with these people if they are just cherry picking problems they can link to your symptoms.
 
thats good info thank you
there has been no over heating. no smoke. no smells at all. the coolant level in the reservoir was in the right spot.
a mis-fire would cause acceleration issues too right? i didn't experience any of that. i didn't have any rough idle until yesterday after all of the lights turned on and before popping in to neutral.
 
update, not a happy person

she is "pretty sure" its the head gasket. they arent finding any codes but think theres coolant in cylinder 6 which leads them to believe its a bad head gasket. its not blown yet but a "really really really slow leak".
they want $4500-5000 and 22+hours to fix it
i told her all of this is a very strange coincidence. the things they changed (water pump, radiator, t-stat) and shes trying to tell me theres coolant leaking. "we only changed things on the outside of the engine".
my car had no symptoms or issues before they touched it. they work on it and now i have issues. i started noticing them immediately. i asked her did they check tranny and fluid, she glazed over that and moved on with her bad news.
shes going to go back to her master mechanic and manager to find out what to do next. she cant even say with confidence that this is the issue
 
Uh wow. They can't see coolant in a cylinder being burned off? Before reading your post I was going to suggest that they fouled your 02 sensors with coolant causing them to wreak havoc with your engine control management. I'd get it the heck out of there asap for another opinion. A tech who will check compression, leak down test on your cylinders, none of this makes any sense. If these motors are blowing head gaskets or cracking heads odds are they are all doing it in the same place and an end cylinder isn't typically where it does happen. Maybe you simply have an erratic ignition coil, that will throw a misfire but not always a permanent code... that could be just coincidence but it certainly is no blown head gasket !

Can you go someplace else ?
 
thanks [MENTION=170779]17KT4R[/MENTION] i agree. from everything thats been mentioned on here and what i looked up online im not convinced at all its a head gasket. it doesn't seem like a blown head gasket would cause driving issues like i had. i haven't had any of the symptoms that [MENTION=132328]99Runnr[/MENTION] mentions. i read same thing about testing for a bad head gasket, how is it their 'master mechanic' doesnt know how to test for this.
those are all great suggestions too, next time i talk to them ill ask.

it was driving so terrible that i am afraid to drive it any where now until fixed. plus if its something they broke (which i am 100% convinced it is) they are going to have to fix it.
i am in such a bind now too. i leave the country on Tuesday, i have a big work project this weekend (thank goodness i can do it from home) and i still need to prep for my trip. i dont really have much choice or time other than leaving it with them.
 
There is so many things I could list, as a backyard enthusiast, that would be asked if this were me. I had a feeling this was going to head this direction. They know they have you over a barrel. You aren't a mechanic or right on them to question their inconsistencies, they know you're leaving town or whatever I'm sure, they know you didn't dig into this much yourself or document symptoms and conditions.

In this day and age, as hard as it is to earn money as an honest person, society has deemed it your fault and your stupidity for not "protecting and educating" yourself better. I've been there myself, fighting from step 1, but things like this are so hard to prove coincidental or in direct correlation to prior services.

You can pay less then $4500 for a certified engine and installation I would bet money. If worse comes to worse, I would NOT support a place like that. You do not contact a customer with a bill like that and uncertain diagnosis.
 
I’m with 99. This sounds a bit shady. I would search out an independent shop that has good reviews/recommendations and get it over there quickly. Don’t rush into this fix at the dealer.
 
i haven't told them i am leaving. theres 2 more business days before i leave for them to figure it out.
i have been pushing back on them the whole time. i am not a mechanic but i do know a bit about cars and customer service. i am not a push over, once she told me the cost i let her know thats not acceptable and i am not going to pay it. i let them know i had no issues at all before they touched it, so they are going to fix it. thats when she said she was going to talk to her manager and get a better answer of what is really wrong instead of guessing.
 
latest update, they still claim its mis-firing on cylinder 6 and cant get it to mis-fire on any other cylinder. oh, and they aren't working on it any more. its just sitting in their bay not being touched. back story, the original mechanic and service advisor were off yesterday and today so he pawned it off on another mechanic and this advisor who now has to deal with me. once she said it is just sitting there i went off. told her this is unacceptable and there isn't a doubt in my mind this is on them. they are really screwing me over right now and to hear they aren't making an attempt to fix their mistake. my car ran flawless before they touched it. they're diagnosis of head gasket makes no sense, it isn't showing any symptoms. i already missed a day of work and now they are asking me to miss another because of them. all my hammering on her i got a response "we want the original mechanic to look and fix it". i took that as a half ass admittance of their mistake. i am an understanding person and realize its not fair to this mechanic to lose out on money and put in time on someone elses mistake. but im also in a bind thanks to them. i will be pushing for them to fix it and compensate me heavily for this huge inconvenience.
 
That sucks, it's a tough situation. I'd ask for a rental/loaner while they sort out their mess, at least you'll be able to get around and the worse that could happen is they refuse.

No experience with Toyota, but Nissan has done that for me on a few occasions.

Good luck
 
Lefty, hate to hear you are going through this. I would file a complaint with the BBB, and definitely leave some online reviews of your experience if they don't do what is right. Good luck.
 
I might have an unpopular opinion here but I wouldn't be so fast to blame the dealer. In my mind at least, there could have been an existing problem with the head gasket, whatever it is, and when the dealer serviced the truck correctly it lead to the worsening of the issue. Just unfortunate timing that makes things awkward between the owner and the dealer. This could have been what happened, we may never know.

A second mechanic's eye might be a good thing. Might see something the other guy missed.

You shouldn't have to miss work, like mentioned just get a buddy to drive you or get a loaner from the dealership.

This is all just the responsibilities of car ownership.
 
Inv4drZm said:
I might have an unpopular opinion here but I wouldn't be so fast to blame the dealer. In my mind at least, there could have been an existing problem with the head gasket, whatever it is, and when the dealer serviced the truck correctly it lead to the worsening of the issue. Just unfortunate timing that makes things awkward between the owner and the dealer. This could have been what happened, we may never know.

A second mechanic's eye might be a good thing. Might see something the other guy missed.

You shouldn't have to miss work, like mentioned just get a buddy to drive you or get a loaner from the dealership.

This is all just the responsibilities of car ownership.
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I see this train of thought as well. However, in this particular case, as someone who has played the game with businesses, there is several contradictory things.

1) They QUICKLY sent a tow truck to him. That shows initiative to get it back there and see what they did wrong. Head gasket failure shortly after a major cooling system overhaul is all too coincidental.

2) They called him with the sticker shock high estimate of repair and an unclear diagnosis. Means they didn't fully figure it out, but are starting to generate the labor for the following week probably.

3) Not having someone speak with him who KNOWS what they're talking about is piss poor business. If you are in the position of seeking information, then you send out someone who doesn't know shit, do you foresee a customer being satisfied or angry? They hope you are stupid, take the bait, an they take the profits.

On paper, this is a high mileage vehicle. Us "enthusiasts" or more knowledgeable parties, know at his mileage, this shouldn't have happened. Transmission or engine, I just bought one of these with 10k more miles then his, an did NOT hesitate one bit. He shouldn't be in this position either, especially after paying someone $100 an hour to wrench on it.
 
[MENTION=130999]Inv4drZm[/MENTION] i see what you're saying, but if i had pre-existing issues i would have had some signs. i did a really long road trip barely 3 months ago loaded down with gear and car performed flawlessly. it would be a crazy coincidence. it went from good to bad right away.

i took the wanting original mechanic to fix it as, we screwed up. maybe i am over reading it. but if they were certain they did no harm they would have any mechanic fix it and stick me with the bill. im not holding my breath though until they figure it out.

i am about 18 miles from the dealership, i thought about asking for a loaner but getting there id have to inconvenience a friend and deal with it. i live walking distance to food and can survive the weekend without a car. i am almost out of dog food though, going to have a hangry pup soon
 
Okay. I AM NO MECHANIC. Let me say that at the outset. But i experienced a problem somewhat like you had, all dash lights go on, runs like shit -- wound up being I had bad gas. Filled with new gas, runs like new. Just saying. Good luck.
 
leftyguns21 said:
[MENTION=130999]Inv4drZm[/MENTION] i see what you're saying, but if i had pre-existing issues i would have had some signs. i did a really long road trip barely 3 months ago loaded down with gear and car performed flawlessly. it would be a crazy coincidence. it went from good to bad right away.

i took the wanting original mechanic to fix it as, we screwed up. maybe i am over reading it. but if they were certain they did no harm they would have any mechanic fix it and stick me with the bill. im not holding my breath though until they figure it out.

i am about 18 miles from the dealership, i thought about asking for a loaner but getting there id have to inconvenience a friend and deal with it. i live walking distance to food and can survive the weekend without a car. i am almost out of dog food though, going to have a hangry pup soon
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have them fix the transmission issue first and deal with the cylinder issue next. seems like they are looking for some other problem with your truck.

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