Help! Need Auto Tans Guru

[3bears]

I've been working as a firefighter for 11 years, been to 100's of accidents and I've yet to see a tow truck driver pull a driveshaft on scene but maybe that's because their tow yard is in the city limits. But, some of these vehicles are picked up on the highway and they drive at highway speeds for at least a couple miles before they reach the nearest exit. Now, did these guys take the nearest exit or did they keep driving on the highway to make the return trip to their yard quicker. I don't know.

Again, do yourself a favor and request a flat bed tow. Don't count on the tow truck driver giving a shit about your rig.

first, I don't like that blanket statement, makes it sound like all tow truck drivers don't care. That's like when I hear people say, all mechanics are crooks, or all fisherman are liars.....well maybe that one goes

maybe the cars you see towed are not worth worrying about, if they have been in a bad enough accident Over my 63 years I have met many good tow drivers that do care
I had a friend ( passed away, motorcycle accident) that was a tow driver for about 20 years and he would drop the driveshaft or lift it from the rear, his truck also had a dolly when needed.
However he switched to a flat bed and preferred that esp if it was a 4wheel drive. on a funny note...he would drive his flat bed around with a kids Tonka truck strapped down if he had no real vehicles on it.

However I do fully agree, get a flat tow weather its a flat bed truck or a full car trailer

 

[imryannn]

first, I don't like that blanket statement, makes it sound like all tow truck drivers don't care. That's like when I hear people say, all mechanics are crooks, or all fisherman are liars.....well maybe that one goes



maybe the cars you see towed are not worth worrying about, if they have been in a bad enough accident Over my 63 years I have met many good tow drivers that do care

I had a friend ( passed away, motorcycle accident) that was a tow driver for about 20 years and he would drop the driveshaft or lift it from the rear, his truck also had a dolly when needed.

However he switched to a flat bed and preferred that esp if it was a 4wheel drive. on a funny note...he would drive his flat bed around with a kids Tonka truck strapped down if he had no real vehicles on it.



However I do fully agree, get a flat tow weather its a flat bed truck or a full car trailer

This is all I was getting at... haha thank you!


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[imryannn]

OP still hasn't said what he used to get his engine bay to look that good...now I'm curious!


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[mtbtim]

first, I don't like that blanket statement, makes it sound like all tow truck drivers don't care. That's like when I hear people say, all mechanics are crooks, or all fisherman are liars.....well maybe that one goes

maybe the cars you see towed are not worth worrying about, if they have been in a bad enough accident Over my 63 years I have met many good tow drivers that do care
I had a friend ( passed away, motorcycle accident) that was a tow driver for about 20 years and he would drop the driveshaft or lift it from the rear, his truck also had a dolly when needed.
However he switched to a flat bed and preferred that esp if it was a 4wheel drive. on a funny note...he would drive his flat bed around with a kids Tonka truck strapped down if he had no real vehicles on it.

However I do fully agree, get a flat tow weather its a flat bed truck or a full car trailer

Well, we all have our personal experiences. All I was getting at is don't count on the tow truck driver caring about your rig as much as you do and be aware of the safe ways to tow your rig so you don't end up with a trashed transmission.

Like I said, I've been to a ton of accident scenes where the driver picked up the vehicle by the front wheels and drove off. Not once did I see them pull a driveshaft. Was it because their yard is close by in the city limits? Sure, a very good chance. Were many of these accidents on the freeway where the driver had to at least go at freeway speeds for a while before they could exit onto a surface street? Yes. And, on the side of the highway, did I ever see a driver get under the vehicle and pull the driveshaft to prevent automatic transmission damage? Nope. Now, did the drivers do a good job getting the vehicles out of the roadway so we can get traffic flowing as quick as possible? For the most part, yes they did.

By the way, it's not the tow truck driver's job to decide which vehicle is going to be totaled by the insurance company and which ones aren't. I saw many vehicles with minor to moderate damage that probably weren't going to be totaled towed in a manner that wouldn't be good for the auto transmission.

Maybe your guys experience is more around towing for long distances where the driver does take the time to pull the driveshaft for the owner. Regardless, I know how I'm going to handle it if I ever need my rig towed. Hopefully those reading this thread will now be better informed if they ever have the unfortunate experience of being in an accident or breaking down.

 

[Solidape]

I'm not the OP, but Stoner makes a product, trim shine, that does exactly this. I've used it extensively over the years.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...Eypp1TsxAKzIuYJ_BWdobrdzE9jJp-XGdrGgKrp_D_BwE

 

[Nate_GB]

This thread took a strange turn... Haha

Anyway, regarding the original question, depending on how much your time is worth and how much you can find a used trans for, it may not even be worth diagnosing. I would at least drain the fluid and drop the pan to see what it looks like. But it may be a more financially sound decision to just throw a used trans in it and call it a day. You didn't tell us who the actual owner was, or if you did, I missed it. But if the owner was just a customer of the shop who decided not to repair the car, you can pretty much assume the shop diagnosed the problem as something pretty expensive and that's why they just sold the truck instead of fixing it.

 

[96RedRunner]

But if the owner was just a customer of the shop who decided not to repair the car, you can pretty much assume the shop diagnosed the problem as something pretty expensive and that's why they just sold the truck instead of fixing it.[/QUOTE]
This same situation is what helped get my 01 so cheap end of Feb.
CL Memphis, Pics showed all symptons of VSC, ABS, Trac module bad, idiot lights. PO got repair est of $2600.00 College Professor. Upon inspection I found RR axle seal leaking.
Offended him with first offer he countered, Drove it home.
Total repair cost
$250 ABS Trac Module fleabay
Cost of axle seal, FSM test on bearings good, found diff breather clogged.
I say play with the damn thing what ya got to lose.

 

[pcr777]

Bad Tranny Solenoid Changed?

I have an '01 4 Runner with the same symptoms as the original post: engine starts and runs normal, but when dropped in Drive or Reverse, the truck takes off like it's in high gear. And when the brake is applied, the engine stalls unless I quickly slip it into Neutral. The OBD II fault code only said 'Transmission Solenoid'. From the research I've done, this tranny has 5 of the same solenoids in the valve body. ‘weezykid’, how did you know it was the #1 solenoid that went bad? Did you have the same symptom and did it fix the problem? Thanks for any help...

 

[Magmotor]

I'm not the OP, but Stoner makes a product, trim shine, that does exactly this. I've used it extensively over the years.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...Eypp1TsxAKzIuYJ_BWdobrdzE9jJp-XGdrGgKrp_D_BwE

That product looks like what you put on After you clean it...but looks nice...would also like to know the steps he took to make it look so nice....:hatsoff:

 

[Tyler James Inc]

That product looks like what you put on After you clean it...but looks nice...would also like to know the steps he took to make it look so nice....:hatsoff:

Thanks!
I just sprayed the heck outta it with Simple Green, pressure washed it at point blank with a hot pressure washer, and finished with Stoner Trim Shine.
I do all the engine bays I clean this way-

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

I have an '01 4 Runner with the same symptoms as the original post: engine starts and runs normal, but when dropped in Drive or Reverse, the truck takes off like it's in high gear. And when the brake is applied, the engine stalls unless I quickly slip it into Neutral. The OBD II fault code only said 'Transmission Solenoid'. From the research I've done, this tranny has 5 of the same solenoids in the valve body. ‘weezykid’, how did you know it was the #1 solenoid that went bad? Did you have the same symptom and did it fix the problem? Thanks for any help...

I am currently in the same boat u are in.... I concluded that the valve body was clogged up at Shift solenoid A. I have yet to proceed any further at the moment but maybe this will help.:surfer: