Just another “shudder” thread

[ScooterMD]

Did the shudder fix make a difference? I am planning to add it to my 05 TR4 4.0 5spd tomorrow as I am having the same shudder issues. Dealer wanted 275 to change the fluid but I figured I would try the shudder fix addictive first. I also found a great right up for changing the fluid myself so I may go that route instead of paying the dealership.

F*** the Dealership. If you care about your transmission, DIY. Pls post how yours responded to the shudderfix.

 

[rwh963]

normally i would agree. why pay lots to have anyone do something you can do.
in this case, for me with 200k on original "lifetime" fluid, i'm probably going have the dealer do it for around $200. partly, this is because i am opting for a full replacement, which will consume at least 13 qtr of WS. at at least $7/qt, approaching $100 in materials. for another $100, i'd rather the dealer get involved.

F*** the Dealership. If you care about your transmission, DIY. Pls post how yours responded to the shudderfix.

 

[JShipps]

As I approached the 240k mark I noticed that I was beginning to feel, what I thought, was the dreaded “shudder” that others had experienced. It progressed into a full blown “shudder” not long after that between 35-40 mph.

I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly...your issue happens at speed, right? For me, I'm feeling more of a jolt after stopping and then letting off the brake to go again. Once I let off the brake, the car kind of lurches into gear and makes a thud sound. So, before I think about putting a different tranny fluid or shudder fixx in there, I'd like to see if it's the same issue.

 

[AuSeeker]

I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly...your issue happens at speed, right? For me, I'm feeling more of a jolt after stopping and then letting off the brake to go again. Once I let off the brake, the car kind of lurches into gear and makes a thud sound. So, before I think about putting a different tranny fluid or shudder fixx in there, I'd like to see if it's the same issue.

Your issue sounds more like the driveshaft slip joint binding and needs to be greased, plenty of info on this on the forum

 

[bootheel]

I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly...your issue happens at speed, right? For me, I'm feeling more of a jolt after stopping and then letting off the brake to go again. Once I let off the brake, the car kind of lurches into gear and makes a thud sound. So, before I think about putting a different tranny fluid or shudder fixx in there, I'd like to see if it's the same issue.

Not the same issue. Mine was at 35-40 mph. Never had issue at full stop or startup.

 

[cognus]

any of you experience the shudder at freeway speeds?

 

[cpitti13]

Wanted to add my testimony- Had the rumble strip issue, called 3 different Toyota dealerships all stating different things about a trans fluid flush (one said they wouldn't touch the fluid, one recommended drain and fill, and one recommended full flush). Decided to just add a tube of ShudderFix and the problem was solved instantly. Been 2k miles and haven't had the issue reoccur. Well worth the $8 for anyone considering.

 

[djpope09]

This may be a dumb question, but here it goes. I have a 2004 v6 4Runner 4x4 with 189,500 miles. I seem to be experiencing this shudder at highway speeds around 70mph.

I'm not entirely sure it's the same thing because all the threads seem to point to this being a problem with 05+ 4Runners.

My first plan is to grease the driveshaft. If that doesn't fix it I may try to add ShudderFix as a temporary solution until I can do a few drain and fills. Since I have a transmission dipstick, can I just pour the ShudderFix down the dipstick? I'm wondering how thick the fluid is and if it would actually make its way down the tube into the pan.

 

[AuSeeker]

This may be a dumb question, but here it goes. I have a 2004 v6 4Runner 4x4 with 189,500 miles. I seem to be experiencing this shudder at highway speeds around 70mph.

I'm not entirely sure it's the same thing because all the threads seem to point to this being a problem with 05+ 4Runners.

My first plan is to grease the driveshaft. If that doesn't fix it I may try to add ShudderFix as a temporary solution until I can do a few drain and fills. Since I have a transmission dipstick, can I just pour the ShudderFix down the dipstick? I'm wondering how thick the fluid is and if it would actually make its way down the tube into the pan.

Yes just add the ShudderFixx down the dip stick tube, it will all eventually get down the tube and into the transmission within a day or so at the most.

When you do a drain and fill make sure you use the correct fluid, your transmission dosen't use WS Transmission fluid, your transmission uses Toyota Genuine ATF Type T-IV.

 

[djpope09]

Yes just add the ShudderFixx down the dip stick tube, it will all eventually get down the tube and into the transmission within a day or so at the most.

When you do a drain and fill make sure you use the correct fluid, your transmission dosen't use WS Transmission fluid, your transmission uses Toyota Genuine ATF Type T-IV.

Thanks for the reminder about the fluid type and the info about ShudderFixx. I'll give it a shot.

 

[cpitti13]

Hey, wanted to jump back to report. The Shudderfixx seemed to fix the issue for a few thousand miles but unfortunately it has returned. It now only happens between ~20-40MPH... Had 2 drain and fills done and re-added the Shudderfixx which did not solve the issue this time around. It never shudders if it's kept in "4" rather than "D"... Don't want to change the torque converter as I was told it was already replaced before I purchased the vehicle... Any new ideas on how to remedy this situation? One Toyota tech I talked to said that this was just "a driving characteristic of these models....It's not really a big issue as it's been driving this way more many thousand miles but it is damn annoying...

 

[firebirdguy]

Hey everyone. I know there are a ton of “shudder” threads all over the internet, and this site referring to problems with the tranny or tc on these. I have read repairs from tranny mounts, u-joints, complete transmissions, and torque converters. I wanted to start my own thread chronicling my experience with this issue, and document my findings. I own a 2005 Limited V6 that has had the transmission serviced around every 60k since new with Toyota WS. Last service was a full exchange at the 185k mark. As I approached the 240k mark I noticed that I was beginning to feel, what I thought, was the dreaded “shudder” that others had experienced. It progressed into a full blown “shudder” not long after that between 35-40 mph. Mind you, that this tranny has been serviced religiously since new. After reading through countless threads of using “only WS” fluid, or grenading the tranny, I started noticing some people that decided to give Maxlife a shot. At this point, I figured it would be worth a shot since the alternative would be costly repairs not knowing if any of them would actually correct the problem. So, this past weekend I did a full fluid exchange with 16qts of Maxlife, along with new filter and am happy to report that the shudder is completely gone, along with smoother shifts through the gears. I plan to update this thread as time passes to see where things stand, and to possibly help the community remedy this issue. I will say that up until now I have always been an “oem” guy when it comes to transmission fluid, but I might just be changing my opinion on this one.

been 2 years now, if you still have the 4runner do you have any updates?

i recently did a full exchange with maxlife on my 08 4runner at 145k miles. original fluid was very dark but didnt have any shudder or other problems. with the maxlife it shifts great & has smoothed out noticeably. another thing to consider is maxlife says on the bottle it has specific additives to avoid shudder problems that many different transmissions can have. also its full synthetic fluid... so regardless of all the WS alarmists BS, maxlife is a better fluid & fully compatible with the sealed toyota transmissions.

just do a google search for maxlife vs WS, you will find all kinds of people use it in their 4runners, tacomas, FJ's etc without any issues or problems... & it has "fixed" shudder issues using WS. & its about half price!!

 

[Dim3nsion]

Looks like I have the “rumble strip” issue. How do I add the Shudder Fixx since it is sealed transmission? The dealer said they couldn’t do it and the only way would be to pump in new fluid and flush some. I had that done last March, so don’t think i need to spend another almost 200 for the same thing. Should be able to just add the additive.

 

[djpope09]

Looks like I have the “rumble strip” issue. How do I add the Shudder Fixx since it is sealed transmission? The dealer said they couldn’t do it and the only way would be to pump in new fluid and flush some. I had that done last March, so don’t think i need to spend another almost 200 for the same thing. Should be able to just add the additive.

Look through this thread again, someone commented on how to do it on the sealed transmissions. There is a fill port on the side of the transmission that you can use.

 

[Dim3nsion]

Look through this thread again, someone commented on how to do it on the sealed transmissions. There is a fill port on the side of the transmission that you can use.

Thanks, must’ve missed it. Was viewing on mobile and didn’t read through it thoroughly enough.