More tranny issues...sigh.

Wait, it's not a 4-speed with O/D? I'm counting 3 shifts before the TC locks up. To me, that's a 4 speed.

Anyway, we're on the same page. I wasn't using O/D while towing (even the light trailer I was pulling) for most of the trip. Just the first 5 miles or so. The "testing" I was going to do wasn't going to involve any towing...since that isn't necessary to make the trans do "it's thing".

Peace
 
Dunno if this is really of importance but do you utilize the ECT PWR button at all? Maybe that has something to do with it
 
Qyota said:
Wait, it's not a 4-speed with O/D? I'm counting 3 shifts before the TC locks up. To me, that's a 4 speed.

Anyway, we're on the same page. I wasn't using O/D while towing (even the light trailer I was pulling) for most of the trip. Just the first 5 miles or so. The "testing" I was going to do wasn't going to involve any towing...since that isn't necessary to make the trans do "it's thing".

Peace
Click to expand...

You do have a 4speed, meaning 4 gears total. 4th is your O/D, your original post said at 55 in 4th you were at 2500, what I'm saying is that you are at 2500 RPM at 55 in 3rd not 4th. The torque converter locking up has nothing to do with changing gears. Your torque converter locks and unlocks in O/D before it will downshift to 3rd, unless you punch it then it will just dump 3rd. If you are on the highway at 70 and 2200 RPM and you hit a small hill and you feel like your tranny has downshifted but your RPM's went from 2200 - 2500 that is the torque converter unlocking, you are still in 4th gear though. If you let the torque converter do that a few times up a long hill, which it will as the computer is obsessed with being in O/D T/C locked, it will overheat your fluid in a hurry.
 
I thought O/D was the action of the torque converter locking? Why is 4th gear called O/D?

I understand what you're saying about locking/unlocking the TC causing heat, but that's not what my test would be looking at. The test would be to see if the trans slips after coming to a stop more often with the O/D switch on or off. That's it.

And Kelly, lately I've had the ECT button depressed ("pwr" mode), but I can't recall if this ever happened before that. I think it did at least once. But, I can work that into the test as well as another variable. Thanks for reminding me!
 
Qyota,

my 99 has some transmission issues as well. 111K miles and I tow a boat during the summer for short distances. Mine doesn't slip but it does "buck" as the torque converter locks / unlocks. I've found some threads on other web sites that say the transmission oil cooler is too small on these trucks and the torque converter overheats which causes it to fail.

If mine was a 2wd, I'd pull the transmission myself but since it's a 4x4 I think I'm going to let someone else do it. Too bad your not in the south east, we could get a 2fer deal :)

good luck!
Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff. Yeah, I'm starting to lean towards the TC being the problem...but I won't be convinced until I have the time to drop the pan and inspect. Fortunately, I think I found a good trans shop nearby, so the worst case scenario is a donor transmission gets put in. It's most likely cheaper than a rebuild...but you take some risk in not knowing the history.

Good luck to you too. I really, REALLY want to love this truck 100%, but it's been a struggle. I think it lived a hard life before me, and all of that is catching up now. Too bad it wasn't more obvious to me when I bought it 8 months ago!
 
Qyota said:
I thought O/D was the action of the torque converter locking? Why is 4th gear called O/D?
Click to expand...

O/D simply means it is your highest gear and more than a 1-1 drive ratio. O/D is the action of your tranny shifting from 3rd to 4th and has nothing to do with the T/C being locked or unlocked.
 
Gotcha. Sometimes the T/C locks so quickly after shifting to O/D that it seems it's one in the same. Thanks for learnin' me!
 
Update time!

I took it to a great independent transmission shop, and here's what they found. They dropped the pan and immediately saw a thick coating of "sludge" over everything...including the valve body. The pan had about 1/2" of this stuff on the bottom. It wasn't metallic, though, which is good! The technician said it just looked like really old fluid that had been breaking down over time. The filter had almost a rusty coating of this stuff on it.

So, he cleaned everything as best he could, drained the trans as much as possible (said he got 8+ quarts), replaced the filter and filled with new Dex3 and the Platinum LubeGard additive. He said that stuff should work through the valve body and free up any sticky valves (which is what he thought was causing the problem).

My job is to drive it for about 3,000 miles, and do the service again. At that point, they should be able to get out the rest of whatever's in there, and hopefully all will be good. We're thinking this was the original fluid (136K miles!).

I drove it home, and it felt really good. Not enough of a test to see if it's fixed, but we're on the right track, I think.

The techs were amazed that the truck shifted as well as it did with all the goo in there!
 
I have had a similar problem with an '02 Sport, except it doesn't rev when I accelerate. It just feels like it's in neutral.

It's been doing it since December of last year (2008). It's always when I've come to a stop and then try to accelerate. And it's intermittent. Sometimes the O/D is on, and sometimes it's off.

But I live in the mountains, so I'm usually slowing down from only about 35 mph. I have also noticed that the VSC will activate for a second when I'm on an incline and I'm accelerating from a stop. And I'm not skidding or even on gravel or wet roads.

My mechanic who has worked on my family's 4Runners since 1996 thinks that the problems are related: the not accelerating and the VSC activation when I'm not skidding. He drove it for a week and was able to replicate the problem, but he didn't know how to remedy it.

I had it at my local stealership a few days ago, and after six hours they called me and said it hadn't done it to them. They didn't charge me, but they said they couldn't do anything because there weren't any codes and they basically treated me like a dumb female who doesn't know how to drive.

I felt like telling the dude that I've been driving the car since 2003 (when it was bought from the same dealership with only 11K miles) and it has only recently started doing this. He told me to come back if it does it again. It did it three times to me on the two-hour drive home.

The car has 106K on it now, and it's always been properly maintained. My family has had seven four runners over the years (currently have five), and none of them has ever had this problem.

I hope you did find a solution. I don't feel safe driving the car, and I'm going to have to trade it in if I can't find a solution. :(
 
What was the mileage on truck when trans was serviced?

I have heard mixed stories about whether or not to flush a transmission if there are no issues with it, especially after a certain amount of miles. I have 98 with 82k on it. I have no idea if the trans has ever been serviced. I would love to change all the fluids. I do the oil, planning on the diffs and transfer case too. However, I have heard that unless you get absolutely all comtaminents out of the pan/pumps/parts of the tranny, you could do more harm then good.
Thoughts/experience?
 
I've got an 02 w/ 105k on it, I bought it certified at 54k and the dealer had done a lot of service when it came in, one of which was to drain the tranny, not flush. For all I know that was the first time the tranny was ever touched as the original owner leased it and gave no service docs. Since then I have drained and filled the tranny 4 or 5 times, cleaned the filter twice and then just replaced it, the filter that is. I also got smart and bought the rubber gasket so I could avoid the mess of RTV. The point of this is, the fluid in my tranny always looks and smells brand new, there are no metal particles and the pan is clean as can be. To me draining and filling with the occasional pan drop and filter clean or change is plenty and will return a nice long service life. If you already know your tranny is sludged IMO flushing it would be crazy as who knows where that sludge will end up. If you've never dropped the pan I would do that the first time you drain and fill, you also get a bit more fluid that way, make sure you remove and clean the magnets and filter and reinstall them, or get the kit w/ a filter and gasket for $30 at the auto parts store. There are a few tricks to dropping the pan, if interested feel free to PM me or search as I have posted them several times.
 
Took a 900 mile trip this weekend and had the problem happen quite a bit. ONLY after driving at highway/freeway (TC locked-up) speeds for an extended period.

Interestingly, there is another pattern. If I'm on the freeway for say, 200 miles, and come to a stop (exit ramp, etc)...it will enter its neutral state as usual. Then, it will do it again at the next 2 stops or so. But, if I'm on the freeway for a shorter period of time, it will only do that once (the first stop).

Could heat be playing an issue? If so, what component is most likely to be affected by heat? I think I'm down to the valve body and the transmission ECM (or ECU, or whatever it is). Since it shifts GREAT every other time, I'm reluctant on either of these causes.

Gettin' tired of this. Transmission tech doesn't know what's up. I really hate throwing money at unknowns.
 
Told torque coverter is bad??? :(

Qyota said:
Update time!

I took it to a great independent transmission shop, and here's what they found. They dropped the pan and immediately saw a thick coating of "sludge" over everything...including the valve body. The pan had about 1/2" of this stuff on the bottom. It wasn't metallic, though, which is good! The technician said it just looked like really old fluid that had been breaking down over time. The filter had almost a rusty coating of this stuff on it.

So, he cleaned everything as best he could, drained the trans as much as possible (said he got 8+ quarts), replaced the filter and filled with new Dex3 and the Platinum LubeGard additive. He said that stuff should work through the valve body and free up any sticky valves (which is what he thought was causing the problem).

My job is to drive it for about 3,000 miles, and do the service again. At that point, they should be able to get out the rest of whatever's in there, and hopefully all will be good. We're thinking this was the original fluid (136K miles!).

I drove it home, and it felt really good. Not enough of a test to see if it's fixed, but we're on the right track, I think.

The techs were amazed that the truck shifted as well as it did with all the goo in there!
Click to expand...

Thanks Qoyta..i am in West Africa and am reliant on local mechanics..no dealerships here. I was driving normally and suddenly heard the engine revving as if in Neutral. Crawled to a stop. Tried to shift to get the truck moving but no luck. Eventually after some hours when the car was cold she moved but the same problem appeared. I am now told it is a "bad t-converter" When they opened the pan i also saw that the oil looked thick and blackish. Maybe i should also first clean the whole lot etc before trusting the Tranny to the locals? Please any info on DIY here will be most welcome! Not mechanical at all but can help myself.:help:
 
Carl58 said:
Thanks Qoyta..i am in West Africa and am reliant on local mechanics..no dealerships here. I was driving normally and suddenly heard the engine revving as if in Neutral. Crawled to a stop. Tried to shift to get the truck moving but no luck. Eventually after some hours when the car was cold she moved but the same problem appeared. I am now told it is a "bad t-converter" When they opened the pan i also saw that the oil looked thick and blackish. Maybe i should also first clean the whole lot etc before trusting the Tranny to the locals? Please any info on DIY here will be most welcome! Not mechanical at all but can help myself.:help:
Click to expand...

Maybe start a new thread to get more attention to your situation.
What year is your truck? I'm not a tranny expert but I've never heard of a bad torque converter. Sounds like lack of maintenance. Do several drain and fills to get fresh fluid in there before taking more drastic steps. I assume manual gear boxes are more available there. Did someone use gear oil instead of ATF by mistake? Search the forum for DIY help.
Anyone else want to chime in?
 
Last edited:
Just to follow up and (hopefully) bring this saga to a close. I just drove home my "frankentruck" with the donor tranny. Drives great. $677 for the 78K tranny (clean inside) and 1 year parts/labor warranty, and $605 to install with new filter, gasket, pump seal, and ATF. Not too bad, I guess. Hopefully that's the end of the trans issues.
 
Qyota said:
Just to follow up and (hopefully) bring this saga to a close. I just drove home my "frankentruck" with the donor tranny. Drives great. $677 for the 78K tranny (clean inside) and 1 year parts/labor warranty, and $605 to install with new filter, gasket, pump seal, and ATF. Not too bad, I guess. Hopefully that's the end of the trans issues.
Click to expand...


Any update? I started running into the same issue today and have kind of come to the conclusion that I've overheat the fluid since I just towed a couple of race bikes to FL from OH.

Does anyone think a trans cooler would save the trans or am I just putting off the inevitable replacement?
 
I own a 1998 4Runner with 178,000 no towing miles. Unfortunately I am having all of the same symptoms that you outlined in your transmission saga. Heat is the culprit. After driving at Freeway speeds for minimum 20 minutes, if I come to a stop the tranny goes into neutral state. I need to either downshift to 2nd, then low and often with a clunk as if being rear ended, and then into drive, into order to move forward. Or into park and back to drive, repeat several times and proceed into drive with any luck. The origin of my problem started in April 2011, after my transmission cooling unit assembly exploded inside of my radiator. I stopped the car immediately but the tranny fluid had completely contaminated the radiator and the tranny needed to be drained with 20 quarts of ATF. I drove the car until April of 2012 without any issues. Then the fun started with the suspended state of neutral. I have had the car for testing at a 40 year transmission specialist. No codes show, and the "pressure" is normal. They could not replicate the problem of the car going into neutral after driving on the freeway for 20 minutes or longer. What a waste of time and money. So I can continue to pay for more diagnostic time or buy a new Toyota rebuilt transmission for around $3,500. That is a big investment for an old car. I am curious how you have been treated by your new donor transmission.
 
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