Not really qualified to give any advice on this, but have been following this thread and the above is bothering me. If the transmission fluid is showing signs of contamination wouldn't you want to get it out of there immediately or sooner? Seems like leaving it in until you change the radiator is asking for damage that you might be able to avoid if you get it flushed.
My wife texted me these pictures of my T4R while I'm traveling for work... crap
- Thread starter twalk
- Start date
Not really qualified to give any advice on this, but have been following this thread and the above is bothering me. If the transmission fluid is showing signs of contamination wouldn't you want to get it out of there immediately or sooner? Seems like leaving it in until you change the radiator is asking for damage that you might be able to avoid if you get it flushed.
twalk
New member
Well now it's bothering me.
I'm going to be out of town all week :-/
Should I have someone local to get the truck somewhere to get flushed ASAP?
What sucks is it'll have to be towed to the shop, then back home for the DIY radiator swap. I was hoping I could do the radiator next week...
What if I just had someone drain the transmission at my house for now? Better than nothing?
This sucks...
JBurt
Senior Member
That's a good route too, but you can do the flush without dropping the pan, however on a used car cleaning the filter and checking the magnets is not a bad idea either.
You can have someone flush it also. The reasons against a flush are 1) is costs more than doing it yourself, and 2) it is a pressurised cleaning and on an older rig some say that it dislodges a lot of debris and can do more harm than good. With a home flush the cleaning is more gradual and supposedly easier on the transmission itself.
Does this car need to be used on a daily basis?
Last edited:
PitbullRescuer
New member
If you do indeed have the pink milkshake, you're probably f'd at this point. What kills the trans is the coolant sitting in there and soaking into the clutches. You would've wanted to drain and flush it IMMEDIATELY, as was offered to you a few times in this thread.
How low did the trans fluid level drop? It doesn't look low on the picture you posted of the dipstick, which I thought was after your cooling system flush.
How low did the trans fluid level drop? It doesn't look low on the picture you posted of the dipstick, which I thought was after your cooling system flush.
JohnsD90
New member
I would ignore most of the advice from this thread, but listen to what pitbull has said. I do not understand why this is a 9 page thread. If this was my truck and i were you, i would drain and replace the motor oil, flush the tranny and change the oil, and put the new radiator in with new coolant then run the truck and see how it runs. That list of parts last i checked will run you about $200 and a couple hours to complete.
twalk
New member
Thanks. The thread got so long because it started with trying to track down the source of the fluid on the floor sent to me in a picture from my wife while I was traveling.
Speculation spanned brake fuid, front diff fluid, motor oil etc...
While Pitbull did reiterate that the trans. should be flushed, all of that talk started at 7 PM last night, and that gave me no time to do anything since I'm flying across the country today :-\
The truck has been sitting still in my garage, radiator and transmission drained, and unmoved for over 48 hours now.
So, I'm limited in my options now, but I do have a few people back home that could help me out with something (like dropping the pan and draining the rest of the trans, and maybe even coordinating with a garage to get the truck towed for a trans flush.
As stated before, I'd prefer to do the radiator replacement before sending it to get the transmission flushed, otherwise I'll be looking at getting it towed back home to replace the radiator (since I obviously cannot drive it with the failing radiator).
twalk
New member
Also I just did an oil/filter change on Friday. The engine oil still looked fine as of yesterday morning. Do you recommend I do another oil change after flushing the cooling and transmission systems?
CHeck your local craigslist site and there's a section under Services for Automotive. Often times, SAE certified mechanics offer at home services. Worth a shot.
JohnsD90
New member
Its another $30, i did see you changed the oil already, but i know you are concerned it could be a headgasket or a radiator or transmission issue, i would just do it all so you know you have a clean slate with all the fluids and you know its all clean when you start, and you can see if any problems surface and you should be able to better diagnose the issue because of it. If you think the oil is good and not contaminated than you probably dont have to change it, but at $30 why not be sure of it? Let me know how this plays out.
Last edited:
PitbullRescuer
New member
Any updates?
twalk
New member
$300 later, my 4Runner is running great!
I'll post a thorough update later, but the quick recap is:
- Ordered new radiator last week
- Radiator delivered Wednesday
- Bought transmission filter/gasket kit yesterday
- Bought case of ATF
- Bought 2 gal coolant / 2 gal distilled water
This morning: Replaced radiator and flushed cooling system
This afternoon: Drained ATF, dropped sump pan, replaced AT filter, flushed and replaced all fluid.
Drove around tonight and everything was perfect. Not a single transmission hitch, engine temps were cool, and not a drop of anything on my garage floor 3 hours later. Coolant remains clean, as does trans. fluid.
This forum is an invaluable resource (as is my father-in-law
.
I'll post a thorough update later, but the quick recap is:
- Ordered new radiator last week
- Radiator delivered Wednesday
- Bought transmission filter/gasket kit yesterday
- Bought case of ATF
- Bought 2 gal coolant / 2 gal distilled water
This morning: Replaced radiator and flushed cooling system
This afternoon: Drained ATF, dropped sump pan, replaced AT filter, flushed and replaced all fluid.
Drove around tonight and everything was perfect. Not a single transmission hitch, engine temps were cool, and not a drop of anything on my garage floor 3 hours later. Coolant remains clean, as does trans. fluid.
This forum is an invaluable resource (as is my father-in-law
.Brignola85
New member
I'm glad to see you've got her fixed. I just wanted to throw in here that I am also from Lancaster. Had I known about this thread I could've come out and had that radiator replaced for you while you were gone. (Likely would've only charged you a case of beer, too.) My apologies.
It's funny how, and I mean no offense here, every and their brother seems to be master auto technicians. Props to Pitbull on calling this one out (page 2?). I know that if I ever ran into a 4Runner issue that I could've solve, he'd be the man I went to.
It's funny how, and I mean no offense here, every and their brother seems to be master auto technicians. Props to Pitbull on calling this one out (page 2?). I know that if I ever ran into a 4Runner issue that I could've solve, he'd be the man I went to.
twalk
New member
I hear ya. I know it's a typical sounding case of "I know a guy"
I don't hesitate to take my car to my mechanic when things get hairy, but I've seen my FIL handle two prior radiator replacements, timing belts/chains, alternators, pumps etc. Knowing that the 4runner didn't need heavy wrenching, I was sure we could do it ourselves by following the write-ups on this forum
Honestly, the guides we followed were damn-near fool-proof!
I appreciate the generous offers, but I couldn't bring myself to have someone come to my house and fix my truck for me while I was away. I'd at least want to be there to help (fetch beers) ;-)
I don't hesitate to take my car to my mechanic when things get hairy, but I've seen my FIL handle two prior radiator replacements, timing belts/chains, alternators, pumps etc. Knowing that the 4runner didn't need heavy wrenching, I was sure we could do it ourselves by following the write-ups on this forum
Honestly, the guides we followed were damn-near fool-proof!
I appreciate the generous offers, but I couldn't bring myself to have someone come to my house and fix my truck for me while I was away. I'd at least want to be there to help (fetch beers) ;-)
Brignola85
New member
I hear ya. I know it's a typical sounding case of "I know a guy"
I don't hesitate to take my car to my mechanic when things get hairy, but I've seen my FIL handle two prior radiator replacements, timing belts/chains, alternators, pumps etc. Knowing that the 4runner didn't need heavy wrenching, I was sure we could do it ourselves by following the write-ups on this forum
Honestly, the guides we followed were damn-near fool-proof!
I appreciate the generous offers, but I couldn't bring myself to have someone come to my house and fix my truck for me while I was away. I'd at least want to be there to help (fetch beers) ;-)
Hahah. My reply was aimed more toward the overly excessive amount of forum 'guesses' that filled up 9 pages on your thread. Although I suppose that is the point of a forum like this, and being able to share not only your fun 4Runner times, but having the support to get needed help. Having someone like your FIL is always a HUGE help. Kudo's to him.
I'm about to head over to East Petersburg to check out a 4Runner. :roadkill:
twalk
New member
Mine might be for sale soon too
Just found out my wife is pregnant with our second child, so what was supposed to be my tinker-toy (money pit) 4Runner may have to go in favor of a gas-efficient hatch or wagon
We already have a gas guzzling minivan, and babies aren't cheap, so we are going to pinch some pennies for a bit...
