Strawberry milkshake...Worth fixing tranny?

[sigley0527]

2000 4runner Limited (Auto) - 169k miles

A few nights ago I was driving locally to pick up some food and I noticed upon acceleration from a stop that my transmission was slipping from 1st to 2nd gear. This was the first time I ever noticed anything like this. When I arrived at the Chinese food place (maybe .5 miles from home) I pulled into the parking lot and noticed my temp gauge climbing. I immediately shut the truck off and got out to notice coolant POURING out from under my truck. The dreaded strawberry milkshake pouring out of my transmission! My radiator went and blew all the coolant into my transmission, I knew I was F*****. Had the tow truck take it to my mechanic. Replaced the radiator and hoses as well as flushed coolant system. Opened transmission pan and flushed transmission with 20 quarts of tranny fluid, then replaced tranny filter. My mechanic also added some seafoam or some time of additive in an attempt to dry out the transmission. I am very familiar with this problem and have read about it numerous times in the past on these forums, so I am aware that I am most likely going to have a spent tranny sooner or later.

When I got the truck back yesterday the transmission was shifting smoothly. But I'm noticing upon heavy acceleration that I can feel a little "clunk" when the auto shifts from 1st to 2nd. So I know its just a matter of time before the tranny is completely done. Here is my question...

I have 169k miles on the truck and its 15 years old. I am the original owner and have taken care of the truck very well over the years doing all the maintenance myself, using synthetic fluids all around, replacing parts with genuine Toyota parts, etc. Overall mechanically, the truck is in great condition and well taken care of. My dilemma right now is do I invest $2k plus into the transmission. I still also have to replace the timing belt and water pump as well. Also going to need 2 tires soon and additional maintenance replacements as needed.

Do you guys think its worth investing the money into this truck? Or do I get rid of it and lick my wounds. I love the truck and don't care how old it is. I will drive it for another 10 years if it allows me to.

Also, on average, how much am I looking at to rebuild the transmission? I'm not going the used tranny route; I don't trust it. Also, just out of curiosity, would it cost more to convert the tranny to manual compared to rebuilding the auto trans? If the price is cheaper or even the same as a rebuilt auto tranny, I would love to convert it to manual.

 

[jeremyc74]

You can get another 50-60k out of the truck easily. I'd either have the transmission repaired at a good shop, or swap it out for remanned. If the truck is in decent shape and you still like driving it you're going to be ahead financially to repair it. :sad:

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

You could always look for a good used transmission, granted, you won't necessarily know anything about the history. I'd think you could find a used trans for a lot less than 2k and you may never have another issue.

 

[0xfded]

Yep, you're not going to find another vehicle for $2k as good as the one you already have. A new transmission might outlive the rest of the vehicle (but it's hard to say, since these things don't seem to have any real terminal weaknesses.)

Couple of threads about auto-manual conversions on this board, have a read through them and you'll get an idea of what's involved. Believe you'll want a donor vehicle of basically exactly the same year to pull it off.

 

[AZPartsGuy]

Like others have said, ~$2k is a very good investment if you plan on keeping the vehicle. Have a specialist rebuild it.

Used is another good route. Swaps are a good route. It's pretty much up to you at this fork in the road. Some guys might take the opportunity to throw a manual in there like 0xfded says and it would be justified.

Me? I would drive it until it fails and then swap. You clearly care about the truck though, and you did exactly what you should have done in this situation, so maybe you're not interested in testing your luck. From what you're saying it sounds like doing these repairs and keeping it is the best option because you have all the history records.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[kpinthebay]

Curious, were you on the original radiator when this happened? And did you do any previous flushes? I ask because i just bought an 02, and the only thing the PO hadnt addressed were cooling system.

 

[kpinthebay]

Oh and i guess to echo everyone else, i would get the tranny rebuilt by the dealer and drive that thing until 2025 (just saw a Honda commercial featuring a Civic with 600k miles!)

 

[sigley0527]

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

I would like to add, my original plan was to drive the truck until 250k miles. I'm not saying that it wouldn't last longer than that, but with the amount I drive that would probably be 3-4 years from now. I'll be in a much better financial position to buy something new then. Right now I'm dealing with a lot of financial debt and I always banked on the reliability of my 4runner to not have to deal with car bills (payments, repairs, etc.) Inevitably, that's not the case now.

Like AZPartsGuy said, I'm going to drive the truck until the tranny fails, and then deal with it. I just got back from a test drive. I drove about 5-10 miles; highway and side-streets. I don't know if I hit a pot hole or something yesterday when I noticed the clunky shift, but I did not notice it on the test drive I just did. In fact, dare I say it seems to be shifting smoother than it ever has. I'll chalk that up to the fact that it has fresh tranny fluid and a new filter (I haven't changed tranny fluid in a long long time).

Anyway, if anyone has every got a tranny rebuild on this generation 4runner, please let me know what kind of cost I'm going to have to deal with when it does go. Also, if anyone has every converted an auto tranny to a manual, I would like to know what type of cost I would be looking at if I went that route. Although manual transmissions are cheaper to fix than autos, I'm assuming the conversion would be very expensive due to the labor and the amount of parts I would need compared to just rebuilding my existing auto transmission.

Thanks!!!

 

[sigley0527]

Curious, were you on the original radiator when this happened? And did you do any previous flushes? I ask because i just bought an 02, and the only thing the PO hadnt addressed were cooling system.

YES, this was the original radiator (169k miles) although I did a coolant flush around 90-100k.

And as far as your other post, I would be more inclined to bring it to a reputable transmission shop than the dealer ($). The only way I would bring it to the dealer is if they were putting a BRAND NEW tranny in for only slightly more than a rebuilt at a tranny shop would cost.

 

[KidVermicious]

My dilemma right now is do I invest $2k plus into the transmission. I still also have to replace the timing belt and water pump as well.

Shit yes, it's a good truck and owes you nuthin. A couple thou to keep it on the road is nothing compared to what you'd lose selling it and buying another.

 

[sigley0527]

Shit yes, it's a good truck and owes you nuthin. A couple thou to keep it on the road is nothing compared to what you'd lose selling it and buying another.

Yes, you're definitely right; I guess I just wanted some reassurance as the truck is now approaching the 200k mark and there are other things I need to replace.

But like I said, if anyone knows what kind of cost I am going to incur please enlighten me. Thanks!

 

[sigley0527]

Like others have said, ~$2k is a very good investment if you plan on keeping the vehicle. Have a specialist rebuild it.

Used is another good route. Swaps are a good route. It's pretty much up to you at this fork in the road. Some guys might take the opportunity to throw a manual in there like 0xfded says and it would be justified.

Me? I would drive it until it fails and then swap. You clearly care about the truck though, and you did exactly what you should have done in this situation, so maybe you're not interested in testing your luck. From what you're saying it sounds like doing these repairs and keeping it is the best option because you have all the history records.

Decisions, decisions...

History records? Considering I've done all the maintenance/repairs myself over the years I have no maintenance records. Maybe some receipts from the dealership for parts, but that's about it. I guess that another reason for me to keep it lol. Its worth more to me than its worth if I sold it.

 

[AZPartsGuy]

History records? Considering I've done all the maintenance/repairs myself over the years I have no maintenance records. Maybe some receipts from the dealership for parts, but that's about it. I guess that another reason for me to keep it lol. Its worth more to me than its worth if I sold it.

You know that proper maintenance has been done is what I mean. It's a very good reason to at least consider keeping it. I'm very happy to hear that it is still operating smoothly for you despite the incident. This is no doubt because you acted so quickly. Kudos.

 

[KidVermicious]

Yes, you're definitely right; I guess I just wanted some reassurance as the truck is now approaching the 200k mark and there are other things I need to replace.

But like I said, if anyone knows what kind of cost I am going to incur please enlighten me. Thanks!

Well, Camelback Toyota says a new transmission for a 2000 Limited is about $1700. That may not be the actual price, you'd want to call them to confirm. Then you have to worry about shipping, and if you're not installing it yourself you'd need to find a shop willing to install your parts and pay them several hundred more, at least. But that should get you in the ballpark.

As an FYI, most shops will be leery of letting you order a transmission from anywhere for them to install, for various reasons that aren't important. You can use the Camelback price as a bargaining chip if their quoted price is too high, but nearly every shop you go to will want to order the transmission themselves from their own supplier. Get one to the price you like and let them, even if it's a rebuild or a reman, because if the shop orders it then the shop is on the hook if something is wrong with it, not you. Savvy?

Don't be afraid of a rebuild if the price is right and the shop has good references and a good warranty. Look at all your options and figure your best cost to benefit ratio.

 

[sigley0527]

You know that proper maintenance has been done is what I mean. It's a very good reason to at least consider keeping it. I'm very happy to hear that it is still operating smoothly for you despite the incident. This is no doubt because you acted so quickly. Kudos.

Yes, I did act fast. As soon as I saw the temp gauge climbing I shut the truck off immediately. Additionally, even with the truck off I did not let the coolant sit in the transmission for longer than 11-12 hours. It would have been faster but it happened late at night.

Does anyone know anything about transmission additives? A few friends of mine mentioned a product that can reduce tranny slips and hard shifts. I was always under the assumption that this stuff doesn't work, and can actually be bad for your tranny. Thanks.

 

[sigley0527]

Well, Camelback Toyota says a new transmission for a 2000 Limited is about $1700. That may not be the actual price, you'd want to call them to confirm. Then you have to worry about shipping, and if you're not installing it yourself you'd need to find a shop willing to install your parts and pay them several hundred more, at least. But that should get you in the ballpark.

As an FYI, most shops will be leery of letting you order a transmission from anywhere for them to install, for various reasons that aren't important. You can use the Camelback price as a bargaining chip if their quoted price is too high, but nearly every shop you go to will want to order the transmission themselves from their own supplier. Get one to the price you like and let them, even if it's a rebuild or a reman, because if the shop orders it then the shop is on the hook if something is wrong with it, not you. Savvy?

Don't be afraid of a rebuild if the price is right and the shop has good references and a good warranty. Look at all your options and figure your best cost to benefit ratio.

This is for a NEW transmission??? I was under the assumption you can only get a NEW tranny from Toyota. I did see "new" transmissions online on google but I assumr they are rebuilt/remanned. How can a brand new Toyota Transmission only be $1700? I figured Toyota would charge $4000-$6000 for a brand new tranny.

 

[JBurt]

Camelback is a Toyota dealership that lots of guys here like (me included). Give them a call. Great guys.

 

[KidVermicious]

I figured Toyota would charge $4000-$6000 for a brand new tranny.

That sounds about right for a bill from a dealership service department to install a new transmission, parts and labor. Camelback is a dealership but they're also an internet wholesaler, so even with shipping you can frequently get a better price from them on OEM stuff than you'd get by walking up to your local parts counter.

 

[kpinthebay]

Ouch!... ok im changing my oem rad first thing tomorrow.

 

[Rock_Rat]

2000 4runner Limited (Auto) - 169k miles


I have 169k miles on the truck and its 15 years old. I am the original owner and have taken care of the truck very well over the years doing all the maintenance myself, using synthetic fluids all around, replacing parts with genuine Toyota parts, etc. Overall mechanically, the truck is in great condition and well taken care of.

For what it's worth, I'm an original owner and performed regular maintenance on my runner since day one. Aside from changing plugs, an ignition coil here and there, O2 sensors here and there, timing belt, and fluids etc. I put on 309,000 miles and never changed the radiator, lbj's etc. I feel like I escaped...barely.

Over the past year I've since done all the heavy preventive maintenance after reading all of the information on here. I've done a few more things as well. (hehe) I'm in the PNW so I don't have the rust to deal with. I have a great platform to build on. If all goes well I plan on getting another 15 years and 700K plus miles on mine. I say keep it!! You have a LOT of life left in her.