Stuck in mud...overheated A/T

[philsey]

Seriously guys? Hose it and forget it?

Here are your symptoms.....

.....
1....pushing, pulling, bouncing {for} 3 hours of trying to get out,
2.....my A/T light comes on.
3.....Wheels stop spinning but engine still revving.

...... now, I know zippo about A/Ts, except what [MENTION=83078]INDYMAC[/MENTION] sez;

....... Heat is the enemy of ATF and transmissions..

..... plus something caused #2 and #3.

Call me Nancy if you wish, but if this were my truck, I'd be getting my ATF changed pronto. Cheap insurance.

.02

 

[Intruder]

Now, nobody around for miles and no cell coverage. No trees around to get hooked up to. My shovel was useless. We tried pushing, pulling, bouncing, nothing...

This is why I never go off road alone. I know guys who think they're fine because they have a winch, but as you know from this situation there isn't always something around to winch off of. I'd suggest getting a Spot or something like that for these situations. Having a VHF/UHF radio can also be good.

3 hours later (yes, 3 hours) of trying to get out, my A/T light comes on. Wheels stop spinning but engine still revving. My heart stopped, so I shut the truck off and started walking.

Would it possibly have been better to let the truck run at idle so the fans would keep running and coolant circulating? Anyone know?

Thanks for the tip. But I didnt have anything like that on me at the time. I even used my Husky cargo mat, but no luck :toilet:

A lot of times the only thing that's going to get you out of mud is another truck - either with a strap or a winch - especially if you're really dug in.

I got some new straps I want to get dirty...

Once a strap gets muddy it's time to retire it. The mud works its way into the fibres and rapidly degrades the break strength. I keep a cheap strap in my truck that I don't mind chucking in the trash for use in mud.

 

[DannyLlama]

WOWZERS

Glad to see you came out of it in one piece, both you and your truck!!!

I had a close call with Mud myself, and of course I was alone. GOD BLESS ATRAC though! My truck wasn't only not going forward, it started to fish tail and headed towards a cliff to my left..

Lots of good advice on here. [MENTION=6163]phillyd2[/MENTION] what are those pillars called? Specific brand name?

Has anyone used them before with success?

 

[eddiebx]

Does anyone here know if what OP experienced is a built-in safety feature in the event that the AT fluid overheats? I mean somehow electronically/mechanically disabling your transmission from driving when the fluid is too hot...or was it just the transmission slipping?

I flipped through the manual briefly and all it seems to suggest is if that light comes on call Toyota :doh:

Would it possibly have been better to let the truck run at idle so the fans would keep running and coolant circulating? Anyone know?

That sounds like a real good idea actually...never would've thought of that one had I not read it

Lots of good advice on here. [MENTION=6163]phillyd2[/MENTION] what are those pillars called? Specific brand name?

Has anyone used them before with success?

I think those are MAXTRAX: Vehicle Extraction & Recovery

 

[chmura]

I think you should be fine. I had my previous Tacoma stuck in mud with the end of the exhaust under water. Kept the vehicle idling so I wouldn't get crap flowing into the exhaust. Never had a problem after that.

 

[DannyLlama]

I think those are MAXTRAX: Vehicle Extraction & Recovery

Thanks!

 

[JB.]

WTF should I do?

If you're sure the light was on only briefly, the manual suggests a simple option. Do nothing.

If it were my truck, I would put the transmission into the severe service maintenance schedule, at minimum.

Automatic transmission
fluid temperature warning
light

Indicates that the automatic
transmission fluid
temperature is too high

Stop the vehicle in a safe
place and shift the shift
lever to P.

If the light does not go off,
contact your Toyota dealer.

 

[DEKA3]

I am leaning towards just getting the fluids changed. Cheap insurance, as was already mentioned. I figure better safe then sorry.

 

[JB.]

Let us know how that goes.

The "lifetimeness" of the WS AT fluid has received a lot of discussion in the 4th gen forum. It's not uncommon for people to report that their dealer wouldn't change the fluid because it's lifetime.

 

[DEKA3]

Let us know how that goes.

The "lifetimeness" of the WS AT fluid has received a lot of discussion in the 4th gen forum. It's not uncommon for people to report that their dealer wouldn't change the fluid because it's lifetime.

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[BlackWorksInc]

:: checks forum ::

Oh, it's you guys. I'll just see myself out then, shall I?

I was wondering how fast that was going to be pointed out, lol... Yeah sorry Kevin but these days the AT Dipstick has gone the way of the Twinkie!

Let us know how that goes.

The "lifetimeness" of the WS AT fluid has received a lot of discussion in the 4th gen forum. It's not uncommon for people to report that their dealer wouldn't change the fluid because it's lifetime.

WS ATF (or any ATF trying to claim so) is NOT "lifetime," I just don't see any way that ATF can be lifetime; it just does too much. Its one of the hardest working fluids in a vehicle and you wanna tell me its gonna last 300k+? I call BS.

What Toyota (and others) mean by "lifetime" is; Buy a new car after 100k, because we need your money!

I'll be more than happy to reverse my opinion if an engineer or fluid scientist can provide me data that shows WS Fluid can be a coolant, hydraulic fluid, carrier for detergents, friction modifier (enhancing friction), a lubricant, cleaning agent (moving particulates through the system and theoretically through the filter to reduce debris in suspension), and any other purposes I missed; without degrading after about 100k. I just don't see how its possible, its a LONG life ATF more than anything in my opinion.

 

[JB.]

I don't disagree. I've drained and filled mine 4 times (100-110k) within the last year so that's where I have ended up on the subject, but I don't dismiss the potential for an uncontaminated synthetic fluid to be nearly indestructible. For me, it's just a matter of managing the risk with incomplete information. I finally decided the risk of altering the factory fill was worth what I expect to be the reward.

I'm just curious to get another report of a different dealers stance on the issue.

 

[DEKA3]

UPDATE:

Went to the dealer. Had them inspect the fluid and run techstream.

I spoke directly to the mechanic. He said no codes came up, and the color was "like new". I asked him if the codes are stored in memory if x-amount of time passes by. I dont know how the software works, but he said no codes came up at all.

So, I guess this is good news....right?

 

[eddiebx]

I know some will say it's hard to judge a fluid by it's color, but if it's been running fine after your incident and there's no codes stored...I probably would not sweat it too much? I think someone has said this already, but I'm sure Toyota put in some safety measures to stop you before you do too much damage I personally wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I were in your shoes.

 

[JB.]

UPDATE:

Went to the dealer. Had them inspect the fluid and run techstream.

I spoke directly to the mechanic. He said no codes came up, and the color was "like new". I asked him if the codes are stored in memory if x-amount of time passes by. I dont know how the software works, but he said no codes came up at all.

So, I guess this is good news....right?

Sounds like good news to me. Glad you got a clean bill of health.

I'm not surprised to hear that the dealer exhibited no enthusiasm for doing anything with the fluid even though I think the "color like new" statement was probably exaggerated based on all the reports in the 4th gen forum (example), but I also tend to think color matters a lot less with the WS synthetic fluid.

If you happen to care about getting a look at the fluid yourself, it's easy to do. Not quite dipstick easy but with the truck started cold and left running in park, the overflow plug can be pulled from the pan and only a tiny amount of fluid will come out.

 

[Biggcrisp]

Good as new?

The fluid on your left is new. The one on the right is used @11,500 miles. There is nothing wrong with the used fluid. However, it does not look new lol. Your auto trans will discolor during break-in. Usually happens around 5,000 miles.

 

[harper7]

UPDATE:

Went to the dealer. Had them inspect the fluid and run techstream.

I spoke directly to the mechanic. He said no codes came up, and the color was "like new". I asked him if the codes are stored in memory if x-amount of time passes by. I dont know how the software works, but he said no codes came up at all.

So, I guess this is good news....right?

That sounds like good news!
Good thing they have the overheat protection built in to shut it down or you probably wouldn't have been so lucky but don't do that again unless it's a life or death situation.If your stuck your stuck and will need pulled out .
Not sure what you did or for long,probably rocking it Drive-Rev-Drive-Rev, back and forth for a long time but that will kill any tranny after awhile. Been there done that on a couple of GM trannies myself and up ended changing one 5 miles back in the woods years ago after I was pulled out of a mud hole to higher ground.Still had to walk out and still had to get pulled out of the hole but burnt up a tranny and had to change it there as there was no way to get towed the whole way out to change it.

 

[DEKA3]

That sounds like good news!
Good thing they have the overheat protection built in to shut it down or you probably wouldn't have been so lucky but don't do that again unless it's a life or death situation.If your stuck your stuck and will need pulled out .
Not sure what you did or for long,probably rocking it Drive-Rev-Drive-Rev, back and forth for a long time but that will kill any tranny after awhile. Been there done that on a couple of GM trannies myself and up ended changing one 5 miles back in the woods years ago after I was pulled out of a mud hole to higher ground.Still had to walk out and still had to get pulled out of the hole but burnt up a tranny and had to change it there as there was no way to get towed the whole way out to change it.

Thats exactly what I did. Rocking back and forth for a few hours :frusty:

The fluid on your left is new. The one on the right is used @11,500 miles. There is nothing wrong with the used fluid. However, it does not look new lol. Your auto trans will discolor during break-in. Usually happens around 5,000 miles.

Wow, Thats great info! Thanks for the pics! Unfortunately I did not get a look at the color myself. But after owning 7 cars from the same dealer over the years, I have no reason NOT to trust them.

Sounds like good news to me. Glad you got a clean bill of health.

I'm not surprised to hear that the dealer exhibited no enthusiasm for doing anything with the fluid even though I think the "color like new" statement was probably exaggerated based on all the reports in the 4th gen forum (example), but I also tend to think color matters a lot less with the WS synthetic fluid.

If you happen to care about getting a look at the fluid yourself, it's easy to do. Not quite dipstick easy but with the truck started cold and left running in park, the overflow plug can be pulled from the pan and only a tiny amount of fluid will come out.

Good info! Thanks!

Wondering if I should play it safe and just change the oil out at 30K. Opinions?
Also, I own a bluetooth KIWI OBD2 and doesnt have transmission temps. Thinking of buying a scangauge now