tranny problems. bad torque converter?

R

ray122

New member
Hey everybody,
So i have a 2002 4runner 4×4 ltd, 165,xxx miles, A340f transmission, mostly stock, and im starting to have trouble with my transmission and i believe my torque converter is to blame. Symptoms are loss of power and acceleration at low speeds, trembling when the tc (torque converter) tries to lock up, and cel with a p0770 code- shift solenoid E failure (lock up solenoid) which i just replaced about a month ago. So my question is should i just get my tc replaced and transmission flushed ($1,000), or should i get my tranny rebuilt($3,000). Has anybody here had there tc replaced independent of your tranny? What was your experience? Did it work? How much did it cost? Any info, experiences, or suggestions are greatly appreciated, thank you.
~ Raymond
 
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Replacing just the tc is risky due to broken pieces of it already entering the transmission and doing damage. If you can afford it, go the whole transmission and tc replacement, or look for a junkyard replacement if you're cheap like me.
It's a lot of work, and I'd be completely sure it's the TC before replacing. Also there's differences in 3rd gen transmissions if you pick up a junkyard trans.
 
Mynameistommy510 said:
Replacing just the tc is risky due to broken pieces of it already entering the transmission and doing damage. If you can afford it, go the whole transmission and tc replacement, or look for a junkyard replacement if you're cheap like me.
It's a lot of work, and I'd be completely sure it's the TC before replacing. Also there's differences in 3rd gen transmissions if you pick up a junkyard trans.
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Yea i was worried about broken pieces in my tranny but last time i droped my pan to change the solenoid there wasn't an usual amount of debris in my pan or filter. Thats why i was hoping i can just replace the tc and flush the transmission then change the filter to try to catch any debris that is floating around and get it out. Ill check the junk yards again but i havent been able to find and in my local yards. Also i found someone parting out a '99 runner 4×4 on craigslist but in the description it said it had the A340e but i thought 4×4 had A340f and 2×4 had A340e. Is the e compatible with my runner and do you know any other differences between the A340 ttransmissions?
 
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ray122 said:
Yea i was worried about broken pieces in my tranny but last time i droped my pan to change the solenoid there wasn't an usual amount of debris in my pan or filter. Thats why i was hoping i can just replace the tc and flush the transmission then change the filter to try to catch any debris that is floating around and get it out. Ill check the junk yards again but i havent been able to find and in my local yards. Also i found someone parting out a '99 runner 4×4 on craigslist but in the description it said it had the A340e but i thought 4×4 had A340f and 2×4 had A340e. Is the e compatible with my runner and do you know any other differences between the A340 ttransmissions?
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You are correct on the a340e and a340f. The a340e has a longer output shaft that isn't compatible with a transfer case. There's a write up on here showing the break down of an a340e having an a340f output shaft swapped into it, and you can be the judge of whether that's worth it or not.
I recently posted a photo of a transmission I picked up on Craigslist and found out about different valve body's within the transmission changing in 1999 than again in 2001. The ECM or ECU for sure won't be compatable between pre 1999 and post 2001. But 1999 and 2000 a340f? That was never answered.
Being that you have a 2002 makes it a tough decision. I can find at least one pre 1999 runners at every junkyard. How much abuse has your transmission seen?
 
Sorry for not following up on this post but ive been very busy, but here is the update for who ever is interested or cares to chime in :).

As i suspected (and dreaded) i was victim of the pink milkshake. I believe it was caused by the previous owner not using toyota red anti-freeze and not flushing it once in a while (also at 160,xxx miles it was the original rad). The rad looked like it was still in good condition so i just flushed it with distilled water and filled it with a 50/50 mix of red anti-freeze and distilled water. But since the lines were probably already corroded it may have just exasperated the situation. Any way i found a koyo rad for only $100 on car-id.com, and radiator hoses from auto-zone for $25. And as for the tranny there is a place in rancho cordova, CA called toyota recycling that has a GREAT deal on rebuilt transmissions. Im having them rebuild a tranny out of a 2001 4runner (mines a 2002, these are the only years that are interchangeable with each other because of differences in the valve body). The transmission is an A340f (4×4 auto) the rebuild costs $1300 and they replace all soft parts and any hard parts that need replacing and includes a new torque converter. If you can drop and reinstall the tranny yourself (or with help you can pay with beer and food) this is you best route. Ill start a new thread for the tranny swap incase anybody wants to check it out.

Thank you to everybody who posted and helped me out, and to anybody that may be in the same position as me that comes across this thread feel free to pm me any questions and ill try to get back to you asap.
 
Hello!

Hello!

If the Strawberry milkshake strikes is it sure to show up on the dipstick or do you have to do a drain and fill to see the pink fluid?

Thanks!
 
Just curious to what solenoid you replace with? I had a shift solenoid go bad and replaced all 3 solenoids with some from Amazon which everyone was using and had good luck with. Well my "new" solenoid was bad from the get-go and had to swap my OE back in.

Yours sounds more mechanical than just a sensor though. I never had that problem, It just wouldnt lock up.
 
Not sure how credible this is... but I was told that Toyota transmissions don't do well being rebuilt... and that it would be better to buy a used/junkyard transmission to have install

Did you ever have the transmission fluid changed out? Curious as to your maintenance history...

I had a 3rd Gen that hesitated to go into 2nd gear when cold... Drove it that way for years with no other issues. I had never changed the transmission fluid. Didn't know how to back then.
 
zoombyu86 said:
Just curious to what solenoid you replace with? I had a shift solenoid go bad and replaced all 3 solenoids with some from Amazon which everyone was using and had good luck with. Well my "new" solenoid was bad from the get-go and had to swap my OE back in.

Yours sounds more mechanical than just a sensor though. I never had that problem, It just wouldnt lock up.
Click to expand...

In the 2001-02 model years, there are 5 total shift solenoids. The P0770 code is for Shift Solenoid "E" which is #5, located above the valve body. This solenoid is not included with the 3 from Amazon.

Just replacing a solenoid may fix the problem but it could be many other things like a bad valve body, solenoid relay, transmission computer, etc.
 
Same issues

Any updates on this? I have a 99 with 106k miles on it and I got the same rumbles and the P0770 code. I changed all 3 solenoids and the filter and found no metal in the pan but the fluid was brown and smelled burnt. I refilled and had the same issue but did another drain and fill and drove it for a couple days with no more rumbling and the code didn't come back (I reset the code by disconnecting the battery.) It did seem to run a little rough and not as much getup but maybe that's just in my head but I could definitely smell burnt tranny fluid after driving for like 30-40 minutes. I took it to a tranny shop and they said the torque converter was locking but wasn't staying locked which was caused by other issues with the transmission. They said this would require a replacement of the transmission. Does this make sense? I've read that a drain and flush can fix this issue since the TC can malfunction with old or low fluid. I can't explain why the fluid smells burnt though, that makes me think they may be right. Any advice?
 
If the TC won't stay locked you should be able to tell by the tach jumping up and down by approx. 500 rpm when driving on level ground at a constant speed.
 
Hm I would think I would definitely notice that. I'm worried that since I called asking for a quote for a TC replacement last week and now that rumble strips hasn't come back they're just looking for some work to do to it. Maybe I can pick it up and drive it around a bit to pay more attention to the tach.
 
erikw9 said:
Any updates on this? I have a 99 with 106k miles on it and I got the same rumbles and the P0770 code. I changed all 3 solenoids and the filter and found no metal in the pan but the fluid was brown and smelled burnt. I refilled and had the same issue but did another drain and fill and drove it for a couple days with no more rumbling and the code didn't come back (I reset the code by disconnecting the battery.) It did seem to run a little rough and not as much getup but maybe that's just in my head but I could definitely smell burnt tranny fluid after driving for like 30-40 minutes. I took it to a tranny shop and they said the torque converter was locking but wasn't staying locked which was caused by other issues with the transmission. They said this would require a replacement of the transmission. Does this make sense? I've read that a drain and flush can fix this issue since the TC can malfunction with old or low fluid. I can't explain why the fluid smells burnt though, that makes me think they may be right. Any advice?
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Low fluid will cause a host of issues. Get it nice and warm after driving it, park it on flat ground and check the dipstick to see what level it is at.

If you do need a new one, drop in a used one over a rebuilt. Not only will it be much, much cheaper but these transmissions are good and most junkyards will warranty their parts.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Low fluid will cause a host of issues. Get it nice and warm after driving it, park it on flat ground and check the dipstick to see what level it is at.

If you do need a new one, drop in a used one over a rebuilt. Not only will it be much, much cheaper but these transmissions are good and most junkyards will warranty their parts.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've been reading that quite a bit, checking the fluid would be a pretty quick and easy thing to cross off the list.

I was hesitant to put in a used transmission since I can't find any with less miles than I have. Most have somewhere from 50-100k more miles on them but I've been seeing that re-manufactured transmissions can only last 50k miles so the 3 year warranty wouldn't do a whole lot.
 
erikw9 said:
Yeah I've been reading that quite a bit, checking the fluid would be a pretty quick and easy thing to cross off the list.

I was hesitant to put in a used transmission since I can't find any with less miles than I have. Most have somewhere from 50-100k more miles on them but I've been seeing that re-manufactured transmissions can only last 50k miles so the 3 year warranty wouldn't do a whole lot.
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Yeah, that warranty would expire just in time for it to fail lol. Many of the users on here have 200k+ on the original unit, I think anything under 200k would be a decent bet, obviously lower is better though.
 
ben550 said:
Not sure how credible this is... but I was told that Toyota transmissions don't do well being rebuilt... and that it would be better to buy a used/junkyard transmission to have install

Did you ever have the transmission fluid changed out? Curious as to your maintenance history...

I had a 3rd Gen that hesitated to go into 2nd gear when cold... Drove it that way for years with no other issues. I had never changed the transmission fluid. Didn't know how to back then.
Click to expand...

I have to say you are 100% correct at saying toyota transmissions dont do well being rebuilt. I talked to my toyota dealer and they refused to do any transmission rebuild and would only sell a new one for 6k. They referred me to a local transmission shop who they sub out their trans work. I spent 2500 having the muther rebuilt only to have it become the biggest pain in my ass i have ever had. It shifts terrible, i have had it in the shop in and out for the last 8 months and only to still have it stick in gear and constantly throw a "shift solenoid E" code. So needless to say i have over 3k in it now and its not fixed. i should have bought a junkyard transmission.
 
Buckshot399 said:
I have to say you are 100% correct at saying toyota transmissions dont do well being rebuilt. I talked to my toyota dealer and they refused to do any transmission rebuild and would only sell a new one for 6k. They referred me to a local transmission shop who they sub out their trans work. I spent 2500 having the muther rebuilt only to have it become the biggest pain in my ass i have ever had. It shifts terrible, i have had it in the shop in and out for the last 8 months and only to still have it stick in gear and constantly throw a "shift solenoid E" code. So needless to say i have over 3k in it now and its not fixed. i should have bought a junkyard transmission.
Click to expand...

I opted for a used one with 130k on it. My girl is in the shop getting it swapped in so we'll see how it pans out. I'm hoping for the best since it's such a high risk situation. I was originally going to suck it up and spend the 3k to have it rebuilt but I decided not to.
 
johnbyebye said:
I opted for a used one with 130k on it. My girl is in the shop getting it swapped in so we'll see how it pans out. I'm hoping for the best since it's such a high risk situation. I was originally going to suck it up and spend the 3k to have it rebuilt but I decided not to.
Click to expand...


I'm looking forward to hearing how your used swap in goes. I'm in a similar boat and trying to nail down my game plan.
 
Damn...I'm so following this thread...got pink milkshake two weeks ago but my local mechanic opted to do a full tranny flush (50 qts) as he said there wasn't much contamination in there. 120 miles later (knock on wood), still running great but i'm sure i'll be revisiting this issue again. Good to know about not using rebuilts.
 
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