trans...brakes....oh boy

[reddi red]

hey gang.
i just bought a 1999 3.4 4x4 highlander ed 4runner like 2 months ago.

right now:
the trans is starting to slip......once, when i came to a stop from the hwy, there was a clunk.....like someone hit my truck?? also this morning, came off the hwy, stopped at stop sign, then tried to take off....nothing for about 5 seconds......then it clunked into gear then everything was good.
the truck had new trans fluid when purchased, then 10 days ago, i changed it because of abnormal shifting and noted that the trans fluid was a little too dark, like it had burned or something. shifted ok after drain & fill.
also when checking the fluid, THE DIPSTICK BROKE inside the tube. 1/3 of the dipstick is now stuck in the filler tube.
couldn't make this up!!

also, with the brakes....i think.
from a crawl, once the brakes are depressed, the truck stops abruptly, like i slammed on the brakes. really weird.

now i'm worried about the transfer case too. not sure if it is shifting out of 4x4 properly. sure the 4x4 light goes off, but if in deep turn or if i immediately go into a deep turn, if feels like the 4x4 is still engaged.

when the truck was purchased, it had new trans fluid and a new radiator which recently led me to believe that there could've been a internal rupture resulting in the notorious pink milkshake. dealer says no, but i say yes.

pretty bad after 2 months of ownership and I LOVE THIS TRUCK!!

any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Qyota]

when the truck was purchased, it had new trans fluid and a new radiator which recently led me to believe that there could've been a internal rupture resulting in the notorious pink milkshake. dealer says no, but i say yes.

pretty bad after 2 months of ownership and I LOVE THIS TRUCK!!

any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

First off...I was you about 2 years ago. Just bought my first 4Runner (used), and absolutely WANTED to love it, but ran into similar problems. 2 years later, I'm still here, and still loving the truck!

Anyway, I think you're on the right track with the radiator failure. The fact that the radiator is new adds credence to this. I think this is exactly what they did on mine. Swap the radiator, call it a day. When, in fact, my truck was the victim of the milkshake prior to my ownership. A month or two into ownership, the transmission starting doing exactly what you've described.

I suspect you don't have a warranty on it. It's a good idea to have a transmission shop do a full trans service for two reasons. They can get the broken dip-stick out, and they can diagnose trans problems by looking at the fluid more closely.

Then, start cruising car-part.com in your area for a used transmission with fewer miles.

It's what I did...and after replacing the trans with a donor with 78K, I've never looked back. :driving:

 

[reddi red]

anyone else welcome to chime in.

I've searched on here and I haven't really seen anything regarding the brakes.
unfortunately my rig didn't come with a jack. :wtf:
so i can't really get under it until I buy one........of course, when i get paid.
I'm gonna troll junk yards for the proper jack but very rarely do you find a 4runner/tacoma in the JY.

So yeah, share your knowledge guys.
thanks!

 

[reddi red]

First off...I was you about 2 years ago. Just bought my first 4Runner (used), and absolutely WANTED to love it, but ran into similar problems. 2 years later, I'm still here, and still loving the truck!

Anyway, I think you're on the right track with the radiator failure. The fact that the radiator is new adds credence to this. I think this is exactly what they did on mine. Swap the radiator, call it a day. When, in fact, my truck was the victim of the milkshake prior to my ownership. A month or two into ownership, the transmission starting doing exactly what you've described.

I suspect you don't have a warranty on it. It's a good idea to have a transmission shop do a full trans service for two reasons. They can get the broken dip-stick out, and they can diagnose trans problems by looking at the fluid more closely.

Then, start cruising car-part.com in your area for a used transmission with fewer miles.

It's what I did...and after replacing the trans with a donor with 78K, I've never looked back. :driving:

Thanks Qyota!