Transmission problem?

[mcbean7]

Hi All.
I bought an 05 T4R 4WD LTD about two weeks ago and everything seems to be working perfectly...with the exception of the transmission.
Often, but not every time, when I come to a stop I feel the car lunge forward a couple of inches and there's a clunk noise coming from somewhere under the car.
Is this a normal break-in thing?

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Hi All.
I bought an 05 T4R 4WD LTD about two weeks ago and everything seems to be working perfectly...with the exception of the transmission.
Often, but not every time, when I come to a stop I feel the car lunge forward a couple of inches and there's a clunk noise coming from somewhere under the car.
Is this a normal break-in thing?

My '04 SR5 had a similar problem. Pumping grease into the zerk fitting at the driveline spline shaft made it go away. Give it a try...

 

[mcbean7]

Thanks for the advice Iowa4Runner. I'll crawl under the Runner this weekend and do as you recommended. Hopefully it will solve the problem.

 

[noserider]

Re: Re: Transmission problem?

My '04 SR5 had a similar problem. Pumping grease into the zerk fitting at the driveline spline shaft made it go away. Give it a try...

Sorry I must disagree with this suggestion. Not because I don't think it has validity but because you have a NEW vehicle under warranty. IMHO I would not do any service that might jeapordize the warranty. Somtimes there are problems that come up from time to time with new vehicles. Let the dealer service it and document everything. Its just basic ole CYA. Just my 2 cents.


Ron

 

[Koz]

Re: Re: Re: Transmission problem?

Sorry I must disagree with this suggestion. Not because I don't think it has validity but because you have a NEW vehicle under warranty. IMHO I would not do any service that might jeapordize the warranty. Somtimes there are problems that come up from time to time with new vehicles. Let the dealer service it and document everything. Its just basic ole CYA. Just my 2 cents.
Ron

Good advice but, the problems he is experiencing are common to most 4Runners. The car lunging forward a couple of inches is probably the A/C compressor engaging which is normal. The clunk noise is probably the drive shaft binding, that's why Iowa4Runner suggested the grease.

Koz

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Re: Re: Re: Transmission problem?

Sorry I must disagree with this suggestion. Not because I don't think it has validity but because you have a NEW vehicle under warranty. IMHO I would not do any service that might jeapordize the warranty. Somtimes there are problems that come up from time to time with new vehicles. Let the dealer service it and document everything. Its just basic ole CYA. Just my 2 cents.


Ron

I can understand being cautious, but I can't see how greasing a zerk fitting could jeopardize the warranty unless someone went crazy and pumped in like 97 tubes of grease and coated the whole undercarriage. On the other hand I guess it'd be a good idea to have it documented in case a real problem comes up later.

Personally I won't let the dealer touch my 4Runner unless absolutely necessary. A couple weeks after I picked mine up I noticed the steering wheel was turned a bit when driving straight. I asked the dealer to check the alignment because I was concerned about tire wear. He told me they would do a full alignment service and cover it under warranty. When I got my 4Runner back there was a greasy spot on my seat, the steering wheel was still not right, the alignment adjusting nuts had their corners rounded off, and the steering linkages had vice grip type indentations on the flats. Very sloppy work. I'm sooooo thankful I didn't buy the extended warranty...

 

[gsr2is300]

Hi All.
I bought an 05 T4R 4WD LTD about two weeks ago and everything seems to be working perfectly...with the exception of the transmission.
Often, but not every time, when I come to a stop I feel the car lunge forward a couple of inches and there's a clunk noise coming from somewhere under the car.
Is this a normal break-in thing?

I have the exact same thing on my 05. I have turned off the AC and continue to get the thump. It feels like someone is slightly bumping your 4Runner from behind. I notice it after I have been stopped for 20-30 seconds.

It feels very similar to putting the 4Runner in Drive, there is a small thunk or thump.

I am taking it to the dealer to see if this is normal. I have never experienced this in any other automobile with and automatic transmission.

Does anyone know if the GX470 has the same transmission thump?

 

[Sac State]

My '03 does the same thing. It is a design flaw and greasing the zerks helps, but does not eliminate the problem. Just an annoyance, no recognized reliability issues experienced.

Now if I could just get the HVAC to operate correctly.

 

[snap315]

On my brand new 2005 4Runner I often feel and hear a "surging" sound when stopped. This only happens when the A/C is on and the vehicle has been driven for a while.

I haven't taken it to a dealer to see if anything is wrong since the problem has subsided over time.

So far, that has been the only issue with my T4R.

 

[mcbean7]

Re: Re: Transmission problem?

I have the exact same thing on my 05. I have turned off the AC and continue to get the thump. It feels like someone is slightly bumping your 4Runner from behind. I notice it after I have been stopped for 20-30 seconds.

It feels very similar to putting the 4Runner in Drive, there is a small thunk or thump.

I experience the exact same problem as you. I notice the problem getting less frequent (my T4R just turned 1500 miles) but still occurs. I just took it into the shop 4 days ago and the mechanic couldn't explain or find the problem. He took it for a test drive and as Murphys' Law predicts...it ran smooth as butter...no hickups. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Re: Re: Re: Transmission problem?

I experience the exact same problem as you. I notice the problem getting less frequent (my T4R just turned 1500 miles) but still occurs. I just took it into the shop 4 days ago and the mechanic couldn't explain or find the problem. He took it for a test drive and as Murphys' Law predicts...it ran smooth as butter...no hickups. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse.

Did you try pumping grease here?

 

[mcbean7]

I'll try that next. Thanks Iowa4Runner.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

I'll try that next. Thanks Iowa4Runner.

No problem... I think I put in about 10-15 pumps when I did mine the first time. I didn't see any grease ooze out right away but a day later I could see a thin grease film had formed at the seal. I haven't heard the clunk since.

 

[evkal]

I have a 2005 4 Runner that has the same character symptoms as as all the other posts, and that is after coming to a full stop there is a momentary RPM increase and about 5-8 seconds I can hear the clunk but there is a reduction to 600 RPM from about 800 RPM.

From what I have read in all the threads, it seems to be a normal function or quirk, if you will, of inherent operation of this beast, that is annoying, to say the least.

I am due for my 9500 mile chack up and will surely ask the service manger if this is normal, and will post his answere on my next post.

Thanks for the tips and suggested remidies.

Later

 

[Big E]

I'm glad I found this thread, as that annoying clunk has been bothering me for some time now (have 30,000 on my truck).

I'm going to grease the zerks as suggested here, however, I've never owned or used a grease gun. Guess I'll pick one up. Question is, do I need any special kind of gun? Or special grease for that matter?

Also, are there multiple zerks, or just the one pictured in Iowa4Runner's pic? How much do I put in? I see that Iowa put in 10-15 pumps...is there a problem if overfilled?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a grease newb.


Thanks for the help

 

[greasefingers]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Transmission problem?

Did you try pumping grease here?

Your undercarriage is so clean. Do you wash under there??

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Transmission problem?

Your undercarriage is so clean. Do you wash under there??

Nah, not really. When I was under there with the camera I noticed a little grease fling-off, so I wiped the area down with a rag before I took the pic. It's not quite as clean as it appears in the photo. I think the fact that it's a black and white picture helps disguise the dirt and grime.

 

[Bluto]

I'm glad I found this thread, as that annoying clunk has been bothering me for some time now (have 30,000 on my truck).

I'm going to grease the zerks as suggested here, however, I've never owned or used a grease gun. Guess I'll pick one up. Question is, do I need any special kind of gun? Or special grease for that matter?

Also, are there multiple zerks, or just the one pictured in Iowa4Runner's pic? How much do I put in? I see that Iowa put in 10-15 pumps...is there a problem if overfilled?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a grease newb.


Thanks for the help

From the Repair Manual

Grease Grade:

Spider: Lithium base chassis grease NLGI No. 2

Slide Yolk and double-cardan joint: Molybdenum disulphide lithium base chassis grease NLGL No. 2

Get two Pistol Grip style grease guns with hoses. They are the easiest to use.

Iowa is showing the 1 Slide Yoke grease fitting. The 1 Shaft Spider fitting is in the middle of the joint next to it.

The Double-cardan is on the other end, 3 grease fittings.

Clean the fittings before greasing.

I try to listen and watch. The sound will change as it fills up. If you see grease, you pumped too much.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

The Double-cardan is on the other end, 3 grease fittings.

Do 4th gen 4Runners have Double-cardan joints? The diagrams in my Toyota repair manual refer to them as universal joints. I think a double-cardan joint looks like the attached picture, and I don't see any of these on my 4Runner.

 

[Sempeboost]

My new 06 SR5 does it too. Scared the heck outta my wife in traffic - thought someone tapped her from behind. But we checked it and nothing. Wonder if I should take it in the dealer

Alvin