Transmission Replacement

[4runnerWiniarski23]

Hi guys,

Its been almost a year since I had my pink-milkshake. I have done approximately 3 flushes in the last 6 months. The tranny has been acting totally normal. We have taken the truck on 1500 mile trips without any issues. Over the weekend we took our 2yo son to the beach, coming home we ran into some traffic. This was Saturday in NY so ambient temperature was around 80ish. I have always been mindful of the transmission temps knowing that my transmission could be damaged....After about 15 minutes in traffic, stand still barely moving, I noticed when we did roll the truck wanted to lurch instead of just roll. I grabbed my OB2 gage and saw temps were up about 220-230. I saw them get as high as 265F. I knew this was going to be an issue. Temperatures went back down rapidly when we were rolling back at highway speeds.

Sunday I bought 2 gallons of tranny fluid and flushed the tranny knowing the current fluid was damaged from reaching such high temperatures. The transmission seems to be up shifting with a slight bump. I plan on checking my diff fluid (if anyone remembers i had strange a breather leak for some time). The diff does not seem to be the culprit though. I also noticed if i come to a stop more rapidly i get a very hard clunk when the transmission is going back into 1st gear. It is very apparent now and i never had it before.

My thoughts are in replacing the transmission with a used one from auto-parts website. I am very worried about replacing it with one that was already pink-milkshaked thought it would be tough to know. Buddy of my brother works at a transmission shop but from what ive read rebuilding is crazy expensive and the product is not of OEM quality.

I have thought about swapping the transmission myself but havent found much info on what is totally involved.(going to review the service manual later). If anything I can get a used one and have my brothers buddy swap it for me.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[LittleCaesar]

You could either find a used one from a yard or look into IPT transmissions in NJ. They have free shipping and do a good rebuild.

 

[jgue467]

....If anything I can get a used one and have my brothers buddy swap it for me.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

I would choose this option. Find a good source preferably with a warranty, talk to them to get the 'feel' of their honesty and go from there. Oh, considering those pretty high temps in moderate temps, I'd also consider, if you haven't already, a new radiator and adding an external cooler in series. :cowboy:

 

[4runnerWiniarski23]

Radiator was swapped when I had the pink-milkshake with a Denso unit.

How difficult is it to swap it without a lift? I have done some digging and seems the A340F is a big beast and heavy.

Anyone actually done this?

 

[4runnerWiniarski23]

You could either find a used one from a yard or look into IPT transmissions in NJ. They have free shipping and do a good rebuild.

Anyone have any experience using IPT

 

[mtbtim]

Radiator was swapped when I had the pink-milkshake with a Denso unit.

How difficult is it to swap it without a lift? I have done some digging and seems the A340F is a big beast and heavy.

Anyone actually done this?

It's a very doable job without a lift. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] transmission failed and we were able to do the swap in my garage. I highly recommend getting a transmission jack though. I got a Harbor Freight one for around $200 and it worked great. Long 1/2" extensions (wobble extensions are really nice) and a swivel help to remove the starter and bell housing bolts.

We videoed the job and we're in the process of editing it right now. Some of the video footage was lost due to me accidentally deleting it, but the footage wasn't all that crucial so it will still be a good tutorial to follow.

We were toying with idea of getting his rebuilt at IPT in New Jersey but we decided against this option due to the fact if we had any problems with it, getting it warrantied would be a pain in the ass and would cause Sean to be without his truck for a while due to the shipping time back and forth and the repair time. Sean bought a Toyota remanufactured auto tranny from a Bay Area Toyota dealer for $2200. There was a core charge so we had to drop off his tranny to not incur the fee.

 

[4runnerWiniarski23]

It's a very doable job without a lift. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] transmission failed and we were able to do the swap in my garage. I highly recommend getting a transmission jack though. I got a Harbor Freight one for around $200 and it worked great. Long 1/2" extensions (wobble extensions are really nice) and a swivel help to remove the starter and bell housing bolts.

We videoed the job and we're in the process of editing it right now. Some of the video footage was lost due to me accidentally deleting it, but the footage wasn't all that crucial so it will still be a good tutorial to follow.

We were toying with idea of getting his rebuilt at IPT in New Jersey but we decided against this option due to the fact if we had any problems with it, getting it warrantied would be a pain in the ass and would cause Sean to be without his truck for a while due to the shipping time back and forth and the repair time. Sean bought a Toyota remanufactured auto tranny from a Bay Area Toyota dealer for $2200. There was a core charge so we had to drop off his tranny to not incur the fee.

Love the videos you guys make. I subd to the channel for future reference. Look forward to seeing it.
Sounds like something I can tackle with the right set of jack stands and transmission jack.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[mtbtim]

Love the videos you guys make. I subd to the channel for future reference. Look forward to seeing it.
Sounds like something I can tackle with the right set of jack stands and transmission jack.

Thanks for all the advice.

I'm hoping we can have the video done within the next week or two. We finished the job quite a while ago and it's just taken a while to get around to editing the thing because of being busy wrenching and editing other jobs in between.

 

[4runnerWiniarski23]

I'm hoping we can have the video done within the next week or two. We finished the job quite a while ago and it's just taken a while to get around to editing the thing because of being busy wrenching and editing other jobs in between.

Sounds great. I am in no rush to get the transmission replaced, have to save up some pennies and start searching for the lowest mileage used one I can find. Ill look out for the video
:thanks:

 

[pauldub]

You don't need a lift but you do need a tranny jack. I modified my floor jack and used that but it would have been easier with a tranny jack that has a tilt mechanism. I did the whole job single handed but I'm old too.