major problems-transmission
09-15-2005, 07:14 AM
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major problems-transmission
well, not a good day for the runner or my wallet. i took it in to a local shop this morning to get the transmission worked on. come to find out i've got major problems. apparently the transmission cooler broke causing the transmission to draw in anti-freeze into the transmission. just lovely! not exactly sure how this can happen but apparently did. oh yeah, the transmission fluid mixed with the coolant and was drawn in to the engine. so now what? they said that i'm going to have to replace the radiator, flush the transmission a couple of times, flush the coolant system, and probable have to replace the thermstat. hopefully, this takes care of the problem. worse case scenerio-replace the transmission. cost for repair could be anywhere from $500-$4000 for repairs not including a rental car. 
i guess thats why we have credit cards.
has anyone ever heard of this happening?
hope your day is going better than mine!
i guess thats why we have credit cards. has anyone ever heard of this happening?
hope your day is going better than mine!
09-15-2005, 07:29 AM
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since its an automatic, it sounds like the radiator broke internally, i have heard of it happening, but have never seen it..... i would get a second opinion... if you are showing no signs of trouble sysmptoms, i don't see how the shop knows your radiator broke internally like that.....
09-15-2005, 08:05 AM
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That sounds about right for repairs if your radiator failed internally. It is pretty easy to tell if there is transmission fluid mixed in with your engine coolant, and if there is, then the only possibility is a failed radiator (the transmission fluid gets cooled by going through a separate tube through your radiator. If this tubing fails, then there is a direct path between the engine coolant and your transmission fluid.)
You definitely need to get both systems flushed and refilled with clean fluids. You definitely need to replace your radiator. Not sure about your thermostat, though, but I guess that won't add very much to the cost. Hopefully no damage has happened to your tranny. Good luck.
You definitely need to get both systems flushed and refilled with clean fluids. You definitely need to replace your radiator. Not sure about your thermostat, though, but I guess that won't add very much to the cost. Hopefully no damage has happened to your tranny. Good luck.
09-15-2005, 08:27 AM
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gsgallant-
you pretty much hit it on the head. when looking at the coolant we could definitely tell that there was transmission fluid in there. it was kind of a milky color. all i can hope for now is that the transmission was not damaged. thanks
you pretty much hit it on the head. when looking at the coolant we could definitely tell that there was transmission fluid in there. it was kind of a milky color. all i can hope for now is that the transmission was not damaged. thanks
09-15-2005, 12:29 PM
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Now, If I were you, I'd start asking... why did my '99 radiator fail? It seems pre-mature to me. Have you owned the truck from day one or did you buy it used? Do you know if the engine coolant was ever mixed with normal tap water or if demineralized or de-ionized water was always used? Was Toyota brand coolant always used?
09-15-2005, 04:38 PM
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This happened to my 94 as well.
Flushing the engine is a pain, seems like no matter how much you flush it, there is always some oil residue left and it will float up to the top of the radiator.
As for the transmission, I drained the oil (which after mixing looked like strawberry quick), dropped the pan and cleaned the filter. Put the pan back on and filled it back up with new fluid.
After it was full I took the oil coolant lines and put the hot line in a five gallon bucket, started the engine and let it pump out the pink stuff into the bucket. After about 30 seconds of running, I topped it off with more fluid and repeated this process until the fluid that was pumping out was as fresh as the fluid I was pooring in. Also make sure you run through all the gears (just holding the brake) so it pumps new fluid through the channels.
Not saying this is the best way to do it, but it worked for me. Hopefully you didn't put to many miles on yours before finding out the problem.
Flushing the engine is a pain, seems like no matter how much you flush it, there is always some oil residue left and it will float up to the top of the radiator.
As for the transmission, I drained the oil (which after mixing looked like strawberry quick), dropped the pan and cleaned the filter. Put the pan back on and filled it back up with new fluid.
After it was full I took the oil coolant lines and put the hot line in a five gallon bucket, started the engine and let it pump out the pink stuff into the bucket. After about 30 seconds of running, I topped it off with more fluid and repeated this process until the fluid that was pumping out was as fresh as the fluid I was pooring in. Also make sure you run through all the gears (just holding the brake) so it pumps new fluid through the channels.
Not saying this is the best way to do it, but it worked for me. Hopefully you didn't put to many miles on yours before finding out the problem.
09-15-2005, 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Dirtoy4x4
This happened to my 94 as well.
Flushing the engine is a pain, seems like no matter how much you flush it, there is always some oil residue left and it will float up to the top of the radiator.
As for the transmission, I drained the oil (which after mixing looked like strawberry quick), dropped the pan and cleaned the filter. Put the pan back on and filled it back up with new fluid.
After it was full I took the oil coolant lines and put the hot line in a five gallon bucket, started the engine and let it pump out the pink stuff into the bucket. After about 30 seconds of running, I topped it off with more fluid and repeated this process until the fluid that was pumping out was as fresh as the fluid I was pooring in. Also make sure you run through all the gears (just holding the brake) so it pumps new fluid through the channels.
Not saying this is the best way to do it, but it worked for me. Hopefully you didn't put to many miles on yours before finding out the problem.
Flushing the engine is a pain, seems like no matter how much you flush it, there is always some oil residue left and it will float up to the top of the radiator.
As for the transmission, I drained the oil (which after mixing looked like strawberry quick), dropped the pan and cleaned the filter. Put the pan back on and filled it back up with new fluid.
After it was full I took the oil coolant lines and put the hot line in a five gallon bucket, started the engine and let it pump out the pink stuff into the bucket. After about 30 seconds of running, I topped it off with more fluid and repeated this process until the fluid that was pumping out was as fresh as the fluid I was pooring in. Also make sure you run through all the gears (just holding the brake) so it pumps new fluid through the channels.
Not saying this is the best way to do it, but it worked for me. Hopefully you didn't put to many miles on yours before finding out the problem.
Use the lines going to the cooler to pump in new fluid and remove old at the same time.
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09-16-2005, 09:34 AM
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yeah, i was wondering why this happened on a 99 with 105,000 miles. i am the second owner but i have maintenance records for dealer services every 15k miles. this is a very well kept vehicle. i have no idea why this would happen. i even consider myself somewhat of a conservative driver as well. its not like i'm beating the hell out of it everyday. i haven't even had this thing off-road yet. oh well, lets just hope the transmisison is ok. should know by monday. thanks guys
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