I have to really get on the gas to make it go. It won't go past 45mph/4k rpms uphill with the pedal to the floor. Truck only has 100k miles on it, but the previous owner didn't secure the battery which was rubbing against the power steering pulley, allowing the acid to leak everywhere. I'm thinking that because the truck has such low miles, it is highly unlikely that it's an internal trans problem and more electrical or vacuum related because of the acid which has corroded several wires. There is this solenoid next to the relays that I Can't quite figure out what it's for. The FSM doesn't list it, so I'm not sure if it's aftermarket. Everything in the truck seems to work, so I'm thinking it has something to do with the transmission. Here's a pic of it, so does anyone know what this thing to the left of the relays is?

I'm deaf, but my mom and aunt says it sounds something like a garbage truck driving. Not that it's that loud but how the engine sounds when it's under load. It feels like it's pulling a heavy trailer.

 

Also, I'm not getting any codes.

 

How steep of a hill are talking about?

 

Not that steep. 15-20% grade maybe. There was also too much fluid in there that I drained out. Drove a little better afterwards, but still not the way it should be driving.

 

How does the engine run? are you running on all cylinders? Maybe the power issue is with your motor.

 

And just to make sure, is the vehicle in question a truck or a 4runner?

 

It'a a 4runner and the engine runs great.

 

There's your problem right there. I also have a 4runner with a V6/Automatic combo with 104,000 miles, and going up steep hills like 15% to 20% grades really can be a chore

 

Nature of the beast?

 

Pretty much. I don't know about yours, but my 4runner weighs in excess of 5000 lbs. Couple that with 150 horsepower and an automatic and things can be pretty slow

 

Trans is definitely slipping. Does it on the flats too. Can anyone tell me what that thing is in the pic?

 

I am not sure what it is, but those wires connectors sure don't look stock. They look like those crimp on wire splices that you get at auto stores.

Did somebody add foglights to the truck? I wonder if maybe it is a foglight relay.

 

Yeah the wires aren't stock, but I wasn't sure if the relay was. Found some wires out front and they seem to match up with the wires that were coming from the relay, so they were probably for the foglights. Thought maybe they had something to do with the transmission because none of the wires are connected to anything and everything else works.

Going to go over the vacuum lines and wiring, so hopefully I will find something.

 

The only wires for the tranny go directly from the ECU to the tranny. They don't connect to any relay or anything.

You can do a "manual shift test" to determine whether your problem is electrical or mechanical.

To do this, unplug the solenoid wire connector that goes to the tranny.

When doing this you will remove computer control over the tranny and you will shift manually through the following gears...(note, you can't shift into 2nd gear when doing this)

Shift position L = 1st
2 = 3rd
D = O/D

If the problem still exists when doing the manual test, the problem lies within the transmission.

 

Would this be on the driver or passenger side? I know there's more than one solenoid and they are on the driver side, but there's a connector that goes into the passenger side.

 

The solenoid wiring goes into the tranny on the drivers side, but I believe on your transmission, the connector for it may be a couple of feet or more from where it enters the transmission.

Find where the solenoid wiring enters the tranny on the drivers side just above the rear corner of the transmission oil pan. If there is no connector there (which I think on the V6 there is no connector there) follow the wire harness until you see the connector.

To ensure you have the correct connector, check for three wires at the ECU side of the connector, one for each of the two shift solenoids, and one for the lock-up solenoid. Wire colors on the ECU side of the connector are: White for solenoid 1, Black for solenoid 2, Yellow/Black stripe for solenoid 3.

 

I found a connector with three wires going in that leads to the solenoid that you described, but none of them are the colors you mentioned and there isn't any wiring that are the colors you mentioned. Disconnected that, but it shifted automatically in 2 and D. Starting to get frustrated with this. It's the A340H transmission.

 

when i bought my v6 auto the trans was screwy. a bottle of lucas later and it was fine, and hasn't acted up again in over 4 years. maybe i just postponed the inevitable, but $10 bought me some time at least.

 

if it were slipping the motor would rev up while you slowed down...

similiar to throwin it in nuetral..

when was the last time you had a tune up done? ever sea-foam it?

 

I may have to try Lucas or something similar as a last resort. BigSwole, I actually don't know if it revs when the gas is let off, so I'd have to try that. Have to change the tranny fluid anyway and may as well replace the pan and filter while I am at it. Hopefully, that will do the trick.