i'm currently in Korea for the Army. Before i left my 88 toyota 4runner w/ automatic tranny(a340H i think) took a ลลลล on me. I was driving back from albuquerque to Ft Bliss in el paso and the tranny was actin wierd. When i would give alot of gas quickly it wouldnt 'catch' sorta like if i was riding the clutch in a manual; the RPMS would raise but i wouldnt accelerate much. When i stopped for gas and started from a dead stop it was even more evident as the RPM's would get really high before i could even move. I managed to get it all the way back to Bliss. The next day i tried to get it to move at all, and it wont. In any gear it wont. In 4x4 it wont. So i rented a u-haul and towed it back to abq. It's sat on the side of my parents house since then (mid october). I'm not to fluent w/ automatic transmissions but my guess is its something w/ the torque converter. Anybody have any ideas on what the problem could be?

oh and ive got the 3.0v6

 

bump...anybody got an idea?

 

I guess you checked the fluid level? The tranny should be warm with the engine running and after shifting through all the gears.

 

Sounds like low fluid level (common) or a pump that's failed (rare).

 

Fluid level was fine. Could it have gotten like clogged somewhere maybe? If i had the trannsmission fluid flushed i'd be able to tell if it was pumping right?

 

Yes. Those BG flush machines actually use the tranny pump to do the flushing. Or you could just pull off the cooler line from the tranny and start the truck for a second and see if it flows out good. Then replace the missing ATF of course.

 

Totally a shift solenoid. Pull the codes and watch the O/D light instead. Your gonna get a 63 or a 64 if i remember correctly. If you search for trans codes and soleniods your gonna see what i mean.

 

Sounds like a bad clutch pack. Is it only in overdrive?

 

I'm having a similar issue, but it still drives. I can shift in first and second and it's fine, but if I leave it in drive it's a pain to get going from a stop.

 

you know i dont even know if it was only in overdrive, the whole drive was on highway so i never even took it out of overdrive...

 

My first thought is a worn out clutch pack.

 

Just pull the codes and see what pops up. Way easier than buying a new trans.

 

I had the same thing happen last year on my way to Moab. I was able to get it to move after letting it cool down, then starting in 4L, then moving from 1, to 2, to D, then going to 4H, then 2H. What a pain! I had a tranny cooler put on it, and had the fluid flushed and have not had it since! So I never had to mess with the solenoid. Consider a tranny cooler - esp if you drive long sitances regularly. Also I HAD to do a tranny cooler since my gearing is so low (5:71) so keep that in mind as well.

 

Its getting closer to my return to the states and im starting to think about this again. I heard somewhere that if water gets into the ATF that it will eat at your clutchpack. Is there any truth to that? I know you can get oil analysis done, but can i get an ATF analysis done to see if there is water in the fluid and/or if the cluthpack has been deteriorated.

 

This must be tranny week.. Ive saw lots of tranny problems on the board this week.. I hope i'm not on here in few days saying mine is acting up

 

bump..

 

jump the diagnostic terminal to check for codes and do a manual shift test by unplugging the ect computer which is right in front of the shifter under the console. that will rule out mechanical failure and you can feel good if that works out because the electrical problems are an easy fix.

 

so unplug the ect computer and then run it through the gears to see if it will move? If it does then its electrical if it doesnt then its mechanical?

 

i fixed this almost 8 months ago, but i thought I'd write what the problem was. Turned out to be the fuse to the transmission ECU. Its the same fuse as the turn signals, and one of the signals was shorting.

 

That is really good to know, and thank you for replying to this thread with the solution. It may help someone in the future.