tns1

Well, the A340F FSM shows a "plug for hydraulic test" on the right side of the tranny near the tailstock. In the DWG, this has to be close to the ID plate. I looked everywhere but the only bolt that seems to serve no purpose is a 13 or 14mm one on the left up near the bell housing.

It does not look like the pan can be dropped without removing the stabilizer bar.

tunnelmotor99

Based on the audio clip you posted there is something physically broken in or around the torque converter, probably the lockup clutch as indicated by the code. The lockup clutch is inside the converter. Don't bother with pressure checks and what not, your transmission has suffered an obvious mechanical failure and it needs to come out and be inspected. At the very least it will only need a converter, but if metal shards have gotten into the valve body you will need to have it rebuilt or put in a used trans.

tns1

Pulled the pan. The stabilizer bar rocks out of the way when you undo the ends. Pulled the solenoids. All three solenoid measure 13ohms which is fine. The rear two solenoids seem to pass the air test fine. They hold air pressure unless they are energized. You can see a spring in the back which holds them closed.

The shift solenoid SL (nearest the bell housing), is of different construction. It rattles when you shake it. There does not seem to be a spring inside. DI-190 in the FSM shows a cross-section of this solenoid and no spring is shown. Also you can see from the drawing that energizing the solenoid would block air, opposite behavior of the others. This is how it tests out too - it only blocks air when energized. I believe the FSM tests are not correct for this since they treat each solenoid the same. I believe this solenoid is OK.

The filter has nothing on it but a coating of very fine metal dust. The entire valve body has this same coating with thicker smudges at the drip points. I found a couple of small shavings in the pan, but there is a large amount of metal paste on each magnet. Enough to make me think that if the TC is bad, I need to rebuild too.

If only this transmission was not so BIG. With the transfer case it is a monster. Can you unbolt that separately? I really have to decide if I want to pull it myself or not.

J2F42C

There is supposed to be a fine coating of paste on those magnets if they are doing their job. Since the solenoids tested OK, I am wondering what is making that CEL come on then?

Since my transmission repair acumen is not that extensive, I really cannot give much more insight. For all the trouble it looks to be, you better be 100% sure it is the transmission. Here is a link beginning on page 2 of how the transmission is pulled.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/3...00/index2.html

tns1

Each magnet was a thick furry blob of metal paste, maybe 1/8" thick. I'd guess this residue is only the wear of steel parts, so I think that is far too much material to be normal wear. Maybe it is all from the TC, but once you pull that you might as well do it all. It looks like it is only another $250 for the full kit.

Remember that the ECU checks both the electrical features of the solenoids by measuring current flow/resistance, and also checks the mechanical function probably by comparing the speed sensors. In this case it could compare an engine speed sensor against a tranny speed sensor to see if the TC really locked up, how long it took to do that, and at what mph.

tns1

If I can find a good rebuilt trans, I'll put that in, but the warranty on these is pretty poor. If my stock trans can go 12yrs, I'd expect a rebuilt one to be guaranteed for 5yrs/50000mi. A 1yr warranty means they know they didn't replace everything they were supposed to.

tns1

Autozone says they can order a A340F from their rebuilder for $2K. It comes with a 3yr unlimited miles warranty that supposedly also covers labor if something goes wrong. If this is right, it is the best deal going. The only downside is I'd have to wait 4 days for shipping.

Anyone have experience with Autozone rebuilt engines or transmissions?

J2F42C

I did have a friend's father who replaced a Isuzu Rodeo engine with a new one from Autozone back in 2005. He thought it may have been made at the Jasper plant in Indiana but could never confirm this. The family sold the Rodeo last year with about 40,000 miles on the replacement; it burnt 1qt of dino oil every 5000 miles.

I'd try these folks to see if you can locate one in your area for under $1000 with something more than a 90 day warranty:

http://www.car-part.com/

Regardless of your replacement choice, remove the old TC from the old tranny and see if one or more of the impeller blades indeed broke off. Post pics.

tns1

I decided to go for it and pulled the transmission. I took me about 12hrs. The day before I had removed everything I could and still leave the car potentially drivable (rock pan, stabilizer bar, dip stick tube, front driveshaft). I had also loosened every bolt I thought would be a problem (bell housing, exhaust, starter). This helped but there is a heck of a lot more that needed to undone. I did not lower the front diff as the manual suggests, and I did not remove the cat. I did remove the lower PS lines - they are too easily crushed.

Not lowering the diff makes some dissassembly more difficult - getting at the TC flex plate bolts for one. It is a very tight fit for everything, and the lower dip stick tube is always in peril even after the trans is lowered. I had no trans jack so my method used a whole bunch of different sized beams and blocks of wood and a couple of screw-type house jacks to slowly lower each end until it was on the ground. I saw no easy way to get at the transfer case upper bolts or I would have removed that first. will probably try that going back in.

No camera handy during removal but maybe on the install.

tns1

Once I had it out I removed the transfer case and pulled the TC. There is no easy way to tell if the TC is bad without special tools. Maybe if I drain it completely I could shake it and listen. Doesn't matter since I am replacing it anyway.

The thing about the salvage yards is how do you really know what miles were on that car? It took probably 16hrs of my labor to just get it out so I don't want to risk it all on some mystery tranny.

My problem now is a rebuilt from Autozone would take 3-4 days to get here, and I will have to rent a car if it takes that long. I have rebuilt a couple of automatics in school and they were not that hard. Just lots of pieces and keeping things orderly and clean. The thing is I have no repair manual for the A340F. It does not look like anyone has posted one either. If I had the manual I'd pull the trans apart at least to investigate. I suspect some hard parts like the band may be beyond tolerance and without the spec, I'd be guessing.

Anyone have the repair manual and be willing to scan the important pages?

tns1

I drained as much fluid from the TC as I could. Small metal flakes in the oil, but no more than the rest of the trans. Then I shook it. Definitely small loose pieces in there. Due to the way these are constructed, you are never going to see any of that stuff without cutting it open. All you can see looking into the opening are the stator hub and turbine hub splines. The only metal that could ever make its way out of there would be the fine particles I saw everywhere.

There is always a chance that the tranny would be OK with just a good flush and a new TC, but its already done 200k and only had one decent oil change.

I was able to download some excellent blow up pics of the A340 internals, and also the re-assembly instructions for an A343. Not an exact match but enough to remind me that there are several clearance measurements that need to be done, and you need to load different spacer flanges until it is right. I don't know if the rebuild kits have all the different spacers you may need. Even with all the pieces I estimate a full day to tear it down, carefully document the order of parts, clean and inspect everything, and re-assemble. Somewhere in there I'll bet I'd need a band or sprag or thrust bearing and then have to wait a few days for shipping.

Jasper E&T, which I have seen praised, only seems to want to sell full installations. Too late for that. Their 3yr, 100k warranty does not pay for any labor should it fail. An A340F from IPT and Level 10 are around $3.3K and up (and I don't think you get the TC). I'll have to call and check.
I am still leaning towards Autozone if they don't take too long.

tunnelmotor99

If you're going the rebuild route check out Transtar, they have different stages of rebuild kits. Back when I worked at an auto repair/transmission shop we used their kits as well as individual parts and they were very good quality. The complete overhaul kits seem to have every piece you would need. I'm not sure if they sell direct to the public or not, check out their website: http://www.transtar1.com/default.asp

tns1

As a correction, Jasper E&T offers a similar quality upgraded rebuilt trans & TC for $2.7K. Their 3yr, 100k warranty includes up to 16hrs labor should it fail within warranty. If I could wait, I'd go with them. Problem is they only had a CA emissions model on the shelf and would take a week to get and build a FED emissions model (what I have). As I understand it, these models are fully interchangeable, even the valve body so I don't get why anyone considers it important.

Autozone's builder didn't have one ready either, but claims he can get one in a day. They will not rebuild your core for you, since all cores are shipped to a central warehouse first. They still look like the best bet.

4runner619

noisy tranny? sounds like your on the wrong site....LOL

tunnelmotor99

You should cut that old torque converter open if it doesn't have to go with the trans as a core. They're cool looking inside and you'll be able to see exactly what failed.

tns1

After waiting a few days I gave up on Autozone. They had no core to work with and there was no way to send them mine. Jasper had a rebuilt unit in stock, shipped it out in a few days, and I installed it. Way too busy to stop and take pictures, sorry. I put the tranny in first and then the transfer. It is not any less work, but the pieces are more manageable. Even more work and hours on the install. The dipstick tube was bent slightly on the rebuild due to the way it was strapped into the plastic shipping tub. This bend was enough that the tube ended up on the wrong side of the exhaust crossover, so I had to drop the pan and rebend the tube. Not a big deal but I saw some flecks of metal in the oil pan, pointing out a less than pristine work environment over at Jasper. they either didn't clean the core well or the dyno fluid was not filtered enough.

Anyway, its in, it works (no mystery noises!), I have a new radiator, and I hope it lasts at least half as long as the original.

tunnelmotor99

Did you see flakes of metal or was it just like fine glitter? It is normal to see some fine glitter in the pan. Some of it could be from their dyno fluid, or maybe they didn't clean the pan good enough but it mainly comes from normal wear of the clutch discs.

J2F42C

Congrats. I would have bought you a small digital camera if you would have taken pictures. just the thought of doing such makes my head spin.

My uncle's Jasper engine (Ford 4.0 SOHC) had all sort of metal flakes in it after we drained the oil in it after 500 miles. 1000 miles later, few flakes to speak of. 73,000 miles later and the motor is still going strong. You may want to do one or two ATF drain and refills in time to make sure all the flakes have gone.

Sensei

Wow, just read this whole thread. Torque converter and tcc solenoid would have fixed your problem. A proper tranny flush, not a flush in a can, would have cleaned out the internals to some degree.
Lots of speculation on Jasper's build quality. Glitter does not come from clutch discs. It comes from the bushings that are wearing in during the dyno run. Perfectly normal, nothing to worry about. Run it for 1000 miles minimum before changing the fluid. This allows the trans to break in properly.

Note- When a trans service is performed only half of the fluid is changed. The other half is still sitiing in your converter and trans. Any additives put in to clean or whatever are not fully extracted during a service. Just FYI

tns1

I saw three large, thin flakes, not the tiny metal glitter I found all over my old trans. Probably aluminum or other soft bushing material since it was not stuck to the magnets. I removed the flakes. Jasper says to do the oil change at 5000mi which seems like a reasonable amount of wear-in.

Another issue I had was excessive paint on one of the TC mounts. All the TC bolts but one went in by hand. The last one was hydro-locked by a glob of the grey paint Jasper uses. I had to remove the bolt and fish this out before it tightened down properly.

During the install I did need to remove the CAT and jockey the exhaust pipe out of the way by uncoupling the rear rubber hanger. I did everything myself except the transfer install, when I needed someone to look down from inside the car to help align the output shaft. Without two people (or a real trans jack), you could easily damage the rear tranny seal. Since I was basically balancing everything on different sized beams and pieces of wood, I used safety chains and straps to make sure nothing could fall. There are some convenient holes in the frame members to hook chains on.