Well I hate going to the stealer at all costs but I just had to make an appointment for next week.

I have a 1999 4Runner V6 4WD not supercharged with Amsoil in the Trans and 26,000 on the odometer. I am one of those people that really baby their vehicle, I rarley go over 3k to 3.5k rpms.

The transmission has been acting up latley. Not sure if the recent cold weather has anything to do with it. Let me start off by saying I checked the tranny fluid and it appears at the same level it always was at.

Problem: I will start it up in the morning and warm it up for about a minute then try to take off. I put it in drive as usual and give it gas and the tranny just slips, cant move at all. I slowly bring up the rpm's and after about 5-10 seconds It will give a hard kick in the a$$ and then take off. When I come to the first few lights it will fall out of gear and slip for a few seconds before kicking in again.

Anything I should look out for before/after going to the local stealer? Anyone else having issues like this. Should I tell them I switched to Amsoil if they ask what service has been performed. I have never needed to have any regular service done by anyone but myself. Last time I was at the stealer for a seatblet issue they questioned why my rig has not been serviced there before. I told them I do all maintenance work myself.

I have a 5 year powertrain warranty, correct?

Cannot believe a Toyota with impecable maintaince is giving out after 25k miles.

 

That sucks, man! I had one tranny fail on me and it acted differently from what you describe.. no hard kicking.. it would just take lots of rpms to start moving.
It almost sounds like your brakes are sticking. Have you tried to start moving on an incline? If you get off the brake and the car doesn't roll back, it just might be the brakes.
Are you the original owner of you truck? 99 with only 26k miles?!
Yes, you do have 5 year/60k powertrain warranty.

 

Yeah, I'm the original owner. I've been on 4Runner forums for 4 years now . I commute by train and do not use the vehicle on a daily basis. The 4R was sitting all week without use until the weekends until recently. With the birth of my first child, I finally let my wife begin to start using the 4R b/c its safer and we recently we sold our second vehicle as there was no point in keeping it. Now I need this rig to be super reliable and this happens.

I also thought it may be the brakes due to the strong hit. It feels like the hit is coming out back too. I guess I will try the hill test this weekend, but I still think it is the trans due to the recurrance of the issue at stop lights.

 

Something is not right there.
It sounds like the tranny is not circulating the fluid correctly or the pump is starving for fluid. First thing I would do is to pull down the pan and check that the tranny filter is clean and free of debris and that the pump is free of obstructions. I might also try refilling with regular tranny fluid just to see if it makes any difference. One thing is that the thinner Amsoil fluid may drain from the tranny quicker and so the tranny may have needed some time to refil itself when you left it for a week. Did you just start the truck and go? Did you let it idle for a couple of minutes? It could just be from sitting, does it do it if you go out and start it the next day? If yes then there is definately something wrong.

 

You mention that this problem happens when the trans is basicaly cold, and for the first few lights. Does the problem go away or get better after it warms up? Do you hear any unusual noises from the trans when it is acting up, possibly a whine? Did this problem start happening all of a sudden, or has it slowly been getting worse? How long ago did you change to Amsoil, and did you do a complete trans flush, or just change what drained from the pan? As for the dealers questions, I would think that as long as you maintened the correct fluid level in the unit, switching to Amsoil should not be reason to void any warranty.

 

I do not start the truck and go. I always wait about 60 seconds or at least until I hear the rpm's go down from the high inital idle. AFAIK we do not need to fully warm these newer vehicles up.

The vehicle gets used a little more now that it is our only ride, so no more sitting for the whole week. The problem did not occur during the time when I was letting it sit for the weekdays.

Yes, it does seem to be starting to act up now that it is cold and I am wondering if the Amsoil is having anything to do with it. Althouh I did have the Amsoil in last winter with no issues at all. I had a full trans flush to get the fluid in using a T-Tech machine hooked up at the cooler lines. Changing the fluids back to dino (full flush) is not cheap and I'd rather have it serviced under warranty than going that route.

Yes it gets better the more it warms up but it does take a while. Many times the trans will not engage on the same day at a later start up. No unusual noises heard.

I am not going to suggest that I changed the fluids but will say so if called on it. I dont beleive I have to change the trans fluids until 30K as per the owners manual. I dont want them to have a way out of full warranty service.

Thanks for the help, anyonle else got any ideas...

 

If you did do a full flush with amsoil then I would leave it in there.

It would be good to just pull the pan and check he filter screen.
I wonder if one of your solenoids could be sticking?

Might pull codes and see if theer are any for the tranny as well.

 

Dont sweat it man. That is definetly a warranty claim. Dont let them tell you otherwise.

Be sure to have them test the vehicle cold, and do their best to duplicate the scenario you have told us.

You could be eligible for a rental car too if you need it.

 

Just be sure it is full of fluid before you take it in. Are you checking the level with the tranny at normal temp. and with the engine running?

 

Hmmmm... Tranny Problems - didn't Eddie Murphy have one of those a couple years back when the cops pulled him over with a "suspicous" person he had picked up???


Good to hear that it's still under warranty. Best of luck.

 

 

Yes at operating temp and engine running. Thanks.

 

I would agree, if it is still under warranty, make them fix it for ya.

 

Email John at IPT, and ask him what's up? Tell him Chris Rademacher sent you, and I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help. sales@importperformancetrans.com

Chris

 

I had to postpone the appointment w/ the dealer until a later time. It is just too warm here this week and the trans is not acting up, so no point bringing it in. Now where is the cold weater when you need it, haha. I'll post what happened after I bring it in.

 

So to follow up on the problems (vehicle not moving when initially put into drive until rpm's are reved up high) I was experiencing...Bottom line, it is now fixed!

So after waiting close to two more months I have realized that the cold weather was not really the issue. The problem would also occur after returning to a fully warmed up vehicle after parking it for a short while.

So I was begininng to think that the problem is either related to the torque convertor, drive shaft, or rear diff. I scheduled another appointment with Toyota and promptly removed the extended rear diff breather mod, so that cannot blame the problem on that if it turns out to be the rear end.

I drop the rig off at 7am and they test drive it all day long on and off. Of course the problem did not occur at all. They call saying to pick it up as they cannot find anything. By the time I get there they decided to look at the rear end and realize the the rear axle seals are leaking. Oil saturated the rear shoes causing them to lock up, preventing forward movement until the rpms were hich enough to break free.

Next day, they replace the 2 inner oil seals, drain/fill rr diff fluid (so they say, not written on invoice), change brake shoes, & machine the drums. All fully covered under the 5yr/60k powertrain warranty.

When I get the vehicle back (I did not pick it up myself) I have the mandatory oil smudges on the hood and doors they always leave you with, and a small scratch on both the front and rear bumper. Like I said above, I hate going to the stealer and try to avoid it at all costs.

Leak appears to be fixed, not that I noticed it when it was leaking anyhow. Stuck brake issues not occuring. Brakes feel a little softer but I can bleed them myself and I plan a full flush soon anyhow.

So, what could have caused the axle seals to leak at 26k miles. Could it have been the Amsoil Synthetic fluid, or perhaps since I did not have the extended breather pulled past the rubber gas filler surround maybe it was getting pressed closed at times? When I posed the question to the stealer they first asked me if I ever changed the fluid in the rr diff. I said yes. Then they said what type of fluid was used. I said whatever the owners manual specs. They said they dont know what caused my leak but that some people will use synthetics which are so thin that they can pass by the oil seals...

I am going to switch the front diff back to dino oil to avoid any problems as I am going out of warranty in six months. Changing it again at 30k would have been a good idea anyway. Out back, I will re-do the extended breather mod and this time use thicker (than the clear pvc hose) marine grade fuel hose which will look more factory like and avoid kinks, then I will put a clear fuel filter on the end so it breaths better and try to cut the rubber gas filler neck surround and pull the tip through it. The factory breather we were using always felt a little restrictive anyway.

Any Thoughts? A search after the fact brought up many threads in which you guys have been having recurring issues with the rear axle oil seals. If the problem resurfaces after my warranty is up will they cover it as an existing issue that was not fixed correctly?

 

I have been running AMSOIL in everything I own since I had it. 270,000 on the Maxima, 140,000 on one runner, 60,000 on the pickup, only 38,000 on the RS. Not a drop from anywhere.

Don't go changing back to a lower quality oil. AMSOIL has the highest quality seal swellers in their oils and lubes. If both axle seals leaked at the same time, the most likely cause is an over pressure condition in the axle housing. You may want to closely examine that extended breather to make sure there are no obstructions anywhere.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

Sounds like it was smart of you to take the breathers off before you went in for service.

 

Maybe the rear diff suffered from overpressure as you suggested. At least it wasn't a tranny problem. I used fuel-grade hose with the line poking out near the gas cap as you've suggested you might do, and haven't had any problems with that setup.

 

I don’t understand how or why his tranny would slip (or appear to) with both rear axle seals leaking. Can someone explain that?