Well lately my 4Runner (3.0 A340H) has been going through some pretty tough times. On problem after another. Anyways recently I went to a restraunt that is about 5 miles from my house to eat with a buddy. I drove for around 10 minutes tops to get there and parked. After about 20 mintues i came out to go home an when i put it in gear, it went NO WHERE. the engine would just rev. So i checked the tranny fluid and it looked fine.

I tried different gear positions to get it to move and it wouldnt. So i shut it off and let it chill for a sec. Fired it up again and this time it moved, but the engine revved high and it went really slow as if i was in 4L. So I let it sit there and idle for a couple minutes, tried it again, and poof, it works again. For a long time i havent had OD.

SOmetimes when going down the road the RPMs will drop a couple hundred for a split second and come back up. I think it has to do with the tranny. I think my original 223k mile Torque Converter is going out on me.

There is a lot of slipping and i think it is the reason i dont have OD. I have a tranny that has about 25k miles on it from a 95 4Runner. We made sure all the wires were spliced to their properly when swapping in the tranny, but for some reason my OD light does not work anymore, so i cannot check codes on it. Sorry for the long read, im just getting extremely frustrated with this thing lately and would really like some closure to this thing.

 

Probably a shot trans, or something isnt being controlled properly by the computer. I think shot trans..

 

afternoon bump

 

I'm sorry that you're having issues. It worked flawlessly for me. Did you take the torque converter when you got the tranny? I can't remember. You can always drop the tranny and stick that thing in to see if it's the problem.

 

My auto tranny on my 94 has done this to me a couple of times...throw it in gear rev and it goes NOWHERE even when mine was working right it would stuter a lot in 1st gear. I took it to a tranny shop and they said the clutch plate or the TC was going out and a full rebuild would be 1600 OUCH. well i played around with it and tightened the kick down cable on the throttle body all the way and after about a day it cleared all of my propblems up. Imnot saying this will work for you but hey its worth a shot and is completly free...

If you wish to do it i believe the right cable is the one that comes over the intake from the passanger side. just adjust the bolts on the bracket to slide it over (doesnt seem like it really tightens) and after i drove it nothing seemed to change. They next day though i noticed harder shifts and no stuttering and it hasnt not gone into gear sense...

 

Unplug the computer for the tranny and try manual shift. It's under the radio, at the front of the console. You'll need to unscrew it from the floor because the plug goes in from the front and it's hard pull it off mounted to the floor.

L will be 1st, 2 will be drive and D will be OD. You will not have 2nd gear because the shift solenoids will be disabled. Also you will not have torque convertor lock up because that solenoid is disabled too, which works in 3rd and OD.

 

Okay so i did the test that 4runnerx3 told me to do and it got OD. What does this test accomplish? If it disabled the solenoids and the TC, what am i looking to check in this?

Thanks 4runnerx3 that was a good test.

 

It might be teh truck giving me the headaches rather than the tranny. I didnt get the TC from you when i was up there. I think you had it for sale seperately, so i didnt get it from you.

 

The manual shifting, previously recommended, checks the mechanicals of the transmission. You are testing the 3 clutch packs and the converter and pump. Should drive normal, with no slipping. If so, you got an electrical problem. Computer, solenoids, broken wire, loose/disconnected connector and that transmission has lots of connectors. Some near starter and others in the transmission area. There are tests for the converter such as holding the brake and push down on the accelerator to test the stall speed. Those transmissions are VERY sensitive to fluid level and need to be checked hot and at idle. I recommend a fresh fluid change, check the screen filter, look at what is on the magnets in the pan and put in a can of TransX from Wally World or parts store. Its a solvent that will clean the slime and sticky stuff in the valve body. A clean valve body is crucial to crisp operation.

You can test each solenoid when you pull the pan. One 10mm bolt and they pull right out and nothing will jump out at you. I think the resistance is about 5 ohms.

Some suggested cranking in on the downshift cable at the throttle body. As the cable is pulled up, the line pressure and upshift increases. Don't recommend this move.

There is a clutch in the converter to lock it when it shifts to OD. They do wear and cause OD problems. An FYI.
Time to get busy.

 

AWESOME! dude you rule

 

Here are the positions of the solenoids.


and test the solenoids with air, they can fail electrically and mechancially.

 

cool. where did you get those pictures from?

 

Out of this book, it covers way more than the FM on the tranny.

 

This is the first page.

 

ok, thanks for hte pics of the solenoids i needed those. the pinouts on my ecu is different, but i already have pics of where they go. Thanks man.

 

If you're going to pull the solenoids, check the seals on the accumulators, if they are worn, pressure can drop.

 

im gonna have to check some of this, 4runnerx3 your awesome!