Car in question: 02 4runner w/ AT, 4wd and 100k miles.

Question: Lately, (started mostly out of the blue) the transmission has been off. Shifting into reverse yields a slight thump and the shifts from 1-2 and 2-3 are now a little more noticeable. By that I mean there is a little lag in the shift and it doesn't go smoothly into the next gear like it used to. When it down shifts there is also sometimes a little bump as it hits the lower gear.

How screwed am I? I don't have time right now to take her to a transmission shop so I figured I'd ask here first.

PS - Fluid was flushed about 10k miles ago and is full.

 

what brand and type of atf was used? or do you know?? how do you know its full?? did you check it on level surface with the truck running after driving it for atleast 15 mins??

 

To add to the question above, did you do an actual system flush (power flush) or just drain and fill?

 

I have no idea to answer all of the questions. I took it to a shop and told them I needed the fluids changed and transmission was one of the ones I included. Anything beyond that... I dunno.


Does this sound like a fluid issue?

 

My personal opinion with my '02 4Runner experience, is that I'm going to rely on the dealer for flushing the transmission.

I bought my 4Runner at 86,000 miles. It had been dealership serviced. I had the tranny flushed soon after the purchase. I had it flushed recently at 109,000 miles. Some say to flush every 15k, some say to flush every 30k. I split the difference, but felt that I could tell a difference in the shifting. That suggests that 15k is the better interval.

My dealership seems to know what they are doing and I've used them over the years for the more challenging or technical service items. I have nothing against independent shops, but have just had good experiences at my local dealer.

It's not cheap to flush at the dealership, but I figure it's just a cost of ownership. Kinda like paying for gas.

MadCityRich