hey there...

I recently bought a 93 4 runner sr5 (3.0 V6 Automatic) and has a couple issues.
I took it out on the highway and am not sure if its kicking into overdrive. At about 90km/hr its sitting at about 3300-3500rpm...with other auto vehichles I've had its always been under 3000 so I wasnt sure if this was an acceptable range for that speed in overdrive.

Also at low speeds I am getting a bit of vibrations from under the shifter and drivers seat and then at highwayspeed it get alot worse...bad vibrations and if i accelerate slowly it gets even worse. Also when i stop hard I get a clunk coming from under the same are...I am assuming a logical guess would be something in the driveline. I am thinking the U-joints? or drive shaft?

Also wondering how involved it is to drop the driveshaft myself and bring it in to get the ujoints done....saves paying the labour at a shop.

Thanks for any advice

 

Welcome. I think it should be about 2500 at 90kmh.

If the engine isn't getting warm enough it won't go into O/D.
You don't have the O/D switched off do you?
The light might be burned out.

You could always drop the rear drive shaft and drive it in 4wd to see if the vibration goes away.

 

The overdrive switch seems to work....at least when its turned off the light appears on the dash like it should...but no downshifting at highway speed...so again makes me wonder if its even engaging...any suggestions on how to find out if overdrive is working? and if not what can i check?

 

I had the overdrive problem once, ended up costing me over $1300 in labor and sensors. if you'd like I can put a list of all the parts we replaced to finally fix the problem..

 

How does the trans fluid look? Red and clean? Or black and smells burned?

as for the vibration, have you checked for thrown wheel weights??

 

If you short TE1 and E1 in the diagnostic connector the O/D light will indicate any faults triggered.

You can find the codes in the FSM.

 

In addition to those mentioned, if the engine is not getting up to operating temp the tranny won't shift into OD. I had that problem on my '93 4Runner for a while. The T-stat was always open and wouldn't let the engine warm up enough- especially in the winter. ($20 US fix)

The 4Runners have a single piece rear shaft which shouldn't be too difficult to remove. U-joints could definitely be the reason for your vibes. You can get under there and see if there's any play in the joints. If you decide to pull the shaft, spray the bolts (4 on each end) with PB Blaster or similar penetrant for a few days prior.

 

Hey...the tranny fluid is a nice red color and is the proper level when checked when warm...so that semms to be okay...I do notice that when I am driving the temp is somtimes a little low...so could be a thermostat issue.

I also went and took a liik at the driveshaft last night and twisted it and moved it up and down. from side to side there was at least a 3/8" of play and the same when pushing up on it....i am assuming that is more play than acceptable?

 

Neither of mine will not go into O/D until the temp gauge is almost at the middle.