153k miles on my 96 4runner, automatic tranny. Got in my car tonight to head home and the tranny did nothing, didnt engage in any gear, and rolled freely in park. It had all the fluids supposedly changed 3k ago at 150k by the dealer. It has never slipped or banged once on me in the 30k that I have owned it Fluid was not even on the dipstick, I added some Penzoil ATF but it made no difference tonight. Any chance that there is something I missed? I havent heard of a tranny crapping out this soon before.

I guess it might be time for a 5speed swap

 

Did you check all the linkage? It seems strange it would just fail while the it's parked. These transmissions usually fail over time. You might be lucky in the sense that there could be a simple mechanical problem or electrical issue.

 

We had a 98 that came in last week that did the same thing. What happened was the tranny cooler line cracked and poured radiator fluid into the tranny causing the tranny to slip. You may want to drain your tranny and make sure there is no radiator fluid in it. Just a suggestion (It wouldn't hurt to check that).

 

Check your coolant for a red milkshake.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm on my way back over there right now. It does seem odd for it to all the sudden fail on me, without EVER slipping before.

 

lets hope there is no significant damage, and maybe just needs a small fix.

trannys = cha'ching!

 

looks like its about 650 for a manual tranny from car-part But yes, I hope it's just a small fix. I have seen these trannys go over 300k without any issues at all, so I'm hoping it's just a small problem too.

 

Keep us updated.................

 

It turns out it was not the transmission at all, having low tranny fluid was just a coincidence. After scratching my head and drinking beer for a few hours trying to figure out what happened I gave up and called the tow truck. When they were loading it there was a loud bang and the wheels locked up, which was odd because it was rolling freely in park before. The transfer case somehow got stuck in neutral, which obviously kept the transmission from moving me anywhere and allowing me to roll it around in park. Dont know how it happened, dont know how it fixed itself, but at least I dont have to buy a new tranny!