The details:
2000 4Runner V6 (Auto tranny)

Was driving home from work yesterday, when I saw my Temp gauge spike, then the Engine light came on. I pulled over immediately. I checked everything out and here's what I got:

- Radiator almost completely dry
- Tranny dipstick COVERED in Strawberry milkshake
- Strawberry milkshake dripping from underneath (can't see from where... because metal oilpan shroud is blocking).
- Oil dipstick looks good...no chocolate milkshake there.

Had the car towed home but haven't had a chance to get underneath it yet.

Give me some ideas on where to begin? Any idea where the coolant and the Transmission could exchange mass amounts of fluid...possibly in the Tranny cooler (not sure if even have one)? If no tranny cooler...where else?

I'm gonna get underneath it this afternoon...just wanted some initial thoughts/advice.

 

i dont know much about auto trannys but maybe it ran to hot

 

Not sure on the later models, but on the earlier ones, the tranny cooler is a loop of tubing in the bottom radiator tank. Might be worth pressure testing those lines, if present.

 

You may have a hole in the tranny cooler lines that wind through the radiator. I guess it possibly could have sucked all the antifreeze into the tranny pan....

 

The only common ground between the two is the transmission cooler loop through the radiator. Radiator replacement is in order but that is the smaller problem.
To avoid transmission damage you've got to get all of the coolant/water out of the tranny. Since the torque converter retains so much fluid it will take gallons of trans. fluid and multiple flushes to dilute it all out of the system. A rebuilt transmission is about $2200 so completely cleaning the present one is imperative.
I'd start checking professional flush prices. They may not even touch it without replacing the torque converter to eliminate the container of contaminated fluid. R&R of the torque converter is a full day plus some.

 

Yep. Hole in the tranny cooler lines inside the radiator. Hillbilly is right (but slightly wrong) The coolant is under pressure... transmission is vented to atmosphere (not under vacuum), so technically, the coolant got pushed into the transmission and not sucked into. The strawberry milkshake leaking from under the vehicle is no doubt coming out of the transmission breather at the top of your transmission, or if your breather is caked with dirt and not working, it's potentially coming out through one of the seals (not as likely).

For sure, replace the radiator, and drain the transmission completely. Removing, cleaning and re-installing the torque converter would be your safest bet for sure (but will be $$). You may be OK with just flushing it (and dropping the tranny pan to allow you to thoroughly clean the fine mesh tranny pump suction filter screen - I would clean the screen before running the truck again). I believe most flushing machines out there use the transmission's own pump pressure to push the fluid out (the most common bladder flushing machines do anyways), which will require running the truck to do (which is probably OK, since it won't have to run long to flush the fluid out.)

If it was me, I'd do it as soon as possible (don't let the mixture sit in there any longer than you have to), and I'd flush it myself at home (if you feel comfortable working on vehicles). You can use the DIY flush procedure. I explain it here. To be safe, I would get an additional 10-15 quarts of ATF, and repeat the flush and filter cleaning a few days after the initial flush (after having driven around a bit).

 

to add what has already been said, if you flush it yourself, do so till the fluid comes out clear. Check it each day and flush as needed.....

 

Yep... good point. That's the beauty of flushing it yourself. You see what's coming out, and you only stop flushing when you're happy, not when a tech decides that he thinks you'll be happy.

 

I would first confirm that the strawberry foam coming from underneath is indeed tranny fluid and not the red radiator coolant (if you had that type). What does the tranny dipstick fluid look like now? If the radiator overheats that overheats the tranny fluid too.

 

It's tranny fluid. The tranny dipstick is completely covered in Strawberry milkshake (that was the first thing that clued me to the problem).

Guys...thanks for the information. It's been EXTREMELY helpful. I will get it up on ramps tomorrow and begin the home-flushing procedure. Anyone know of a good online place for a replacement radiator? I know the Stealership will try and rape me.

 

I agree that you need to flush a lot, but you might also be able to drive any remaining water out of the tranny by getting the ATF up above 212 degrees for a while. That will help with the water but I don't know about the antifreeze.

I've had good luck with www.Radiator.com

These guys also have radiators: http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/mfr,PR...,2172,Radiator

 

The guy that rebuilt my trans after it's implosion uses brake cleaner (non-clor) as a cleaning and flushing agent. By the gallon it's about $20. Using a small pump sprayer (modified with rubber hose for attachment) he used this to flush all the lines. My case had to come apart but he did say that it's used for case flushing as well. It leaves no residue and evaporates almost totally. Any remaining will boil off at around 140...
Just food for thought.
Radiator is about $200 at Oreilly.

 

Ok guys...I finally got time to work on the Runner today. I've got the old (apparently defective) radiator yanked. There's nothing visible wrong externally, but based on the info earlier in this thread, it would seem that the one of the cooler lines burst internally.

I also drained and pulled the tranny-pan. I have a question about that....In GSGallant's "how to flush" link, he talks about a screen inside the tranny pan. I don't have one?? I have the magnets, but no screen. Can someone tell me where it should be? What it looks like?

 

Nevermind...I did a search and found a pic. I thought that was the screen, but since I didn't actually see a "screen" I wasn't sure. I've already pulled it and sprayed it down w/ BrakeKleen. I think I'll swing by the dealership on monday and pick up a new one (I've got 107K miles on the clock) just to be safe.

One last question...will doing the "at home" flush method, flush the TQ converter as well? I really want to get all of the Coolant-contaminated ATF out as much as possible.

 

When you have the pan off, look up into the transmission, you'll see a silver rectangle piece approx 10" long by 4" wide, with an oval opening facing down. (See picture here) That piece is the filter screen, and the opening is its suction port. You need to remove the bolts holding the filter on (remember which bolt goes where... they are not all the same length), remove the filter (be careful... when you loosen the bolts, you'll probably get an 1/8 cup of ATF that comes out of the oval opening), spray brake cleaner into the large opening at the bottom, and the three small openings at the top (see picture here), and blow low pressure compressed air in there to help get any fine particles out. The dirt should be on the bottom side of the screen (the side with the one large opening.)

EDIT: Damn... I'm too slow posting, I guess. Yes, the home flush method will flush your torque converter.

 

that sucks glad i dont have auto heres a good places for radiators http://www.radiatorbarn.com/

 

Ok, last question (hopefully). When I'm flushing the tranny...which hose do I disconnect from the radiator? I know it's the return line...but is it the hose CLOSEST to the radiator drain plug....or the hose FURTHEST from the drain plug?

 

On my '93 4R, The passenger side one is the return to the tranny. I can't remember if it's the same on my '02 4R. Just disconnect one of them (try passenger side), have somebody start the truck. If fluid comes out of the hose, then you got the wrong one. If fluid comes out of the nipple on the rad, then you've got the right one.

 

Hi guys,

can you beleive that the exact same thing happen to me las weekend ... Pink milshake was bubbling everywhere under the hood

So I dropped the pan then flush 100% of ATF using the tranny pump. 15L later, ATF getting out of cooler lines started to be red instead of pink.

I decided to clean everything with a can of Trans-Tune from Seafoam. That little can can do miracle on old tranny

So tonight, after about 10miles on new fluid, I flushed some more ATF to see if everything was back to normal ... It was not

I flushed the entire fluid once again, I hope it will stay red this time.

Next week, if I been able to save that tranny, I'll install an external oil cooler from B&M and an external oil filter from PermaCool.

Finally, I suggest to everyone with 100,000Km or more to bypass that crappy oil cooler.

 

mine made it to 70,000 miles....right around 100,000 Km if I remember right from high school