I've got a 1999 4runner SR5 4x4 auto, and I'm replacing the transmission this weekend (A340F). Does anyone have any tips or secrets to aid me in the process? Thanks!

 

welllllll i took out and put back in the tranny on my buddies 85 toyota, its a 5speed tho. ALL i gottaaa say is HAVE PATIENTS and..... the right tools and a good place to do it lol

 

transmission jack is always nice

 

Tranny jack and friends.

 

oh yeah forgot bot that ( tranny jack IS VERY HELPFULL ) lol i didnt have the luxuray of having one when i took it out but when i put it back in i did lol and i had friends to help. thats pretty much a must.

 

It would be greatly appreciated if you took pix

 

I'll try to take pictures, but I only have a DSLR with a hefty lens. Canon 40D with a 24-70. Not sure it'll be too much good from underneath the truck with that focal length

 

Just completed the swap on a '89 truck (W56) w/ 5 speed. X2 on the transmission jack, patience, friends, and the right tools.

My son (18) complete dthis in 1 day. Not too bad, just thought through the process.

Good luck.

 

is it possible to take the tranny out without pulling the engine? i kno it can be done on a third gen pickup. but it sure seems alot harder to do a tranny on a v6 then a 22re. i've been slippin in my 4runner so i am almost ready for a swap

 

well with any engine no matter what your tranny is going to hinder the engine down a little. I havent done a tranny one a v6 yet but ..... from my experience doing a tranny on a 85 5speed 22r it was not hard at all. Just need patients right tools friends to help and a tranny jack if possible haha i dont necessarily think its any harder with a v6 vs a 22re or even a 20r. its just the process to do it lol.

 

Yeah get a tranny jack, or in my case an adapter for a floor jack (IIRC about $60). Get one that will allow you to tilt the angle, really helps going back in. Might need to get the truck off the ground some to get the wheel the tranny out.



Of course support the tranny before you remove the cross-member.

It helps getting the rear driveshaft off if you have not overfilled your slip spline with grease.

You'll need lots of long extensions and a swivel or 2 to get the top 2 bolts loose. I recommend 1/2" drive stuff for that. I also would recommend using only 6 point sockets to keep from rounding the heads (12 point sucks unless you have 12 point bolt heads).

Becareful undoing all the wiring connectors, they can get brittle and break. It seems like every one of them has a different way of clipping together. IIRC some take a small screw driver to get loose some don't. Some are almost on top of the tranny.

Remove the torque converter bolts BEFORE trying to pull the tranny back from the engine. This is done by removing the inspection plate (dust cover) under the bell housing.



You can only get to the torque converter bolts one at a time, turn the crank bolt (clock wise) until you have them all out. Note: one bolt will be slightly different than the others (bigger shoulder and different color), it goes back on first to help center on the pilot.

Speaking of the pilot, before you go back on remove any rust and clean the pilot up, very lightly grease with anti-seize. This will help it slide back together easy.



You can see here on this A340F (with dual cases) there are 6 torque converter bolts.



Get a couple extra tranny bolts and cut the heads off and cut a slot into them. Use these as guide pins when putting the tranny back on. After you get a couple tranny bolts in place remove the guide pins with a flat head screwdriver.





If you have a leaky rear main seal this would be a good time to replace it.

 

Study the service manual and listen to what Mt Goat said.

I wish I saw those guide pins before i did mine a few years ago

 

Yes the FSM will help a lot too.

Here's some online: http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59089

 

Great tips, will be pulling mine this weekend.
Phessor

 

Something to think about is the cooler lines !!!

Sometimes you get real lucky and are able to break them loose most often you can`t get them off.

So if you plan to reinstall figure out your game plan as to have the needed parts on hand.

Remember to drain the Transmission