YotasRus

Ok so first off, I am a complete noob when it comes to automatic trannys. Having said that this is what I've been going thru the past couple weeks. I have a 99 4Runner 3.4 240k miles, only had it for a few months. The problem first occurred driving around 40 mph when I realized the rig wasn't shifting it just reved up, so I pull over shut it off check the fluid in the trans and it's right where it should be but more black then red....I waited about 10 min fired it up and drove it 20 min back home no issues. Drove to work all that week no issues at all until one day it happened again but this time I leave the rig running going into a store come back out put it in reverse and it just rolls, it would not engage in any gear, shut it off wait a min and now it will engage. I had to do this 4-5 times on my 7 mile ride to work. So I leave it at work for a couple days and decide to drop the pan and replace the filter. The fluid was dark dark brown and smelt like complete $@&!, the filter was junk as well, and also the factory paint on the inside of the pan was flaking and looked like it got super hot at one point in its life. (Wish I took a pic) the magnets didn't really have much material on them and the valve body looked good besides the fluid color. Anyway, after it was all put back together the rig drove like a dream for a week or about 200 miles and then next thing I know it's worse then ever....won't engage in any gear and when it does it would drive 1-2 miles before having to pull over and shut it off because it would not shift. So after letting it sit at work a couple days I decide to try to flush the tranny. It drains 3 quarts and then nothing would come out after firing it up multiple times. I reconnected the line to the radiator and try shifting thru gears and it didn't engage in any gear. I'm not getting any codes or lights on the dash,which is confusing the hell out of me! Sorry for the long post but I'm just trying to get as many details as possible and I need help fast!! Thanks for any replies!

Malcolm99

Well first of all if the fluid is black and burnt and the paint is peeling from the inside of the pan your transmission burnt the fluid and is probably junk now or requires major work, secondly one must have the engine running at operating temp after a 1/2 hour drive to get an accurate reading of the transmission fluid level Hot marks, thirdly I was under the impression that these transmissions had a reusable steel mesh transmission filter that can be cleaned and replaced so sounds like someone passed off a problematic automatic that had an aftermarket filter installed (no pun intended, but not a good sign), fourthly one should never ever try to start the engine after draining any fluids from a vehicle in an attempt to eject more fluid from whatever you are trying to drain as it will typically cause damage and is frowned upon. And fifthly if the tranny fluid was filthy black as you described it change the fluid ASAP do not continue to drive or you will junk the tranny, but I'm sure all of this info is self explanatory and redundant now. I would look into getting a used replacement tranny from the exact year with the exact T-case set up so all your electrical connections and solenoids are identical to save yourself a headache later, good luck with the swap its not a terrible job but you will want 2 days incase you run into problems.

YotasRus

thanks for the reply, when I dropped the pan the mesh in the filter was not save able so I put a new one I got from Toyota in and it drove great afterwards like I said for about 200 miles. when I flushed it I drained a quart at a time and replaced with fresh atf, but after 3 quarts it would not drain anymore fluid, and I am aware about letting it warm up to check the fluid level. I'm just confused as to what the problem actually is because I'm not getting any codes thrown at all. I found a used tranny out of a 2000 sr5, just wondering if there's any differences between a 99 and 2000 just waiting until I have time to put it in.

Malcolm99

The trannys pump is burnt and a mechanical problem, I don't think it will throw a code unless one of the solenoids are not working or there is an electrical problem. If you have an SR5 with the same T-case options as the donor it should be a direct bolt on no worries ( transmissions do interchange but there may be differences in solenoids electrical connectors and gear ratio's so ideally you want an exact match, and there is 3 options for T-cases, only 1 option in 2000 if it is actually a 2000), it may be easier to swap tranny and T-case all in one as appose to separating under the vehicle.

Edit, and buy draining the tranny via drain plug you will only get 3 L out of it as the torque converter and valve body holds the other 8-7L of ATF, do not attempt to start it to drain more fluid in the future unless you have a fluid exchange machine which uses the Automatic tranny pump to passively exchange the fluid for fresh ATF buy running the vehicle and replacing the exact amount of fluid removed at the exact same time,.

YotasRus

Haha oh no!! I tried flushing it from the cooler hose on the radiator.....fire it up, drain a quart, kill it, replace a quart with clean atf and repeat. haha clearly the previous owner didn't do any maintenance or transmission service throughout its life, luckily I paid only $1800 for the rig and the only reason I plan on saving the thing is because it came from Cali so the frame is immaculate which is nearly an impossible find for any Older Toyota up here in Maine by the beach.