2011 Transmission Whine

Cross posting this from T4r for some more insight.

My 4R just rolled 50k miles and I decided it was time to change out the transmission fluid. At that time I figured it best to install a transmission cooler.

As a little background I purchased it at 44k and the transmission always had a slight whine to it. I was never concerned over it so I just drove it.

This weekend I did the pump two out, pump two in method to exchange out 14 quarts of fluid with Amsoil's OE Fuel Efficient ATF. It is rated for WS and after some extensive reading no one reports any issues with running it for extended periods. GREAT! Also read that some people on here that quite a few people have installed the B&M 70264 cooler. Another GREAT.

Did all that this weekend and took it for a test drive. The whine has gotten much louder. To the point where I'm now concerned. I removed the cooler but the whine is still persistent, although not quite as loud but still cause for concern. I'm going to be calling the dealer to book it in to see what they have to say but does anyone have any suggestions as to what is going on? At this point all I can guess is the pump is going out on it and I've just accelerated it. I knew I should have gotten a 6MT Tacoma

Here's the video, it sounds pretty much just like a supercharger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hndmSfNFeY

 

Do you notice a whine when parked and in reverse ? generally whines are caused by an overpressure or a starvation of fluid and most often the valve body is the culprit . The impeller within the torque converter is also known to whine but the sound should go away when the converter locks up at a 1:1 ratio .
Are you positive the trans has enough fluid ? The pressure regulator also whines when low on fluid or air in the hydraulic circuits .Try overfilling slightly

Hard to hear the whine in the video
Dealers dont touch valve bodies , they replace transmissions

 

There is definitely enough fluid in the transmission. I did overfill slightly, went for a short drive and then came back and pulled the check plug and around a 1/4-1/3 of a quart came out. It will do it in park and haven't given it enough throttle to attempt in reverse. It will only do it in higher revs so I can't tell if it will do it when the converter locks.

I was PMing someone on T4r that had what they said was the same noise and it turned out to be the timing components. I guess that would be a possibility as I changed the oil with Amsoil 0W-20 and a Toyota filter. Considering how much work I did at one time is making this a little difficult to troubleshoot. Oil level checks out and according to the dummy light there is oil pressure.

 

If you are trying to diagnose where the noise is coming from I would suggest removing the serpentine belt and run the truck for a short period of time . This will eliminate all rotating parts at the front of the engine and it doesnt take long to try it out .

If you beleive the noise is coming from the transmission , you can disconnect the torque converter bolts from the engine ring gear and start the truck .There is enough room to push the converter towards the transmission pump and allow it to be free from the flywheel in order to run the truck . This will eliminate the transmission as the possibilty . Its most likely what the dealer is going to try in order to pinpoint the noise .

 

I popped the belt off and everything spins smoothly so I don't think it's an idler. I'm not going to go as far as disconnecting the converter. I just booked it into the dealer for tomorrow so we'll see what they say. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Dealer said everything is normal. They had a 2012 in the shop at the time that made a similar, although not as loud, noise. I found another video of one that makes the same noise and looked back at my one video and it's still there.

Time to turn the tunes up I guess!

 

I don't hear a whine in your video. I have 2005 V6 4 runner with 150,000 miles and hear a slight whine but I'm not sure it isn't the WP bearings. Had the dealer change the TF at 100,000 miles. I thought you were supposed to let the dealer do transmission fluid change.

If you are sure you have tranny whine, I'd get that Amsoil out of there, and have the dealer completely change the fluid for you.

I'm in the Bahamas and the dealer charged me plenty ($400+).