Advice on one more Tacoma

I made a post last week about a 2015 Tacoma which I didn’t really like. It was at a used auto lot with no warranty, and from previous experiences with such dealers, I’ve decided to stay away.

More local to me, I found a pyrite mica green 2013 TRD Sport with ~24,750 miles. It’s actually the color taco I really wanted. 11 service records to go with it as well from a local toyota dealer.

I took it for a test ride and initially noticed going through first gear (auto), I could feel a shudder in my feet. The rest of the gears shifted through fine.

2 month 2000 mile warranty from a Buick GMC dealer it’s for sale at. They said it was a recent trade in from a man who meticulously picked out a new GMC Canyon. I got them down to $22,800 and $26,190 out the door.

My real question is, is this trans (or torque converter?) shudder normal? It did seem to lessen as the truck warmed up. Beautiful truck otherwise and I am hoping it’s just a low trans fluid issue and to pick it up tomorrow after work. They said all the fluids were checked but will take a look at it for me again.
Thanks a bunch everyone.

 

I wanted to add that the frame on this one is slightly flaky as far as the coating with a bit of surface rust. Nothing like my 2002 wrangler which is a huge relief. It looks like what you’d expect out of a 8 year old vehicle and like it could come off with a wire wheel.

 

Buick dealership seems cool. Why not ask if you can take it to your trusted mechanic or a local Toyota dealership for the trans.
Good luck with this one. Sounds like a good one

 

Typo?

Nice. Even my '13 is up to 30k now.

Wow. Sure seems like a lot of TTT. Maybe not, but go over the numbers again. And $22,800 seems like a lot for an 8 yo truck. Cream puff premium?

No.

Bet they weren't. And it's doubtful they will. My suggestion is to hold out till it's fixed to your satisfaction. Do a deposit to hold it, pending correction.

 

Well, the salesman had told me about how recently the got in some Nissan, a couple test drove it and the CEL came on, the dealer took it to the Nissan dealer, and it ended up being $3500 to fix so they sold it wholesale.

This leads me to believe they’d bring this Toyota to an authorized dealer and have them inspect in the case it’s not low trans fluid. I have been reading through this meanwhile:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ating-from-stop-anyone-fixed-it.300155/page-4
And this mentions TSB 0008-14 being done to remedy the problem. This was in 2014 so I wonder if that TSB is no longer available? Being that it only has 24k miles and one owner, maybe they never cared to have the problem diagnosed (if it is that).

Forgive me as this is my first new car purchase ever, but are TSBs usually only covered under warranty? This being a 2013 it’s not covered under any Toyota warranty anymore.

 

Covered as in paid for by the OE, yes, unless it's an unusual thing like a service campaign, extended warranty item (emissions) etc.

TSBs don't go away, they are just a guide of how the shop can respond to specific complaints. But yes, out of warranty and the fix is on your dime.

Many of us use TSBs as a guide for our own repairs.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. Maybe I will
keep my options open to look at something else if they can’t manage to figure it out. After dumping a bunch of money into this 2002 wrangler fixing stuff, I’m looking to avoid problems like the plague.

 

For that price and a truck with less than 25k miles, I would expect near perfection and definitely not issues with the transmission or low fluids.

 

Have a trusted friend drive it, compare notes, confirm or eliminate any hyper-sensitivity on your part.

 

Some people here (me included) have vibration on takeoff due to the driveshaft wobbling, mostly due to lifting our trucks. This, however, doesn't get better or worse when the truck is warmed up. I think it's hard since us forum people can't experience it first hand.

As long as you can reproduce the shudder and you are really interested in the truck, I think it would be worth having it looked at. Good luck with finding your truck.

 

I had two people confirm that they felt it, including the salesman.

I am going to see tomorrow if the issue persists, to have Toyota look at it and see what they come back with. Couldn’t entirely tell if it went away when it was warmed up or if that was in my head. Another thread posted here mentioned the OP with the same year/issue also being from New Jersey, so maybe we got a bad batch lol

 

There is a good “Shudder Test” here.
It’s a long post, I’ll just copy the part you are looking for, you may give it a try.


DIAGNOSING converter clutch shuddering from home .( BRAKE TAP TEST )

When transmission fluid has been stressed to its limits either from stop and go traffic , overheating , towing , or just day to day heating and cooling cycles , eventually the fluid breaks down and becomes less effective in providing the smooth shifting characteristics that you normally find with new transmission fluid .
The friction modifiers in the fluid have depleted


When the Aisn Seiki A750 series transmission was released back in 2003 , the required fluid change interval was lifetime 100K
Now , Under normal driving operations , Toyota says to change your transmission fluid every 60k ,but this does not take into account Towing or heavy stop and go traffic .
Take a guess at why Toyota changed the fluid service interval from 100K and dropped it to 60 K ????

When friction modifiers become depleted , the most common complaint is torque converter shudder . Your torque converter locking clutch works just like a clutch in a manual transmission but its controlled by the computer in your truck rather than foot operation in a manual transmission
That nasty shake you feel at 45 with your shifter in the overdrive position . Your fluid is depleted and chances are the converter clutch mating surfaces have become all glazed up

Here is how you can test for a converter shudder from home .

Allow the truck to warm to operating temp . Your converter will not lock up when its cold .
Place the shifter into the overdrive position and drive until you feel the converter shudder .
Once you begin feeling the shudder , use the " Brake Tap Test " to see if the shuddering goes away .

As soon as you feel the shudder , use your left foot and gently tap the brake pedal about 1/4 inch down but leave your right foot steady on the gas pedal .
The idea here is not actually hitting the brakes but manipulating the brake switch . Manipulating the brake switch tells the computer that you are coming to a stop . Your computer will then command the converter clutch to the off position for a couple of seconds . When the converter turns off , your shudder is going to go away for a brief moment .
Because , you only tapped the brake pedal to manipulate the brake switch and you still have your right foot steady on the gas pedal , the computer in your truck will then command the torque converter to re-apply the locking clutch and your shudder will instantly return .

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/

 

Does it feel like you are driving over rumble strips? Not bad but you can tell not right either. When my 2014 had this issue it was torque converter shutter. There is a product that can be added to the trans to fix it. I will look to see if I can find it again.

https://www.lubegard.com/products/isf/

 

I wouldn’t buy a truck with a shudder as you describe, but that’s me. It’s been a while since I bought a used vehicle but that’s a huge increase of over $3000 for OTD For a used truck, I didn’t pay but $500 for dealer fees And then add the taxes and title fees last used truck I bought.

 

Somewhat feels like rumble strips, not as severe as them I’d say. Only seems to happen going through first gear as well.

 

Yep, I'd say torque converter shudder, changing the fluid, and adding lube guard should fix it, I'm doing mine tomorrow, hope it works.

 

Did you tried replacing the fluids and add the lubegard, to see if it fixes the shudder problems?

 

This was a truck I went to go look at and ultimately passing on. They said they’d drop it off at Toyota and let me know once the issue is resolved. Week later, didn’t hear back so I called. Whatever it was, Toyota dealer basically told them they’re better off selling it at auction and that was it.