Transmission Issues

I have a 2nd generation Tacoma Double Cab Prerunner (2007) with 150K miles, and the the transmission seems to be acting up a bit. What I'm noticing is a small shudder when accelerating, and the shudder seems to hit at specific speeds (for instance 45mph). I've also occasionally noticed a series of shudders when going at very slow speeds (going through a parking lot, etc) that feel like I have a flat tire or on a rutted road. When I first started noticing this I replaced the transmission fluid, but was only about to drain & replace 2 quarts worth. That immediately took care of the issue for a couple months but now its back. What should be my next step? Should I be driving the vehicle at all? I'm not the original owner so I have no idea if they changed the fluid at the correct intervals. I'm slightly hesitant to take it to the mechanic without understanding the issue better because some of the mechanics where I live are known to be crooks.

 

I suggest changing out all the transmission fluid , but you have to do it correctly .
Go to the dealer and grab a pan gasket . Then drop the pan and clean the magnets and the transmission filter .
Then add a bottle of Lubeguard platinum to the transmission
Have you greased your universal joints ? they need to be greased at every oil change .
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/

 

Thats a great idea, thanks!

 

There are all kinds of things you can do to help the shudder .
Before you spend money .... read this https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vibration-diagnostics-for-all-tacomas-write-up.520607/

 

I ended up dropping the pan, cleaning all the magnets and wiping the bottom of the pan dry (which had a fair amount of metal flakes) as well as adding the Lubegard. I also did a full flush as outlined here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/

The one thing I'd like to point out on the flush above is the instructions were to attach a clear vinyl hose to the forward metal hose near the radiator, but when I started the vehicle the trans fluid shot out the rubber part and made a huge mess. Ended up attaching a hose to each to complete the flush.

Anyways, 4K+ miles with no signs of the issue. Hopefully that will be the end of it. A big thank you for the advice!

 

Any video/picture guide on the dropping the pan and cleaning everything on the inside?

 

I had the same shudder on my 2006. After throwing money at it, I finally stumbled on a thread here that pointed at flushing the tranny fluid. Once I flushed and replaced the entire tranny (13 quarts I believe) the shudder was gone! I need to go back and add the Lube Guard for extra protection.

 

Those two steps are straightforward enough to figure out on the fly.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-2nd-gen-transmission-pan-and-filter.726329/