Who rebuilds R150F Transmission and Xfer Case?

Hey guys,
I use my '97 4x4 V6 Taco 5 speed manual as a hunting truck in the deep mud/high water here in MS. After the turkey hunting season is over in May, it will be time to have the R150F transmission and probably the xfer case rebuilt. Marlin can rebuild the transmission but they don't rebuild xfer cases. And they need 3-4 months to do the trans. Who else does a good R150F transmission and probably xfer case rebuild? Would rather keep my original trans/xfer case but will consider an exchange. And TIA for any info on this.

 

I have almost 700,000 miles on my TCASE, typically they don’t go bad

 

Thanks. That is exactly what I am expecting when I pull it and take a look. The only reason I have to question the tcase is that I am getting quite a bit of chain noise now where as I had virtually none in the past. If the tcase checks out to be good, will just change the front and rear seals.

 

Try an ATRA affiliated transmission (nation wide warranty) shop many do manuals also.

 

Thanks. There is one just 12 miles away in Jackson, MS. Will check them out with some of the local 4x4 guys. Jackson is now literally a war zone even during the day. Very sad.

 

Put redline oil in it and see

 

I was going to recommend that as well, but "Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA)"... It's worth calling around to see if they also rebuild manual transmissions or have recommendations.

 

I put Redline in both the trans & tcase last year. It made the transmission less noisy and it shifted noticeably easier. Good stuff!

 

Very good idea. But getting a reputable mechanic or a Taco owner with experience to recommend a rebuilder in this area has been the hard part. I will go talk to the guys at Coleman-Taylor Transmissions, the ATRA shop in Jackson. So far, it sounds like my best choice locally and they do rebuild manuals/tcases/diffs.

 

Just a quick follow-up to my original post. I was right on the verge of just putting a new set of seals and bearing in my R150F tranny myself. Then about a month or so ago, Marlin improved their rebuild time on the R150F tranny from 3-4 months to 3-5 weeks. I ripped it out as quick as I could, boxed it up well, and shipped it to Marlin. They just emailed that the rebuild has been completed in 3 weeks as promised and it is being returned to me. Besides all the normal wear items such as bearings/seals/synchros/etc. that were replaced, the tranny needed an output shaft/2nd gear/3rd gear/1-2 sleeve/and 3-4 sleeve. Apparently, my tranny was quite a bit more sick than I realized. Not so sure my idea of just doing seals and bearings would have lasted very long. Anyway, this info may be helpful to others having similar R150F tranny problems.

 

are you at liberty to mention about how much the cost in all of that was 20 months ago?

and how has the R150F been performing for you over this period
right now my rig has a fairly recent rebuilt R150F from Yota1 (cost was 1700$ +300$ shipping + 500$ core for a total of 2500$) but the old Taco is not seeming to be very happy with it
...looking for a direction to go and get this back on track for better happy days
there is much to learn here and the curve is Steep!

 

If new transmission are $2500, why even consider having one rebuilt

 

IIRC, the bill came to approx. 2K total shipped which included $355 for replacing the 5 internal parts that were worn beyond limits. Marlin did a top-shelf rebuild but the shippers screwed up the tranny internals twice. If you bang the R150F tranny around hard enough without gear oil in it, you can get it into a gear with the shifter still in the neutral position. If it goes into a forward gear like mine did the first time, the only fix is to open the tranny up and set it up correctly again. But if it slides into reverse, the fix is to go in thru the reverse light switch port and pry the gears back into place. That is the fix I used. What a goat rope that was! There were no new R150Fs available for $2500 when I had my tranny rebuilt.

 

As far as i know (after asking at the dealershop parts department) a brand new one is no longer available from Toyota for my year make model

 

I have a great gear box person shipping would be a killer.

Keep looking I hope you can find some close enough to interact in person always the best in.my case

 

is that GL-4 standard?

currently have AmSoil GL-4 grade in this rebuilt R150F
first drain -n fill came out nasty colour, but was probably flushing out all of that assembly lube lol

 

These guys:
https://209yota1.com/product-category/drivetrain/transmissions/assembled-transmissions/

as detailed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISHkarHC0_w&t=2002s

I recently rebuilt one myself. It's not that hard if you have a press and some patience.

 

I ran both Amsoil GL-4 and Redline MT-90 in my R150F before the rebuild. Both are excellent but I will run the Redline MT-90 once I get thru the break-in period on the Marlin rebuilt tranny. Running Lucas dino oil for the break-in.

 

In hindsight, it would have been easier to just rebuild my R150F tranny myself instead of shipping it out. After a bit of research and watching several videos, the R150F gearbox looked very straightforward. I solo overhauled my first manual tranny, a 3 speed Ford out of a '62 221 CI V8 Fairlane, in 1971. That was pretty much my final test after being a former U.S. Army mechanic's apprentice for 4 years.

 

Agreed leid
I would RM a tranny/t case b4 buying a LKQ one…..every time

I’m no expert, but when it comes to transmissions (USDM/JDM) they are made of basically same materials/parts
Just different shaft/gear measurements
If reputable vendor, they can handle anything no matter the manufacturer

I took a chance on my 212k auto Subaru tranny rebuild…..4yrs ago….$2300…..not one problem since

like RM’ing a steering rack or a turbo
No matter manufacturer, parts are parts to a reputable RM vendor