Torque Converter and Transmission Questions: To rebuild or not to rebuild?

Mine is RPM dependent as well. The first shop I took it too thought it might be the pump. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks @btu44!

 

When you drop the transmission pan , you are going to have a much
better idea .
If the magnets are covered in fine particles of steel , that will point more towards a bad bearing in the converter .
If the pan has aluminum laying in the bottom , that will point to the transmission pump
I do like the way the shop fixed up btu44 trans and converter .

Thats the proper way to tackle this

 

Had a 2003 Prerunner that had the whine only in gear, not in Park or Neutral. Shop said the pump was going bad. Ended up getting a used low mileage trans from a wrecked Prerunner. Fresh fluid and seals, no issues since.

 

Finally dropped the pan tonight. Need to pick up an inch pound torque wrench tomorrow so only got this far. Removed old filter and a bit of the gasket. Cleaned up the pan and temporarily put it back on with a few bolts.

I definitely wouldn’t say it was “Chunky”. However the oil looks pretty nasty and the magnets all had a good bit of very fine metallic sludge on them.

I don’t know the history (1 owner) before I bought her with 151,000 miles. The “old” filter looks pretty clean so I’m guessing I’m not the first person in here?

I’ll keep y’all updated as I finish the job. Thanks again for all of your help!

 

At least it wasn't black sludge with shiny specks

Are you reusing the strainer? If so, make sure it fits snug around the cork 'gaskets' where it mates to the valve body. When I pulled the strainer off this 1999, they were actually rubber not cork and they were brittle and loose. Ended up replacing it.

I want to say the magnets on this one were about the same. Seeing yours makes me want to drop the pan from my 2002 340E and see what those magnets look like.

 

I have new filter. I was afraid what this one was going to look like. It looked pretty good besides a little bit of metallic dust in the most rectangular cork port.

I plan on doing a few rounds of drain and refills to try to clean up the system a bit. I read flushing higher mileage transmissions may not be a great idea?

But now I’m even more curious…do you think I have issues beyond the torque converter?

 

I'm not a transmission guy so can't say with any certainty. I look at it this way, you did a drain and fill to check the fluid condition and eyeball the pan. I say button it back up, refill and send. I wouldn't even bother with multiple drain and fills to start. Once you have the pan buttoned up, fill to cold level and start her up. Shift through each gear and shut her off. Re-check the fluid level. Still not showing on the cold mark? Fill a little more and try again. Keep going until its within the cold range. Once in the cold range, drive until op temp is reached and re-check with the engine running. Fill until its within the hot marks on the dip stick.

If ya want to do another drain/fill knock it out at the next oil change or sooner. If you're still having issues then its time to consider the torque converter. No sense in throwing a new one in now and having to go through all that work of removing the transmission to get to it. Maybe the drain w/pan pull is going to be enough. Roll the dice.

That whole 'OMG don't flush your transmission' - bah I say. lol. Doing a drain and fill is fine imo. Some will say its the fluid and you want to keep the original fluid because at this point it IS contaminated. Those that say don't flush also are referring to flushing via machine. Now that I wouldn't do. I also wouldn't do it the way some youtubers *cough* did it (via removing the return line and using it to drain). Drain (via the drain plug) and fill every xxx or xxxx miles a few times. That's how I would approach it.

If you're still having issues with it after getting it back together then its time to start thinking about other potential causes.

 

That metal on your magnets is a representation of whats been floating around in your transmission fluid for a long time . The particles that are collected on the magnets verify a converter bearing issue . Those are the large particles on the magnets . The smaller particles go past the filter
Considering that metal had to travel through your aluminum valve body and aluminum pump before it ended up on the magnets , is a good indication you can also expect valve body wear and transmission pump wear .
If you plan to fix this transmission , I would consider a Sonnax valve body kit , fresh valve body gaskets and go through the pump with fresh bushings and sealing rings
The Sonnax kit installed into the valve body is going to freshen up all your hydraulic circuits that were damaged from the metal travelling through your fluid
for all those years . Steel particles floating around act like sand paper on those tiny aluminum spool valves inside the valve body
The price adds up quick mind you.
The Sonnax kit runs about $ 300 bucks
Valve body gaskets from the dealership are $50 bucks
The average cost of a rebuilt converter is $300 when you supply a core .
The cost to go through the pump depending on the wear $200 bucks
None of the above mentioned included labor , trans fluid , shop supplies
On average , its a thousand bucks to get this done at a transmission shop and you dont get a warrantee .
Are you planning to fix this issue at home ?
Are you planning to keep the truck ?

 

Thank you for the response @gearcruncher . I always looks forward to and value your input!

I love this truck and plan on keeping her until she rusts to dust(new frame so hopefully no time soon). Right now she is my daily so I’m limited to weekends for big jobs, but I’m working on doing the best mod yet (a second vehicle). I think if I didn’t have a time restraint I would be be up doing the work myself.

Would you say that a rebuilt TC is a safe call? I was thinking about just sourcing a new OEM one.

I was recently quoted 4000-4500 to have my transmission rebuilt with an aftermarket TC. That was here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

 

OEM torque converter only. Make sure to get the part number correct.

 

Assuming you have had issues with rebuilt converters ?

 

Granted this is for a remanufactured Toyota A340F, 6 cyl. That ship amount is to the San Francisco Bay Area (I didn't plug in your zip).

Personally, if you're going to go that route, I'd just order a toyota reman and roll the dice. I'd feel more confident with that vs a local shop rebuilding mine.

I still think you should just drive it. If it goes, it goes. Cross that bridge when you get there. At the very least, see how things are once you have it back together.

I didn't check McGeorge but since you're on the east coast, that's who I'd order from.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Cheers!

 

To be honest, haven't had the pleasure. I just know if I'm going to pull the transmission out to replace the TC, I'll pay for OEM rather than risk having to remove and repeat the job because the rebuilt TC crapped out because someone took a shortcut. Not worth the risk to me.

 

I know what you are saying . I have had issues with rebuilt converters at the shop . It helps if the rebuilder knows Toyota converters
When a converter fails , it also takes out all the guts inside the transmission which means I have to go through the transmission again .
My new converter supplier offers a 5 year warranty on their converters .
I have been very lucky since I switched converter companies .

 

Hey guys….side question….

While looking over my notes this morning I realized why you should never assume anything…

what I ASSUMED was that Toyotas FIPG were all the same. I actually ended up using the 103 FIPG that is used for the camshaft housing. I’m now realizing that is different from the 1281 FIPG that is called for. I know the color should have been a giveaway but I again, assumed maybe it was an updated formula.

Do you guys think it will be fine? Max Operating temp for FIPG 103 is over 400 so I’m not worried about it getting too hot. Does anyone know what the differences are between these two FIPG ?

I was letting it cure overnight but haven’t filled yet. If I need to, I might be able to run out and grab some 1281 from a dealership and re do everything….

 

Need to re-do it. Trans fluid/gear oil will do a number on the black FIPG. Composition is different. Black is specific to engine oil. Definitely need the orange stuff

P/N references -

 

Copy that. Dammit. Do you think it will be ok to fill and drive for like a week? Looks like all the Toyota parts stores are closed today.

 

I wouldn't. Then again, that's just me bud. My OCD would kick my butt.

 

I feel ya…unfortunately I don’t really have any other option so I guess wish me luck! I’m definitely not getting any sleep haha. I’ll 100% be re-doing it on Friday though…

 

Local parts store and permatex probably has a solution. Might try that if you can't wait. It's not as if everyone uses Toyota's FIPG. ThreeBond 1281 if you can find it. If not, Permatex