Slipping trans & Cluster gauges not working

Hey guy, im having a few problems on my 2013 Sr-5.
I recently had the dash apart installing an Atoto A6, while it was apart I decided to pull the cluster out and clean behind the clear plastic cover as it had some dust and stuff in there that's been aggravating me for awhile.
Now the speedometer and gas needle both are wayyyy off... the speedo is off by about 50 mph or more and the gas needle is off by about a half a tank.
I did move them when cleaning but I didn't know this was going to happen...I know I'm an idiot.
Is there any way to correct this ? I've tried everything from reseting the needles back to what I thought wad the right position while it was running, to unhooking the battery.... nothing has helped.

A few days later I noticed my transmission is acting up every now and then it will shift funny especially when the engine is cold and has only been running a few minutes.
The other day I left work and about 4 miles down the road I was driving along just fine and it was like it jumped out of gear but was still in gear ! I shifted it to neutral and back to drive kept driving it, it slipped a few more times and then it done fine the rest of the day.
The following day I hit a pothole and it done the same thing, it revved all the way up like it was in neutral then done fine the rest of the trip....
The truck has 161,000 miles on it, I bought it with 58,000 on it and I've never changed the transmission fluid.
Do you guys think this could be the problem ? And if so should I do a complete flush at the dealership or just a drain and fill myself at the house?

 

Most transmission problems are electrical. You should be able to get a lot more miles out of the transmission without changing the fluid. I'm in the camp that never changes mine. Been driving for 50 years and the only transmission issues were electrical.

In my case mice chewed insulation off wires causing a short. The transmission was throwing all sorts of codes and shifting weird. This has happened three times to me on other vehicles, never the Tacoma. Once it required a new wiring harness, the other times just some shrink wrap on the exposed wires I've seen other have the same issue. My car ran normally most of the time. It only acted up at certain times. Looking back it was only when the exposed wire shorted. That would explain why it did it after hitting a pothole.

I suspect you may have done some damage when you had the dash apart. Those wires go come from all over the truck. Pulling a wire behind the dash may lead to any corner of the truck where the actual damage could be.

That can be hard to track down but is where I'd start.

 

Idk about the gauges but the first thing I'd do is check the transmission fluid level, it sounds like it may be low on fluid.
Fluid temp should be 95-115F when checking.

 

Should I do a fluid change or just add a little until it runs out?

 

I think I'd check/top it off first and see if that fixes your issue, it is does then consider doing a trans service. If it doesn't then further investigation is gona be required and the pan may need to come off anyway.

 

Hey guys, I checked the fluid and it was a quart & half low.
I don't know how being that it's not leaking, my truck is bone dry underneath... any ideas ?
I was hoping that would fix the problem but it's still acting up and getting more frequent it only seems to slip when the tranny is cold after about 10 mins of driving it does pretty good except for the occasional rough shift.
At first it seemed to only do it in overdrive but now it's slipped in 4th and reverse a couple times.
When i was checking the trains fluid I noticed that it wasn't the usual red like I'm used to, it was dirty and black like heavily used motor oil...... what do you guys recommend?
I've heard so many different things about the fluid on these trucks I don't know what to do

 

High odds a rebuild is in order. Black is a sign of burnt clutch packs and a n overheated trans.

You could take a gamble on a drain and fill and see what happens, but it is just that, a gamble.

@gearcruncher any thoughts or corrections or other suggestions?

 

What could have caused it ? I've never hauled anything with it or been rough on the truck.
I'm currently driving it back and forth to work, should I stop driving it?
Is there a way to completely drain it without taking it to the dealer ?

 

161k miles, never serviced, 1.5 qts low, unknown treatment by the PO for the first 58k.

 

A few conflicting issues that I can see .
When the dash was taken apart , did it create an electrical problem ? or is this just a coincidence that both problems occured shortly after one another ?
With the above being mentioned , a computer scan should point at an electrical issue . He has not scanned yet has he ? Does he have a scanner ?
Sure sounds electrical to me

These are smart transmissions . They are completely computer controlled . Scanning for codes would be the next step

If the transmission fluid was low for a long period of time , that will slowly damage internal transmission components . The A750 series transmission is very picky . They need to be filled properly .
Considering the fluid is very dark and smells burnt leads me to beleive it has never seen a transmission service .
I would never ever consider flushing this transmission .
Pan drop only

 

No I did not damage anything while installing the radio, I should have mentioned that it's just a coincidence that it's happening around the same time...I was very careful when installing the radio.
I do have mechanical background,I was mechanic for 5 years in my youth but never had any transmission experience other than pulling them and replacing them for clutch jobs or changing out bad units.
I'm now an electrician so I know how to work with wiring properly, I don't think that's the issue.

No I have not hooked a scan tool to it yet, the check engine light isn't on and hasn't ever been on....
I have at times had the truck idling for a an hour or two and this has been over the past year id say no more than 20 times, could this have caused it?

I went out today and purchased a new filter and 15 quarts of fluid, what would you guys recommend at this stage should I take the line loose from the cooler and do the flush and change the filter or what ??
I included a few pics of the color of the oil

 

If it was mine , I would take the pan off and check the junk laying in the bottom of the pan .

You don't always get all the codes with the check engine light .
You will get check engine lights if your vehicle pollutes the air.
Going back in your explanation, you hit a bump and the transmission acted up .
That's a sign of a bad wire somewhere in the transmission electrical circuit .
Not saying it is an electrical issue .
This is why it's a good idea to start with the basics like a computer scan .
I believe auto zone scans for free
She was fairly low on fluid as well .

 

I just stopped by autozone and got them to run a test on it, there's no codes.
I see where your coming from on the bad wire I'll double check them, when I hit that pot hole it was around the time it normally starts acting up hopefully its just a coincidence.
Usually when I leave work within the first 3-4 miles it's acts up,Sometimes before that if it's colder it seems like...

What do you think about me draining the pan installing a new filter refilling it and then loosing the line from the trans cooler & draining a couple quarts, adding a couple quarts then redraining it repating the process until the fluid clears up ?

 

Yup .
Dropping the pan for a contamination check would be next on the list .
Once you know the contamination level , either change out the rest of the fluid or just put the pan back on and fill it back up .
Too much contamination in the pan may cause more problems down the road .
Some guys just change the pan fluid for this reason
take pictures when you get the pan off .

Good job verifying there are no codes .
That eliminates all computer controls

 

There is your issue .
All that metal and aluminum travelling through your valve body .
I hate to say it , but time for a rebuild

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