A340F transmission slipping: how screwed am I???

Transmissions are out of my wheelhouse. I have a 1st generation Tacoma with 375k miles. The A340F transmission has started slipping over the past several weeks, and seems to be getting worse by the day. It only does it on take off, after it is moving everything seems to be ok. Since this is my only vehicle and I cannot afford to run out and replace it right now (pending divorce and disabled), I wondered what am I looking at financially to get this thing back on the road?

 

Try some slip fix for the time being but be making a plan to replace transmission cause its probably cheaper than paying someone to repair yours. Sorry for the bad news. I tore mine up in my 2nd gen and it was much cheaper to replace whole thing. I did the work myself though so not sure what labor wise it would cost.

 

Sorry to hear of all your troubles! As for the transmission given the miles I would say worn clutch plates and bands are your problem.

With you on a budget with what you are going through your best option IMHO is try and find a good used transmission.

 

Thanks everyone! Are all A340F transmissions created equal? Can I get one out of a Tundra or 2004 model? Or am I looking for a specific make/model donor? Any guidance would be much appreciated!

 

You need one from a 1995 to 2002 Tacoma. Or a 1996 to 2000 4Runner ideally. Some of the later model ones aren't cable operated for the pressure control.

Have you checked your transmission fluid level though, one of the first signs of low fluid is starting to slip

 

shouldn't be driving it, just doing more damage & could result in more money at the end of the day...

 

Where are you located OP? I've got multiple spare A340 transmissions on hand.

 

If hes planning on going way of repair...

 

Agree with above, you could also check your line pressure cable adjustment at throttle body that could buy you some time, but if the 30,000 mile service intervals weren’t done you will need another trans, the good thing is they are plentiful. gl

 

Searching car-part.com for a used one might be a good idea. A few years back my bro bought a MINT 2002 1 owner 4Runner 4WD with this transmission. Bad transmission. . .he bought a used one for $950 plus shipping from a yard in Cali. Installed and worked perfect for 15k miles till he sold it. Then he sold the used one for like $150 as a "core".

Repairing or rebuilding will cost a pretty penny!

 

The issue is that when the friction material on the discs goes away you are now metal to metal and if that happens rather than just replacing a few parts you are replacing everything and that is where it gets truly expensive.

Assuming you have check the fluid level.

One thing that you might try is to put her in 2nd and not D and see if she still slips on inital drive off. I do not recommend this but you have to do what you have to do to get by for the time being.

 

Another vote to check that kick down cable......

that cable you can twist or move into a bad position real easy

then it shifts late....and wants to fall out of gear

 

Just an update. I took my truck to a local mom & pop transmission place. The owner took the truck for a test drive, checked the fluid, etc., and said the transmission isn't slipping, the seals are getting hard and not allowing the transmission to properly engage. He suggested putting a quart of Lucas A/T treatment in the transmission and driving it a hundred or so miles. He said that may or may not fix the problem. I figure I don't have anything to lose, so I going to try that ... hoping it buys me some more time until my divorce is finalized.

Thank you to everyone who replied!

 

Contaminants could get into the trans cooler that wont all come out by flushing end of the day, not a good idea...
End result requires more funds regardless if youre replacing or repairing...
My guys have seen so much metal, they demand trans cooler / radiator replacement....

 

you say its slipping on take-off...
owner of shop says not engaging due to hard seals....
not engaging isnt slipping on take-off, not engaging is not engaging.
Im not ragging on you, but theres good techs & bad techs out there & you can believe everything youre told.
Like you said, nothing to lose at this point, I guess....

 

If you oil pan is worth a damn it will catch any dangerous amounts of metal. Ive never heard of that being an issue before. I drove around on mine before replacement for 6 months. Never had an issue. Replaced and im 20k into new one and its been fine. Mine had large chunks of metal in oil pan. Just saying if hes in financial bind then driving around for a while longer might be his only option. Ive never seen the cooler ever come into play

 

We flush them using 15 quarts of trans fluid, compressed air prior to installing any rebuilt trans..
Sometimes my guys demand entire radiator to be replaced due to extent of debris....
Ford also implemented an additional inline filter on some rebuilds cuz the debris issue has been such an issue...
Just saying,
I get the financial bind, but that doesnt change the severity of the concern, potential shot myself in the foot down the road....
nobody wants to pay 2x...