Dumb dude messed up his transmission, seeking advice!

Ok, so please refrain from the irresistible urge to just call me an idiot and that's that. I mean you can call me an idiot, but I'd really appreciate some helpful feedback as well.

So basically, whilst trying to change the oil in my 06 Tacoma, I accidentally drained the transmission fluid. I also added oil to the engine. I then proceeded to drive the Taco for just about 500 miles. Eventually I realized I had an issue when my auto transmission was having trouble changing gears. I did a little research and realized the seemingly fatal error I had made. So I took it in to a shop, got a transmission fluid flush, and then changed the oil (the right way!) myself. Since then, the truck drives basically normal. Sometimes if I brake real hard, or accelerate really fast, the trans seems to skip, or comes into, or out of gear in a not so smooth manner.

So I figure I have permanantly damaged the transmission to some degree. However I have driven several 1000 miles since the incident, and seem to have relatively little problem (besides the one described above).

So basically what I'd like to ask is...Is there anything anyone would reccommend that I could do to 1. extend the life of my truck 2. perform a more thorough health check on my transmission, or 3. not be such a dumbass.

Thanks

 

Unfortunately, we all learn things the hard way and you always remember what you learned from your experiences.

Extend the life of your truck?

Get yourself organized with what maintenance you need and all the intervals. Keep track of your maintenance. If you're new and doing the work yourself - research, research, research (before you perform the work). Make sure you understand what maintenance you are performing (and why). Also - 'Follow Thru' - which means, checking things and keeping an eye on things after you perform the maintenance.

There is no magic pill for keeping your truck prestine & extending the life. Every truck is subject to different terrain & lifestyle and different rates of lifespan.

Health Check of Transmission? You've already done what you should've done. You may want to talk to a Toyota Tech and tell them exactly what happened - and that you had the transmission flushed, etc. He/she may be able to tell you what you can do for the duration. If there is damage done, it's already done. You may or may not be on borrowed time. I don't think there's anything you can do NOW - without replacing the entire transmission with a new one. Ride it out....

There are no dumbasses - Just dumbass moments.
You had a dumbass moment.

 

PERSONALLY

I've not had the pleasure to drive the auto taco so I can't say for sure but a lot of times auto trans are called slush boxes for a reason. You may just be paranoid and looking for problems at this point. Could always have a mechanic take it for a drive with you if you really want but mechanics cost $$$.

I would keep running it. Maybe go through and drain and fill a couple more times.

On the side however I'd be researching replacement trans, either from a salvage yard or rebuilt. I'd also be researching how I'd be replacing it to save the most cash. Tranny jack, tools, buddies with shops, etc...

Do some homework and if you find a deal on a trans jump on it. If nothing else you sit on it for a couple years and then sell it for about what you paid for it.

Then if your trans takes a shit you're not scrambling to figure out what to do.

If it makes you feel any better... you're not the first and you won't be the last.

Also, make sure you're engine isn't overfull.

 

damn..not much you can do at this point.

my tranny felt foreign to me also when i had it flushed. i say, let it ride..see what happens.

500 miles? no tranny fluid and double the motor oil.

 

Hey thanks for the comments. Janster really appreciate the advice and I HOPE I'm not on borrowed time haha, but yeah, I think I might get in touch with a Toyota Tech. Maxamillion, also thanks. I'm definitely going to do some more reasearch on replacement trannys. I love this truck, I'd like to keep it going for as long as possible.

and Aficianado, 500 miles, no tranny fluid, double oil, yep that's correct, and she's still running. A testament to how badass these trucks are.

 

my shop reflashed the computer and my tranny simply felt weird. similar to what you describe. the shift points got wanky, and it downshifted randomly..the truck and i worked it out..came to an agreement..and we are good to go. (i just got used to it, i think)

 

When you mistakenly drained your transmission you really only drained a few quarts out of it. The torque converter holds just as much if not more fluid than what you can drain out of the pan. So you certainly didn't run it dry. 500 miles is a ways but if it's shifting fine now I wouldn't sweat it. I had an 05 with an auto and I really didn't like the way that tranny shifted. The random downshifts when braking, confusion between 4th and 5th, and the damn 60mph vibration they all seem to have. Now that you've made that mistake you are probably over-sensitive to the normal traits of this transmission.

 

I agree with what others have said about maybe you are sensitive to what the truck is doing since you feel that you screwed something up. My truck has been well maintained with under 35k miles and I notice poor shifts with the transmission as well. It's not bad, but its not perfect. Keep an eye out for a replacement transmission and pick one up if you spot a great deal. Keep it just in case but mostly so that you have the fall back and don't worry so much about it. What's done is done, best you can do is keep up with maintenance going forward.

Best of luck.

 

Yeah I was going to post the bit about the TC. Since you already did, I agree with you.

 

Don't worry, everyone has a dummy moment.
Keep a maintenance log to keep track of what has been done and when so you know when you'll need to do it again. If you're new to automotive work, get someone more experienced to help you out, or use the internet to do some research first- everything is on the internet, so you'll always find something useful. When doing maintenance work, try to understand why you are doing what you are doing- it always helps to understand the mechanical reason behind your work instead of just doing it because that's what everyone says to do.

It sucks though, because the damage has already been done, and there's not really anything you can do to reverse the damage. But hopefully things will work out for you and the truck- I wish you the best of luck.

 

Where's krazie? He should definitely be part of this thread.

 

I'm hesitant to post this, as I'm not an expert on auto trans by any means...

...however, I'd be inclined to think that if you had enough fluid, and enough pressure to lock up the clutches with the pistons (and you must have) then you'll probably be alright. If it slipped you might have a little wear but I think you'll be okay. Now that could be wrong but that's what I'd assume knowing what little I know about auto transmissions.

 

Didnt feel like reading all the posts but when draining from the trans pan only a few quarts will drain leaving more than half in the trans. You caused wear and as long as toyota filled it up proper theres nothing you can do. Good luck

 

Did this too on my old ranger. Luckily I realized what I had done and didnt drive it and refilled both ... im going with the post above me on this if it was able to still shift ok for a while .. or the trade in suggestion

 

I think your truck is fine.

Its been mentioned that most of the fluid remains in the system when you drain it. Both in the torque converter, all the lines, and the transmission cooling system, which runs fluid up to the front through the radiator.

If the transmission is empty, the torque converter won't work at all. You literally would not be able to move, the engine would spin, but you'll sit in one place. The fact that you could drive means that there was enough fluid in the system to operate the torque converter and lubricate the friction plates and gears. When it was having a hard time shifting, that was only because there wasn't enough fluid to fully pressurize the system, not because something was worn or damaged.

Automatic transmissions are extremely sensitive to the fluid that is in them. Just a simple flush can cause them to feel different. The difference in the shifting characteristics between almost empty and properly full can make a difference. The BRAND of fluid can make a difference. There are also several different types of automatic transmission fluid. Some will run the vehicle, but make it shift weird. If your tranny guy (yeah, that's an awkward title, isn't it?) put in the wrong kind of fluid, that would certainly account for what you're observing now. First thing to do now is get it dealer flushed with the right kind of fluid.

As far as the engine being overfilled, no big deal. The oil sits down really low in the bottom of the engine and is sucked out of there through a pipe. It doesn't get splashed around by an arm on the connecting rod like a lawnmower. There is a pretty good space up to the crankshaft, so you actually can fit in quite a bit of extra oil before it starts to splash the crank. Definitely nothing to worry about.

 

I believe you are correct. When I did a drain and refill on my auto tranny, I got about 3.5 quarts out and, if I recall correctly, the entire system takes about 15 - 17 quarts of fluid.

You didn't run it dry. A dry automatic transmission will not work. They require the working fluid to function. In my opinion, you did the right thing by correctly changing the engine oil and flushing the transmission and there's not much else you can do at this point.

 

Wow! I expected to come on here and get straight up tarred and feathered, with maybe a post or two with some advice. But got a lot of helpful and genuine feedback here. Really appreciate it guys. I think I'm gonna stick around on this forum...

 

We try! ...sometimes

 

yeah man this isnt pirate4x4, that definitley woulda happened over there.

 

and some socialist from the north who enjoys freezing her ass off and paying too much for gas emerges ...

Edit: Not a dig at all canadians, just this dumbass