Minor Shudder In / Out of Torque Converter Lockup or Transmission Quirk?

I've been reading tons of threads on transmissions recently and just purchased two quarters of WS in preparation to check my fluid properly, but here goes.

2013 4.0L 5AT. Mild lift, 265/75-16 in the spring/summer/fall, 265/70-16 in the winter. Had the fluid changed via a drain/fill at 30K, have 40K on the truck.

I noticed as the weather got colder in the morning the first 2-3 shifts of my truck into 5th gear would clunk. I attributed this to the truck being cold and wanting to be in 5th gear as soon as possible. This shift would occur right at that 38-40 MPH sweet spot people talk about and the revs would drop to only around 1,100 on the tach, which is quite low, and much lower than I'd ever run a MT car at (I never cruise at less than 1,500 in my STi).

I reset the ECU about a week ago and drove a bit harder to get the transmission to relearn a more aggressive shift pattern. I also typically don't shift into D until the truck has warmed up and I'm past that 38-40 MPH area. I notice if I were to have my first shift in the colder weather be above that 38-40 MPH threshold, it shifts smoothly

Now I'm noticing that if I'm cruising along at 40ish and I left off the gas, my torque converter wants to unlock almost immediately and somewhat abruptly and if I tap the gas again, it locks right back up. If I'm following someone in traffic and they're not driving at a steady speed it will lock and unlock somewhat often, and not necessarily smoothly.

This is one of those things it may have always done it and I never paid attention to it, so I don't necessarily know what I'm listening for or not listening for (or if it's normal for the truck). I've always had manuals, so I'm not nearly as in tune with ATs as I should be.

I will be checking the fluid as soon as it warms up a bit and I have some time to get under the truck. I'd like to think that when the dealer changed it at 30K they checked what they put in and didn't just add what they took out. I was charged for 4 quarts of WS, so maybe it's right, I don't know.

I want to do the TSB since I also ping in the warm weather unless I run 93, but the last time I tried to get a TSB completed (the rear springs / vibration) I was denied for the front bumper and now that I've altered the suspension, who knows what they'll say. I may try a dealer for laughs.

Thanks for reading

Update.

New transmission is in, props to Copeland Toyota for working with me and not giving me "operating as designed", all the quirks still are there, leading me to believe it's in the shift logic, not the mechanical side of things. The shifts themselves are better, but that 30-35 MPH rev fall off and clunk still exist.

I checked the fluid level this evening, after a false start of checking it when it was too hot (urgh). The level prior to the check appeared to be good, maybe 3-4 ounces shy. I put in maybe 6-7 (12 from the bottle, but the pump line may contact a few ounces of fluid). I will drive it around a few days and see.

I plan on pushing for TSB-0044-14 once it gets warm around here and see what that can do.

UPDATE #0928420:

I'm still having some quirky shifting / lockup going on, so I'm hoping someone here might be able to shed some light.

When I'm cruising at say 28-35 MPH, the truck will be locked into whatever the highest gear it can be in, and I'm showing 1,200-1,300 on the tach. If I lift my foot off the gas, the revs instantly drop to below 900 and bounce back to maybe 1,100 and I'm rapidly decelerating and I get a bit of a driveline clunk and what feels like an unlock. The second I get back on the gas, it feels like I relock and I go on my way.

The problem with this is if I'm in traffic that isn't keeping a steady speed it gets extremely cyclic. Having a new transmission tells me I don't have an issue there as it's identical to what I had before. I don't know if the torque converter is replaced with the transmission, but I don't have any other typical issues. I'm wondering with the rapid rev drop if I've got something in an idle control valve, MAF, etc going on as well which is causing the truck to want to kick down more aggressively.

I still want to push for the ping TSB, but I cannot do that until the weather clears. I also have a terrible underdash rattle that sounds similar enough to a ping that the technician could easily miss the real ping.

 

Still covered by warranty right? Take it in. Why mess with something that has a factory warranty.

 

I'm lifted...they'll laugh. I already got rejected for a TSB being complete stock other than a bumper. Every problem I've had with the truck they've blamed on something that wasn't 100% stock. I had a suspension clunk that ended up being a loose bolt when the truck was complete stock except for an auxiliary fuse panel and they tried blaming my fuse panel for it.

EDIT: I'm just trying to get a feel for if this is normal truck behavior before I try and go the dealer route. I've got plenty of time left in calendar time and mileage.

 

They have to prove that any modification that you made to the truck is a direct cause if they can't, which they can't. Tell them to fix it.

If you have had that much of a problem with them then find another dealer. If that isn't an option then call the regional rep and pitch a fit.

 

I'm currently 0 for 2 on dealers. Dealer A had issues with my AT's and blamed all my rattles and whatnot on those. Dealer B did part of the suspension TSB before sending me off with the ARB.

I'd think it would be easy for them to reject a driveline issue with the lift. Like in my edit, I'm trying to determine if it's truly a characteristic of the truck or if it's something more.

 

Go find one for sale at a used dealer and drive it to compare.

If they blame it on your mods tell them to prove it. Then tell them you want to talk with the regional rep.

 

The tsb for pinging will change the way the trans acts for the better. Get that tsb done and see if it solves your issue.

 

Ended up at the dealer to check it out and check the trans level / TSB. They said something in the valve bolt was malfunctioning (SLT solenoid?) and are replacing the trans under warranty. No complaints here.

They said they'd look into the TSB for pinging once they replace the transmission.

 

I have a 2015 with about 6,500 miles and have noticed a clunk into 5th gear on the first couple of shifts as well. I've been searching around to see if this is normal, but haven't been able to find much about it. Think this is something I should be worried about?

 

It can't hurt to have it looked at.

Here's the thread I saw about the TSB. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2013-tacoma-automatic-trans-rough-shift-into-5th-gear.260403/

I'm still pushing to have the TSB done, even if the transmission is replaced.

 

Yeah. I just hate going to the dealer. Did you have a code in the ecu? Do you know what they did to diagnose it?

 

Unfortunately, I know nothing at the moment. I wasn't throwing a CEL, but I don't know if the TCU had anything going on in it. I will ask more when it's done.

 

Alright. I appreciate it.

 

Just an update.

New transmission is in, props to Copeland Toyota for working with me and not giving me "operating as designed", all the quirks still are there, leading me to believe it's in the shift logic, not the mechanical side of things. The shifts themselves are better, but that 30-35 MPH rev fall off and clunk still exist.

I checked the fluid level this evening, after a false start of checking it when it was too hot (urgh). The level prior to the check appeared to be good, maybe 3-4 ounces shy. I put in maybe 6-7 (12 from the bottle, but the pump line may contact a few ounces of fluid). I will drive it around a few days and see.

I plan on pushing for TSB-0044-14 once it gets warm around here and see what that can do.

 

Interesting. It still clunks into 5th even with the new trans? If so, that leads me to believe it has something to do with the shift logic too. Hopefully you can get the TSB flash done and see if it changes anything.

 

My 06 does this also. I just got used to it after so long.
I noticed that if I keep it in 4 then move to D at about 35-40 MPH the shift is smooth.

 

Searching for anyone else having 5th gear issues. No clunk on mine, it sort of slides into 5th. Almost like it goes in and out of 5th before deciding to go. Only when I've run it up to speed and then backed off the throttle.

 

UPDATE #0928420:

I'm still having some quirky shifting / lockup going on, so I'm hoping someone here might be able to shed some light.

When I'm cruising at say 28-35 MPH, the truck will be locked into whatever the highest gear it can be in, and I'm showing 1,200-1,300 on the tach. If I lift my foot off the gas, the revs instantly drop to below 900 and bounce back to maybe 1,100 and I'm rapidly decelerating and I get a bit of a driveline clunk and what feels like an unlock. The second I get back on the gas, it feels like I relock and I go on my way.

The problem with this is if I'm in traffic that isn't keeping a steady speed it gets extremely cyclic. Having a new transmission tells me I don't have an issue there as it's identical to what I had before. I don't know if the torque converter is replaced with the transmission, but I don't have any other typical issues. I'm wondering with the rapid rev drop if I've got something in an idle control valve, MAF, etc going on as well which is causing the truck to want to kick down more aggressively.

I still want to push for the ping TSB, but I cannot do that until the weather clears. I also have a terrible underdash rattle that sounds similar enough to a ping that the technician could easily miss the real ping.

 

That sounds awful. I'd love to help, but I'm still dealing with my 4-5 gear issue. Maybe it's time for the Level 10 tranny

 

I'm not convinced a new trans would fix anything. I swear it's in the shift logic and/or is something on the motor side (a MAF, etc). The new transmission shifts identical to the old one. I was just hoping someone had the same symptoms and said oh, X, Y or Z fixed it.

It's funny, putting it in "4" does alleviate a bunch of the symptoms, but I watch my transmission temp skyrocket when I do it, so I don't want to throw all the excess heat into the fluid if I don't have to.