intermittent OD issues

Discussion in '4Runners' started by Down by the Water, Jun 10, 2016.

  1. Jun 10, 2016 at 8:06 AM
    #1
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    I have a 4Runner with an A340F trans.

    Here it is doing its tricks:

    https://youtu.be/-VauaC_cUlA

    I'm cruising at 60-70mps in the video.

    When I got it it was very cranky at high speed and would shift in and out of OD constantly. I replaced the trans fluid and filter and the shift solenoids, but no luck. Worth noting, when I had the pan off it was clean, no metal shavings. Finally, I replaced the engine thermostat and it cleared up the problem...almost. Now it does this very occasionally (3 times in the last month and it only lasted 10-15 minutes.) No check engine light, no OD light flashing, the truck runs/shifts perfect otherwise, plenty of power, and I'm getting between 16 & 18mpg.

    I've had two different mechanics look at it and they couldn't reproduce the problem while they had it. No computer codes are being generated.

    Any thoughts?
     
  2. Jun 11, 2016 at 1:12 PM
    #2
    gearcruncher

    gearcruncher Well-Known Member

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    trans temp sensor or temp sensor wiring .
     
  3. Jun 13, 2016 at 11:51 PM
    #3
    moab4x432

    moab4x432 Well-Known Member

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    Wow and I thought my 3rd gen Tacoma shifted crazy
     
  4. Aug 7, 2016 at 12:31 PM
    #4
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    It's doing it again...actually, it's not shifting into OD at all. It's like it only has 4 gears now. We went to California for two weeks. It hasn't shifted into OD since we got back. Still no "check engine light" and it runs perfectly otherwise. I'm going to get a scanner on it this week.
     
  5. Aug 9, 2016 at 9:41 AM
    #5
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    It's done the searching/dropping thing once and went back to shifting into OD for an afternoon but the next morning the problem was back. I took it to Toyota and they said it definitely doesn't shift into OD (haha!), they could find no codes and they recommend a new transmission. They've quoted me $3700 to install a re-manufactured trans, new rear main seal, fluid and labor. I'm looking into what it will cost to install a used one.
     
  6. Aug 10, 2016 at 11:16 AM
    #6
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    Interesting wrinkle in this story, on a lark I drove by one of the repair shops I got an estimate from. The guy who runs the place wasn't to busy so he agreed to drive around with his scanner on the truck. Initially the OD on/off button wasn't showing up in his scanner? The button works, the light comes on on the dash when you switch the OD off but it was not turning the OD on/off at the ECU. Once we got on the highway it showed there was no signal to shift into 4th gear. He could track the ECU shifting from 1 to 2 and then 3 but no signal came to shift into 4. At one point the truck started doing the crazy shift thing in the video I posted and then settled into 4th for a bit, the OD even locked up. At that point the OD button started working. We could turn the OD off and it would shift down to 3rd.

    At the very least this means there's some question as to weather there's a problem with the transmission itself. It could very well be a wiring short somewhere. Though this is progress I can't help but be a little disappointed. Replacing a transmission is pretty straightforward. I've had electrical issues with other cars and a boat I owned. Chasing down wiring problems can be maddening.
     
  7. Aug 10, 2016 at 2:21 PM
    #7
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    After reading a link gearcruncher posted I decided to try the "manual shift test." Unplugged the harness that controls the shift solenoids and drove it around. Fourth gear is fine apparently, and it stayed in fourth while I was driving it at speed.
     
  8. Aug 25, 2016 at 10:28 AM
    #8
    Down by the Water

    Down by the Water [OP] Member

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    Back to an intermittent problem. It's shifting perfectly currently.
     

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