So you want to convert your prerunner to 4x4, eh?

Ok so my dumbass bought the wrong transmission for my truck so I need it gone. It's an automatic A340F transmission that was imported from Japan off a 4Runner. From what I'm told it has the multi mode (all wheel drive) capability which of course won't work on my truck. It has around 60k miles from what the importer said. The only downside is the main wire cluster is cut so it'll need some wiring love. I'm thinking around $500? Shoot me an offer. Not going to ship, this thing was a bitch to just get into storage and shipping would be a couple hundred dollars. Ventura county pickup

 

Would this not work on a PreRunner conversion if I put the correct transfer case on?
Who'd you use to import it?

 

The transmission is currently on my truck right now and isn't for sale, sorry totally forgot about this thread. But I had to take the transfer case off and buy a normal j shift transfer case to use in place of the one in the pic.
The transfer case WILL NOT work on a tacoma.

Read this thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/useless-4wd-indicator.492829/


This is the thread I started where I found out that it wouldn't work on my truck, and the reasons why it wouldn't. Give it a read, it will explain the problems with using it on a tacoma.

I got it from JDM west coast, who import Japanese and other foreign auto parts such as engines and transmissions. The store I got mine from is located in Santa Fe Springs, they usually have one or two A340 transmissions, you could give them a call or check their listings on Craigslist. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, myself and others who have done this can help sort out some confusion since I was confused and ended up with wrong parts and certain points in the conversion.

 

Ah so you ended up putting it on your truck. You just need a new transfer case right? The Jap 4Runner tranny bolted up just fine?

I read through that post and that big ass wiring harness concerned me. Is that just for the transfer case? I really don't want to bother with ADD I'm keeping it all manual with manual hubs.

How much did you pay for the tranny and transfer case from the import shop?

 

Yes I just bought a standard J shift transfer case off of eBay and it bolted right up, no problems. The tranny bolted right up, the only thing to think about is the speed sensor, it's different on tacomas and 4Runners and I currently have no speed sensor so speedometer and odometer are non functional at the moment, which causes the CEL to come on. Don't be alarmed by the harness, it was the harness that came on the 4x4 tranny, but whoever took the tranny off the 4runner didn't unhook it, they just cut the whole fuckin cluster of wires. When I had my trannies swapped, they were able to use the harness that was on my old 4x2 transmission. The transmission and transfer case ran me just under $700 I think after tax, but if you look around you can get one way cheaper. The one I got only had 60k miles on it which is why I was fine paying that much for it. Unfortunately I had to pay another $200 for a standard j shift transfer case on eBay but just make sure the tranny you buy has a standard j shift and you'll avoid that mess.

 

What do you mean they were able to use the original 4x2 harness? I didn't realize the tranny had its own wiring harness. I thought the only wiring was for the speed sensor. What purpose does the 4x2 harness serve?

Doesn't the speed sensor hook somewhere on the transfer case?

 

The transmission has wiring and various connections that hook up to the ECU or whatever computer controls the transmission, and since the j shift TC is fully manual, it doesn't need any electrical connections to work, so you can use the harness off your 2WD transmission. Here is my new tranny with the old wiring harness off my 2wd tranny:

The TC that came off the 4Runner was different, and had electrical connections to it which is why the harness looks so beefy and complicated. Here is the harness that came off the 4x4 tranny hooked up to my old 2wd tranny:

As you can see there are a lot of unconnected wires, they were mostly for the transfer case since it was special and required electrical connections.

 

I hope I'm not confusing you more than I'm helping you, lol. It can seem quite complicated and not necessarily easy to explain over a keyboard

 

No problem! You're a great help. I didn't realize there were existing electrical connections in place, I thought it was only for the VSS. They all plugged in just fine? No modification to the existing harness at all?

Oh and did your existing crossmembers line up okay with the t-case? I'm doing this on a 2.7l 4 cyl so I'm worried everything won't line up right. Everyone does this conversion on the v6. I read on write up where the guy had to modify the crossmember that attaches to the t-case.

Does the bell housing on the 4runner tranny fit up just fine or did you have to reuse the old one?

 

As far as the speed sensor goes, at this point I have no idea, but I have another year and a half to get until it needs to be smogged again so I'll deal with it later. As far as I know everything just plugged in, there are a couple plugs that are just free hanging but I'm sure they could've been for the VSS or something. The crossmember for the transmission is the same, I just had to get a new mount that actually physically bolts to the transmission. I remember reading a thread where the guy had to fab a new crossmember and became very nervous, but found out he only had to because he was converting from an auto to manual tranny which are different lengths. Auto to auto swaps shouldn't require any sort of change to the crossmember. The bell housing and everything else mounted just fine, it's the same transmission, the only difference is the output shaft is shorter on a 4WD tranny, and it has the end piece that bolts onto the transfer case.
4WD transmission mount (which is what you have to buy) mounted to factory crossmember:

 

These are the dangling wires, no idea what they're for, lol

 

Oh I see. So the only crossmember I need to buy is what elevates the 4x4 mount that bolts up to the existing one?

I'm just worried about fitment since I'm running a 4 cyl and the blocks and shorter

 

I don't see why it wouldn't be the same for a 4cyl, the same as a V6 except with all 4cyl parts. maybe someone who's done the swap on a 4 cylinder would chime in

 

And yes, just the part that bolts to the crossmember which bolts to the transmission should be the only thing you need to buy

 

So this is the list of what I need so far:

Transmission
Transfer Case
Front Driveshaft
Rear Driveshaft
FL, FR Spindle
CV Axles
Manual Hubs
Front Differential/Carrier
4x4 Crossmember

Am I missing anything?

 

The piece circled in red is what you need, it's the mount, not the crossmember:

And you don't need the entire rear driveshaft (front and rear sections), you only need the front section of the rear shaft, the part that goes on to the carrier bearing from the transmission because it is shorter on 4WD models due to the extended length of the transfer case:

But other than that, your parts list is pretty much complete, you also need the shifter lever housing for the interior:

Also before you install everything, there is a little plate you need to cut out that's under the shifter console that allows the lever for the transfer case to come thru into the cab. It's clearly marked with a little border and an "x" in the middle but it's easy to cut out and well marked.

 

Ah. So more like this?

Transmission
Transfer Case
Front Driveshaft
Rear Driveshaft
FL, FR Spindle
CV Axles
Manual Hubs
Front Differential/Carrier
4x4 Mount
Interior Trim

Did you have to modify your 4WD shifter linkage? Some build threads I've read through mentioned something about it.
You're running manual hubs right? How much all-in-all did you pay?

 

That looks more like it. I'm using the same linkage that was on my old tranny, which I had to because they also cut the linkage on the new one along with the wiring cluster when they removed it off the 4Runner:

So yes, you can use the same linkage from your old tranny. I'm also running manual hubs as well:

I bought all the front end parts (diff, spindles, manual hubs, and axles) from a member here on tacoma world for $550, tranny for $650 but had to get a different t case for an additional $200, tranny mount $30, front section of rear driveshaft (also from a cool guy on tacoma world) for like $75 I think, interior trim off eBay for $70 (which may be overpriced, but I needed it and it was the same color as my interior so oh well), front drive shaft for $100 which is all the parts I needed. So 550+650+200+30+75+70+100=$1,675 in parts and I paid $1500 to have the transmission installed at a shop, so 1675+1500=$3,175 all in. You can do it way cheaper if you aren't an idiot like me and don't buy wrong parts and if you have patience and find good deals. I bought the front end parts, put them all on (you can put the spindles, diff, axles, and hubs in without installing trans and TC) then waited a few months and bought the tranny and t case and front driveshaft and interior trim, then waited a couple more months to have it all installed (im a kid on a budget so I had to wait, lol)
I'd say you could do it for under $2k if you get good deals on parts and do labor yourself or have some buddies help you install stuff. I didn't have the tools or the knowledge to install trannies so I just let a shop do it. Everything else I installed myself, saving money. Just do it in 2 parts, front half and rear half.

 

Ah. Thanks.

What about the t-case shifter linkage? It fit just fine to the body with no modification?

 

The lever goes into the cab through the little hole you have to cut in the center console thing, once you do that it'll just slide in when you mount the transmission. That's the only mod you need to do.