1st Gen (2001 Tacoma) - Automatic Transmission Issue

Starting a new thread with this issue. I've read through a lot of similar issues, but none seem to be exactly aligned with the issue I'm having.

My 2001 3.4L Tacoma (auto trans).... About 6 months ago (in NH, cold weather) I had trouble accelerating once in D after truck sat outside work in nearly 0 degree weather all day. I reversed out of the parking spot fine, but once in D it felt like trying to get going starting a 4th gear (high revs barely barely rolling forward). Once things warmed up and I waited (~5 mins), it drove like normal, smooth and no problems. I have flushed the tranny and replaced the trans filter since. Now in the past week, 3 times when I back out of my garage (warm summer weather) and put it in D I have this same problem, rev's up barely inches forward and after a few minutes of sitting there, it will perform normally. Reversing out of garage, the truck feels perfectly fine. I also can bypass it by manually shifting to L, in which it takes off great and I can then slide into D once moving along at ~15 MPH or so...

Any tips would be appreciated?! Been reading about solenoids, hope this isn't symptoms of needing a whole new tranny... I don't think it is brake related since I can back up perfectly well with no issues. I have a lot of driving planned for vacation next week and am trying to hedge my risks with the truck now! Thanks for any suggestions/input!

@gearcruncher - I was tipped from another thread that you may be an expert in this field!?

 

Sure does sound like new tranny time to me. Be interested to see what others say.

 

have you scanned for codes ?
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...sions-write-up-your-4-speed-automatic.325531/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sonnax-zip-kit-a340-late-installation.435019/

 

For comparison sake, I got 180K out my tranny before it ate itself. I'm a light driver too. Midwest. Also a 2001 3.4L. I don't complain though. That's the first major problem the truck ever had (disregarding frame rust of course).

 

@gearcruncher, I ran it for codes, but have none showing up

 

My 01 4wd DC has 245k and at around 90k it had these same symptoms. Changed transmission filter/screen and fluid. Issues have never returned.

 

Sounds like a shift solenoid got stuck and you either started in 2nd or 3rd. This happened on my Land cruiser from time to time, just because one solenoid stuck occasionally

 

I've read that if it's a solenoid issue it would usually throw a code, is that not always the case... or if its just beginning to fail it may not have tripped a code yet? Thanks for the input!

 

I just did a huge road-trip (4,500 miles), and got a 0770 code somewhere in rural Mississippi. I really didn't notice anything bad was happening (pulling a 7'x14' enclosed trailer), but I stopped & checked it out (trans solenoid issue), cleared it, and it hasn't come back in 2,500 miles (yet).

 

If the solenoid still had the right resistance and actuated a tiny bit or eventually corrected it wouldn't throw a code. Mine never does, just will start in 2, realize it screwed up and go for 1. You can also manally put it in 1 with the stick to see if that's what's happening

 

Am I crazy or are auto trans supposed to hold a certain gear until it reaches a certain temperature as a safety feature?

When I drive my truck on cold days without letting it warm up, it’ll hold a certain gear and won’t shift any higher until it warms up properly.

 

He said his transmission is holding in 4th gear which wouldn’t make sense - if it was just the tranny not being warmed up then it would be locked in a lower gear.

 

I know.

Why would you put gear lube in an automatic transmission?

 

Your tranny won’t shift into 4th until the water temp hits 130 since the water helps heat up the tranny fluid the same way it helps cool it.

 

Automatic Transmission Fluid is essentially a highly specialized compound that has several functions. It’s basically a high performance hydraulic fluid that has additives in it to prevent things such as rust, corrosion, etc. Additionally, it contains several specialized chemical compounds that protect and condition rubber seals, and dispersants and additives to allow the transmission to operate correctly.

A manual transmission has far less moving parts, and does not require all those additives and compounds. You’d wreck your automatic transmission pretty badly if you poured standard gear oil into it.

 

Just to clarify, it feels like starting from a stop in 4th, may be 2nd or 3rd, also could be described as trying to drive with the E-Brake on (not moving, pressing gas, reving up, no/minimal power to the wheels). My driveway has a good upward hill out of the garage and I wouldn't be able to make it up without waiting for it to warm up or by shifting to L.

From the sounds of it, people are thinking its a solenoid or clogged up value body. Without codes to tell which solenoids... any suggestions or wait it out til it gets worse? Am I going to do any damage by continuing to drive?

 

if it is slipping and the engine is revving , you are doing damage .
Have you checked the fluid level ? a fluid pressure guage will be needed to continue diagnosing
Try backing in to the driveway when you get home in order to avoid causing the trans to slip every morning during warm up

 

If I were you I'd run to a transmission shop and see what they say. You risk your steels and disks in the clutch if it slips too much. They will overheat and glaze...then fail. I'd minimize the damage and the $ spent by said damage.

 

Thank you all for the inputs. I ended bringing the truck into a transmission shop (AAMCO) for diagnosis. They went through the truck, checked for codes etc and were not able to find anything. They wanted it for another day to drop the pan and also mentioned some TSB about programming the transmission. I haven't gone forward with any of that, given the uncertainty of any true fix I didn't want to rack up a bill for nothing.

Kind of back to square one... been thinking about selling and upgrading to a 3rd gen soon (don't want to deal with reliability issues of an aging and starting to rust vehicle and with work I need a reliable vehicle). This issue however makes me not want to sell the vehicle with an unknown issue... but I'll def loose some $$ if I do a trade in.

Thanks for the help!

 

It's more like it holds the gear a little longer in the hopes it will warm up faster.