Braums Ice Cream straw in sealed transmission.

Ohhhh he’s Canadian. That changes everything.

 

this isnt as big a deal as you think it is. I've done similar stuff myself being a mechanic at a dealership, it happens. It'll just cost some time to remove and reinstall the transmission pan, and that's about it. I drop the pan every other year now to do a drain and refill service

check out this thread I made years ago at my first time with dropping the trans pan to complete a drain and refill service..
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...matic-transmission.63851/page-20#post-8522234

EDIT: I like to say that since after doing my first drain and refill service, the trans fluid that comes out has always been red(ish). The fluid has never been as dark as it was at the time of the first service

 

OP this is the thread I was talking about. Don’t know why I thought it was gone, thought it was stickied but couldn’t find it. Great instructions.

 

I was waiting for that! Awesome!

 

OK! Thank you! My error/brain glitch on my part. Maybe I'll leave it in there (post) for a bit so folks that never thought of it will see it. To be honest, if I did this job on my Tacoma without ever reading about this here, I would have removed the drain-plug first, as it's always the first step and of course, almost all vehicles until fairly recently were filled through a trans. dip-stick.... and then had an aneurism when "uh-oh": no dip-stick(!) and I tried the fill plug and it wouldn't budge. I can see myself making this mistake even if I learned/knew in advance the engine had no dip-stick. Force of habit.

 

Definitely a step worth emphasizing!

 

lucky it wasn't one those fat Boba drink straws, it be all over....

 

I missed that too. I was thinking dip stick hole.

In that case, maybe poke around inside the trans from the fill hole with a "reachy grabby" tool.

 

after thinking about it, with regards to the location of the Fill Plug. There may be a great chance that the straw did not drop down to the bottom of the trans pan, and may be resting on top of the valve body assembly.

@gearcruncher

 

I remember that thread when it happened... thanks for bringing back some good memories... lol.

 

Been MANY a person that somehow drained the trans when doing an oil change

 

Be careful on those oil pan bolts. They’ve been know to break off.
I’d recommend a 1/4” ratchet. And snug.
I believe the spec is 39 INCH / Lbs. Or just over 3 Ft/Lbs.

Best of luck to you buddy.

You also might find this useful.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

 

i guess mixing it with a quart of new fluid before pumping it in didnt sound like a good idea?

 

Yep 39 inch pounds. I bought a new torque wrench just for that one.

 

The real question is, was there ice cream on the straw? If so your truck is screwed. If not, you’re fine. Ice cream has destroyed more than its share of Tacomas over the year.

 

Fortunately it was a new straw.

 

When I added LubeGuard to my ATF, I disconnected the transmission cooler line and added it there

 

I just added it through the speed sensor. One 10mm bolt, 5 min on the lift and done. Why not just try a longer Phillips head screw driver withe some dum dum on it. I do that all the time when I drop screws/nuts/bolts. If the screw driver will fit in the straw even better.

 

I would use a shop vac to see if the straw might re-appear.