2002 2.7L 4x4 AT Dipstick Tube

Hey guys,

TL;DR version will be in the second post. Pics forthcoming.

New user here. (Quick intro: early 30 something ex-Navy aircrewman. OU (Sooner) alum. Work as an engineer at a propulsions lab. Enjoy long walks on the beach... ... and whiskey.)

I've had my 2002 Tacoma since '05, and it currently has 210,000 miles. Been a fantastic truck, 15 years of real glory. Hoping to get some more use out of it. I've not always maintained it regularly. In fact, as I've floated in and out of other vehicles, it's gone through periods of scheduled maintenance neglect. But it's ALWAYS ran, its always started, always been super reliable... and so I've kept it throughout the years.

A few weeks ago my truck burped fluid. I was about 1/4 mile from my house on my way home from work when I noticed my temp gauge fluctuating just a bit. It wasn't over heating, just pegging around near the normal operating temp. My assumption is that air was introduced in to the transmission cooler lines; the vacancies caused small fluctuations in engine operating temperature as the air pockets circulated through the cooler. I parked at home and fluid began to spill on to the driveway.

It was transmission fluid, and it was coming from the dipstick tube area, although I did not realize it at the time. Infact - the transmission dipstick tube looked curiously fine. Anyway, I checked the ATF level and it was ok, and my coolant levels were ok. I initially thought my trans cooler had failed, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I proceeded to drive the car 400 miles the next weekend to help a friend move to Dallas (I'm in Oklahoma City) and it was fine. The truck then sat for a week or so, and I decided to try and take it to work last Friday. I made it about 12 miles and the transmission began to slip. Then, from a stop, I was unable to accelerate due to the transmission not really engaging. So I pulled over and got towed back home.

After I was home I noticed transmission fluid all over the bottom of the car and even droplets on the rear tail gate. I also noticed the transmission dipstick tube was sheared in half at the union between the engine half piping and the pan half piping.

I failed to notice a few things, like the upper mounting bracket on the engine side was sheared, which likely caused the union joint to fail.

Attached are some pictures.

 

TL;DR: Transmission dipstick tube upper half failed, causing union joint and rubber gasket from engine side tube to shear off and remain seated in pan side tube. Looking for "options" on how to fix it.

NOTE: I have not yet drained the ATF or dropped the pan to the transmission. I'm not sure of the condition or quality of the fluid in the transmission yet. (Hopefully not a milkshake.)

I realize there is a small chance my transmission went graveside from lack of fluid, which is ok. My question is about a quick fix.


I have the part numbers for the replacement part, but I'm wondering if rigging up some sort of rubber gasket sealed steel braided line from the pan side tube up is a viable option. Mostly, I'm trying to get a test drive in before ordering any parts. I want to temporarily fix the dipstick tube with non-OEM parts, quickly drain and refill the ATF (not a flush) and give the truck a test drive around the block to determine the viability of my transmission.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this plan or approach?

 

Oh, it might be worth mentioning my initial idea was to remove the sheared section from the pan side tubing and "fix" the broken engine side tubing to temporarily fix and test drive the vehicle. (Using all sort of unprofessional adhesion methods... JB Weld, silicon, whatever...) However, I'm having a lot of trouble getting the sheared section and o-ring out of the pan side tubing.

 

Looks like classic "metal fatigue" I think you are on the right track though, yes every thing depends on quantity and quality of the ATF.
Please share your findings " in the pan" ........it will determine the future of your trans. So it looks like you are going to need a new pan and ATF refill before youo know for sure.

 

After thinking about it, I just don't see any "cheap fix" for this.

 

When I bought my truck. the trans dip stick tube was broke at the joint between the two sections, and the dip stick was in the air. I used a SS pipe clamp to hold everything together and in place. There is an occasional drip from the joint, but nothing to worry about. I need an excuse to buy the parts and replace the broken tube, but haven't found one yet.

Edit: that was 4 years ago.

 

sounds like new dispstick tube and grommet/o-ring. unless the Pan is deformed or cracked just drain and fill. if you want to drop it it wouldn't hurt depending on quality of current fluid.

 

Decided to use what I had laying around to attempt a fix, why not. Pretty sure this is a 7/8" outer diameter hose, high enough temp rating for ATF. The clamps are 7/8" max diameter so its an extremely tight fit. Precise - we'll go with precise...

Used pliers to gently stretch the tube and inserted the broken engine-end tube into the sleeve, clamp on first. Once tightened, it seems plenty tight and secure enough to hold the fluid in. I'm fairly sure the AT doesn't operate at pressures much higher than atmospheric, so in theory this should hold. Hopefully the seal won't leak. I'm mating both ends with the same technique.

I went ahead and "JB prepped" the broken section, because why not. Basically just roughened up the edges with a rotary tool, and put a small bevel on the mating ends... because why not. Had some pretty old "SteelStik" from JB Weld laying around, let's hope it doesn't go bad with age. Kneaded well, currently curing. (If only I had a TIG machine...)





I'll probably throw it all back together tomorrow after work... and then finally drain the transmission.

NOTE: To anyone who ever find themselves in this situation draining the transmission should really be the first step. Patch-work repair on any part is not ideal, and doing so for a bad transmission is a waste of time.

 

totaly agree