Best Automatic Transmission- 1st Gen or 2nd Gen?

Hello All, this is my first post on Tacoma World. I previously owned an '87 pickup and '12 Tacoma Base both with manual transmissions. My last truck got totaled by a hit and run driver and I do a lot of sitting in traffic, so I am now looking for a truck with an automatic trans. I just rented a 2018 Double Cab TRD Off Road 4x4 for a couple of days and I found, like many of you, the automatic transmission to be terrible. I am looking at auto-trans V6 Prerunners from '01-'04 (first gen) and '12-'15 (second gen). I am wondering if either of these powertrains (with specific interest in the quality of the automatic transmission) is notably better. Sorry if this question has been discussed elsewhere on the forum, I couldn't find the info. If you could post a link that would help..Thank you!

 

did you also post this in the 2nd gen forum?

 

I am embarrassed to say that while I do know how to drive a stick shift, I've never driven a stick shift Tacoma! The last manual Toyota I drove was my coworker's 2011 Corolla a few weeks ago, and I loved it...

Anyway, my RC has the 4-speed auto and I've never had a problem with it. More than 96K miles on my truck and I believe I've had the fluid changed/flushed twice. I prefer my truck over my mom's 2013 Murano, because my mom's car has a CVT while I can feel it every time my truck shifts.

 

I’ve had both, 03 3.4L DCSB and 15 4.0L DCSB.

If comparing V6 drivetrains, the 2nd Gen trans is hands down far better. The 1st Gen auto is a 4spd, it is ok around town but on the highway if it needs to downshift to 3rd to pass or on a grade it is extremely noticeable, causing high RPMs and lots of drama. It was actually one of my biggest annoyances with the truck, that it only had 4spds. I was used to 5spd manual trucks and going from 5spds to 4 is more significant than it would seem. The 2nd Gen auto trans is a 5spd, it can subtlety shift down to 4th for more power which is hardly noticeable, and if you need even more power you can still go down to 3rd, it provides a much smoother more refined driving experience. The 2nd Gen trans is also out of the 4.7L V8 Tundra, it is overbuilt for the Tacoma, which is the Tundra known for going 1 million miles, though IIRC the tranny needed major service/rebuild at 750k miles. Despite the 2nd Gen being larger, with a larger more powerful engine, it also gets noticeably better fuel economy, in part because of having more gears in the trans. I also prefer the manual gear selection in the 2nd Gen.

I loved my 1st gen, but the 5spd auto 2nd gen makes a far better highway commuter.

Note the 4cyl 2nd gens still have the lame 4spd auto.

 

both transmissions have a good reputation as of late for reliability. the 2nd Gen not so much when they first came out but Toyota worked through a lot of the little problems.

the first Gen (A340) is a 4-speed with O/D (as 4th gear) but smaller engine
2nd Gen is the 750 5-speed with O/D (as 5th gear) but larger engine

gas mileage is about the same so really no difference there. however I would say overall the 1st Gen 3.4/A340 (even 2.7/A340) have been rock solid throughout most of the life of the combo. also easier to drain/fill the fluid yourself and due to your stop/go situation may turn out to be better


but I'm biased

 

Both run an Aisin transmission. The 1st gen has a slightly higher O/D but the final gear is 4.10 in most V6 (4.30 in I4's) 4x4 IIRC. I have little issue with shifting in my fist gen even with 33's and stock gears . I appreciate the science behind more gears and more efficient engines but I'm not a fan of gear hunting in most modern transmissions. I do like my wifes Odyssey 5-sp but I don't feel its any better (or worse) than the 1st gen. Ultimately, I'm more concerned with reliability.

1st gen: A340F (4x4) which is also used in some 4.0L jeeps as well as the full size Tundra (2000-2004) IIRC. It has a long history of being very reliable.

1st 2.804
2nd 1.531
3rd 1.000
O/D 0.705 I'm at 140k with a shift kit, trans cooler, and turbo.

2nd gen: A750F. The biggest issue with this transmission is Toyota. Toyota recomends fluid changes at 60k and some models 100k IIRC, to minimize "disposal taxes" on their models. Running fluid that long, without a big trans cooler, is not recomended. You will last long enough to surpass the manufacturer warranty but not much more after that. Read the link below.

1st 3.52
2nd 2.042
3rd 1.4
4th 1
O/D 0.716

http://etereman.com/blog/toyota-tra...automatic-transmissions-and-how-to-avoid-them

 

I have an 01 double cab prerunner with nearly 200,000 miles on it, and the only thing done to the transmission has been fluid changes, no rebuilds or anything like that. I live in Los Angeles, so I know what the stop and go traffic feels like, and I can honestly say that the truck's transmission makes my commutes very easy.

 

I have the A340e 4spd auto in mine, I've only owned the truck since about 205k, it just has 220k now however when i got it the fluid was very dirty. I can't say for sure if it had been changed but if so it was well over 100k miles. Instead of dropping the pan i Opted to do several drain/refills over the course of the last 15k miles.. I swapped to synthetic fluid and the fluid is much much cleaner now. I can't say if the trans was "abused" which i don't think it was just by the way it shifts but as far as being a solid shifting trans currently it still is. I'm going to keep doing the drain/refills every 5k miles or so for the next 6-8 months just so i know all the fluid is fresh hoping that will increase its life. Just from my 2 cents i'd say the 1st gen tranny's are pretty solid well after 200k miles as long as they have not been totally neglected there entire lives. Imo I think both the 1st and 2nd gen transmissions are high quality and reliable with little maintainence.

 

good info, and @chfarago I would rather have the 1st Gen's gears sitting in traffic, less rpm for the engine. If I sit in traffic I'm usually in 1st or 2nd gear letting the idle rpm move me with the flow. gas mileage is negated if you sit for periods of time. however a trans cooler would be beneficial for you even if you are in a more northern state, no matter which option you go with.

 

+1 on the trans cooler, cooler fluid=longer life

 

I just bought a 2000 Prerunner with 193K on it. Looks like the fluids have been changed because the Tranny fluid is not bad looking. What synthetic fluid are you using in the tranny? I want to swap mine out with synthetic because I will putting about 100k on the truck in the next 2 years.

 

same truck with round same mileage. check out valvoline maxlife synthetic atf. recently cleaned filter + 2 drain & fills. 1k between drain & fills, wally's got it for $18 gal. added trans cooler too, tow/haul a lot. 0 problems with the 340e, solid trans!

 

I like running my 1st gen with the ECT power option turned on.

Note that I also liked driving the original 4-speed Hydramatics before they became a 3-speed Powerglide. Ha!

 

My OD has always been off I believe (there is no light on the dash)....or does no light mean that it is on?

 

No light means its on.

 

Has anybody looked into swapping in the a750?

 

there was a bell housing for the 4.0 to the A340 but you'd probably have to custom make one for the 3.4/2.7

that being said I'm not sure if the Tundra's bell housing is doable (they had the A340 and A750)? Also how does it interact with the ECU

 

I recall someone building his own autotragic control module because he had a paddle shifter setup on his 4runner.

 

I use valvoline max life