I think it's possible my transmission fluid was drained and oil overfilled.... 1000 miles ago

Better to be a hypochondriac than the opposite IMO.

 

Car hypochondriac that drives 1k miles not looking under his own hood?

Not to be disrespectful but if you claim to have interest in your vehicle being healthy, you should consider learning the basics, and until you’ve learned them, don’t drive around for a month wondering if you have no trans fluid. Even if your physical condition (pending surgery) doesn’t allow you to check your stuff yourself, waiting 1k miles before having someone else check it is absolutely mind boggling for all but the newest of licensed drivers.

 

I did look under the hood. Smelled burning oil, saw some on the engine block, cleaned it off. Kept an eye on it after that and got a bit paranoid about the transmission having funky shifts. 3rd gen auto transmissions drive a bit odd, that just seems to be how they're mapped. Then when it got cold, it blew a bunch of steam and I got a bit worried. Got deep into some TW threads and panicked. It's not like I left the nissan dealership to my truck flashing codes at me. And I live in the northern rockies, a 200 mile round trip is a regular occurence, give me a break.

 

And guessing previous owner searched for the transmission dipstick for hours before doing above nonsense....

 

The TW circle jerk:

bitch about the dealer - try to self perform simple maintenance - fail miserably - bitch about it online - end up back at dealer.

 

It sounds like the OP doesn't do much wrenching and he came here with a problem and was hoping to get some helpful advice . It's easy to come down on him but remember he's a new member here that needs a little help .

 

The OP and his post are okay and not everyone can wrench....and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Having said that...OP, browse through the shitshow of some of the DIY threads: draining the wrong fluid, inability to find a grease fitting, inability to comprehend a simple fuel pump swap out, thread after thread about owners getting flummoxed by a fucking oil filter housing, tripping over dollars chasing pennies on fluid costs.... and I’d be wary of any used Tacoma for fear that the previous owner tried his hand at maintenance.

If you have any doubts and aren’t sure of what to do, take it to someone you trust for a once over.

 

I have on m

And blinker fluid reservoir.

 

My hunch says it is just the exhaust vapour on a cold morning, given the fact that it gets better with time. I live in Northeast British Columbia and see this frequently during the winter. When it gets really cold (-40) the passenger mirror is pretty much useless due to the huge exhaust plume, especially when accelerating.