So I think I trashed my transmission...

A little history first...
I bought the truck in November of 2009 with 85,000 miles on it (@90,000 now). It's a 2001 4wd V6 3.4L with an automatic transmission. For the first few months I spent tuning it up, and clearly it had not been taken care of very well. All of the fluids hadn't been changed in a very long time, and the fuel/air filters were old and crappy. So fast forward to March of this year. I cranked it up after work one day (it was sitting for 9 hours), and I could not get it to go into drive. I backed it up just fine, but then when I put it into drive, it wouldn't engage. I sat there for a minute, cycled it from Drive to Reverse to Park, etc. and it engaged fine. It did this about 4 times over a two week period. After speaking with some folks on here, they recommended that I change the tranny filter and fluid. I did that, put Mobil 1 synthetic ATF fluid in, and the problem went away. The other fluid looked old, but not particularly terrible. Four months later, last week, I was unable to get into drive again, and it happened twice in two days. And then, things got crappy. I was backing out of my driveway, and I hear a shearing sound going into reverse. I put it in park, and the shearing/grinding was louder. I turned the truck off, took a look underneath, and tried again. The same thing happened, and this time, I realized it would not go into any gear. So...my questions are as follows...

1) Is my tranny shot, or is there a way to fix "something" without pulling it out.
2) How difficult is the tranny to pull out? (I am a fairly competent mechanic, but have only ever pulled one other tranny out of a Nissan)
3) Should I look into having it rebuilt or buy a new one?
4) Should I try to rebuild it myself? (I've heard it's quite hard...)
5) Should I download the FSM?

Guys, I really appreciate your help, because I really don't trust anyone opinion except for Taco owners, or a really good mechanic (I'm new to my area and don't know any). Thanks again for your help.

 

What city you in? Maybe someone can point you to a good shop.

 

wichita falls texas

 

here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOYO...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35aaa4cb1d

 

1) Is my tranny shot, or is there a way to fix "something" without pulling it out. dunno, try changing fluid again and clean off the magnet, check for any metal chunks
2) How difficult is the tranny to pull out? (I am a fairly competent mechanic, but have only ever pulled one other tranny out of a Nissan) not very hard, depending on 2wd or 4wd, idk what has to be removed on stock trucks but transmisssions are fairly simple to R&R
3) Should I look into having it rebuilt or buy a new one? weigh your options, money talks, if you plan on keeping the truck AAMCO offers a lifetime warrenty on rebuilds
4) Should I try to rebuild it myself? (I've heard it's quite hard...)if you have to ask, simply no. its not too complex more of replacing what needs to be replaced and putting it back in the same order after cleaning, it sounds like you stripped your planetaries
5) Should I download the FSM? someone beat me to it

 

Thanks for the help guys, I'm going to go drain the pan now and take a look...I will keep the AAMCO idea in mind.

 

how did it look, any metal chunks (not little slivers)

 

No little slivers...everything looked OK. The fluid was a lot darker than I thought after 2,000 miles though. The drive shafts were seized, so I stopped for the day, not going to be able to work on it until next week. I've got to borrow an impact wrench and compressor from a friend...

As for the tail light, I think this is straight mechanical problem. This is a legit grinding noise, like something sheared. I appreciate the advice though, I wish it was that simple.

 

if its still apart try completely cleaning the magnetic filter.

it sounds like your pump has gone bad

 

So I'm kind of stuck at this point in taking the transmission out... (this is in the FSM)

(c) Turn the crankshaft to gain access to each bolt, remove
the 6 bolts with holding the crankshaft pulley bolt with a
wrench.
Torque: 41 N·m (420 kgf·cm, 30 ft·lbf)
HINT:
At the time of installation, first install green colored bolt and then
5 other bolts.

How in the heck am I supposed to turn the crankshaft? It turned a little when I took the first bolt out, but it sort of seems seized. I tried switching gears manually (by moving the lever from park to neutral to drive) but it still won't move. I'm also really not entirely sure what the crankshaft pulley bolt is...is it on front of the engine? Thanks for any advice...hopefully it's a simple solution and I'm just oblivious.

 

Im guessing that your clutch disks are fried, and the internal filter is plugged up from the material, causing the pump to not be able to draw enough fluid, create enough pressure etc... Find a good local shop, Rebuilds from a mom and pop shop arn't that bad...

 

Armchair diagnostics of auto transmissions are sketchy at best. You can test 85% of the trans from the case. A pressure check and test of the solenoids will tell you alot. You would need the correct tools and a manual. It's best left to a shop for a daily driver. If you plan on going into fixing transmissions, you have a great learning tool.
Specialized rebuild tools are expensive, and not usually good for multiple transmission models. The knowledge of how to fix them is comparative. It's do-able, but not very cost effective for a one time fix.

 

Could be a sun gear on the main shaft between the secondary shafts with the gear cluster with the sound you describe,,,,,something to consider anyway...

 

im wandering if hes got this fixed yet?

 

I don't have it out yet, still trying to loosen the crankshaft bolts (see my post halfway down)...

 

If you have trouble getting it off (crankshaft bolt) Heres an easy fix, get a breaker bar with short extension with socket ,when you place it on the bolt make sure you have it(breaker bar) wedged against the ground,frame, or any other strong surface.

Now have someone just "tap" the starter & I guarantee it will come off, that bolt is a bastard almost always, its torqued to about 200 & something pounds if I recall, this way souinds waaay more risky than what it really is. Just get it on the bolt straight, brace the bar against something, & just hold it steady & let the starter do the rest of the work... piece of cake......