Tranny Trouble...

Guess I shouldn't have expected my 2003 Tundra to do the job of a D10 Dozer. Overheated the tranny and it is now blowing ATF out the Bell Housing. Hoping it is just a blown Seal on the Torque Converter but prepared to swap out the tranny if necessary.

Any helpful advice would be very much welcome.

No genuine human life is possible without irony...

 

Pics? Bummer, but maybe not too bad?

 

Even after it cooled off? I had a Pathfinder I used to overload from time to time. Towed a wayyy overweight trailer and had to go up a hill - it puked out a bunch of fluid.

Once it cooled, I changed the fluid and it was fine even when I junked it several years later.

If I need one, I plan to get a used one - rebuilds seem really pricey. Best of luck!

 

No pics. planning to drop tranny tomorrow and inspect the converter.

 

Actually didn't start puking fluid until after it cooled a while. First experienced drop in powrer and radiator let loose. after letting cool a while i jumped in it to see if it would move. It drove without any issue but within 30 seconds to a minute the ATF started pouring out of the bell housing.

 

Any Experience with LKQ? found a used transmission there that might not be too bad (if I have to go that route... hoping not to need to).

 

If the rad "let loose" could you be pumping coolant into your trans and overfilling it due to cooler failure.

 

ATF coming out the bellhousing is usually a sign of the pump exploding.

 

The heck with the transmission, we want to know more about the bulldozing.

 

Taking down a large Maple tree. Had bunch of pressure pulling on the tree while it was being sawn. Process took too long but was unable to back off power because weight of tree was in wrong direction and would have taken out a building.

 

https://youtu.be/RKjr3rdqrc4

 

Thanks for the insights guys. Will let you know what we find.
Radiator blew past the cap. Don't think there was coolant in the ATF, would have expected to see foaming or at least water/oil bubbles.
Pump blowing up is plausible but it must still be providing pressure because I was able to drive.

 

could be the fluid aerated and expanded due to heat and made its way out. Its obviously cooked fluid so you should drain and pump out the old and put in new and give it a spin. Mkght not hurt to do a drain on the rad too just for inaspection and grins. $100 in fluids.

 

did you overheat transmission light turn on?.? Before it blue???

 

Not sure what the timing was but yes, the txm overheat light was on when or very shortly after the Radiator lost pressure.

 

So... upon inspection, found that the ATF in the pan was very dark and smelled really bad... High Sulphur aroma. Some metal shavings (fine) in the pan (drain plug magnet), and the Torque Converter seal was melted. Called a local shop and spoke to a very helpful guy there. Told him the story and asked if 1) it could be flushed and just replace the seals. 2) if it would be able to be guaranteed, 3) What the timing would be, and 4) what it would cost.

The answer was:
1) would not recommend just replacing fluid and seal as it would be unknown what else might have been heat related in the transmission itself.
2) Warranty would be dependent on doing a full tear down and refurb.
3) about a week
4) Appx. $2100 if I did the reinstall.

I told him I could get a used transmission for about $900 including shipping and tax and his reply was "That is the way to go! Toyota transmissions are very reliable and your reliability expectations with a used one should be very high." Gotta give the guy kudos for being up front and honest.

Will update this thread when the used transmission is installed.

BTW... finding a used Tundra transmission is extremely difficult. It is not something that recyclers remove and put on a shelf because they just don't sell. How is that for reliability?

Keep the shiny side up!

 

Gotta know where to look.

car-part.com may help you find something more quickly and hyper-local - the place you get it from may even be willing to do the install.

However, www.japanesetruckdismantling may be able to ship you something too, if you want to do the work, or have it done locally.

 

Thanks for the info. I realize I don't do this kind of thing often enough to know all the right places. Checked the local area junkyard networks and they couldn't come up with anything locally. Didn't have a ton of time to devote, so I went with what I could find. Hope to never have to go this route again, but maybe I can pass your information on to someone else some day... again thank you.

 

There are a lot of yards which don't advertise locally, instead opting to use car-part.com because it's less hassle, customers tell you what they need over the internet instead of walking the yard and potentially causing problems, you can pull the part for them in advance. If you haven't found something, give it a shot.

I saw a 1st gen that looked pretty good about 4-5 miles east of me a couple months back. They wanted $6k or something, but said 'needs new transmission'. I wasn't willing to invest. Were that around $3500, I'd have been all-in. But there's enough yards around ATL I'm sure I could've found one to manage it for $1500 or so.