Help! Mistook tranny pan for oil pan and drove…

Sorry op, I know it's super frustrating and sorry if my question contributed to that, not my intention. I wasnt trying to roast you at all my question regarding the oil was mainly to inquire if you had drained the excess oil added once you realized your issue , so you didn't have potentially two issues on hand instead of just the one. 7.5 qts I was thinking was the engine oil capacity for the 4.7 but I could be wrong.

 

I'm not even seeing any info on the year/model of the truck? It would be helpful to know the engine size, drivetrain, etc. (editing - I see this is the 1st gen forum)

Here's my best high-level guess at what would need to be done:

1. Get it in the garage and do a proper oil change - the engine is going to be much more costly to repair/replace than the transmission, and it sounds like you didn't refill it with enough oil.
2. Drain ALL the fluid out of the transmission - if you have the ability to flush it, you may want to consider that. 259k is a lot, but if it was running fine beforehand, you may be okay.
3. Refill the transmission fluid to the proper level, cross your fingers and hope for the best.

I'm not a mechanic, but it's not surprising the regular oil is making the trans slip, as it would literally be designed to keep things lubricated and moving, whereas transmission fluid is much thicker, more viscous, and a lot of the time has friction modifiers in it to make sure things flow/move where they should, but also catch where they should (i.e. similar to a motorcycle with a wet trans).

Good luck. Doesn't sound like buddy of a buddy is going to be much help, but overall most of this is stuff you can do in the garage with common hand tools.

 

Close - 6.5qts for V8 4.7L (2UZ-FE)

EDIT: And to OP, after reading back over, failure to pop into gear is very often a case of fluid too low. While I see you followed correct procedure shorting and waiting for temp, it still sounds like it's low and I'd re-check it on flat ground today.

Part of the point of shifting through gears is to get things moving around, push out any air pockets, etc. I presume you did that before your last check. If not, you may want to add, like, 1/4 quart and test again.

And I didn't see where you mention what type of fluid you put in for the (3 quarts?!) or so of fluid you said you got when popping off the pan?

 

Good point...if he didn't use WS then there's one more variable

 

Reading your initial post again - what did you refill the transmission with? I assumed regular oil, but hopefully not. As per others' suggestions, there's a good chance you're low on fluid if the rear end was jacked up. Or you possibly added the incorrect transmission fluid needed...

 

I guess my questions are.. how do you mix up being under the transmission versus the engine... AND if you were in SUCH a rush... Why wouldn't you wait to change the oil?
It wouldn't know the difference between today and next week unless you planned on driving across the country, in which case, you probably should have planned better.

As for the the trans. Do you have a trans cooler? If so you need to pin the thermostat to get a correct reading for trans fluid level

 

When I was 16 I bought a nice pretty pair of chrome breather caps for my Mustang. I didn't bother cutting a hole into the rubber grommets they install with. Hit the highway and proceeded to blow every seal that engine had on it. The engine seized up at 60mph due to NO OIL and I coasted to a stop on the side of the road. This was before cell phones, so I got to walk for a bit to find a phone and some courage before calling my Dad....

 

I believe the OP changed his name...? Interesting...
I would agree with others. Get it LEVEL, and completely drain the trans, refill until it spills out the overflow port on the side and go from there. Make sure you're using the correct WS (World Standard) compatible fluid. I would think it should be GTG, unless that short drive dislodged some problem that was about to happen anyway.

 

But now we're left to wonder based on the new name... did he refill his tranny with motor oil? Or refill his crankcase with tranny fluid? Or wrong tranny fluid in the tranny, and if so, which? Putting 3.5qt of DexIV compatible isn't going to kill that tranny at the proper levels.

I would assume he put motor oil in the tranny. In which case, this should be a simple flush and fingers crossed?

 

Where's that guy that would always say " Shooo Shooo." He'd get em every time, or someone would call him, was funny!

You don't want to flush that transmission. However, if you added fluid to proper level and it's still slipping, then as last resort give it a try if you feel compelled to do so. At the mileage it has, it was on it's last leg going out already. You just helped it get there a day early.You need a rebuild, or new. Toyota's 4 and 2 wheel drive are same cost. Some Toyota places have already discontinued them last time I looked a few years back. https://www.discountpartsmonster.com/oem-parts/toyota-transmission-assembly-350100c05084?c=Zz1hdXRvbWF0aWMtdHJhbnNtaXNzaW9uJnM9YXV0b21hdGljLXRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiZsPTQmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT10b3lvdGEmbz10dW5kcmEmeT0yMDA2JnQ9c3I1JmU9NC03bC12OC1nYXM=

Someone already mentioned to check the engines rear seal. If the front or rear seal isn't leaking then their good and you can forget about them being a problem.

 

There are people here, including me, with about a hundred thousand more miles (and much more) than that on our trannys so I wouldn't say that is accurate.

 

Yeah I got the engine oil right before I even started adding trans fluid.

 

I got the wires backwards on the alternator on an old rv I bought. I never saw something glow so bright so fast lol

 

It’s not slipping. Reverse is perfect, the forward gears don’t even engage.
The 06 tundra has a different trans for 2 or 4 wd

 

Plus as a kid I beat the hell out of some cars, would drive for days with a slip and just add fluid when it got to bad to drive. This barely had a chance to wear anything down, I don’t even think there was enough fluid to get the clutch to touch, let alone wear down

 

I dunno, the idea of driving everywhere backwards sounds fun to me.

Just curious, gear indicator in the dash is showing the gears change?

Did you check the fluid again after running the gear shift lever back/forth through all the gears an shift L a few times?

Are you topped off with the correct trans fluid now?

 

It's known that some folks have Toyota's that have reached over 300,000 miles. You should get a free oil and transmission fluid change for making it over 360,000 miles. Good to know it still runs and pulls like a young spring chicken at more than 360,000 miles!

What I said stands with many mechanics and transmission specialist worth their salt. Yet, if he accidentally pulled something loose from the trans or broke something off it while down there, it can be fixed. He asked for an educated opinion, and that's all I got w/o getting under there to look. So, now I'll add to what I've already said. If he accidentally pulled something loose from the trans or broke something off it while down there, it can be fixed. Thats with saying he knows how to fill a trans with fluid, if not I'm out. However, that should be easy for him to check. If everything under there checks OK, then the trans is shot!

 

Did that to a 72 c10 lol

 

I just went through a very similar situation. My truck was slipping gears every now and then, and I decided to change the ATF at 314000 miles. It wouldn't go into gear when I replaced the 3.5 quarts I took out. I ended up having to add another gallon before it worked again (in my 2000 v6). If you're low enough in fluid, it may not be able to suck up any fluid when on an incline, so I would just try putting more fluid in it.

 

Plus 1 on adding more fluid

i hit a deer once in my 06

wouldn’t drive but had reverse

was 3.5 quarts low on fluid due to a leak

 

The first thing I did on the side of the road was walk back home grab a drain pan and got my oil level right.

The motor oil wasn’t put in the transmission.

It goes into reverse, but no forward gears, I’m hoping I didn’t fry the forward clutch, but it only slipped for like a few seconds and I pull right over so fingers crossed. The first three quarts were generic multi vehicle synthetic, the bottle lists Toyota ws in the list of comparable fluids. I have since drained that and added valvoline max life multi vehicle which also claims compatibility. I’ve learned more about transmissions in the last few days then I ever thought I would know, and have come to understand these trucks really prefer the name brand Toyota stuff, which I will be getting as soon as I can get a ride (I’m in the mountains, the nearest Toyota dealership is 160 miles away)

I already admitted it was a boneheaded move, I hope someone comes tonight to your house with a saws-all and steals all of your catalytic converters.
I do have a cooler, but I followed the lines all the way down and could not locate a thermostat. Can we post pictures on here? I would post a pic of the connection so maybe someone could point out something I’m not seeing cause I’m NOT a mechanic in any sense of the word.

I love driving backwards, but there’s a time and place for everything, ya know? The indicator is where it belongs for every gear, and providing I did everything correctly (I feel about 60%confidant) then the level should be right.

The site admins made me change my name because my old one was breaking a site rule. To add to my tranny I have to get under the truck and pull a fill plug on the top of the tranny, i did not go under my truck with motor oil. I used ws compatible valvoline max life.

I’m about to go do that right now. I’m sort of worried about over filling though, isn’t that just as bad as under filling? I’m case I smoke it, does anyone know if the trans from an 01 land cruiser will work? It’s a different transmission but they have the same engine, and I can get it super cheap. In fact I can get the motor with it for not much more and it’s only got 80,000 on it.

 

You will always be remembered for this incident, OP. Your username says it all.

To address your issue, I would confirm you actually have the right level. The FSM is poor in stating what to do in order to get it up to temp. For my truck I need to drive it at low speeds for at least 10 minutes to get the tranny up to temp. That’s not an option for you, so maybe waiting some time as a least one person has suggested and cycling more through the gears while being on level ground. The Toyota techs I believe have the capability of checking the actual temp to see it’s in range.

 

@OopsWrongFluid yes you can post pictures , click on upload a file , then choose file and you can select pictures from whatever device you're on.

Yes overfilling can be just as harmful to it as underfilling. You may want to have it towed to reputable shop nearby that can at least fix your fluid levels to at least get a baseline for where your transmission stands once the fluid levels are in spec.

You mention you're in the mountains, whereabouts ? I'm in Utah

 

How about just drain and refill the motor, transmission and whatever else oil in question to spec?

 

Once you let the magic out of a transmission….it’s gone. They like fluid, they need fluid. Without fluid the magic can’t survive. If you want someone to tell you it’ll be ok…then dude it’ll be ok. If you want the truth then look at the results…transmission isn’t working…but you can’t handle the truth!
Good luck fella.

 

Internet transmission diagnosis are about as reliable as internet dating, but here goes. Seems unlikely that running 3.5 quarts low on a 12qt system for a few miles caused catastrophic mechanical failure. You say no forward gears. Is this in D only? Have you tried shifting to 3, 2, L? Any response? My guess is on a 259k motor you drained the pan dry, then when starting it you may have kicked up a lot of particulates when fluid swished through the pan, this grit may have worked its way into the valve body and solenoids. I'm not a transmission mechanic so I'm kinda reaching. Have you dropped the pan to see what it looks like inside?

And what are these "pins" you are jumping in the dash. Try to limit your potential problems to one bonehead move at a time.

 

Wow. Good advice mixed with bad in this thread! I enjoyed reading about pinning the thermostat that doesn’t exist on our trucks. To the OP, the maxlife fluid you used is fine. I use it myself and it works great. No need to drain it out. Hopefully when you add fluid and shift through the gears a couple of times your problem will go away. To the people giving the OP a hard time, just hush.
To the previous guy, the pins in the dash are in the one connector and you jumper them to put the truck into temp check mode. “Bonehead” is a little harsh for a guy following the correct FSM procedure.

 

Probably already been mentioned and I only know this from reading on this forum.
One issue is probably the loss of the clutch material in the trans fluid, which is why it was so dark.
Hope you get her on the road again

 

Apologies. I did not know about this FSM procedure and was trying to convey to the OP to work the problem at hand and not complicate it by adding other potential points of failure. My bad. Also, OP used the word bonehead first...

 

Hey, you know how you walked in here like it’s a shop, asking for advice on fixing your truck? Well, like any shop worth it’s salt, you’re gonna get shit. Cost of admission.

Ok, lesson over, now to get down to business….

Seein as how you’ll grab anything anywhere nearby and toss it in any reservoir you can find, did you check to see if there was still milk in that jug?

now remember, however you respond determines whether the guys in this shop help you, or send you off with a new case of blinker fluid


But for real, I have a post on here where I did the EASIEST job of swapping out chrome door handles for black ones on my 2.5 Gen. There’s a screw that isn’t supposed to back out completely, but I somehow did just that, and lost it inside the door. Until I could figure out what my problem was, my driver door exterior handle was missing and anyone that noticed could’ve just popped it open and taken what they wanted, in a neighborhood with lots of break-ins and I’ve had my own vehicle stolen before while sitting in that very spot. We all have bonehead stories, but some guys just aren’t willing to tell em