Inspect your Transmission Crossmember

The only thing that makes me think otherwise is there was never a new part # created. I don’t think it was about getting rid of bad steel as much as it was getting rid of the cracks, which up north would be very bad. I don’t think the crossmember is defective otherwise they would’ve made a new part #. A new one is about $150 and add the trans mount is another $150. It’s basically $300 to fix 4 bolts. I’d rather not waste more money on this clank after replacing all 4 suspension shocks and control arms over it.
Edit: and once again, I haven’t taken it out yet. It doesn’t appear warped, but if it is I will probably throw it back on the truck temporarily and order a new one.

 

Honestly, in hindsight, if it were me, I'd be tempted to pull the OEM, carry it into a welding shop, and have them slap a scab on the underside.

 

That’s basically what we’re doing. My neighbor had a sequoia and I asked him if it ever needed the transmission mounts and he said it was an ‘04, so no. He’s given me advice on my tundra before since he had way more miles than me (im only at 180k) and so he decided to crawl down there and given his welding expertise said it was perfectly fine and he was just gonna bead and sand it back to it’s original condition. I’m actually gonna go buy some undercoat paint rn since I have time to kill, now that I think about it.

 

We make a nearly identical part for the Expedition/Navigator frames at work. They have a reinforcement plate that sits where the trans mount bolts go I'd say for this exact reason. It is installed before the two halves are welded together so there'd be no way to modify one to do that without cutting it in half I suppose.

I wouldn't be surprised if the company I work for makes that part somewhere. They make the recall frames for first gens at another semi local plant.

 

A lot of shit for the best gens is expensive af.

 

Or being discontinued. That scares me more.

 

Did you figure out what it was? I've got 2006 2wd Sequoia with the exact same issues. Recently clunking noise appeared. I checked the bolts - 1 was long and not tight, and I've resolved it, The other 3 bolts seem to be updated by the previous owner and were tightened well. I'll re-do my visioning exams to see if there are any cracks, but I doubt small cracks could do that much noise. It sounds like something is not attached at all...

 

Here's a copy of the TSB, if it wasn't posted anywhere earlier in the thread.

If you go back to page 1 of this thread, the 5th reply has some great pics to show how fine the cracks can be.

You should be using at least blue Loctite on those bolts too.

Question: With your foot on the brake, does it clunk when you shift into forward, and then reverse? Like, clunk before you let off the brake? Or does it clunk when you let off the brake?

Just curious if this may also be something like a bad U-joint (I assume you checked those already), or slop at the carrier if your Sequoia has one.

 

Thanks, I've double-checked and saw 2 huge cracks on the cross on the passenger's side.
I've just replaced the shaft seal since it was leaking, and performed basic ATF drain/fill - these resolved hard punches when shifting to D or R, but clanking noised remained.
Now I know where is the source and will have to replace the cross-member.
Also about to change ATF filter and do 2nd drain/fill and Drain/fill the rear diff, but I need to get welding service for the rear diff fill plug)

 

Sounds like you're really running thru things and trying to get it up to snuff.

Sequoia is still a 1st gen, may as well be a Double Cab Tundra. That said, if you want a list of things to go thru and general info, this thread may be helpful for you. It has links to things like ... that TSB (in the 2nd reply), and even links to wiring diagrams and other stuff (top of the 1st reply).

Welcome to the forum !

 

Thanks! I'll go through it. I'm not planning to rebuild that old lady from scratch, but want to make sure it is safe for my family) this car suffered a lot from previous owners.

Just checked the price for the new Frame Crossmember No. 3.
$600 that's insane. seems I'll need to weld not only fill diff plug but also this cross-member.

 

It definitely is nuts, you'll think even moreso when you see it. The quality isn't super awesome.

That said, I checked the part and that price looks like the MSRP. I get a cheaper price ordering through Toyota Parts Online ( https://autoparts.toyota.com ) but the lower price doesn't show up until I pick a specific dealership out of the three near me.

 

@Borodator Looks like you may have found the source of your clunk. And it seems that @shifty` has given some helpful advice, like always.
But, to answer your question from post #97 - I did a drain and fill back in early January. Only 3.5 quarts of trans fluid drained out, but it took a little over 4 quarts to fill back up. I figured I was low at least .5 quarts of fluid. This resolved the clunking immediately and it has not returned since.

 

It is priced $710-$900 on Toyota Parts Online...
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/ as of now shows the best prices ever for OEM stuff. I've got a bunch of things there already. Though even there its $600... It would be cheaper to make a nice audio system to overwrite that noise)

 

What in the world are you talking about? Are you using the part number they give you in the TSB I linked up? MSRP is $263 for that part! https://autoparts.toyota.com/products/product/crossmember-sub-assy-512030c030

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When I select my local dealership using that link, they're selling it for $182 (yours will probably also discount it) ==> https://autoparts.worldtoyota.com/products/product/crossmember-sub-assy-512030c030

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Just to make sure you're on the right page ... the parts you need with the part number and quantity are on page 2 of the TSB I linked up there. If I add all 6 of these items into a cart using the https://autoparts.toyota.com website, and pick from one (3) local participating dealerships, the total is ~$250. Not ideal ... but at least you'll never need to do it again.

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Thats for 2005 models, I assume. For 2006 it says part number differs: 512300C040. Not sure what's the difference though.

 

I must not be seeing what you're seeing. Where are you getting that part number? I don't see it in the TSB.

The TSB is king, what it says in their document is what you use. That's the official Toyota document the dealership will use also.

 

https://prnt.sc/xENbnHbK74nk
https://prnt.sc/3A0ZiDlTQjTL
Here's the problem - these 2 sites say that it won't fit 2006 sequoia limited 2wd...

 

Yup, I looked it up in the exploded diagrams. Looks like the exploded diagram says all VINs that end in a number higher than S238077 are using 51230-0C040 but I can't tell you what the difference is either. Looks like your VIN is S27xxxx so ... yours is higher.

I'm stumped why that info isn't included in the TSB though, so I'm really wondering if there's a legit difference. Usually when the last two digits of the part number change, it's because of a "same model, different configuration" scenario (2WD vs. 4WD for example).

Honestly, if I were you, I'd take a pic of my crossmember and a measurement or two, then hit a junkyard to find another one.

Or call your local dealership parts department and give them the TSB number, then ask them why the parts system says your part cost 4x as much.

Or take it to a welding shop to have them weld the crackes and maybe reinforce the backside with plate, but with the understanding you may need to get slightly longer fasteners unless they drill the reinforcement plate to allow room for the bolt heads and a socket.

 

Another option is to get a part that "won't fit" and compare it with the one I got and see if they are the same or not. It still could fit potentially...
But yeah, at least I know where to look and what to search. Thank you.

 

@shifty` Thanks for all your knowledge. Its been a great help in multiple threads. I recently replaced my trans mount on my 04 Sequoia 4wd due to cracked bushing. I still have a clunk when going from park-reverse or drive. I don't get the clunk when driving from stop lights/ acceleration. My u-joint don't seem to have any play. I didn't seen any cracks on the crossmember when I replaced the mount but I wasn't looking either. I'm going to have to look tomorrow afternoon. The truck currently has 273k miles. I'm sure the u-joint due need service. Thanks again.

 

I'd be looking at every joint and bearing in the driveline, from the trans output shaft to the pinion flange. Any chance you can prop up a smartphone under the rear diff aimed at the driveline, tap record, then record while you shift between R and D, to see if it's obvious what's moving, or where the noise is coming from? Or have someone you can trust to do this (maybe with the park brake on if you don't trust them ) while you lay under the truck?

There are a few things that can cause clunk on shift, knowing what section of the driveline it's coming from would make it less of a guessing game.

 

Finally fixed my popping noise when. Thank you for this post.

 

No booty

 

2WD?

 

Yes, I believe this only happens to 2wd

 

Me too me too - funny thing is some years ago I found these bolts were loose and tightened them, but didn't know about the cracks until just this past weekend reading this forum. Sure enough, mine has cracks. Question though, most people in this thread only reference replacing the cross member itself along with new bolts, but the TSB references a new part number for the mount/isolator itself and prescribes replacing both. Was the original isolator determined to be a root cause of this issue and thus the replacement is an improvement, or what's the deal there?

I'll grab a couple of pics later and throw them up here to add to the evidence pile.

 

Any ideas here? I'm reaching out to a couple of local parts yards for the crossmember itself if possible, but will buy one new if needed. Still curious though about the different part numbers for the isolator and even the bolts. It's hard to tell if that was an actual upgrade or just a superseded part number which I know happens on occasion. Should I look to replace/upgrade that or just the crossmember?

 

I bought a new cross member, everything I seen at the salvage yards was rusted or cracked like mine. I originally bought an Insulator from Rockauto, it worked fine look like the OEM one( I returned it just because I wanted all OEM, since im keeping the truck forever), my original one was visually good also. But I decided to just buy a new OEM replacement. Below are my part numbers for everything I bought.

Im pretty sure you can avoid the Insulator or go with the Rockauto - ANCHOR 10056. Just looked at my Original OEM one and it has no play. If you decide not to do the Insulator it take 10 mins to install and remove. Iv done it 3 times now hahahah

51203-0C030 - Cross-member Sub Assembly - 1
90119-A0379 - Bolt W Washer - 4
12371-0F080 - Insulator Engine Mo - 1