2000 Limited TRD refresh/repair story

Hey, I've got my OME coils installed. OEM are available if you're interested. If so we can talk details through PM. Otherwise I'll post them on the marketplace.

 

Really appreciate the offer- but the more I look into it the more I get set on 6112s in the near future. Your stock springs would probably just sit in my garage.

Do the new OME springs ride well?

 

No problem. When you mentioned they might just be a holdover until you get the 6112s I figured you might skip it.

So far, yes. I only took the truck the grocery store and back, just to make sure there weren't any clunks or anything, but I'll say I think it rode better than with the stock springs. I was worried. I had OME coils and shocks on my Tacoma, and the ride was harsh, and never got better with time. But either with the extra weight of the Tundra, or the Bilstein 4600s instead of OME Nitrochargers, it felt pretty smooth. I'm about to put new leaf springs on, and later this month I'll be out & about in the truck, both highway, town and rough dirt roads, so I'll really know what I think after that.

 

So- bad news. I picked up my truck from the transmission shop, and they think that the trans is getting weak.

I’ve posted about this in the lunch table thread, but I am having issues with the truck throwing a P0773 code, and no torque converter lockup. This is the fourth time I’ve had an issue with this transmission, but in the past it’s all been electrical issues.

However, everything electrical checks out good this time. The solenoids are all good, the wiring all checks fine, no corrosion or anything. The guys at the transmission shop told me that the seals in the torque converter are likely getting weak, and the fluid is pushing past the seals and preventing full lockup. Essentially, they told me to keep driving it until it blows up and then come back for a rebuild, as it would cost the same blown up or not. I’m not super cool with this answer.

Paging @The Black Mamba . Does this sound possible? Reasonable? I’m not sure how to feel.

Also tagging @evanhmn you recently had your transmission rebuild, right? Did you have your old one rebuilt or a reman installed? How much did it cost you?

This is a high volume shop that prides themselves on customer satisfaction. They didn’t even charge me anything for the diagnostic process. They’ve been fantastic in the past, but the “we think it’s pushing past the seals” answer doesn’t sit right with me. They offer extensive warranties on all of their work and aren’t interested in installing a used trans or only a new torque converter. Thoughts?

 

Here you go, from (after?) his P0770 debacle, click the up arrow to the right of his name in the title bar to jump back in the forum and see more context related to the quoted text:

 

I'm sorry Jack. This is a tough situation. So a new unit from Toyota is pricey, but can still be had. A rebuild / reman unit is a good option, provided you get a good warranty. I ended up buying mine from a place in Cali called Premier Auto. They unit they shipped me was out of an 03 T4R with 72k on it. What sold me on that was their warranty. 3yr/100k (insane!). Yes, I paid a premium for the unit, but I'm satisfied with my purchase. If you do decide to go used, please read my A340 Info Dump thread about the differences in the A340s (biggest being the trans pan and valve body. You MUST use a VB with the same casting number or else it won't properly communicate with the ECM and you'll be throwing shift solenoid codes. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

 

Thanks.

It's partly just hard for me to accept. I know it's got a lot of miles, but this transmission has never worked hard once. The truck has never towed a trailer- it doesn't even have a hitch. The fluid looks super clean, it shifts silky smooth, it engages quickly, never hesitates to shift, and has never slipped. I just struggle with "the whole thing needs rebuilt!" when there might be one small issue causing this whole debacle.

The transmission shop is sending me a quote on Monday or Tuesday for a rebuild. I'm also going to call them then and ask a bunch of in-depth questions that I have. They told me that the ECM wasn't commanding TC lockup, and they also told me that pressure was leaking and not allowing TC lockup, which is conflicting to me. I just want to know a lot more specifics.

P0773 is "Shift Solenoid E Electrical malfunction", which means the ECM is detecting an electrical issue, right? I found this article which discusses P0770 codes and no lockup when the input shaft bushing is worn and bleeding off pressure, which makes sense. However I don't have a P0770, I have a P0773. It's also confusing because Solenoid E is most definitely working as it should be.

I don't know. Going to do some more research tonight and talk to the shop on Monday. Kinda feel like getting a second opinion. I'd have to sell my other car to pay for a new trans in the Tundra.

 

This can only be confirmed by pulling the trans. Unless its visible from removing the inspection plate. Have they pulled it yet?

Unfortunately, the FSE is of no help with Shift Solenoid E. If you feel that the issue is electrical, start with section DI-398 / page 668. That will give you the ECM pin diagram. Start there.

 

I’ve got the truck back, it still drives great. Minus the TC lockup.

They never pulled the trans, only dropped the pan and tested all wiring. Which is confusing to me as they say it all checks out. I don’t know.

The more I think about this, the more I want a second opinion. I’m going back to school tomorrow though, so it’ll have to wait for a while. This week was my spring break. Hopefully it holds up.

 

I'm no transmission expert but if what they're saying is true and it shifts great, I see no reason not to just replace the torque converter/seal. However I can understand why they might recommend a full rebuild to cover themselves from fixing the TC issue and then shortly after something else could fail and look bad on them.

 

Right?? I feel the same way. I totally understand why they will only do a full rebuild, but I’m not sure that it needs rebuilt.

The shop is going to send me a rebuild quote sometime in the next day or two, just because I’d like to know. When they do I’m going to ask them a bunch of specific questions.

I’m probably going to end up sending it back for further diagnosis, just so I can be absolutely sure what the issue is.

 

Other than the code is the transmission showing any symptoms?

 

The torque converter isn’t locking up.

Otherwise it drives totally normally- upshifts/downshifts smooth, never hesitates, never slips. Goes right into gear when going from P to D/R.

 

Losing faith in this transmission shop.

They were supposed to call me on Monday or Tuesday with a quote. They didn’t, so I called them myself this morning to ask some in depth questions and get this quote.

Talked to a new guy on the phone, who essentially told me the opposite of everything I had heard from the other guys.

According to him they don’t do electrical work, which doesn’t make sense as the truck has been there three times for solenoid/electrical work. When I told him I was under the impression that the shop had been doing electrical work when it was there, he said that they didn’t do anything to it at all. So I’m not sure what the hell they were doing with it for six days in a row.

Then he told me that it’s just fine to drive around without converter lockup, even on the highway. That’s not true- I’m pretty sure it would get way too hot if I was to sustain 80+.

They still didn’t have the full quote ready, so I asked for a ballpark. He told me that a full rebuild including labor would cost $2900-3200, which sounds so cheap that I’m skeptical.

Need to find a different trans shop! Wtf. I’ve had such good luck with these guys in the past. Not sure why they’ve been a pain this time.

 

The truck is finally back. Finally!!

So glad to have it back, I forget how nice this thing drives. The issue was that the “E” solenoid installed by the previous shop wasn’t an OEM solenoid, and it failed. However, instead of failing completely and opening the circuit, it still had 3 ohms of resistance. Since the circuit was still complete, the computer wouldn’t immediately throw a code. This also made it take longer to diagnose, as both the shop and I assumed that the solenoid was good, since it wasn’t acting the same way it did previously.

The shop was having some pretty serious staffing issues, which is why it took them so long. They were super apologetic, and knocked a lot off of the price. (Especially after I pointed out how dirty they got the interior.) They only charged me $400.

Another thing the shop mentioned was that the paint on the inside of the trans pan was peeling and gummy. @The Black Mamba have you experienced or heard about this? Makes me wonder why it happened. They cleaned it out real good.

Just need to figure out how to get this out of the floor mat. It’s not dirt, it’s like oil or grease.

 

No, but maybe from heat?

Soak in brake cleaner and then pressure wash.

EDIT: Also, another good point when replacing critical items... always go OEM. Not that you chose the one the first shop put in, just a message for others down the road.

 

A good degreaser, and a little time with a drill brush attachment should knock that loose enough to hose out

 

I doubt it was heat. I’ve always got my eye on the trans temperature- and it’s never been excessive, even when the fan clutch was shot.

The brake cleaner won’t hurt the mat? Like, that wouldn’t dissolve the fibers or anything?

Yeah, I remember giving the previous shop the part numbers for the solenoids, and telling them that I’d pay extra for OEM solenoids. So frustrating. If they didn’t cover it all under warranty for me, I’d be on the phone with them right now complaining.

 

Like the drill brush idea. Will attempt this weekend.

 

Nick’s idea is best. I’ve taken brake clean to shirt and pant stains before with no issue

 

Sprinkle Oxyclean on it. Get a spraybottle, spray it with COLD water until it's just enough to form a semi-runny paste, and scrub it in with a stiff wheel or deck brush, circular pattern. Scrub in circles for 10 seconds, spray it with more water. Repeat for half a dozen cycles, then just let it sit and dwell for 10-15 mins. Get the garden hose out, spray it while scrubbing in circular patterns to get the Oxyclean out.

I've used this for gear oil and it worked. It got the stain out, but the smell never went away.

 

And blue Dawn soap, mixed with Oxiclean...

 

Whewwww you have done a lot of work bro, snooped around your touch ups and a few other various jobs.
Good job with the paint, it looks really smooth!


Question about the paint, did you use the automotive touch up spray cans or a paint gun?
Thinking about ordering a rattle can and adding it to the list of truck things to do that I'm ignoring

 

Their rattle can is what I used on the Sports Grille I salvaged: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-darrell-waltrip-fms-grille-info-dump.147323/

Same color as you, no? It’s not an identical match but … you be the judge. With proper prep and basic understanding, you too can get good results.

 

Thanks! Everything was done with rattle cans. The paint itself is important- but the clearcoat is much more important. I used the Sprayaway 2K clearcoat, which is available on automotive touchup's website. It's the same stuff that pros spray out of a gun, just in can form. You NEED to wear a proper respirator when using it, it's serious stuff.

Do keep in mind that painting is 90% prep and 10% paint. Sometimes you can skew that to 80/20, but proper prep is absolutely key.

Edit: Here's an example of a spot that didn't get prepped properly. Turns out that the "surface prep" solution I was spraying on the paint wasn't happy with. Had I read the instructions, I would've known that you're not supposed to use that stuff. It still looks ok, and it's better than a rust spot. But I notice it every time I look at the truck.

 

Yep same color. Dig that grill, looks like a fun project, you did a great job restoring it. Love the prep work

Thanks for all the info. Gonna add that clearcoat to the list too. Definately going to spend some time watching some youtubes on prep work and spraying properly before giving it a shot. Honestly I'm a bit nervous about spraying more than prep. I've shot bedliner on a previous taco, and prepped the whole truck for that pretty well, but I'm worried about paint runs with the can. Any advice there?

 

Light, even coats is the key. I usually do 5+ light coats of paint, keeping the can 8"+ away from the panel, further than you'd think. Then I wait 10 minutes between each coat. Waiting that long allows the previous coat to tack up a little bit, and prevents running pretty well. The automotive touchup cans all come with fan tips, so it's a lot easier to manage then a spot tip.

I also purchased an extra can of the automotive touchup primer, and used most of it on a sheet of steel, just practicing. I purposely tried spraying it on too thick and too close to the panel. I was really able to see what distance from the panel, speed of moving the can, and pass overlap worked best. The paint and primer are both pretty high quality products, so the light coats blend together pretty well.

The clear can be applied a bit heavier than the primer and paint, it settles pretty well. You can also wet sand the clear if you get a run in it, but I haven't experienced it.

Let me know when/if you do the paint work. I'll write up a full order of operations, with times between coats and stuff.

 

Washed the floor mats over the weekend. Sprayed them down with the hose, put a bunch of dish soap on them, and scrubbed with a drill brush. The grease stain came right out.

That said- it took an unbelievable amount of time with the pressure washer to get the water coming off the mats to run clean. I kept spraying it over and over, and more and more dirt kept coming out. I was shocked.

They also changed color?


They’re still just a bit damp, but they’re mostly dry. Sure hope they look a lot less green once they fully dry out.

 

It's quite probably some of the 'not clean' you saw coming out was actually the dye of the mat.

Oxiclean tends to be a little more gentle with old dyes, and that's part of the reason it's my primary go-to. It might've pulled just as much dye out though.