05 SR5 V6 - Only Reverse Works

Short Version: 2005 SR5 V6 (the one with the sealed transmission) Truck only has Reverse working. No other gears even attempt to engage. Codes P0771, P2714, , P0300, P0430, and P2757.

Longer Version: 437K miles with regular oil changes but I don't believe the transmission has ever been touched (and if it was it would have been prior to 375K miles when I was given the truck). No major issues ever aside from alternator (lasted 415K miles) and valve cover gasket (400K miles). About 1K miles ago the radiator finally cracked and gave up the ghost. Ordered a replacement and let my son go about swapping it. Didn't realize the transmission oil cooler was part of the radiator and he lost a lot of fluid when he pulled those hoses off. No idea how much.

We added a quart back in manually thru that little port on the side of the transmission after getting radiator squared away. Didn't run perfect and for some reason didn't want to shift into overdrive at highway speeds. Thought it was just from losing fluid, maybe junk from pan stirring up, or computer relearning. My son was driving it and only the once since the radiator being swapped and losing fluid did I drive it. I do recall it doing that surge and hard shifting when coming to a stop from 50 mph or so.

Fast forward a few hundred miles later. Son calls saying he was making a left turn and the transmission just gave out (he thinks he heard a noise but he's 19 so I'm surprised he noticed anything). Went to tow him home and sure enough I have reverse but no forward gears at all. It doesn't even seem to want to click and try. Found those codes today after letting it sit in the driveway for a day or two while I considered my options (repair vs replace). P0300 and P0430 I'm aware of from before the radiator went. P0771 is shift solenoid E, P2714 is control solenoid D, and P2757 is PCM finding a problem with the converter clutch pressure control solenoid circuit.

Chances of all three solenoids going bad at the same time? Not likely. We did put another quart in it before I towed him back just in case we'd lost so much on the radiator that it was running dry. Finally pulled the overflow port today and barely anything came out. Just enough that it was probably sitting on the cap itself. Truck wasn't plumb level but there's no way 2 quarts are hiding in the front of it with that very gentle forward slope it was on. Maybe 2 degree slope at most? I really miss not having a concrete pad at my new place to work on.

So, maybe we ran it without enough fluid and hosed up something. Maybe we still don't have enough. Since these transmissions are sealed I have no reference as to how much should go in it even if you drain the whole thing because we don't know how much we lost when replacing the radiator. For those of you with dipsticks count yourself lucky. Was thinking about just trying to clean the solenoids with MAF cleaner first before shelling out 200 bucks each or 700 for the least expensive used transmission I can find. What do you guys think?

 

Are you familiar with the process to properly fill the sealed trans?

 

I've got the Haynes manual on it. I feel like I should do a complete drain and fill at this point. Hoping the amount to add back in is in the manual also.

 

I’d get a copy the field service manual for a more accurate description of the fluid change process.

 

I thought you were saying you had one for a minute and got all excited.

 

I guess you missed this thread, eh? https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Have fun, all the content you need is linked near the top.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, which makes a moving picture worth more than Elon Musk - either of these should help you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_6BZpK3gg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx5dU3UVcRs

 

Interesting thing about the three transmission codes P0771, P2757, and P24714 is that they all have the "stuck off" description.

 

Updated the content on my last reply, refresh the page.

 

So basically it doesn't matter how much I lost when he replaced the radiator. I just let it come up to temp, pull overflow plug, add fluid until it overflows, then I have the right amount? I realize the manual is much more specific but that seems like the Cliff note version.

 

Correct. Timmy's video (2nd video posted above) is convoluted. I find the tattooed woman's video is significantly better, easier for anyone.

The important part is getting things up to temp as advised.

But yeah, the FSM is linked in that thread up near the top if you want it.

 

Oh, but you *did* miss a step. Always shift through all gears any time you add fluid, end to end, a few times to properly circulate fluid. Then pop the overflow plug at correct temp. And don't bother with filters or dropping the pan, filter is just steel mesh.

Hopefully there's no damage from running it low (or high?) on fluid for a while.

 

I found the FSM pretty quick. Extremely helpful. Although it scared me a bit because the picture of the refill plug in that manual made me think it was on the drivers side and we filled up on the passenger side (I have an A750E) and I was sweating it wondering where I might have stuck a quart of WS into. lol

So, worst case scenario we ran it several quarts short for a hundred miles or so and legitimately trashed the transmission (solenoids, etc) and should just replace the whole unit. Best case scenario it's just still so low the solenoids failed and getting the right amount might bring it back to life.

Also, this was a great video on the transmission subject. Plus it's actually a tundra instead of a Lexus like the other video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK0ATZLas14

 

Worst case scenario, if you do a drain/fill, or even a complete flush, and the tranny doesn't come back, you're only out the cost of fluid.

I take it you've already purged a little fluid to check for color/smell?

 

The weirdest part I think is trying to get that exact temperature range for checking the overflow. Feeling like Goldilocks checking the bears porridge.

 

Probably going to start a whole new thread but, you mentioned flushing the transmission. Seen a lot of posts saying never to do that (because you stir up things meant to be left alone apparently). So, flush is good? Or are we talking about different kinds of flushes?

 

Flush debate is all over the place depending on who you ask. I think flush should be last resort if nothing else works.

 

You can get accurate trans temp using any number inexpensive OBDII scanners.
Note: Use only Toyota WS fluid!

 

You want my take? Short version here and a longer version here. At almost 500k miles, if it's not already dead, and if following a simple drain/fill with proper level-setting doesn't work, I see no beef with doing a non-positive-pressure flush, the trans may already be toast if it doesn't respond to the drain/fill assuming level is set after being certain to shift thru gears.

I want to point out something though. Beyond the transmission, you've got a lot of shit going on in those codes:

P0771 => Pressure Control Solenoid E Performance or Stuck Off
P2714 => Pressure Control Solenoid D Performance or Stuck Off
P0300 => Multiple random misfires
P0430 => Catalyst efficiency issue bank 2
P2757 => Torque Converter Clutch Press Control Solenoid Control Circuit Performance or Stuck Off​

Now, we've got a mix of engine and transmission issues here. Codes 1,2,5 are transmission related. 3,4 are ignition/combustion related.

For 3,4 that P0300 could lead to the P0430. How long has the check engine light been on in the truck? Random misfires don't just pop out of nowhere when the trans goes necessarily, and cat efficiency codes don't either. I suspect CEL has possibly been on for a minute, and the cat efficiency issue could actually be tired O2 sensors on the passenger side.

For the trans stuff, start with a drain/fill and set the level correctly, being sure to shift through all gears a few times after adding fluid, and clear the codes.

 

On the engine codes, I had been fighting those for a long time. Went through all new coil packs (twice since I wasn't sure if my parts were legit or not). New sparkplugs, etc. Finally got free of the misfires so that code probably just needs cleared one last time. The 02 sensor code I was also aware of. I'd done one of the sensors on driver side and that one I believe is passenger side and I just haven't ponied up for a new sensor. Point being those two codes existed well before anything with the transmission. The transmission codes may have been there for all of 100 miles or so before I lost all forward gears the other day. I'm going to go with some parts store WS for now because if it works I can always drain and fill it with official Toyota WS later. If I'm just figuring out if the transmission is going to engage at all I don't want to throw expensive Toyota WS away.

 

Usually what I tell people having cat efficiency codes is to change both upstream/downstream, but only on the bank that's tossing a code. You should really do both at the same time, it's not uncommon for O2 sensors to die a slow death, and have the ECU interpret the bogus sensor's output as a problem with it, the other sensor, or commonly 'cat efficiency'. I suspect if you'll just change whichever one you hadn't on the passenger side, it'll clear up the cat efficiency code.

I don't deal with electronic transmissions much, so someone else on here may read more into the codes you've thrown, maybe it's a fingerprint for a specific problem. I seem to recall chatter on here about one of the transmissions being fairly easy to replace one or more of the solenoids. @BubbaW do you have any insight to lend when you look at the OBD codes two replies up from here?

 

Any truth to being able to possibly revive an 02 sensor with MAF cleaner or the like?

Back on topic, was able to get the temp codes into the Torque app based on this guys very helpful screenshots. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...ice-build-the-rez.176272/page-32#post-2657682
Now I just need the sunlight to come back so I guess it waits until morning. We just moved to this property and I haven't set up a garage yet or poured a flat and plumb slab so I guess I'll just have to use the one reverse gear I have to get it as level as possible tomorrow.

 

No clue. If I'm busting knuckles to take one out, I'm just gonna replace it. Or I'm going to swap to the other bank, and see if the code follows to the new bank, which should tell me if the sensor is actually the problem.

I've heard of people pulling sensors and cleaning, then reinstalling, but I've never seen it work for long.

 

Got it up to temp range for the transmission (and leveled). Got the overflow plug off and put my hose in and started giving it new fluid. Had to add about 2.5 quarts before anything came out of the overflow. So, when we replaced the radiator we lost more fluid than we thought. Which means it ran for about 100 miles or so really low on fluid. On the plus side I'm down to just the P2714 for Solenoid D. Still no forward gears but Reverse and Neutral are fine. Could I be lucky enough to salvage this by replacing that one solenoid?

Also, the fluid that did come out looked fine. Not pink milkshake from mixing with coolant or anything like that. I don't think I can do a proper drain if it won't go into gear to pump the extra fluid out.

 

I honestly don't know what is involved with swapping the solenoid, but I suspect you may find it in the FSM.

 

Agreed and I have that now. I'm just running the whole thing through in my head. Transmission was absolutely perfect until the radiator went out. I just didn't think about the transmission fluid and how much we leaked. So what I gather is that I ran the transmission probably 4 quarts low. I added 2.5 today and I've done 1 quart two separate times thinking I was doing the right thing. But at the end of the day we ran the transmission 4 (maybe 5) quarts low for at least 100 miles or more. By the time the forward gears went out completely it might have been toast right then and the codes may have been there the whole time from immediately after replacing the radiator and starting to run it low. So many maybes. Maybe a complete flush and fill brings it back to life. Maybe the fact that reverse and neutral still work is a good sign it can be saved. Maybe replacing one solenoid works (but then I get to drop the pan and buy a new gasket, etc). It's just frustrating to know you're a smart person (about to have a PhD for goodness sake) and still not be able to figure it out.

Maybe someone chimes in about the solenoids if they've dealt with them before. Regardless I appreciate all the advice and pointers @Shifty.

 

So I give up.....how do you get the transmission pan to drop with no clearance because of the crossmember toward the rear and the stabilizer bar in the front? I mean that stabilizer bar if it was bent the other direction you'd have no trouble clearing it. I didn't have an issue with the pan breaking loose at all. But no matter how I tilt or slide the thing there just isn't enough room to wiggle it free. If you search on youtube you just get other models (why are there so many 2nd and 3rd gen videos but so few 1st gen?). It's the A750E "sealed" transmission so there's no dipstick. Just 19 bolts and one inch clearance short of freedom.

 

Wait, why are you dropping the pan again? There’s a warning about that above

if it’s the sway bar you’re talking about causing obstructions, just drop it. It’s only a couple of bolts.

 

I found the solenoid so for 125 bucks I'm replacing it to see if it fixes my "reverse only" before buying a new transmission. Can't replace it without dropping the pan. I highlighted my two problem areas that are keeping me from getting clearance. There are also some solid brake lines but they flex just enough to clear without worrying me.

 

Got it.

Pull the sway bar (stabilizer bar). It's non-essential and you can live without it for days or weeks if you want. It just stiffens the front end. You may be able to get away with just pulling the four clamp boots loose. If not, pop off the top nut on the swaybar link, which is usually easier to do with the truck on the ground IMHO, but if on jack stands already, you can also use the OEM bottle jack to lift the LCA enough that there's no tension on the swaybar link.

 

Just so we're on the same page I put yellow check marks on the parts I think you're saying are ok to remove and yellow x's on the ones to leave in place. I wouldn't drive it around without out so this is just a temporary drop so I can get that pan out. So do I have the checks in the right spots to do this safely while I'm under the vehicle? I have the front tires just up on ramps (had enough clearance to drive in reverse up onto the ramps since I have no forward gears at all right now). There are no jacks under it right now at all. Just up on ramps. Safety first.