2008 solenoid woes

(sorry for scatterbrained dealing with this and death of best friend)
I got a 2008 Tundra where the previous owner stated random solenoid issues. Only throws codes when it wants lol. My cheapie Amazon $15 reader would power up but not read anything from the OBD port.

Took to dealership and they successfully used the OBD port to diagnose I believe Solenoid D.
They drained the fluid and when trying to take the bolts off half seemed frozen/corroded in place. Previous owner had tranny fluid changed about 6 years ago, 60k miles.

So the dealer broke one of the bolts and stopped. They said 4-5 more appears seized and they would only move forward with knowledge that the rest could break. If they break they would have to drill them out for extra $900 or so
or worse get a whole new tranny for $6k which is 70% what I paid for the whole truck
I told them to stop work, put her back to drivable condition, refill fluid and i'll pick up

This is a 3rd vehicle and I don't want to drop tons of money to fix but I want it to work correctly.

So what would be my best option to get the bolts unseized? I'm not a big car/truck person so I have basic tools.

I think I could replace the solenoid(s) and refill based on youtube videos, especially the car nut channel.

My thought is to call transmission shops, machine shops and see if they can get the bolts out one at a time to avoid spilling fluid then retighten with anti-seize.

Thoughts?

 

First off, you got a great deal on your truck.
At that price, I’m sure even if you were to put some money back into replacing the trans, you’ll still have wiggle room to hold value on your truck.

I’m dealing with the same issue on my trans, I’m at 191k bought with the issue. I’m planning on replacing all together. My trans has trouble engaging into reverse takes anywhere from 5 sec to minute plus to get into gear. And I noticed that it takes a while to shift sometimes when driving and slips a bit when shifting in the higher gears. My check engine light isn’t on but I ran my OBD reader and pulled these codes. They were marked (Permanent)

P0894 Transmission component slipping
P2714 pressure control solenoid D performance or stuck off

I spoke with some mechanics who specialize in rebuilding transmissions and most of the quotes I got start at $3500 and up but come with warranty. I also called a bunch of reputable used transmission companies and quoted around $2k shipped to me for a trans under 100k miles. It comes with standard 90 day warranty or up to 2 years if you’re willing to pay a little more. I’m leaning more this route then going with a brand new trans 6k or rebuilding $3500+++

Good luck with your build!
And sincere condolences on the loss of your best friend.

 

Most of the trans bolts are thru bolts, so start spraying penetrating oil on top every few days. Them find a shop that's not afraid to drill out if it's nothing you want to tackle.

You can also try an induction heat gun on the bolt heads to try freeing them. I was prepared for the worst at 165K, but luckily the PNW is nice to fasteners and they all came out.

 

What is PNW?

I should be retrieving the truck from the dealer today after their failed attempt and breaking a bolt
I'll start working with penetrating oil every day (OCD here) and call some shops.

transmission shop, machine shop?

 

Obviously if I could avoid dumping money into it I'd be happy but to keep it running for planned 8-10 years I might

My crappy $15 code readers from Amazon wouldn't pick up the truck but local parts store had luck as well as dealership so off to get a new reader.

Thinking OBD to usb and small laptop with OBD software


Good luck on your truck as well and thanks for the kind words

 

Pacific Northwest, no road salt so minimal undercarriage corrosion. I'd try transmission shops or a local independent and see what they say.

Also make sure to loosen bolts by hand with a ratchet not a power tool. Power tools can cause a seized bolt to snap earlier.