Hard shifting when cold

[x2468]

Hey guys, new here. scouring the web for intel. I have an 02 toyota tacoma v-6 with the aisin A340F. Bit off more than i could chew a couple weeks ago and dunked my truck in water. not smart. i know. Ended up with milky trans fluid. So i dropped the pan, cleaned out the screen best i could, cleaned the magnets, disconnected the return pipe from the radiator, cleaned out said return pipe, and flushed out the milky fluid with valvoline multi-car import synthetic, certified for dex II/III and T-iv (according to their website PDF). I needed a little more though, and my small town autoparts stores didn't have anything, so i topped it off with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF Dex II/III certified.

I was out of town at the time, and had to return home, 1800 miles away. The transmission acted very well on the highway. Smoothest it's ever run. However, in that time the truck started to develop a very hard shift, but only when cold. The shift from 1-2 and 2-3 is alarmingly rough, but once the fluid is up to temp is almost entirely goes away. It also has an abrupt engagement from P-R and N-D which more or less correlates with the hard shifting when cold, but also happens sometimes at random.

I had come to the conclusion is was the 1-2 and 2-3 shift solenoids. perhaps the water is causing a bad connection, and the thicker cold fluid plus the bad connection is inhibiting their action?

However, I was told it could be the valve body, although they couldn't tell me exactly what was up with the valve body.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. one last thing. I didn't disconnect my sway bar when taking off the pan, and it made it very hard to put back on. I used toyotas FIPG gasket maker, as the FSM calls for. I'm afraid i may have knocked some of the wet gasket maker off, and it could be caught in the screen now. Could that cause the symptoms i'm having?

 

[KB2008X]

I think it'd be great if someone with extensive repair experience with that transmission were to respond, but failing that I'd pull that pan and see what's up with the gasket sealer and the screen. Tiny bits of sealer can cause havoc in a transmission. I would also seriously consider doing another complete ATF flush. Hopefully you can still save the trans.

Keith

 

[MaximaGuy]

Disconnect battery overnight and report back. I wouldnt be concerned if the level is checked. Give it sometime to settle down.

 

[x2468]

Had the battery disconnected for the flush. then disconnected it again because i had to change out the starter motor. I could give it a 3rd shot but not very optimistic.

I want to find a replacement screen that comes with a solid gasket if i drop the pan once more. Any recommended brands?

 

[MaximaGuy]

Abrupt engagement of the shifter is a classic sign of low fluid. When I had my maxima for some reason that old happen, Iam of the impression the internals of the shifter inside the tranny is lubricated with ATF. Incorrect level can make the [censored] more prominent. Good luck.

 

[x2468]

Im really praying it's slightly low fluid. But then again, the FSM says abrupt shifts from P-R and N-D are "excessive line pressure" which i assume means overfilled. IDK.... all this is enough to make me want to swap to a manual... After flushing it, I was very afraid of overfilling it. It's at the dealership now for some other little things, i asked them to check the level for me. I also asked them to check the line pressure but... they said they weren't equipped to do so, which i thought was [censored] because it's on page 196 of the FSM....

 

[MaximaGuy]

I have always resolved hard shifting and bang- bang shifter feeling by filling more ATF. There are very smart guys in the forum who understand the internals of trannies who could explain why shifter issues could be due to low ATF. Note filling it with 1/2 or 3/4Q isn't going to kill the tranny but must add gear banging could come fom low or excessive fluids. That is why ATF level checking is a precise dance.

 

[x2468]

It would make sense then, that once the ATF was up to temp and expanded the clunking went away.... if that's the case, then i'm never going back to this dealership, because the first thing they told me was "need a new transmission!".

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

So is it fixed? I couldnt tell from your last post.

I am only familiar with GM and Dodge transmissions, so I cant help you with diagnosis.

Curious, was it clear water, very muddy water, salt water?
I been there myself many times, stuck and swamped underwater. In muddy water, you only get maybe one restart before the starter brushes are wiped out from silt. Total bummer.

 

[x2468]

Got it back from the stealership. They couldn't even give me a straight answer on if they checked the transmission fluid level..... that kind of bothered me. One guy said "yeah it was good, ask that guy" another guy said they probably didn't bother since it was outside and they didn't feel like taking it back inside. awesome service....


BUT.... driving home from the dealer, it shifted A OK.... maybe someone checked it, it was low, and they put some in. IDK.... i'll report back after driving it a couple times. If the hard shift comes back when cold, maybe i'll just try adding ATF and see what happens?

If that doesn't work i can either buy a new filter/gasket, the shift solenoids, and another 20 quarts of fluid, install the parts and flush it again..

-OR-- *gulp*

Price out the R150F manual trans, a clutch pedal/master cyl combo and front portion of the rear drive shaft and do the manual swap. But i'm moving to a new city and really dont have the time or garage space to do such a task....

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Do you have a range mode sensor?

Should be located around the transmission pan, it's a sensor that translates info from the gear shift to the pan to assist in telling the tranny what gear it's in.

Isuzu's have this range sensor, and if it gets dirty or wet, the symptoms are IDENTICAL to what you're experiencing....and upon cleaning it, and relubricating it, the symptoms vanish.

 

[x2468]

Thanks for the info ramblin. I'll check into that.

I managed to contact the service manager who was dealing with my truck and he confirmed that a tech did add "a small amount" of ATF. He couldn't tell me how much. I'm assuming it was like a cup or 2. Either way, it really makes them look stupid... They immediatly told me my transmission was "bad" and quoted me for $3300... until I asked them to double check the ATF level. Is that the world we have come to live in? Where you bring something to the "experts" and they don't even try the most obvious solutions first, they just skip to what makes them the most money?

I wish the Trans. dipstick was more accurate. Even when I try to check it now, i can't be sure. I drive it for like 20 minutes, put it in park on the most level surface i can find, shift through all the gears, take out the dipstick, wipe it, insert, take out... but even then it's never at the same place twice. AND it's plane difficult to read because it's not like a thick amount of ATF and then dry. It's like a thin amount at the top that gradually gets thicker to the bottom. And the dipstick is black! at least make it chrome like the oil dipstick!