Hey guys...
Well, I did the full transmission flush & fill as described on user Mountain Lion's post over on the Tacoma World forum, for the 2nd time yesterday (first was back in 2012 at 101,000 miles; I now have 198,000 on the truck).
Post with procedure:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/
Just as before, it worked great and the transmission is shifting like butter.
But I've run into a small problem:
When I went to thread the drain bolt back into the pan (by hand, of course), it didn't want to thread in smoothly. Just seemed like it was off from going straight in by just a hair. Well, I gambled and went ahead and torqued it in, and I got that dreaded resistance where you know that threads are being "boogered up". There wasn't too much resistance, and when the bolt flange bottomed out against the pan, it seemed to make a decent seal. BUT it would not tighten to the specified torque (21 lb/ft). Yes, I used a torque wrench. No, I did not use a new crush washer. I partially blame the dealership for that; when I picked up the fluid for the job, I asked for new crush washers for the drain bolt and the fluid level check bolt, but they did not have them in stock. The counter man said he would order them for me. Well, I was off yesterday and decided to do the job, so I stopped by the dealer to see if the washers were in. And, of course, the counter man (same dude who said he'd order them for me) acted like he'd never heard of a transmission pan drain/check bolt crush washer. He even went back into the shop and asked a couple of mechanics and nobody had any. So, I said screw it, I'll re-use the old ones. Would it have made a difference? Who knows. Might have sealed it. BTW, no leaks from the check bolt.
The pan must be made of a thin metal. The drain bolt threads are semi-coarse, and the drain bolt is not very long. BTW I've done every oil change myself on this truck (probably changed the oil 20 times or more on it) and only just recently put a new crush washer in the oil drain bolt. Is it best practice? No, but I got away with it because the crankcase oil pan must be thicker...and its drain bolt is longer, and the threads finer pitch.
I have no idea how the hole got messed up. Like I said, I did the job once before, in 2012, and did not use a new crush washer (I don't think) at that time. I used the same torque wrench this time as I did last time, and set it to the same setting... And I always start screws/bolts by hand first to ensure they don't cross-thread.
Not sure if the pan is steel or aluminum.
ANYWAY... Now the tranny drain bolt is seeping. I looked under the truck to find a spot of fluid about 4" across after the truck had sat for 11 hours at work today. Probably leaked about 1-2 oz.
SO... The question is, should I just buy a new pan? I actually wouldn't be that mad about having to drop the pan, because it would give me the opportunity to inspect the inside of that area, and I'm assuming the new pan would come with a new strainer screen... The pan has never been off before.
I don't know how much a helicoil kit would cost. I also haven't looked into the cost of a new pan. I can re-use the fluid that is in the pan now, since it's brand-new, and I also have almost 2 quarts left over from my flush process in case I need some extra.
A quick search revealed somebody else on the Tacoma World forum who had the same problem about 5 years ago, and at that time, he had found a new pan for like $88. Not horrible.
SO what would y'all do? Anybody got a good source for Toyota parts at wholesale prices?
Good thing is, I have another car, so I can afford to park the truck until I can take care of this.
Thanks for any help...
Well, I did the full transmission flush & fill as described on user Mountain Lion's post over on the Tacoma World forum, for the 2nd time yesterday (first was back in 2012 at 101,000 miles; I now have 198,000 on the truck).
Post with procedure:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/
Just as before, it worked great and the transmission is shifting like butter.
But I've run into a small problem:
When I went to thread the drain bolt back into the pan (by hand, of course), it didn't want to thread in smoothly. Just seemed like it was off from going straight in by just a hair. Well, I gambled and went ahead and torqued it in, and I got that dreaded resistance where you know that threads are being "boogered up". There wasn't too much resistance, and when the bolt flange bottomed out against the pan, it seemed to make a decent seal. BUT it would not tighten to the specified torque (21 lb/ft). Yes, I used a torque wrench. No, I did not use a new crush washer. I partially blame the dealership for that; when I picked up the fluid for the job, I asked for new crush washers for the drain bolt and the fluid level check bolt, but they did not have them in stock. The counter man said he would order them for me. Well, I was off yesterday and decided to do the job, so I stopped by the dealer to see if the washers were in. And, of course, the counter man (same dude who said he'd order them for me) acted like he'd never heard of a transmission pan drain/check bolt crush washer. He even went back into the shop and asked a couple of mechanics and nobody had any. So, I said screw it, I'll re-use the old ones. Would it have made a difference? Who knows. Might have sealed it. BTW, no leaks from the check bolt.
The pan must be made of a thin metal. The drain bolt threads are semi-coarse, and the drain bolt is not very long. BTW I've done every oil change myself on this truck (probably changed the oil 20 times or more on it) and only just recently put a new crush washer in the oil drain bolt. Is it best practice? No, but I got away with it because the crankcase oil pan must be thicker...and its drain bolt is longer, and the threads finer pitch.
I have no idea how the hole got messed up. Like I said, I did the job once before, in 2012, and did not use a new crush washer (I don't think) at that time. I used the same torque wrench this time as I did last time, and set it to the same setting... And I always start screws/bolts by hand first to ensure they don't cross-thread.
Not sure if the pan is steel or aluminum.
ANYWAY... Now the tranny drain bolt is seeping. I looked under the truck to find a spot of fluid about 4" across after the truck had sat for 11 hours at work today. Probably leaked about 1-2 oz.
SO... The question is, should I just buy a new pan? I actually wouldn't be that mad about having to drop the pan, because it would give me the opportunity to inspect the inside of that area, and I'm assuming the new pan would come with a new strainer screen... The pan has never been off before.
I don't know how much a helicoil kit would cost. I also haven't looked into the cost of a new pan. I can re-use the fluid that is in the pan now, since it's brand-new, and I also have almost 2 quarts left over from my flush process in case I need some extra.
A quick search revealed somebody else on the Tacoma World forum who had the same problem about 5 years ago, and at that time, he had found a new pan for like $88. Not horrible.
SO what would y'all do? Anybody got a good source for Toyota parts at wholesale prices?
Good thing is, I have another car, so I can afford to park the truck until I can take care of this.
Thanks for any help...