TransGo A340 F (4x4) Valve Body Shift Kit Install (with pictures)

TAKE YOUR TIME A ND PAY ATTENTION. Some say this is not a difficult process, I give it a 6.5 for difficultly.

IF you are doing this mod to your daily driver and you need it for work on Monday, start on Friday night and free up the whole weekend just in case. Also, make sure you have ALL the parts and tools before you start. My VB gaskets took 1 week to come in at the dealership.


Here we go:

Here are the removal and reinstall instruction in case you lose them or spill ATF all over them.



Here is a full PDF of instructions including each VB Type

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transgo-340-hd2-reprogramming-kit-manual.631697/

Put the truck in neutral, this will make it easier to reinstall the Valve Body later



Unplug the battery



Drain the Pan, it's a 14mm



You'll need a screwdriver to carefully pry the pan away from the transmission case. Watch out! There is still ATF in the pan!



Unbolt transmission dip stick and fill pipe



Clean the pan, take a picture of your filter and filter bolt location and remove. BE CAREFUL ATF WILL COME OUT!



TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR VALVE BODY STILL IN THE TRANSMISSION AND PRINT IT OUT A NICE CLEAR PICTURE OF IT 8.5x11" You'll need this later.



Get some sticky dots and label each bolt on the picture you printed out as you take them out and put a corresponding number on a piece of tape around the bolt. I know this is a pain,trust me, just do it. There are about 17ish of them (depending on your year and VB) and there are 2,3 or 4 different lengths that must go back in the right place. BE CAREFUL...MORE..ATF WILL COME OUT!



Follow the directions and unplug the kick down cable (if you have one) and the solenoids

Also, watch out for your drain back valve and B-2 springs (2) they will fall out as you drop the VB. (They are at the front of the transmission). Easy to understand where they go and there is a IPT video online.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vZFwSP2TbTY


After you remove the VB place it on a clean workspace and flip it over. Now, TAKE A CLEAR PICTURE OF IT AND PRINT OUT THE PICTURE, 8.5 x 11 is best

Again, note locations as you remove bolts, there are several different sizes










Now, CAREFULLY grab the VB with both hands and flip it back over like a toasted cheese sandwich being careful to make sure nothing falls out!

Slide the upper VB off the lower VB making sure to keep the mental separator plate tight to the upper VB, those check balls WILL fall out if you don't. Also there are 2 valves that like to fall out that are noted on the instructions...I typed them to stay in place.



After you get the upper VB off the lower VB, keeping the separator plate tight to the upper VB, flip it over and CAREFULLY slide the plate off, you'll see all your check balls in place.

Follow instructions for VB mod based on your VB type 1,2,3 or 4

BE CAREFUL WHEN DRILLING (take your time) AND DONT SCRATCH THE INSIDE OF THE VB GETTING THE VAVLES OUT...THAT"S BAD

Upper VB



Lower VB




Here are the Drill locations on separator plate with old gasket still in place. Remove the gasket before drilling, make sure you verify the correct drill bit size and location 3 times before drilling, you can't go back on this step.



Continue following instructions for VB mod based on your VB type,1,2,3 or 4

After you complete the instructions...Double check to make sure you did it right...

There are 3 little filter inside the VB, it is suggested that you push them into the gasket and separator plate before flipping it and the upper VB back onto the lower VB.. Be gental, you don't want to break them (They are Plastic)

AGAIN...BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET ANYTHING FALL OUT WHEN YOU FLIP



Make sure your separator plate and both gaskets ALL line up with both VBs. Start ALL bolts by hand using the guide you made to put them back in the correct spots.

NOTE: The AFT breaks down the glue on the tape, make sure each bolt is clean before you put them back (again , by hand first).




Torque to spec in inch lbs..

Now for the Accumulator Springs:

STOP! CHECK FIRST to see if you have Type A or Type B accumulator positions.

Type A are easy because they likely fell out when you pulled the VB and you don't need them (You still need the B-0 and Drain Check that fell out though)
If you have Type B like I did, you're in for a treat...The springs are held it by a C clip. Use a die cutter AND something to pull out the C clip at the same time. TransGo fails to note this.

Pull out ONE Accumulator pistons at a time, follow the directions and replace, no greased needed they will stay put.

Note: I damaged mine trying to pull it out not knowing about the C clip. No biggie, you discard them.



DO

Don't worry if you damage the spring or clip, you won't be reusing them.

Here are what that look like back in the Transmission case



Buy 2 extra long bolt of the same tread as the VB bolts and cut the ends off, place them in the bolt holes in the case to make it easier to line up when reinstalling the VB into the transmission case.




Use Vaseline or assembly grease to hold your drain check valve (if you have one) and B-0 springs in place while you get your VB back in place and lined up...Don't take too long, they won't stay there much more than a few minutes.



Use the print out of the VB in the case you printed our near the beginning of the project to put the bolts back in the correct spots...they are different sizes.




Torque to spec in inch lbs..




Replace pan torque to spec and fill with ATF...go slow with filling or half will end up on the floor.



This mod requires patience and attention to detail...Again..TAKE YOUR TIME!

COMPLETE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Best,
Ryan

 

Thanks for taking the time for this post! Good job!

 

What is the advantage of this kit?

 

Mostly Transmission protection. If you are running a Supercharger, it gets rid of some clutch slip and makes it shift harder . The only other advantage I could see is that there’s a option for no shifting in first low. This would be good for trails.

 

Update on how it drives please! Thanks.

 

Firmer shifting
1-2 much firmer
2-3 A little firmer
3-4 A little firmer

For me, the point of this install was to protect the transmission from the supercharger , Methanol injection and smaller pulley.

There is definitely faster response to the wheels.

I also experienced a .3 increase in Boost

That could be due to the colder weather here in Colorado. Did not have my supercharger last winter

 

Thanks for posting! I've had this transgo kit sitting around for awhile now but have yet to install it. I'm curious if you're happy with the results?

Also, was there a gasket between the upper and lower valve body that you had to replace?

 

I’m happy I got it back together right...lol

It’s a lot of work for a small amount of results , kind of like headers .

Yes, I happy with the new shifting, it’s much more sporty... I wouldn’t recommend doing the hot rod option... try truck first.

You do have to buy an upper valve body gasket and a lower valve body gasket as they are not part of the kit.

I recommend going to the dealership with your Vin number.

Hope this helps

Feel free to reach out to me if you decide to do it and have questions .

Please do not count on being able to use your vehicle for a while in case you Encounter issues.

Also, I changed my filter and solenoids while I was in there .

 

Great write-up. Looking at doing a an A340 Swap in my T100. It's supercharged as well so this is a must. Will be printing this whole thing to put on my work bench.

THANKS!

 

Awesome thanks! Sticky?

 

Did you use the solid rod spacers on the acummultor pistons that come in the kit?

 

Only when it called for them. Mine was a type B, The 2nd gear required the solid rod spacer

 

I helped my buddy finish his up.
Pictures and documentation as the OP has stated will be a big help.

This was a few years ago and I don’t remember exactly where it was, I just noticed the shoulder on the rubber washer when it was being reassembled ( for the 4th time), so sometimes extra /fresh eyes can help.
There is a rubber screen(?) with a shouldered washer about 3/16 thick/ wide looking at it from the side.
Pay attention to which side is up/down (take pictures) depending on how you dismantle the VB. If it is upside down it will cause slippage during shifts. Be sure to have plenty of Vaseline on hand in case you end up pulling it apart a few times.
Once that washer/screen was in correctly the shifts were solid and very crisp on the test drive.

 

Only thing I might add, is that I always change the O rings, on the accumulator pistons, prior to installing them.
More often than not, the old ones will have developed a squared edge; on the friction side.