Transmission rebuild or replace with used?

Back in October my transmission temp light came on a couple of times after driving at around 75 mph on the interstate and coasting down the offramp. Ultragauge was giving me a P0741. I replaced the torque converter lock up solenoid and both shift solenoids with Rostra ones, changed the strainer, replaced the fluid, and added some lubeguard. Reset the code. After 100 miles the code came back, but the trans temp light has stayed off. However my trans temps on the Ultragauge continue to run high (250-290) when slowing down after high speed driving. So I took it to a local (highly rated and in business for 50 years) transmission shop. They hooked it up to their computer and we went for a ride. They are telling me it's probably the torque converter failing, and recommend replacement with a used transmission which I would have to source. They said no shop where I live (Shreveport, LA) rebuilds the A340f because they have trouble getting all the parts. I have a lot of questions. Are they blowing smoke about not being able to get the parts because a quick google search shows complete rebuild kits in stock ready to ship? They did quote me $900-$1200 to remove my current transmission and replace with the used one. Which would be my best option between finding a shop in another city that would do the rebuild, buying an already rebuilt transmission from a company that does that, or simply finding a used not rebuilt transmission considering that I plan to keep the truck long term? Used not rebuilt would be cheapest I figure but you don't know what you are getting. Is there any benefit to having my transmission rebuilt versus buying one that has already been rebuilt? Any recommendations for a source for a quality used transmission or a rebuilt one?

 

Hey Jeff

What are you planning to do with the truck ?
Have you called around to some local wrecking yards for a low mileage second hand transmission ?
Whats the mileage on your transmission ?
Have you considered replacing the torque converter yourself ?
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...sions-write-up-your-4-speed-automatic.325531/


Have you considered looking through your valve body for worn components ?
https://www.sonnax.com/parts/2764-zip-kit

I beleive the transmission is getting hot for a reason . I would think twice about driving without the lock up feature working properly . Your going to cook your new fluid

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sonnax-zip-kit-a340-late-installation.435019/

 

Hey @gearcruncher was hoping you might respond.

I plan on keeping the truck long term so I'd like it fixed right. The place I live is apparently a dead zone for wrecked 1st gen Tacomas. The truck has 292k and original transmission. I live in a townhome association so they frown on (prohibit) doing much auto work. I feel confident I could drop the valve body, but I don't know if I would recognize a problem if I saw it. I guess I could just replace all the replaceable parts in the valve body? When I replaced the solenoids the magnets didn't have much metal on them. The fluid was dark brown/burnt looking and smelling which I expected with the heat. Would it be unusual for the torque converter to fail at this mileage? More likely to be something in the valve body? Appreciate the insight.

 

Replacing the converter is a tough call for me to make over a keyboard , however , considering the higher mileage on your truck and the overheating of the fluid , you can almost guarantee the spool valving in your valve body is also worn . If your truck was at my shop , I would not replace the converter without going through the valve body . In my opinion , the valve body is the cause of the issue , and the torque converter failure is the symptom .
If you dont have a transmission cooler , I would seriously consider this as well .That light was coming on close to 300 degrees . The transmission is cooled by the radiator in your truck . Hows your rad ?
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...l-toyotas-write-up-with-many-pictures.526283/

With this being said , I beleive the transmission shop you took the truck to gave you some good advice .

Not sure why the shop told you it was difficult to get parts for the A340 series ?
Looking in my catologue , everything is available .

I see 2 options

1-Replace the torque converter and go through the valve body , install a trans cooler . $1200 bucks .
The valve body kit fixes the overheating condition
Guys at Tacoma World have done this at home for much cheaper ..$600

2- install a second hand transmission .


Check the buy and sell pages here at Tacoma World or create a post saying you are looking for a second hand transmission .
They come up often

 

IF you go the used route, you’ll need to find an 03-04 Tacoma transmission for plug and play. 01-02 4runner too if I remember right. Basically any transmission without the kick down cable

 

So do you think the torque converter is toast? If I do the Sonnax zip kit on the valve body and that fixes the P0741 and the high temps what are the chances that I'm OK? The truck drives fine, doesn't slip, or shift roughly.

 

As mentioned above , we cant answer this from a keyboard .
You could roll the dice .....do a valve body upgrade and be fine but if the valve body kit doesnt work , you will be pointing your finger at us .
Thats not the way we roll . We are here to assist you from saving hard earned cash but from a long distance away .
We use what you tell us as a diagnostic but I would listen to the trans shop any day .
Thats what those guys do day in and day out .
You have a great chance with a valve body kit.
The converter clutch may still be good considering you didnt see much junk in the pan .
If you were to install a second hand transmission , I would still be installing a valve body kit

 

No finger pointing here! I understand that all information given is based on prior experience and that my symptoms could be any number of things. I appreciate the time that you take to answer all the crazy questions that get posted here. It sounds like I don't have much to lose by reworking the valve body. If that doesn't fix it, it will just be one less thing to do when I replace the torque converter or I could put it in a used transmission if I go that route. Thanks for sharing your expertise! Rest assured I will have more questions for you in the future.

 

Would it benefit me at all to get the transmission flushed before I work on the valve body? My thoughts are that it anything in there is going to break free and plug up the valve body, I could clean that stuff out when I do the zip kit. Good idea or bad idea?

 

My '02 decided to eat a couple of the gears a few years back, and I ended up with a 'combo' transmission. Bought a used one and a rebuild kit, then had a shop pick and choose the best parts from each to build back up because I wasn't comfortable just putting a used one in. It's been over 60k now, no issues. Maybe would've been the same outcome from the used trans, but I didn't know the history of the used one.

 

I would drop the valve body and upgrade before I threw more fresh fluid at the trans .
How bout a trans cooler ?
Whats your radiator look like ? is it factory ?

 

Radiator was replaced by Toyota dealer in 2017 at 231000 miles. I do have a trans cooler that I intended to put on when I do the timing belt, etc. This is the one I got.

 

Honestly at the mileage you’ve got I’d be looking on car-part for a lower mileage transmission. I’m sure the clutches in this transmission have seen better days after those temps

 

In your experience, since my transmission shifts without perceptible problems now, would the eventual clutch failure be a gradual thing that I would notice and have time to get fixed or a sudden strand me in the middle of nowhere type of thing?

 

Once again , we can only guesstimate at the keyboard .
The original owner could have performed transmission services according to how the truck was used .
I do not beleive the truck will strand you but the time to act is now .
Prevent the transmission from overheating using the Sonnax kit and a fresh converter to begin followed by the installation of your cooler
If you catch it now , your going to be better off in the long run
Its a lot of work but it will pay off .

 

I'm going to get stuff together to do the Sonnax Zip Kit and the Transgo shift kit. I'll go ahead and throw the transmission cooler on as well. Would I be better off using both the transmission cooler in the radiator and the stand alone cooler, or just run the stand alone and cap off the radiator cooler? While I have the valve body out, other than the upper and lower valve body gaskets and the two kits, is there anything else I should be prepared to replace?

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=34wnfq85_qk

 

Its not a great idea mixing recalibration kits . They can counteract each other . The Sonnax kit fixes the overheating issue inside the converter as outlined in the link above with fantastic results . The valve body gaskets and a fresh pan gasket should cover all you need if you plan to go this way

I see you are in Louisiana . I dont usually remove the internal radiator from the trans cooling system because the internal rad not only keeps your transmission cool but it also warms the transmission up on cool mornings .

This is a rule I use for colder climates . The transmission shifts into overdrive and lock up sooner making your truck more efficient on fuel
Considering where you live , you do have the option of removing the factory rad from the cooling loop

 

Thanks for clearing up my confusion on the two kits. I didn't realize there might be a problem using them both, so I'll stick with just the Sonnax kit. And I'll keep the radiator cooler in the loop in case I go someplace cold.

 

I've run into the same situation. Torque converter is whining pretty bad and the trans gets a bit toasty during traffic (or AZ summers). I am super tempted to manual swap, but the sheer amount of parts collecting to do so would be intensive. Guess I am going to look for someone to bench rebuild/find a used trans. Either way, I will be installing an additional trans cooler in-line with the stock cooler. Anything to help with the heat.