1st Gen transmission issue

I recently changed the ATF in my 2000 tundra, but when I turned it on and put it into drive, nothing happened. When I try to shift into gear, the shifter moves but my truck stays in park. Does anyone have any ideas of what the issue could be?

 

4 quarts out and 4 qts in via the dipstick?

When you run the truck in idle, is the dipstick at cold?

 

Well, the dipstick broke right below the ‘hot’ section, so I can’t tell where the level is at exactly. It doesn’t seem to hit the hot section though.

 

Everything went wrong in replacing it though. I decided to replace the filter at the same time, but I can’t find any that look the same as the old one. I replaced the old fluid with new fluid, and that’s when I turned it on and found out it wouldn’t shift. I did some research and found out that if the fluid is too old then it shouldn’t be changed. I figured that was the case and replaced the new fluid with the old fluid, which didn’t help.

 

Are you sure you changed the trans fluid and not the engine oil?

 

Yes, it was the trans fluid.

 

There’s no filter other than a wire mesh that’s only accessible when you drop the pan unless that’s the route you took. I’d definitely get a new dipstick though. Old fluid mixed with new isn’t going to seize the tranny. You’ve got something else going on.

 

Do I need to change the trans filter? I did drop the pan because I figured I needed to change the filter/mesh.

 

No there’s no filter other than the mesh. Did you notice if you drained more fluid when you dropped the pan? Someone here mentioned it’s more than 4 quarts if you drop the pan. I’m now wondering if the fluid level is too low.

 

I would avoid driving the truck if it’s too low. I was 1 qt low in the past and it let to a sticking solenoid that would give me a rough shift between 1st and second.

 

Well it wont shift out of park so I can’t drive it anyway If I remember correctly, just over 3 quarts drained out….

 

No shift issues prior to changing it? I think you can follow the shift cable to make sure there’s no issues with the shifter until it gets to the tranny.

Just to be sure, we are talking about an automatic tranny right?

 

When accelerating from a stop, it would stutter for a second and then jerk into gear. Yes, it’s an automatic.

 

Yeah that’s kind of sounds like it a bit low. I wouldn’t drive it much until you get that new dipstick and can measure it more accurately.

To check on it being in the right range for hot, you would drive it on back roads under 40 mph for 10-15 minutes to get it up to temp when cold. (Preferably no traffic)

Always make sure it’s a level surface too when checking.

 

I heard that, if it’s been too long since the fluid was changed, adding new fluid can ruin the tranny. My truck has 300,000 miles on it, and the fluid hasn’t ever been changed. Is it fine to add new fluid to it?

 

Do you know if the fluid has never been changed? That really only rings true if the clutch material wears down enough that the transmission shifting relies on that material suspended in the fluid to make a proper shift. I haven’t heard of that happening with our trucks but I suppose someone who tows a lot and doesn’t change the fluid, that could happen. Did you see any metal in the fluid when you drained it? Did the old fluid smell burnt or was it discolored? Those are things to be concerned about.

 

There were a bunch of sizable metal shavings on the magnets, the fluid looked more like old oil and did smell burnt. From what I could tell, it had never been changed.

 

Well it sounds like you’re past that point of no return after having changed it. The only thing I could recommend to get your truck to the right fluid level is to drain what you have via the drain plug into a clean container and measure it to see if it’s 4 quarts. You then have the choice of pouring it back into the tranny and just adding the difference in fresh fluid or replacing it all with 4 quarts new. Just make sure you do this on a level surface and while the truck is cold. Once your past that point you can work on getting a new dipstick and verifying everything is okay.

Another approach is to move to full synthetic and replace all 12 qts in the transmission via the tranny radiator (cooler). I’ve noticed my shifts have improved moving to synthetic but considering you may already have more damage it’s hard to say if it’ll help. Best of luck.

 

When you say it’s stays in park, what exactly do you mean? The P light is still lit up? As in the truck is still being held by the parking awl and is in neutral? Just free revving? Or the D light comes on, feels like it’s in free wheel neutral (could roll away) when you let off the brake and just revs without moving? Even if you’re off by a quart on the refill, it would move if it’s going into drive. I would never have put the old fluid back in. Especially if there were metal shavings on the plug. Why did you decide to change the fluid at 300k if you had never changed it before?

 

The D light comes on, but it revs without moving. I have it on a small incline (my driveway) and it doesn't move when letting my foot off the brake . I got the truck only a few thousand miles ago, and saw that changing the fluid could fix a problem I was having. Only after it was all said and done did I find out that was a bad idea. So in my unknowledgeable mind I figured putting the old fluid back in might help.
When I put it into drive, it doesn't make the sound it's supposed to.

 

Definitely need to find out how much fluid is in the transmission. Need a functioning dipstick. Any chance the filter swap didn't go correctly? Blocked ports in the trans would prevent the fluid from being able to circulate properly. Sometimes we just have to cry uncle, bite the bullet and take the truck to a specialist (transmission shop) when we get in over our heads. The damage can always get worse, may not be beyond help yet.

 

If you do decide to flush your transmission, you can go with Valveoline MaxLife ATF:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvolin...utomatic-Transmission-Fluid-ATF-1-GA/15125768

You'll need about 9 gallons to almost complete flush the transmission of the old fluid (gets it down to 3.5%).

Here's a link for a how-to: I would recommend 3 five gallon buckets to collect the old fluid, each marked for 2, 4, 6, etc. quarts up to 3 gallons each.

 

The filter I ended up replacing the old one with was about 60% the size of the old one and didn't have a spout. Apparently, toyota replaced the old one completely with the one I got, even though they look nothing alike. At this point, unless there's anything else I could possibly do, I'm thinking the whole tranny just needs replacing.

 

My money is on the weird filter. Bet it’s not flowing correctly.

 

With all due respect, that's a huge leap without much evidence to support it.

I got an idea for you on checking your fluid level. I just went out to my truck (also a 2000 4.7) and checked the tranny fluid level with the engine off and cold -- it's been sitting overnight. The ATF level was exactly 1" above the high/hot mark on the dipstick -- which is the highest notch on the dipstick. (measured from the center of the notch) While this isn't the ideal way to gauge fluid level, it will get you close enough to let you begin some actual diagnosis based on logic.

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but it sounds more like an issue with the shift linkage than the transmission. Maybe something broke underneath the truck where it meets the transmission? We had another member experience this issue.

 

You dropped the pan but only 3 qt came out?

 

Well that's a relief
I just ordered a new filter that looks the same as the old one. The fluid level isn't touching the dipstick at cold right now. So are you saying yours is a little overfilled?
How do I check the shift linkage?
It was between 3 and 3.5 qts.

 

No, that’s not at all what I’m saying. Mine is not overfilled, the level is right where it needs to be. The AFT level should be checked with the engine running. The level is higher when it’s not running because the fluid drains back down into the pan when the transmission stops pumping it.
So if your fluid is not 1” above the FULL mark after having sat overnight with the engine off, then your fluid level is too low.

 

Right now, with the broken dipstick, all I can tell is that the level is well below the ‘hot’ section when cold.