2000 LC Transmission Failure at 50k (50,381) Miles (1 Viewer)

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Nov 7, 2020
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Los Angeles
Hi Guys,

Does anyone know a trustworthy transmission shop in the Trinidad, CO area?

I'm on a road trip and my LC decided to s*** the bed... I was going uphill on the highway at ~70mph and ~4k RPM when she suddenly lost power to the wheels, redlined to about 5.5k, and started making a weird rattling/grinding noise. I immediately put her in neutral and pulled over. No CEL or other lights were present. The engine temp gauge was at about 40% and it was maybe 50° F outside.

I got towed to the local Phil Long Toyota Dealer in Trinidad, and they said the transmission needs to be replaced for $5,400. I'd like a second opinion though as the "master mechanic" also offered to buy her for $3,000, which seems downright predatory, even if she were for sale. She's been dealer-maintained and garage-kept her entire life.

I've been hitting a ton of trails this last month on my overlanding journey from CA to NC, so she's definitely been used harder than she ever has been before (She's had an extremely easy life, primarily sitting in my parents' garage and picking up groceries once a week.), but I haven't done anything I would think could cause such a catastrophic failure. I'm easy on the pedal, never go faster than 30mph in 4LO, don't turn when locking the center differential, etc. She's also never towed anything before.

I know the early 2000s can have transmission issues, but a Toyota transmission with a lifespan of 50k miles is still a complete shock for me.

Also, I doubt this is related, but I get the P1120 Throttle Position Sensor error if I don't let her warm up before going when in freezing temperatures. The CEL, VSC TRAC, and VSC OFF lights come on, and the engine won't rev. Everything is completely fine if I let her warm up a bit first though.

We were having such an awesome time before this. Here are a few pics from UT and CO. I can't say I recommend Black Bear Pass fully-loaded, but we made it moving at a snail's pace, only scraping the hitch a few times.

Thank you in advance for any insight or recommendations.

Best,

Jonathan

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When shops want to take the easy way out, it costs you $5,400. Too bad this happened so far away from your home. I wonder if you tried this: Lock the differential and see if it will move. There is a possibility that you have a front driveshaft came part-way off. If so, I think it would make a noise similar to the one you heard.
 
any idea on how he came up with the diagnosis?
I was going to suggest the lock also, but I was thinking maybe a drive flange??
 
When shops want to take the easy way out, it costs you $5,400. Too bad this happened so far away from your home. I wonder if you tried this: Lock the differential and see if it will move. There is a possibility that you have a front driveshaft came part-way off. If so, I think it would make a noise similar to the one you heard.
Appreciate the info! I'll give it a shot when they open on Monday. That did come up in my research, but I wanted to see what the dealer said before potentially messing anything else up further.
 
Pull the front hub dust caps and check your axle snap ring....
 
any idea on how he came up with the diagnosis?
I was going to suggest the lock also, but I was thinking maybe a drive flange??
No clue... I just got a call from them explaining it'll be 5k to fix. I honestly have no idea what a drive flange is, but it's apparent I need to study up tonight.

I'd also suspect the CV axles/drive plates before I'd suspect the transmission. As stated above, a simple test is "does it move with the center diff lock engaged?"

Similar threads from the past:

Appreciate the other resources! I'll test on Monday when they open and follow up.

Pull the front hub dust caps and check your axle snap ring....
I'll find out how to do that, do that, and report back. Thank you!

^that - more than a few times a shop's diagnosed a blown tranny only to find out it's a c-clip. But you do have the 2000 MY, so maybe.
Good to know! I'm feeling optimistic today...
 
are you handy?
remove the hubcap on the front wheels
underneath you will see a drive flange that is bolted to the wheel hub assembly
on the outside of the flange there is a dust cap, it is a slip fit, use a screwdriver or similar to pry it off,
there should be a snap ring on the end of the inner axle and you should be able to see the splines in both the CV axle and the drive flange.

probably took me longer to type this out then it will be to do the above.

in normal driving only 1 wheel actually gets power, so if either of the front wheels is not getting power to it by either a stripped spline or the axle sliding in because of a lack of snap ring, all your power will spin nothing
using the transfer lock button will give power to both the front axle and rear axle.
 
Not hard to do if you have a couple of hand tools with you and a little time. You could also look underneath at the front CV shafts and see if they are pulled inboard of the hubs to spot the problem if it is a snap ring issue. That would tell you which side may be the culprit. As would having someone in he driver's seat put the the truck in drive while you look from underneath for an axle spinning (don't have any body parts in the line of travel of back wheel). You should be able to see the axle turning and identify what is going on.

If it is a snap ring that came off, guide the axle back into the hub from underneath and screw a M8 x 1.25 bolt into the threaded hole then use that to pull the axle far enough out to get snap ring (new if possible) back into groove on outer axle shaft. If it is stripped splines on axle or drive flange, remove front driveshaft (making matchmarks for later re-installation), front drive flanges and lock center diff to complete your journey or until repairs can be made.
 
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are you handy?
remove the hubcap on the front wheels
underneath you will see a drive flange that is bolted to the wheel hub assembly
on the outside of the flange there is a dust cap, it is a slip fit, use a screwdriver or similar to pry it off,
there should be a snap ring on the end of the inner axle and you should be able to see the splines in both the CV axle and the drive flange.

probably took me longer to type this out then it will be to do the above.

in normal driving only 1 wheel actually gets power, so if either of the front wheels is not getting power to it by either a stripped spline or the axle sliding in because of a lack of snap ring, all your power will spin nothing
using the transfer lock button will give power to both the front axle and rear axle.
I'd consider myself handy in general, but I don't have any experience with autos. I completely understood this though – thank you!

One thing though... the rattling/grinding is apparent even when the vehicle is in park. I imagine this would eliminate this as a potential culprit?
 
I'd consider myself handy in general, but I don't have any experience with autos. I completely understood this though – thank you!

One thing though... the rattling/grinding is apparent even when the vehicle is in park. I imagine this would eliminate this as a potential culprit?


more info is helpful, yes the noise from the front end would only be if trying to drive.

maybe a flexplate issue?
 
more info is helpful, yes the noise from the front end would only be if trying to drive.

maybe a flexplate issue?

So I'm looking at a diagram of where the flexplate is located, and it does seem to be in the area where the sound originates from. The sound comes from more of the middle of the car, say in between and a little behind the front two wheels, versus either the driver's or passenger's side, as I imagine would be the case if it were a CV axle / drive flange issue. Anything other than a complete transmission replacement will be a win in my books!
 
Sound travels all over and its very difficult to pinpoint exactly when youre sitting behind the wheel.

As others suggested- try driving with CDL locked, check the drive flanges for stripped teeth. Its very easy- takes 5min. Theres a recent thread (sept/oct maybe) where somone stripped drive flanges with good pictures for your reference. Do a search.

Tell the dealer you want to inspect your car (and do the aforementioned) before you commit to any service. Also consider having your truck flatbed or shipped home and deal with it there. Your auto insurance or credit card benefits may have trip interruption which maybe buys some hotel and a few hundred miles of towing.
 
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Sound travels all over and its very difficult to pinpoint exactly when youre sitting behind the wheel.

As others suggested- try driving with CDL locked, check the drive flanges for stripped teeth. Its very easy- takes 5min. Theres a recent thread (sept/oct maybe) where somone stripped drive flanges with good pictures for your reference. Do a search.

Tell the dealer you want to inspect your car (and do the aforementioned) before you commit to any service. Also consider having your truck flatbed or shipped home and deal with it there. Your auto insurance or credit card benefits may have trip interruption which maybe buys some hotel and a few hundred miles of towing.
Good call on the trip interruption insurance; I'll see what my policy offers. I'll check the drive flanges and try driving with the CDL locked when I can access the truck on Monday. Thank you for the info!
 
I find that if you can take a quick video of the problem, it may be easier for someone here to help diagnose the problem. Good luck.
 
I've not had the trans failure that some posted about here on mud.
there was a thread a few years ago with pics on the trans issue.

either way, trans would need to be removed to fix/repair, but should be unheard of at 50,000 miles
 
Hi Guys,

Does anyone know a trustworthy transmission shop in the Trinidad, CO area?

I'm on a road trip and my LC decided to s*** the bed... I was going uphill on the highway at ~70mph and ~4k RPM when she suddenly lost power to the wheels, redlined to about 5.5k, and started making a weird rattling/grinding noise. I immediately put her in neutral and pulled over. No CEL or other lights were present. The engine temp gauge was at about 40% and it was maybe 50° F outside.

I got towed to the local Phil Long Toyota Dealer in Trinidad, and they said the transmission needs to be replaced for $5,400. I'd like a second opinion though as the "master mechanic" also offered to buy her for $3,000, which seems downright predatory, even if she were for sale. She's been dealer-maintained and garage-kept her entire life.

I've been hitting a ton of trails this last month on my overlanding journey from CA to NC, so she's definitely been used harder than she ever has been before (She's had an extremely easy life, primarily sitting in my parents' garage and picking up groceries once a week.), but I haven't done anything I would think could cause such a catastrophic failure. I'm easy on the pedal, never go faster than 30mph in 4LO, don't turn when locking the center differential, etc. She's also never towed anything before.

I know the early 2000s can have transmission issues, but a Toyota transmission with a lifespan of 50k miles is still a complete shock for me.

Also, I doubt this is related, but I get the P1120 Throttle Position Sensor error if I don't let her warm up before going when in freezing temperatures. The CEL, VSC TRAC, and VSC OFF lights come on, and the engine won't rev. Everything is completely fine if I let her warm up a bit first though.

We were having such an awesome time before this. Here are a few pics from UT and CO. I can't say I recommend Black Bear Pass fully-loaded, but we made it moving at a snail's pace, only scraping the hitch a few times.

Thank you in advance for any insight or recommendations.

Best,

Jonathan

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Dude, how did you kill this 4-speed trany? did the water get in by any chance? or you killed the control board?
 
You might post up on some of the Colorado forums to see if someone is available to help troubleshoot. Rising Sun is a great group and there is also several more under the Clubhouse link above. Here is the direct link to it. Clubhouses
 

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