I am in the same boat with your thought process. When you dropped your VB, did check your accumulator pistons and seals? Hopefully you replaced the seals. I need to get around to rebuilding the spare valvebody...but the I'm at 22k+ miles on the rebuilt transmission with no issues so far.
GX460 P2714 P0761 Ultimate Summary and Hope For A Fix Thread
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No, it’s not something I thought about. I’m not sure it would have mattered, but if anybody that has been successful with the VB zip kit install has done that, I’ll pull it apart again and replace them.
My tire guy was a Toyota/Lexus mechanic for 12 years. He speaks highly of the 460 except for the trans. Calls it the “War Wagon” and calls the trans the Achilles heel. He said once they overheat, there’s nothing you can do besides a full rebuild. Talked about pressure/flow loss at every point, delamination, non metallic parts coming apart, etc. he said they were never successful in repairing one.
Crazy to think how many trans failures could have been avoided if Toyota/Lexus have spent a few hundred more dollars to add in an aux trans cooler from the factory. The GX470 (which has a small, albeit undersized trans cooler, for a very similar transmission) does not have this problem.
A contractor who did some work at my house had a 2nd gen Tundra he'd use to pull big trailers. Same thing, the trans light would come on going up steep hills. He had a local shop install and aux cooler (the later 2nd gen Tundras also have the A760F and lack external coolers) and they said the trans fluid was black and nasty.
Yeah, I bought the wrong truck. Imagine how mice of a FZJ80 I could have bought instead. I have a LX450 I’d hop in right now and drive to Alaska. No weak points. Everything can be repaired.
....or get a GX470
. Same size, suspension, interior build quality as a 460. Only you get the same iron block V8 and bulletproof transmission the 100 series came with. Only weak point is the 8" rear diff, but the stronger 8.2" 460 diff is a direct bolt in. I'd hop in mine and drive it to Alaska as well, and made it about half-way there in 2025 when we drove it to Glacier and back.
My problem with the 470 is the starter location. And it’s not just the location, but the engineering thought process behind it (I obviously didn’t do enough research before buying a 460). To me, if you put such an important component in a place that is unserviceable in the field, you didn’t design the vehicle for the field.....or get a GX470
I'd hop in mine and drive it to Alaska as well, and made it about half-way there in 2025 when we drove it to Glacier and back.
Starter swap is easy, maybe 3-4 hours. I did mine in 2020 when I bought the rig (~135K on it), now it has over 200K on it. The solenoid started acting up for a couple of weeks before it got bad (occasional "clicks"). Starter was around $100 for a Denso reman from Rock Auto.
A starter replacement could definitely done in the field if you have a 14 mm flex head ratchet wrench for the bolts that go in from the back of the box (...maybe I'll throw one in my tool kit) if you have a non-VVTI rig or if you have a VVTI rig where the air injection has been deleted (i deleted air injection when I did the starter). The actual intake comes off in 30 minutes or so. Then you have some sensors to un-plug, and one coolant crossover tube to remove. Intake gaskets are re-usable, crossover gaskets are available at any auto parts store.
It’s not the starter itself or the unbolting of the starter, it’s everything that could go wrong during the entire process. Risk of a catastrophic mistake for a simple component change exists. That’s not good engineering. I changed the starter on my LX450 in an hour. Should have been less but I was too lazy to lift it. If you’ve ever had to beat on a starter to get it to work in an emergency, you’d see what I’m talking about.
I think Toyota nailed the 460 except for the tranny. And they didn’t just kinda half ass it like they did the LSPV (front rotor warping machines) on Gen 5 4Runners and GX460’s, they completely smoked the concept of off-road capability.
I understand the concern, but it's really been a non-issue. Blow the intake area off with compressed air, stuff rags/towels in the ports when the intake is off, and double-check that nothing gets dropped down them before you put it back on. FYI, from what I understand about the UR starter, it requires removing the exhaust manifold (not really DIYable in the field, or even in a auto parts store parking lot). The only starter I've ever had to beat on was on my 1972 C10...guess that's Delco vs. Denso electronics
.I pulled my intake off again a couple years ago to address a knock sensor code (it was the cracked pigtail). I did the job outside, in my driveway, and had it done in about two hours. Basically a "field repair". This past fall I checked compression on the rig, and it's within spec on all 8 cylinders, despite 200K on the rig.
UR? The FJ cruiser? You don’t have to remove the exhaust to get it out. Same setup as my 2013 4Runner.I understand the concern, but it's really been a non-issue. Blow the intake area off with compressed air, stuff rags/towels in the ports when the intake is off, and double-check that nothing gets dropped down them before you put it back on. FYI, from what I understand about the UR starter, it requires removing the exhaust manifold (not really DIYable in the field, or even in a auto parts store parking lot). The only starter I've ever had to beat on was on my 1972 C10...guess that's Delco vs. Denso electronics
I pulled my intake off again a couple years ago to address a knock sensor code (it was the cracked pigtail). I did the job outside, in my driveway, and had it done in about two hours. Basically a "field repair". This past fall I checked compression on the rig, and it's within spec on all 8 cylinders, despite 200K on the rig.
The 1UR is the Gx460 motor and it is definitely more of a pain to change the starter on a 460 than a 470.
UR = 1UR, 2UR, 3UR V8s. Not the 4.0 V6 1GR used in the FJ/4Runner (which, with a 60 degree bank angle and being 1-clinder shorter, looks very easy to work on). I haven't done a UR starter myself but understand it is a very involved job in both the GX and the Tundra.
IMO the actual Achilles' heel on the 2UZ-FE are the exhaust manifolds. They always crack. I rectified that on mine with Doug Thorley long-tube headers. It just took over 20 hours of wrenching to get them in. If a starter is shoved up between the manifolds and the block on a UR (which is physically bigger than a 2UZ-FE, in a vehicle with the same chassis/frame dimensions), I can see it being a terrible job. Not like an old small-block Chevy where the starter drops out in 5 minutes after removing two 9/16" bolts.
Damn, I see. I’m really leaning towards getting rid of this thing. Big mistake I’ve never made before. I think it’s going to have to go to the auction since I refuse to dump a time bomb on sone working stiff
I'd definitely buy a sub-100K 460 if my 470 got totaled, but I'd put in a CSF radiator and aux trans cooler right away. And change the coolant and trans fluid every 50K thereafter. Many folks on here have good luck with higher mileage 460s, but every now and then someone gets a lemon, and there seem to be (anecdotally) more 460 lemons than 470 lemons.
I was recently tasked with picking an exceptionally reliable vehicle for a retired family member who lives in a rural/remote area. What will probably be the last vehicle they will own. My pick? 2023 4Runner, with the bulletproof 1GR, A750F, and 8.2. I could not think of anything that was 1) more reliable, 2) could handle lots of gravel/rough roads, and 3) be tolerant of the crappy mechanics in that area. They could have gotten a cherry GX460 for the same price but I didn't want them having to deal with trans problems or valley plate leak repairs a decade from now.
At this point I’m leaning in the direction of a late 90’s Defender 90 I’ve always wanted. This GX spoiled Toyota for me. I’d rather have something than can be fixed than something I can’t maneuver around a parking lot, tow with, or take off road without a $6-8K repair. I can’t pass this on to my kids for college transport (which was the plan). I can’t let my wife take it since it doesn’t always have reverse and she’s not going to remember that in parking lots. I’m not happy with the brake issues on gen5 4Runners. Toyota hasn’t acknowledged the problem. There’s not even a tech bulletin im aware of for the 460 tranny or LSPV
I’m with you. Toyota lack of support for the GX460 Transmission issues has me not ever considering another one of their products. And this GX was my 5th Toyota with the other 4 having all been purchased brand new. My prior 4x4 to this GX was a wrangler rubicon I bought new and put 110k miles on and plenty of off-road usage. Never had any mechanical failures besides oil pan and axle seal leaks, and my GX leaks oil also from the top of the timing chain cover
(Not to mention on my GX I had to fix the valley plate leak and replace the radiator which leaked.) In my experience the GX460 is not even equal to a jeep wrangler for reliability.Everyone makes mistakes but how you own up to it is what counts. There would be 2 more new Toyota products in my driveway had there been some sort of recall, warranty extension, or TSB fix with a tranny cooler install. Very disappointed with the lack of comment from Toyota on this epidemic issue.
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Hey all,
Looking for some advice. I put a remanufactured transmission into my 2011 GX460 since I was having the P2714/P0761 error codes and delayed reverse when cold. I followed the manual as best I could and put about 11 quarts of AT fluid in but the car is not going anywhere in drive, reverse. When I move the shifter to Park, it makes a noise (maybe like a grinding noise or something, unless its the rubber boot on the shift link). Has anyone had this issue?
I spent almost two weeks trying to get the new transmission in for it to act up like this.
Looking for some advice. I put a remanufactured transmission into my 2011 GX460 since I was having the P2714/P0761 error codes and delayed reverse when cold. I followed the manual as best I could and put about 11 quarts of AT fluid in but the car is not going anywhere in drive, reverse. When I move the shifter to Park, it makes a noise (maybe like a grinding noise or something, unless its the rubber boot on the shift link). Has anyone had this issue?
I spent almost two weeks trying to get the new transmission in for it to act up like this.
Sounds like linkage.
Did you do this in your garage without a lift? How difficult was it?
Maybe. But I do know that its able to move between P, R, N. It actually sounds more like a grind.
Most of it wasnt too bad. It was in my garage without a lift. Most difficult part was the wire loom/breather tube brackets on the top of the transmission. Theres a total of 3 on top of the tranny that need to be undone, but you can't tilt the transmission too far down cause the back of the engine will hit the fire wall with only a slight slant to it. I ended up breaking one of the brackets off and just zip tied it back during install.