HELP! Stuck far from home.

[bhendron]

90 mile from home in a small town and when I started my GX to go home this morning, there was a high whining sound for a while. And then all the dash lights came on. The truck is sluggish and won’t shift out of first gear. I suspect low transmission fluid but it’s sealed so I don’t know what to do. Anything I can do to get me home? I have my wife our dog or cat and my mother-in-law with me and I’m kind of desperate. I’ve called several shops in town and no one can help.

 

[KLF]

Can't really help you, but it might be helpful to post the year, mileage, any significant recent work/mods or maintenance.

Has the alternator ever been replaced? Can you limp it to a parts store to have the codes read?

 

[aztoytec]

Try disconnecting the battery for 10-15 min and let the engine ecu reset. Might help you get home. Doesn’t sound good especially with the noise. Good luck!

 

[Rednexus]

Probably need to get an OBDII reader and pull codes for us to have an idea of what might be wrong. It could be in limp-home mode for something non-trans related, which the codes would help identify.

You can check the transmission fluid via the plugs on the bottom. It has one that you use to drain the pan (allen-key fastener) and one to drain the pan (hex fastener, 10 or 12 mm I think).

The actual checking procedure is to get the trans up to operating temp, and open up the allen plug. If fluid flows out it is over-full. If not fluid flows you, you need to add fluid into the trans until it starts to flow out. There is a 24 mm fill plug on the rear passenger side of the transmission (tailshaft area). It's a pain to get trans fluid in there, you need probably need a hand pump that goes on 1-quart bottles. The total trans capacity is around 15-16 quarts. You need to use Toyota WS or an equivalent fluid (like Valvoline MaxLife, which is widely available) for the transmission - non-WS equivalent fluids won't work.

IMO if this was my rig I'd get it towed home and go from there. Your auto insurance might cover some or all of the tow. The GX should really towed on a roll-back wrecker since it is an AWD vehicle.

 

[John McVicker]

Also post your current location. You never know, someone might be close by. And I would start making phone calls to folks back home to assist with getting your family back home. You can better deal with things then.

Good luck.

 

[Kid]

Odd that he did not list his location

 

[bkfj40]

Far from home is not 90 miles in my book. Get a tow and you’re golden. Far from home to me is the mud member that lived in Arkansas and his vehicle broke down in Yellowstone. That’s far from home.

 

[Gxunit201]

90 mile from home in a small town and when I started my GX to go home this morning, there was a high whining sound for a while. And then all the dash lights came on. The truck is sluggish and won’t shift out of first gear. I suspect low transmission fluid but it’s sealed so I don’t know what to do. Anything I can do to get me home? I have my wife our dog or cat and my mother-in-law with me and I’m kind of desperate. I’ve called several shops in town and no one can help.

This sounds like a Secondary Air Injection System failure......damn foam filter breakdown and jams the system. The high whine for 30sec on start up and limp mode with all of the dash lights lit. I got lucky and didn't get stuck limp mode. Check out Hewitt tech bypass. Good luck