Intro FJ 62 and Tranny Overheat Problems

[schmoman]

I've recently bought this FJ 62 with 247,000 Miles on it after looking around for a good off road vehicle (looking at Cherokee XJs, but my experience with Toyotas made me buy the FJ).
It's named Chum Guzzler because of it's stellar gas mileage and it's on highway performance. Off road it's an absolute beast (even with the previous stock suspension).

Previous owner(s) had the engine rebuilt some 20,000 miles ago--and other than that, it seemed like they used it as a beach cruiser. Apparently it has had some problems with overheating, but I nailed it down to a broken heater hose that sprayed coolant all over the engine bay improperly diagnosed as a broken thermostat by a 76 garage (checked the thermostat myself while standing at the stove and boiling it in a spaghetti pot--it worked like a charm).

I intend to treat it a lot better than the previous owners, and have already done these things:

- Drained/filled oil
- Serviced front/rear diffs
- Serviced Transfer case--seal between transfer case and tranny is good.
- Flushed/filled coolant (was murky brown when I flushed it)
- Replaced coolant hoses (radiator appears to have been replaced within the past 5 years)
- 2.5" OME lift
- 33" BF Goodrich KM2 MTs (and a full size spare that bounces around in the back for now)

- Tranny Oil cooler (Hayden 679)...

The last one I haven't tested out yet. I've recently installed it but haven't driven enough to get the tranny too hot. However, the past 2 times I took long trips to east San Diego county the tranny overtemp light came on when climbing hills for about 30-45 minutes. I pulled over to the side of the road both of these times to let it cool down. After it cools down, and I take it on the trails, it doesn't overheat and it's OK. I'm not sure if the torque converter is fully locking up because it kicks down to 3rd gear quite a bit when I try to maintain at least 60 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Could it be the valve body? Could it only need the Rodney Flush? Would the "Rodney Party Trick" help?

Additionally, I had a friend who's familiar with land cruisers check it out and he says that there's a "clunk" from the transfercase that's not supposed to be there when shifting from D to R and vice versa. When driving and taking my foot off the gas pedal, the tranny will shift and make a loud bell sounding noise from under the car--alerting everyone to my presence. Not sure if this is all related to the transfercase. I wonder if a rebuild is in order.

Other than the issues above, she runs just fine. I'd like to take her on longer trips here in the future so any assistance is greatly appreciated!

- Dave

 

[billmc]

Dave - the 'party trick' is really meant to help with certain shifting issues. Doing a flush may well help, but certainly won't hurt. If you don't mind spending extra, synthetic ATF will run 10-20 degrees cooler, which may help. Make sure your fluid level is correct, and that your throttle and kickdown cables are well-adjusted. At 60 mph you should stay locked up unless you're having accelerate hard to maintain speed on hills.

Bill

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, Adjust transm. cable. and I would drop the transm. pan and clean the filter, its re-useable. Mike

 

[shady]

This is my FJ62 after the tranny overheated on my way home from buying it.

First thing I did was ditch the 35's for some 31's.

The temp light came on once after the rebuild and I pulled over and let it cool down. When I got home I ordered a tranny cooler and the temp light hasn't come on yet.

I drive in the Sierra Nevada's and am very concerned about overheating the transmission as well.

 

[Smplybttr]

I just had to replace my transmission with a used one because of the same symptoms as yours. I kept burning the ATF, even though I was having few symptoms. The main issues were that it would 'clunk' going into R or D and toward the end, it would make a rumble sound when I'd hit about 50.

What I have concluded from changing out the transmission (with a club buddy's assistance) is that my torque converter wasn't locking out and was causing the rumbling. The output shaft splines and the inner gear teeth on the input gear were trashed. I'm certain that it wouldn't have been much longer before the area sheared completely. The new tranny had near perfect output splines and I ordered a new input gear, which I then had welded to the spacer and PTO gear so that I won't have the same issue again.

I'd imagine that you'll find similar issues.

 

[schmoman]

I just had to replace my transmission with a used one because of the same symptoms as yours. I kept burning the ATF, even though I was having few symptoms. The main issues were that it would 'clunk' going into R or D and toward the end, it would make a rumble sound when I'd hit about 50.

What I have concluded from changing out the transmission (with a club buddy's assistance) is that my torque converter wasn't locking out and was causing the rumbling. The output shaft splines and the inner gear teeth on the input gear were trashed. I'm certain that it wouldn't have been much longer before the area sheared completely. The new tranny had near perfect output splines and I ordered a new input gear, which I then had welded to the spacer and PTO gear so that I won't have the same issue again.

I'd imagine that you'll find similar issues.

I don't get a rumbling sound at 50 and it actually shifts very nice if power is maintained on the accelerator. Only will it "clang" or "clunk" into the next gear if it's accelerating and you take your foot off of the pedal.

When I bought the cruiser, it had 31" tires on it and I was getting tranny overheat problems on the highway. I guess the 33" tires didn't help any--but I'm sure the cooler will mitigate a bit of the heat generated from the larger tires. Hopefully a solution short of replacing the tranny (or an expensive rebuild) can be found.

Appreciate all the suggestions here. I've been browsing the forums for some time and haven't posted anything until now. You guys are an awesome source of information!

So it looks like I'll be adjusting my tranny throttle and kickdown cable, dropping the pan/cleaning the filter, and a Rodney flush with fully synthetic ATF. Does Lucas Oil stop slip help any?

- Dave

 

[Smplybttr]

Dave,

I read over my earlier reply and realized that I wasn't clear on part of it. My clunking was from the worn output shaft and input gear wear. The play between the two, due to the wear, was what was causing the sound. Check out the pics in post #5 to see what I mean: https://forum.ih8mud.com/nc-olde-north-state-cruisers/583900-last-minute-hamom.html

Hopefully, this won't be the case, but it might be worth the effort to drop your transfer case and check it out before spending a bunch of money trying to flush out your system.

Good luck

 

[schmoman]

Dave,

I read over my earlier reply and realized that I wasn't clear on part of it. My clunking was from the worn output shaft and input gear wear. The play between the two, due to the wear, was what was causing the sound. Check out the pics in post #5 to see what I mean: https://forum.ih8mud.com/nc-olde-north-state-cruisers/583900-last-minute-hamom.html

Hopefully, this won't be the case, but it might be worth the effort to drop your transfer case and check it out before spending a bunch of money trying to flush out your system.

Good luck

Wow, was the clunking from P to R the only indication that you had a worn output shaft?

 

[billmc]

Hopefully, this won't be the case, but it might be worth the effort to drop your transfer case and check it out before spending a bunch of money trying to flush out your system.

Dave

Flushing the system and cleaning the pickup filter you can do yourself for very little money (cost of ATF and a couple of gaskets from Toyota), and it may help with your current overheating problem. Clunking between D and R, and a worn output shaft is a fact of life for most A440Fs with 250K miles on the clock.

Bill

 

[Smplybttr]

Wow, was the clunking from P to R the only indication that you had a worn output shaft?

At the time, I did not know that was the source of the clunking, but when we took the Tcase off, it was clearly evident. As I stated before, I believe the constant clunking ended up destroying my input seal, which allowed fluid contamination and eventual overheating.

I know you said that you checked your Tcase and it had no ATF in it, which is good, but IMO, if you spend a little time and a little money (under $200), you can pull your transfer, check the output shaft and input gear, have the gear, spacer and pto gear welded together (I was charged $40), THEN do the flushing of your tranny, you'll be giving yourself the best chance at getting as much life out of it as possible.

 

[Ming89FJ62]

Jack McNamara - Differential Specialists

Search for McNamara Gear to fix the clunk

 

[tonka az]

I had my A440 tranny rebuilt in April of 2008, and my torque converter was shot. I was having the AT Temp light coming on, and a whirling sound from the shifter area. I also had issues getting into gear. After a good R&R (then a second R&R...), it was great, however I'm starting to get a little worried... Yesterday, I was cruising through some nice areas (all paved, very minor hills), and the AT Temp light came on. Once I got the chance, I pulled over and let it cool, then it was fine for the ride home. Tonight while I was doing errands, I touched the shifter, and it was scalding hot, just like it was yesterday. I was just doing city driving, nothing exciting. Does this sound right? Does my tranny need to be rebuilt after 4 years??? I want to do a major overhaul on my truck (engine rebuild, H550), but I was waiting til I had money. Will I have to move up said overhaul? I am planning a tranny cooler, but I feel that would be a quick fix to a big problem.......help.....

 

[Ming89FJ62]

What color is the ATF? Does it smell like it's burnt? If yes - "try" a flush but it sounds like a rebuild is in your future. Heat is the enemy of the A440

 

[calphi27]

Go ahead and do a Rodney flush. Make sure you fill to proper levels (Very Important). Tranny cooler and you should be good unless there are major problems. Use synthetic.

 

[tonka az]

Ok, tranny fluid looks dirty, so probably burnt, right? I couldn't really smell it, but it didn't smell pretty...my heart is dropping my the second..... The fluid was waaaay over where it should be, thanks to my local dealership garage... How would that affect things? I'm a rookie at this stuff, so please be patient and help me out...

Recommendations on the cooler? I saw a Hayden 1478 is spoken highly of, but when I looked on the Hayden website, it doesn't exist... There is an Ultra Cool and High Performance, both "S" style coolers. Then, the Rapid Cool is a plate cooler, which is the one I'm leaning towards. What do you guys think? Rapid Cool Heavy Duty, #679?

 

[billmc]

Ok, tranny fluid looks dirty, so probably burnt, right? I couldn't really smell it, but it didn't smell pretty...my heart is dropping my the second..... The fluid was waaaay over where it should be, thanks to my local dealership garage... How would that affect things? I'm a rookie at this stuff, so please be patient and help me out...

Recommendations on the cooler? I saw a Hayden 1478 is spoken highly of, but when I looked on the Hayden website, it doesn't exist... There is an Ultra Cool and High Performance, both "S" style coolers. Then, the Rapid Cool is a plate cooler, which is the one I'm leaning towards. What do you guys think? Rapid Cool Heavy Duty, #679?

When was the last time (in miles) that the fluid was changed? The A440F is pretty sensitive to fluid level, but I don't think you'll have damaged anything by running overfull. In your shoes, I'd drain the pan and then fill it with new to the correct level, and see if things don't improve. OTOH, the track record for local rebuilds isn't very stellar. Best bet is to buy rebuilds from Rodney. Heat production will be at it's worst when your cruising steady up mild hills at 50 mph, just short of tc lockup.

Plate-style cooler is best, s-type are crap.

Bill

 

[Ming89FJ62]

ATF should be bright red/pink and transparent. If it's brownish or gritty to the touch then the clutch packs are breaking down - not a good thing. Try a fluid change - or a Rodney Flush if you want (you'll use a lot more ATF) and see if things get better but don't be suprised if the tranny needs a rebuild.

On older A440's, ones that have not been serviced in a while, a flush can be counter productive. The new ATF will desolve gunk in the valve body which can jam some of the little spring loaded balls that are actually valves (hydraulic logic). Or the gunk disolves and moves to another valve creating a bigger issue. The Rodney flush removes all the ATF from the torque converter which a "normal" flush won't do.

Steer away from a shop offering a tranny flush - too much of the old fluid is recirculated which can raise havoc with the valve body.

Good luck.

 

[tonka az]

Would you get the Rapid Cool cooler even if its only 11"x11"???

 

[tonka az]

Great info, Ming! Thanks so much! There is one issue I still have... I've never done a Rodney flush, and am a little scared to... I'm not even sure if I could FIND front drive shaft, let alone remove it! I'm meeting with an LC club next week, and will hopefully be able to convince one of them to help me out with it, but if not, be warned, I'll be back...

 

[tonka az]

Really dumb question, but I haven't found a definition for it.... what is lock up? Is it when the transmission doesn't go into a kinda of cruise gear above 50 or 60? If so, I don't think my tranny is doing it, cuz I've been staying at about 2500 rpm's at 65-70 mph, and I don't remember staying that high in rpm's before......