Need advice, don't know what to make of it

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

I will echo some comments and say this does not sound like what I experienced with the TPS APPS failing. Best of luck and eager to find out what the problem is. As a '99 owner I hope it's something small and cheap!
 
Spoke with the mechanic today, I mentioned all the above suggestions. He said all were good points, but it wasn't the TPS or APS. He said it was in the transfer case. He said it would take some time for him to get to the bottom of the issue, so he suggested I tow it to a tranny specialist so they can diagnose it faster. So it's off to the specialist for further diagnosis.
 
Ok, bad news. The transmission has to be rebuilt. The tranny guy said it was the "rear planetarium?" that was bad. He said it was common issue when the tranny goes out. He said no amount of maintenance could have prevented that from happening. It just goes when it goes. Cost to fix, 1975 plus tax.

We learn something every day. Who knew there was such a thing called planetarium when discussing trucks and transmission.
 
1975 is not unreasonable to rebuild the transmission. Get references from the transmission shop before going ahead with the work. Also ask about the length of warranty on the rebuilt unit (you don't want to have to do this again next year.)

You should also get a quote for what it would cost to replace your transmission with a remanufactured unit from Toyota.

What year is your truck?
How many miles?
 
Ok, this is where you need to get very specific with your mechanic. Rebuilt could mean several different things:


  • The mechanic himself will replace the broken internals and make the trans function.
  • The mechanic will sub out the trans rebuild to some transmission specialty shop.
  • The mechanic will replace your trans with a rebuilt trans from some specialty shop.
  • The mechanic will replace your trans with a Toyota OEM rebuilt trans.
The first I'd never allow. The 2nd and 3rd would be dependent upon which shop was doing the work and how many A343F's they'd actually worked on. I'd want to talk with them myself. The last option is what I'd recommend. It will come with all upgraded parts and if Toyota is out of rebuilds they'll actually send you a new unit for the same price.
 
OregonLC said:
Ok, this is where you need to get very specific with your mechanic. Rebuilt could mean several different things:


[*]The mechanic himself will replace the broken internals and make the trans function.
[*]The mechanic will sub out the trans rebuild to some transmission specialty shop.
[*]The mechanic will replace your trans with a rebuilt trans from some specialty shop.
[*]The mechanic will replace your trans with a Toyota OEM rebuilt trans.

The first I'd never allow. The 2nd and 3rd would be dependent upon which shop was doing the work and how many A343F's they'd actually worked on. I'd want to talk with them myself. The last option is what I'd recommend. It will come with all upgraded parts and if Toyota is out of rebuilds they'll actually send you a new unit for the same price.
Click to expand...

BIG x2 on the above advice. Only route to go is Toyota reman.
 
sum4all said:
Ok, bad news. The transmission has to be rebuilt. The tranny guy said it was the "rear planetarium?" that was bad. He said it was common issue when the tranny goes out. He said no amount of maintenance could have prevented that from happening. It just goes when it goes. Cost to fix, 1975 plus tax.

We learn something every day. Who knew there was such a thing called planetarium when discussing trucks and transmission.
Click to expand...


Transmissions operate with a number of planetary gears revolving around a sun gear with a number of clutches that engage and disengage depending on the gear selection chosen.

While the mechanic might be right about the cost to fix, you are only a few hundred dollars away from an OEM reman A343F. Personnally, I'd just tell him to swap it out and call it good. Repairing auto gearboxes is a "black art" and very few of them are ever the same way compared to and R&R by a shop or dealership.
 
Thanks guys for the responses. I did check up on this shop, online and around town (jesto transmission). They are very reputable and dealerships use them to do some of their tranny jobs. I visited them and they are a very good outfit both in the front and back of the shop. Very clean workplaces. The mechanic mentioned that they've done more than their share of A343F. I'm fairly confident about the job, but only time will tell. I'm suppose to pick it up tomorrow. I'll let you guys know the outcome.
 
sum4all said:
Thanks guys for the responses. I did check up on this shop, online and around town (jesto transmission). They are very reputable and dealerships use them to do some of their tranny jobs. I visited them and they are a very good outfit both in the front and back of the shop. Very clean workplaces. The mechanic mentioned that they've done more than their share of A343F. I'm fairly confident about the job, but only time will tell. I'm suppose to pick it up tomorrow. I'll let you guys know the outcome.
Click to expand...
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

I'm a skeptic by nature, and I find it hard to believe that anyone (including most toyota dealers) have done "more than their fair share" of A343F's. There just aren't that many out there to be done, let alone by one shop. For reference, there's only been ~30 reported failures on MUD, the vast majority being replaced with reman'd units at dealers. Best estimate is that MUD represents about 1%-ish of 100-series (LC+LX) owners over the model lifespan from '98-'07. Granted there are some 80-series with them, but they've not had the bubble of failures that the '99-'01's have had, more just end-of-life type issues. Where are you located (general area)?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom