Newbie (FZJ80) introduction.. and advice needed, please! (1 Viewer)

[Hoochie Coochie]

Hello all, I recently acquired a 97 from my uncle who has owned it for 20+ years, but it's been sitting for 2 years and is in need of lots of TLC. I'm in Atlanta and received a very thorough "health and wellness check" from ACC. The list of needed repairs is long but I look forward to learning, tackling as many jobs as I can, and participating in the forum along the way.

Unfortunately, I've had 3 people/shops tell me that the transmission is "shot" and close to total failure. I'm not sure what to do about the transmission, It looks like my options are 1) buy a used transmission or 2) buy a rebuild kit which seems to be discontinued by toyota. ACC referred me to a transmission shop in Atlanta but the guy didn't seem thrilled about taking on the job and hasn't called me back, haha.

I'm trying to weight he costs of each option with the longevity /useful of the "new" transmission. The idea of buying a used transmission from a donor vehicle with 200,000 miles doesn't feel right as I'd worry it too would require a rebuild sooner than later.

Any advice on a route to take and where to best source used transmissions and/or quality transmission rebuild kits would be much appreciated

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

A343f transmissions are stout. Rare they fail. I drive a rig with 285k+. Shifts great. I would not worry too much about mileage you are talking about. Make sure it’s from a good running rig.

 

[clx16]

Well since you are in the neighborhood... @slow95z might know where you can get one....

 

[slow95z]

I have a used one or 12 in central Georgia

 

[subzali]

@8cam took his 80 to ACC a couple years ago when his transmission needed to be rebuilt. His thread makes it sound like they did the rebuild, or at least handled it for him. Wonder why they didn’t offer the same for you?

 

[Hoochie Coochie]

I have a used one or 12 in central Georgia

Awesome, what is the best way to contact you to discuss further?

 

[Hoochie Coochie]

@8cam took his 80 to ACC a couple years ago when his transmission needed to be rebuilt. His thread makes it sound like they did the rebuild, or at least handled it for him. Wonder why they didn’t offer the same for you?

I'm not sure, he basically said they would only pull it and reinstall it so it makes more sense to just take it to the transmission shop as is. Not sure if that suggestion was unique to my need, their workflow, or maybe he was trying to save me a few bucks.

 

[BILT4ME]

Awesome, what is the best way to contact you to discuss further?

Send him a PM (private message) through 'Mud to begin.

Why do YOU think the transmission is bad?

Is the truck driveable?

Tell us Moreland include pictures.

 

[jfz80]

^^^ second this. What are the symptoms or were you given any suspected component failures?

Did ACC also give you this diagnosis as well as other shops?

 

[OffRoadScott]

My first thing would be check the fluid level in the transmission and add as needed. If it is drive able try and get it up to operating temperature then check the fluid.

If it is in fact low/dirty I would drain and fill it and then drive the LC again and make sure the levels are where they are at fill as needed. Hopefully it is something as easy as a drain and fill to fix your issues. Also, make sure you use ATF recommended by Toyota.

 

[Hoochie Coochie]

Thanks all for the replies. I am messaging with @slow95z . Happy to have him in GA.

The Grinding/knocking is real bad/loud mostly from 1st to 2nd, it makes a very loud, grinding and knocking sound. Although it eventually does shift, there is pretty much always some slip, some times are worse than others. ACC's report says "extreme slipping in 1st and 2nd gear and also on up/down shift. Needs rebuild. However due to severity of failure transmission may not be salvageable". The second opinion was from the toyota dealership and they just said, "you need a new transmission". They located a used one in Alabama but I'm not going that route through a dealership and paying their massive upcharge. The 3rd opinion is from a close friend/family mechanic he just looked at and smelled the fluid and said, "yeah it's bad, needs to be rebuilt" and didn't even want/need to test drive it.

On the fence about buying a used one, rebuilding mine or buying a used one and rebuilding it? This job is out of my scope. If I were to buy a used one, finding one locally (in state) and picking it up seems to make the most sense.

 

[jpoole]

Personally, I'd get a used one from slow95, install it and then start driving the truck. The 343 is a typically very reliable transmission and odds are that the used unit you install will do it's thing with no issues for many years to come. One potential problem with a "rebuild" will be knowing that it was done right and unless I could be really confident in that I'd put more trust in a trans. that hasn't been tinkered with since Toyota built it.

All that said, if you have access to a known good rebuilder I'd take a trans. from slow95 in for rebuild over the trans. you have now since your current trans sounds likely to need more parts replaced/etc. than a typical rebuild would. It also seems likely to have a lot of crud in it which can be hard to get out completely, etc. and can add risk of repeat failure/etc.

If you happen to have access to a known good rebuilder who also warranties their work then buying a used/good trans then having it rebuilt may be your least risky option though it will cost more up front. With this option if the rebuild fails you may not have to pay much more out of pocket to get it replaced or rebuilt again. I'm not sure what the costs are for a trans remove/replace is at this point but it may be enough for you to want to avoid paying for it twice, assuming you aren't going to do it yourself.

I'm also guessing you haven't gotten to drive the 80 much and that it's going to have plenty of other maintenance items to spend time/$ on once it's rolling again. The sooner you can start driving it and getting to know it the better in my opinion.

 

[BILT4ME]

Thanks all for the replies. I am messaging with @slow95z . Happy to have him in GA.

The Grinding/knocking is real bad/loud mostly from 1st to 2nd, it makes a very loud, grinding and knocking sound. Although it eventually does shift, there is pretty much always some slip, some times are worse than others. ACC's report says "extreme slipping in 1st and 2nd gear and also on up/down shift. Needs rebuild. However due to severity of failure transmission may not be salvageable". The second opinion was from the toyota dealership and they just said, "you need a new transmission". They located a used one in Alabama but I'm not going that route through a dealership and paying their massive upcharge. The 3rd opinion is from a close friend/family mechanic he just looked at and smelled the fluid and said, "yeah it's bad, needs to be rebuilt" and didn't even want/need to test drive it.

On the fence about buying a used one, rebuilding mine or buying a used one and rebuilding it? This job is out of my scope. If I were to buy a used one, finding one locally (in state) and picking it up seems to make the most sense.

If you place the transfer case in LOW, or lock the CDL, do you experience the same grinding / knocking / slipping?

 

[Hoochie Coochie]

Personally, I'd get a used one from slow95, install it and then start driving the truck. The 343 is a typically very reliable transmission and odds are that the used unit you install will do it's thing with no issues for many years to come. One potential problem with a "rebuild" will be knowing that it was done right and unless I could be really confident in that I'd put more trust in a trans. that hasn't been tinkered with since Toyota built it.

All that said, if you have access to a known good rebuilder I'd take a trans. from slow95 in for rebuild over the trans. you have now since your current trans sounds likely to need more parts replaced/etc. than a typical rebuild would. It also seems likely to have a lot of crud in it which can be hard to get out completely, etc. and can add risk of repeat failure/etc.

If you happen to have access to a known good rebuilder who also warranties their work then buying a used/good trans then having it rebuilt may be your least risky option though it will cost more up front. With this option if the rebuild fails you may not have to pay much more out of pocket to get it replaced or rebuilt again. I'm not sure what the costs are for a trans remove/replace is at this point but it may be enough for you to want to avoid paying for it twice, assuming you aren't going to do it yourself.

I'm also guessing you haven't gotten to drive the 80 much and that it's going to have plenty of other maintenance items to spend time/$ on once it's rolling again. The sooner you can start driving it and getting to know it the better in my opinion.

great reply and advice, thanks!

 

[Hoochie Coochie]

If you place the transfer case in LOW, or lock the CDL, do you experience the same grinding / knocking / slipping?

I haven't tried that, I will, hopefully tomorrow. Thanks