P0894 and p2714 codes of death on an 80k transmission?

[maxmileage]

Most failures at 80k miles on used GXes are the PO knowingly or unknowingly beating the tar out of it, realizing it is clapped, and selling. I doubt there is a way for you to have possibly predicted. I have seen a LOT of 460s on the board and GXOR have issues and be sold to someone at 80-125k and immediately have a transmission, cooling, CVs, or valley/water pump repair.

That’s the really weird part. It was definitely not beaten and abused. Thing looked brand new in and out, zero mods, no towing. Everything else on it is in great shape. But, something obviously went off the rails somewhere along the way. They did go through a few sets of brakes on the service history. Maybe they liked to press the brake and the gas at the same time? Four wheel burnouts? Dunno, don’t care at this point. Hoping the rest of the vehicle is in the good shape it appears to be in so it can last me at least the next ten years, maybe twenty.

 

[r2m]

Really sorry to hear that. It's a little bit less painful when you've had the vehicle a couple years or very high mileage and that happens.
Regarding the cost to repair, yeah, it'll hurt having to give up your first born male child to pay for it.

 

[maxmileage]

I've always heard that burnt fluid, full of friction material, will basically hold a failing transmission together until the fluid is changed (thereby removing the friction material that was keeping it from slipping). If it was that bad, it was going to fail soon regardless of the fluid being changed or not. Can't help but wonder if the PO just got it hot too many times pulling passes in the AZ heat or something.

From my GX470 experience, transmission cooling on the Prado platform is woefully undersized, and the AT TEMP light doesn't kick on until something like 300F, when the fluid is already cooked. Either way, this can be rectified by adding an aftermarket auxiliary cooler and then watching transmission temps under hard use via Torque Pro and an OBDII dongle, neither of which are particularly expensive.

That’s pretty much my take on it, as well as the tech doing the work. Just enough floating friction material removed and replaced with fresh fluid from the drain and fill to give up the grip and slip. then it’s a rapid descent from there.

I don’t tow, but I will be looking into an external cooler and temp monitoring for piece of mind in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Rednexus]

I don’t tow, but I will be looking into an external cooler and temp monitoring for piece of mind in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.

Even if you don't tow you can still cook these. If the A760F is like the A750F, the torque converter does not look up below 4th gear. A long climb in 3rd gear or below can cause runaway temps as the OEM cooler can't keep up with a constantly unlocked torque converter under load. Mine started getting very hot out west, just loaded with people, with the stock cooler, with temps in the 50-60s, pulling 30 mph curvy mountain and 10-15 mph off-road passes. It stays nice and cool now, even when towing, with an external cooler, lockup switch, and upgraded valve body.

 

[r2m]

So with all this conversation on tranny coolers for towing or heavy loads, I often use the manual shifting option (sliding it left, than up, up-shifts and down for down-shifts) on grades and mountain roads for engine braking instead of brake pedal. It won't go into too low of a gear if the engine mph is too high, e.g. 2 gear when doing 40 mph.
Any known issues with just shifting manually? I figure the option wouldn't be there if it wasn't meant to be used.
So far no transmission issues, but can this cause problems later on? As you can guess, I'm not really a tranny guy and am used to manual transmissions.

 

[maxmileage]

Even if you don't tow you can still cook these. If the A760F is like the A750F, the torque converter does not look up below 4th gear. A long climb in 3rd gear or below can cause runaway temps as the OEM cooler can't keep up with a constantly unlocked torque converter under load. Mine started getting very hot out west, just loaded with people, with the stock cooler, with temps in the 50-60s, pulling 30 mph curvy mountain and 10-15 mph off-road passes. It stays nice and cool now, even when towing, with an external cooler, lockup switch, and upgraded valve body.

Interesting. Do you think an external cooler is enough to keep temps down on an expedition weighted Gx while hitting a long grade or off-road?

 

[r2m]

Interesting. Do you think an external cooler is enough to keep temps down on an expedition weighted Gx while hitting a long grade or off-road?

Great question, and kind of relating to my question above about shifting, especially since my rig is very heavily weighted with just about everything one could imagine for an adventure rig. So I'm quite heavy.

 

[Rednexus]

Interesting. Do you think an external cooler is enough to keep temps down on an expedition weighted Gx while hitting a long grade or off-road?

When I just had the Hayden 678 cooler, it dropped the temps by 20-30F unloaded, relative to stock. Since then I added the Nomad valve body and lockup switch and starting towing a 3-4K pound camper (~9K pound camper + GX weight). It usually runs around 170F in the summer while towing and has never gotten close to 200F except for a full-throttle run up a steep hill with the torque converter unlocked, at 105F out. If the lockup switch is engaged, it never really exceeds 170F, even pulling hills.

But I use the lockup switch often towing, and am not sure on if the midsize Hayden 678 cooler alone would be enough on a weighted GX pulling a western pass. But the cooler is around a $100 all-in mod and - in my experience - made a large difference in transmission temps. You can also get bigger coolers than the 678 I used, and they are still much cheaper than a valve body and lockup switch.

 

[GXO]

A cooler helps, a nomad valve body with manual torque lockup helps more. I bet the brakes were runs to the mountains and back. Steep hot climbs, long brake downhills. 80k miles worth at 100+ degrees.

 

[fvedmo]

Anyone know the PID to enter for torque lockup? I'm still trying to figure out if the '03 has the separate transmission temp readins as I've never got the PIDs for those to work in Torque pro, but I do get the torque pro default trans temp so not too worried.

As far as mega cooling - there is Cindy's rig out there with two Hayden coolers back to back and a fan, but if the torque converter is the culprit for the heat, that lock sounds like a better solution.

 

[Rednexus]

The lockup switch is awesome but does require slicing up your ECU wiring harness and is around $550. The aux cooler is pretty easy to install and cheap. But the switch will keep the transmission from ever generating the heat on a long climb. For a heavy GX or towing, you really need all 3 transmission mods and things will never get hot.

 

[maxmileage]

A cooler helps, a nomad valve body with manual torque lockup helps more. I bet the brakes were runs to the mountains and back. Steep hot climbs, long brake downhills. 80k miles worth at 100+ degrees.

That sounds highly plausible.

 

[Skeggi]

@maxmileage Oh man, I feel your pain. 3 weeks after purchasing a used '12 I got the 2714 code of death. I also had to replace my transmission. I think I had around 108k on the clock.

What's done is done. After replacing it I drove all the way from Western WA. to New Hampshire without any issues. I've been driving it all over New England since and it runs great. Knock on wood it stays that way for a long time.

Good luck with everything. A new transmission is much cheaper than a new truck!

 

[maxmileage]

@maxmileage Oh man, I feel your pain. 3 weeks after purchasing a used '12 I got the 2714 code of death. I also had to replace my transmission. I think I had around 108k on the clock.

What's done is done. After replacing it I drove all the way from Western WA. to New Hampshire without any issues. I've been driving it all over New England since and it runs great. Knock on wood it stays that way for a long time.

Good luck with everything. A new transmission is much cheaper than a new truck!

Thanks man, it’s a peach otherwise, so hoping to have this just be a bump in the road on an otherwise smooth ride. A very, big, pricey, bump.

 

[GXO]

Thanks man, it’s a peach otherwise, so hoping to have this just be a bump in the road on an otherwise smooth ride. A very, big, pricey, bump.

Just be glad you didn't buy my 2021 GX460 with 27,000 miles I sold back to Lexus haha.

 

[Acrad]

Remember…. no US market 460s came with external AT cooler 10-19 and only with off-road package ‘20+

They are simply plumbed to the radiator.

You have lifetime claimed fluid, many dealerships not wanting to service AT, and also increasing the temps without an external AT Cooler… what could go wrong….after the warranty is up and miles pile on

While external cooler was available all along since 2010 on high trim in Canada…it appears it was almost standard fair in other markets for equipment…except US of course

 

[r2m]

While external cooler was available all along since 2010 on high trim in Canada…it appears it was almost standard fair in other markets for equipment…except US of course

Other countries actually use their Prado's for serious off road use whilst being completely loaded down or towing.
Here in the U.S... How much weight can a couple of kids weigh going to soccer or violin practice?
Toyota probably never considered that their hoity-toity Lexus owners would ever take these beauties to the same level of off road/adventure functionality (and use it) as our Prado counterparts.

 

[maxmileage]

Other countries actually use their Prado's for serious off road use whilst being completely loaded down or towing.
Here in the U.S... How much weight can a couple of kids weigh going to soccer or violin practice?
Toyota probably never considered that their hoity-toity Lexus owners would ever take these beauties to the same level of off road/adventure functionality (and use it) as our Prado counterparts.

Remember…. no US market 460s came with external AT cooler 10-19 and only with off-road package ‘20+

They are simply plumbed to the radiator.

You have lifetime claimed fluid, many dealerships not wanting to service AT, and also increasing the temps without an external AT Cooler… what could go wrong….after the warranty is up and miles pile on

While external cooler was available all along since 2010 on high trim in Canada…it appears it was almost standard fair in other markets for equipment…except US of course

I will be getting a Hayden to install first thing on my new transmission. Thanks for the massive amount of info on this stuff Acrad btw. I ain’t about to have this happen again on my watch.

 

[re_guderian]

What's crazy is that the RX comes with an external cooler if you get the "tow package", and has since the 2010 gen 3.

 

[maxmileage]

Sorry for the delayed conclusion. Just wanted to follow up and close this thing out with the new transmission being installed and operating perfectly. It was and is.

I have been out in the wild as much as possible since the install and all is well. Being busy outside has kept me from posting since I got it back. But running like a champ and conquering everything I throw it at so far.

Thanks to all who offered info, advice, and support. Invaluable.

Here’s some pics of Bender, alive and well.