Transmission or Transfer Case won't engage and if engaged it would go forward only (2 Viewers)

Transmission or Transfer Case won't engage and if engaged it would go forward only

  • 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser LX 470 Transmission or Transfer Case Problem

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  • Transmission Reverse wont' work

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Joined
Apr 28, 2018
Threads
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18
Location
Atlanta, GA
When I turn on the 1999 LX 470 / Toyota Land Cruiser 100 engine with Transmission Gear in P, and 4WD Gear in H, the truck can only move forward in all gears except P and R. When in N, it even moves forward. In R, the truck won't move. I have the truck Jack up and I can see the tire spin so I know those tire spin. If I put the truck down, I have to press the Gas Padel like 2000rpm or more to move the truck forward just a little bit. The Reverse won't work.

jbes0z



If I put the Transmission Gear in N and 4WD Gear in N as well, it works. But then if I try to move the 4WD Gear back to H, it would produce a loud Grinding noise (The engine is still On), so I didn't do it afraid of breaking anything. If I try to move the 4WD Gear to L, it did the same thing.

hGDxtG


At this point, if I move the Transmission Gear from N to any Gear, it's all OK, but if I move to P, it also has Grinding noise, but it sounds a lot different than the 4WD Gear grinding noise describe above. I guess it is Transmission Grinding instead of Transfer case Grinding noise.

I have to turn the engine off in order to move the 4WD Gear from N back to H again. But then it will just return to the same situation as described above i.e. the truck won't move. If I jack the truck up, I can see the front tire spin (some spin at the rear tires too); If I switch to R, there is no reverse. The CDL works ok. But turn it on or off won't make any difference.

What happened before this all happened: I was trying to solve the chucking problem.

1. I flush the transmission oil
2. I grease the Drive Shafts
3. Then I still hear chuck noise when drive so I change the U-Join on the rear and front Drive Shaft.
4. I install the rear Drive Shaft back first; then w/o front Drive Shaft, I take the truck to a spin. But as long as I leave the driveway which a little uphill driveway, I feel a big chuck, and the reverse no longer work. I have to drive forward in CDL / Low mode and the Truck only drives forward.

What had I done trying to solve the problem so far?
1. I read many posts here and the shift/lock control switch (The shift linkage) is still operating, because the truck will start in P & N only.
2. I change the transmission fluid again (last changed is a month ago) but it won't help.
3. Now the ABS and Break malfunction light just on but I think it is coincident and should not related to this issue.

Thank you so much for any advice would be very appreciated!
 
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Ok, different issues. The engine drives the transmission which drives the transfer case which drives the driveshafts which drives the axles which drive the wheels.

The transfer case makes noise because the gears inside it are turning, the transmission needs to be in neutral and you need to be moving less than 10mph to change transfer case gears.

The transmission makes the grinding noise when you put it in park because it is still spinning and that is the parking prawl grinding against the park gear.

Did you unhook the shift linkage when you did the transmission and u-joint work? It sounds to me like you have moved the shift linkage alignment and now the transmission shifter position is not lining up with the gear position on the transmission.

Lets work on one thing at a time, the transmission since that is what you worked on.
You installed both driveshafts correct?
 
Thank you, Spike555 for your detail explanation :)

I did not unhook the shift linkage when I did the drive shaft u-joint work. I did, however, unhook it to test the PRN to make sure they are in the correct Position and that's after I have this problem described in this post. I am sure they are in place OK based on this instruction. The truck will start Only in P & N. I think the shift/lock control switch (The shift linkage) is not the problem for this case.
 
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1. Do you mean the Transmission Drive Flange to the Front and Rear Transfer Case? Yes, when I place the Rear and Front Drive Shaft back on, I tighten the bolts and they are secured attached to the Transmissions and the other end to the Transfer Case for sure.

2. Do you mean the Drive Shaft's U-joins C Clip? Yes. They are all in place and secured. When I jack up the car, I can see the Drive Shaft spin OK. They all spin forward though :-( even though I have the Transmission in the Natural gear.

Drive Shaft Inspection:
 
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No, the drive flanges at the front hubs. They are what connects the CV axle shaft splines to the front hub of the vehicle. When they are stripped out, a vehicle won’t move.

If you lock the center diff (pressing the button on the dash) does it move?
 
Thanks.

1. Yesterday, when I jack up the truck, all 4 wheels un-touch the ground, I can see the front wheels spin forward and back wheels can spin too. It just that the truck won't go in reverse.

2. Today, when I remove the truck from the jack stand, it then won't move forward suddenly that much unless I step on the gas to RPM 2000x or more, but just move a little and feel something pull it back and won't allow it to go further like I press the break, but I didn't. I tested it again just now, it seems like something stop it from moving or the transmission/transfer case didn't engage, just like the first video I posted with the question at the top. I can jack up the truck and record a video about how the wheel moves and post back here tomorrow morning and see if you can see anything that I didn't see.

3. When I press the CDL (center differential lock), I can see the CDL red light coming up on the dashboard ok, but it won't make any difference to help the car move today. However, yesterday, it was ok, when I have the problem, I just cannot do reverse but at least I can drive with CDL around the neighborhood and drive back home OK. The only difference today is that I did a transmission fluid change, and I have a break light warning on the dashboard.
 
You have the correct amount of transmission fluid?
 
Yes. I am sure the transmission fluid is at the correct amount. Cold temperatures at the L mark of the Transmission check stick; and when the transmission is warm and getting hotter, it is at the H mark of the transmission stick. I am sure there is no more and no less of the transmission fluid.

Here is the truck on the Jack Stand and the problem on it. Thank you so much for your help!

 
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Your transfer case is in neutral, that is what that warning buzzer is, transmission in gear, transfer case in neutral seats off the buzzer. The warning is so you do not leave the vehicle because it will roll away, even with the transmission in park.
So you need to figure out why it is in neutral, check the linkage front he transfer case to the transfer case shifter.
 
I have not found anything, a device or parts, regarding the "linkage between transfer case to the transfer case shifter..." yet on the Toyota Land Cruiser or LX 470. I wonder if it is some kind of control electronic device or something like that? I am sure I didn't physically break the linkage as it just "buzzer" that way you heard in the video, suddenly from nowhere after last time (2 days ago) I removed the Jack Stand from the truck. I will need to research further and let you guys know.
 
I have not found anything, a device or parts, regarding the "linkage between transfer case to the transfer case shifter..." yet on the Toyota Land Cruiser or LX 470. I wonder if it is some kind of control electronic device or something like that? I am sure I didn't physically break the linkage as it just "buzzer" that way you heard in the video, suddenly from nowhere after last time (2 days ago) I removed the Jack Stand from the truck. I will need to research further and let you guys know.
It’s the handle in the center console that shifts the transfer case from high to low... and the parts that connect that handle to the transfer case..
 
It seems that the problem is not the 4WD linkage (at least linkage seems to be OK). I checked it today and the buzzer suddenly has gone (I had not done anything on the 4WD linkage repair or anything). I take the video of the 4WD linkage and it works ok. The problem with the truck won't move issue persists still. Please help! Thanks!
 
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Ok, gonna and this as simple as I can: have you ensured the transfer case is not in neutral? Meaning it needs to either be in high or low gear.
 
Remember, the engine turns the transmission, the transmission turns the transfer case, the transfer case turns the drive shafts, the drive shafts turn the differentials, the differentials turn the axles, the axles turn the wheels.
So, with the engine running the the transmission in ANY GEAR other than park it is trying to turn the transfer case. Yes even in neutral, the fluid is spinning and the friction of the fluid is still trying to turn the output shaft of the transmission which is trying to turn the transfer case, but because it is in neutral it does not have enough power to turn the transfer case.
With the transmission in any gear it is trying to turn the transfer case, and it is turning the input shaft of the transfer case.
The input shaft then turns gears that are engaged to the input shaft, the set of gears engaged depends on if the transfer case is in hi range or lo range.
When the transfer case is in neutral, ALL GEARS are not connected to the input shaft of the transfer case, BUT the input shaft of the transfer case is still turning. It is always turning when the engine is running.
The only time it does not turn is when it is connected to the gears inside the transfer case and those gears are not turning.

So, your input shaft of your transfer case is turning with the engine running, that is why you cannot engage hi or lo range with the engine running, the gears are not meshing, they are grinding.

With the engine running and putting the transmission in park, the inside of the transmission is turning, so putting it in park you are stopping the transmission with the parking prawl, continuing to do this will ruin the parking prawl. Shut the engine off, wait a few minutes then put it in park. This will allow all of the fluid and gears to stop first.

With all four wheels on the ground, transmission in park, transfer case in any gear, and parking brake off, can you push the truck a foot or more in any direction?
If you can, take a video of the under side of the truck, do the drive shafts move when you push the truck?
If they do then your differentials are good and we need to concentrate on the transfer case.

But, with the info we have as of right now, your transfer case is not in gear, it is in neutral.
I do not know why, but right now all the evidence points towards that, your transfer case being in neutral.
 
Reply to DirtDawg and add more detail.

Yes. I am pretty sure that the Transfer Case is not in Neutral; I mean, in the video, you can see I moved the 4WD gear to H N L, and it is engaged as the linkage moved and clicked on the top of the central transfer case.

The only thing I am not sure is that whether it is possible that even though I moved the 4WD gear to H, but the transfer case still won’t engage internally?

Here is the problem and procedures during the testing:

1. I turn on the engine with Transmission Gear in P and 4WD Gear in H.

2. I can move the transmission gear back and forth from P R N D 2 L and back forth w/o grinding sound or resistance, but the wheel won’t spin (I have the truck Jack Up currently as seen in the video). I can do it do some spin if I add RPM to 2000 but as you’ve seen in the video, that’s not a real spin. It seems the transfer case is not connecting to the transmission directly.

3. Then, if I move the transmission gear to N, and the 4WD gear to N as well, then I will not be able to move the 4WD gear back to H position because of the grinding noise you heard in the video.

4. In that situation, when I move the transmission gear back to P, I will also hear the grinding noise but that’s a different sound of grinding noise than the grinding noise in (3) above.

5. The only way to avoid the grinding noise is to turn off the engine and then it will allow me to move the Transmission gear to P, and 4WD back to H w/o any noise (I try not to further damage anything), and this is in the situation that returning back to the original issue in the (1) above.

Thank you again for your help!
 
Ok, those grinding noises you hear are what I told you, the transfer case gears grinding and the parking prawl grinding.

You changed the transmission fluid, did you also replace the transmission filter?

What procedure did you use to change the transmission fluid?
 
Thank you Spike555. You made good points. When I change the transmission fluid, I also changed the transmission filter as well. I purchase them from the Amazon. The filter is shorter than the original one though but it fits (all 3 screws were matched) ok. The procedure I did is as follow:

* About 2 months ago when I purchased this truck.

I do a regular transmission fluid change. I removed the pan and replaced the filter and add new fluid. After that truck drives ok. No problem.

* About 1 month ago when I have time during the weekend, I do a transmission flush.

a. I remove the transmission fluid cooling host from the front transmission colling and drop it to the bucket for collecting the old fluid.
b. I turn on / off the engine to allow the old fluid drop to the bucket underneath and at the same time add new fluid through the transmission fluid entrance on the top, next to the engine.

After that, the truck drives smooth, and transmission feels better than before, and no problem in all shifting.

* After I have this problem, about 3 days ago:

I do another transmission fluid change. All fluid is the correct one recommend by the owner manual.

The problem actually starts after I add the Molly grease to both of drive shafts because I can feel the chucking problem. I saw the Youtube about use the grease on the u-join and york to remove the chunking. I am not sure are they related but after I add the grease, and test drive to the Post Office, that is when I notice the drive is very different (worse) and I actually feel more chucking sound and truck becomes weaker / less power.

So I remove the rear and front drive shaft and try to re-grease them with a different brand of grease and change the U-Join. After I replaced the U-Join in the rear drive shaft, I put it back. Then I do a test drive and then I hear a big chunk then the reverse is gone. But I still can drive home with just transmission in L and 4WD in L.

So at least the truck can drive forward so I think it is because I didn't put the front drive shaft, so I installed the front drive shaft back but make no difference.

I move the truck up to the Jack Stand and test and indeed the truck now can only move forward and no reverse. Then suddenly with the buzzer sound, then no wheel was able to move like you see in the 1st video.

Regarding your other recommendation, I will follow your recommendation and create another video tomorrow. Currently, the truck is on the Jack Stand.

The new video will show and answer your two questions to narrow down the issues:

1) With all four wheels on the ground, transmission in park, transfer case in any gear, and parking brake off can you push the truck a foot or more in any direction?

2) If you can, take a video of the underside of the truck, do the drive shafts move when you push the truck?

I will post the video immediately after I returning back from work tomorrow.

Any other suggestion and recommendation, please let me know. Thank you very much.
 
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I think we found your problem, it's the transmission filter, it is blocked, to small, came loose when you put the pan back on, or you didn't remove the old O-ring when installing the new filter.

You have to rev the engine to get the wheels to turn, this indicates a fluid blockage and only a small amount of transmission fluid is being pushed through the filter.
No reverse at all means clogged filter, transmission fluid flow is always to reverse gear first, then 1st gear, then 2nd and so on.
The fluid is returned to the pan, then pumped through the filter, then to reverse, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th if you have it.
Restrict fluid flow and reverse will not work and first will not work.
Reverse and 1st gear need more fluid pressure than the other gears, restricting the fluid flow in anyway will prevent these gears from working.

So here is what I would do, confirm that you bought the correct transmission filter, even if it is slightly smaller in size it can still be the correct one.
So check the part number on your receipt with the part number that fits your truck on their web site.

Assuming that is correct drain the transmission and remove the filter, double check your work. My money is on either the old O-ring still being there or the new O-ring moved when you installed the filter, the O-ring not being perfect will cause a internal fluid leak and a pressure drop, the pressure drop will not let the proper fluid pressure move the gears.
Not enough fluid pressure, no gears, no wheels moving.
Revving the engine increases fluid pressure so the wheels turn a little. But your fluid pressure is still to low.

Let us know what you find out.
 
Hi Spike555, I am so happy when I receive your last message. I also felt that the filter could be the problem but from your detail explanation, it really can be!

Correction: I installed the current smaller size transmission filter on March 26 according to my record. It is not two months ago. Only a little over 1 month ago. ( Note: 2 months ago I changed the engine oil.)

I also rarely drive it during the past month, after changing the transmission oil, as I drive another car during this time while trying to fix this truck's chunking problems, and other stuff like changing the Tilt/Telescope motor, fixing the moonroof not opening issue etc (that's why you see the video with my driver side airbag removed because installing Tilt/Telescope motors).

I noticed that the small 'O Ring' drop out when I removed the old transmission filter, and the new filter (smaller size filter) doesn't come with the O Ring, so I didn't bother trying to put one back in; and I also missing the old O Ring when I get the old one out, so I didn't put it back in. I was wondering and confusing what's that O Ring will do, is it important? I search the Youtube and Online but cannot find anything talking about the 1999 LX 470 or Toyota Landcruiser O Ring. But Now, I know what it is, and how important it is! Thanks so much, Spike555.

I have already ordered another filter, and it looks same to the originally 1999 LX470 filter:

Transmission Filter Kits: Amazon.com
Part Number B-211
Name Filter Kit
Product Type N/A
Hardware Description (1) pan gasket, (1) filter
Length (in inches) 12
Trans. Code A340E, A340F & A343F
Balanced N/A
Note: 1999 LX 470's Transmission is A343F

I will first put a new transmission fluid and the correct filter tomorrow after work, and test it again. I will create a video too. The link between the wrong filter I purchased and the new filter is as follows. Note: both Amazon sellers said their fitter kit will fit into the 1999 LX 470. At that time, I didn't open the transmission yet, so I didn't know I purchased a smaller size of the filter.

This is the link for the first transmission fluid filter I purchased and currently installed in the truck.

The is the link for the 2nd order of the transmission fluid filter based on its size is similar to the original 1999 LX470. I have just received it today and here is the image of it and the original filter, and I will get it installed tomorrow and post another update back to you.

This should either fix or further narrow down the root cause of the problem. I appreciate you very much.

Important Note:

I just research on the transmission change instruction and it doesn't mention anything on the O ring when replacing the filter. I also look at the eBay for the OEM filter (Part # 35330-60030) and it doesn't come with O ring showing in the diagram. A similar filter in the Youtube and it doesn't have an O ring either. I am not sure if the O ring is required for the filter or not?

I am not sure why my kits purchased from Amazon comes with an O ring? But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Filter. I will get this correct size Filter on and report back.

Update: 05/02/2018: The O ring I got from Amazon package can be for the Dip Stick O ring; It's not for the Filter. Here is the video to show that at 00:07:20. Or this video at 00:06:20.
 
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