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A/T Temp light came on and then off. What should I do?

Discussion in '4th Gen 4Runners (2003-2009)' started by projektnumb, Feb 10, 2020.

  1. Feb 10, 2020 at 9:51 AM
    #1
    projektnumb

    projektnumb [OP] New Member

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    I have a 2004 sr5 with 125,000 miles on it.

    Long story short: Was driving through medium-heavyish snow fall at high elevation in 4 hi. After about an hour my A/T temp light came on. After a few minutes it turned off (during a long descent where I wasn't hitting the gas much). I kept driving about another hour and it never came on again.

    I did some research and it seems with 2004 models they made the transmission "closed system" and I can't even check the color or level of the transmission fluid with a dip stick.

    I see a lot of suggestions of "drain and fill".

    There's no other signs of transmission issues like delayed gear changing or rough sounds.

    My questions:

    1. Is this common that the light would come on in this kind of scenario?

    2. Is a drain and fill difficult to do? How much would it cost to get this done at a shop?

    3. I see suggestions of changing transmission fluid every 100k miles. If this wasn't done would it be a reason for that light to come on?

    Any clarity would be appreciated.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2020
  2. Feb 10, 2020 at 9:59 AM
    #2
    SlvrSlug

    SlvrSlug Slightly bent.

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    Welcome to the forum.
     
  3. Feb 10, 2020 at 10:53 AM
    #3
    nimby

    nimby in the drink

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    I can't answer all of your questions, but the best thing you can do if your trans overheats is to replace the fluid. It's not related to you not changing the trans fluid at 100,000 miles, more likely the conditions you were driving in. I've heard of the occasional overheating trans in scenarios like you describe. Mostly when using 4wd for a long time ascending up inclines.

    The trans oil is not hard to change, but it's important to make sure whoever is changing it uses the proper trans oil when replacing. Maybe someone will chime in with the proper oil specs because I don't know them off-hand.
     
    MI-FL off roader likes this.
  4. Feb 10, 2020 at 11:23 AM
    #4
    MI-FL off roader

    MI-FL off roader T4R Hobby/Addict

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    Brett
    Merritt Island, FL
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    Welcome. Yes a drain and fill would be advised sooner than later. I took a chance and paid around $400 for the dealer to do the work. Trans is fine after 15k miles. I will most likely do it myself next time as I don't really trust dealers. There are a bunch of threads on the forums and you tube videos on the subject. I would think a transmission shop can do it for cheaper than a dealer obviously, but geography and demographics play into any consistency in quotes around the country. Might vary quite a bit.

    How many of the 125k miles have you put on the vehicle? This is obviously the first time you've seen the warning light. I don't think the light coming on is super rare, but not something to overlook for sure.

    Never driven in snow so I have to relate this to thick sand. Both my 4th and 5th gens (both 5 speed A750F transmissions) will get too warm in 4hi if I'm pushing them. It hardly ever gets hot in 4Lo, which is what I usually go to in heavy load situations as the whole system just works much better, only at a slower speed.
    These transmissions are relatively tough I doubt you did any serious damage to yours, but the situation can arise again, so it definitely needs to be addressed.

    Does it have a transmission cooler up front by the A/C condenser? I put a little push fan on there (03' V8 came with a cooler) to help when limited air flow is running through the front. I had to add a cooler and push fan to my 5th gen, they don't come with one (duh Toyota). If you don't have a cooler you may want to look into it.

    If yours is the 4 speed (A340F)? you might have a dipstick. The 5 speed was sealed up in sometime in 04, so look around you might see a dipstick. My 03' has a dipstick. If not you can check the color of the fluid very easily by just cracking the drain plug for a couple drips to land on a white paper towel which will show the color and dirt, but you have to get underneath the vehicle. Most likely it's the original fluid. You can check your fluid level at home but it can be a little involved and take awhile. The A750f trans has to be in a temperature window to properly check the level (115* to 130* on my 5th gen), and you take the check plug out and if the fluid is dripping out it's full

    Also what you might want to look into, I monitor my trans temps on both trucks with the Torque Pro app on an old android tablet, so I know when to back off and give the trans a break before it gets really hot. Torque Pro
    also makes checking the level really easy because the pan temps are displayed on my tablet. Good Luck and hope you get it sorted out on the cheap! @nimby Thanks forgot the Toyota World Standard Fluid.
    Torque Pro.jpg
     
    nimby likes this.
  5. Feb 10, 2020 at 9:59 PM
    #5
    projektnumb

    projektnumb [OP] New Member

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    Thank you! I do have a dip stick. I checked my fluid and it’s right at the full mark when hot and cold. It also still looks very red. I’ve had the car for the last 15k miles (2 years). So that seems to be in good shape.

    Besides that light coming on it seems like nothing is different. Is that fluid getting that hot once a guarantee of greatly reducing the transmission life? I'm tempted to let it sit and just drive slower in 4 hi from now on.

    Unless it's very likely that this can be a silent killer a year or two down the road.
     
  6. Feb 11, 2020 at 3:10 AM
    #6
    MI-FL off roader

    MI-FL off roader T4R Hobby/Addict

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    Brett
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    Excellent! Glad you found the dip stick. I am not a trans expert, but I don't think you have anything to worry about with just this one time. Did you find a trans cooler up front? It will look like a small radiator about the size of a piece of note book paper. If you have one make sure it's clean and air can flow thru it, and consider putting a fan on there. Most of these vehicles have the trans fluid curculating thru a seperate tank in the engines radiator, so make sure it's coolant level is topped off and working properly as well. Cheers!
     

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