new owner - noob - 95 4runner - trans and ac issues ....

[rvschulz]

hi all,

i recently purchased a 95 4runner limited 3.0 auto 4wd as my "new" vehicle - always liked the look and wanted a smaller SUV with 4wd. so here i am. this vehicle sat for awhile and needs some repairs - i have completed a lot of the cosmetic stuff -

replaced broken door handle,
replaced front quarter panel
replaced front seats
replaced power antenna
changed oil and added seafoam to engine/exhaust.

i have three possible distinct issues i'd like some input on.

1) truck seems to run better cold than warm. shifts easier, and accelerates better. of course, for the 1st 3-5 minutes of driving i don't get over 45mph. shifts harder when it's warmed up. is something clogged that affects it when warmed up ? what should i check.

2) A/C is draining into the passenger floor - where is this line and is there a standard procedure to unclog or reconnect.

3) transmission - does not want to shift into overdrive and lock - especially after it warms up. i checked the fluid and noticed that it smells bad - so my 1st take will be to change the fluid. it this a function of a bad sensor also perhaps ? note that it will shift into o/d during the 1st 3-4 shifts during the day - noticeably lowering RPMs at 45+mph. but if i don't get up to hwy speeds and stay there, after it downshifts a couple of times it doesn;t seem to go back to O/D.


i am not very mechanical but i am getting there - so if you can supply a video link or pic link i would appreciate it.

[Robinhood4x4]

If you replaced all that stuff you sound plenty mechanical to me. :thumbup:

The transmission won't shift into into the highest gear until the engine has warmed up, so maybe you're confusing this with what you perceive to be problems?

The AC drain is on the passenger side of the firewall and you can see it from the passenger side wheel well or from underneath. It's a little black rubber elbow that sticks out. If I remember right, all you do is pull on it to remove it and you get drenched with water.

[rvschulz]

i decided to get some seafoam for the engine and noticed a seafoam transmission treatment too. after doing both i can notice a better acceleration with less "struggle" and the transmission is shifting into O/D a LOT more.

thenengine would not shift into OD previously after a couple of shifts into OD - and i had to manipulate it with throttle control ... now it is flipping into OD anytime i'm close to 45. i believe my MPG is going to get better.

[Robinhood4x4]

Let us know how that tranny seafoam works out for you.

[Crinale]

hmm.. maybe i should try that!! haha, i have been having o/d issues for months now...

[rvschulz]

looks like the seafoam trans stuff has smooted out some of my shifts, but sometimes it just won;t go into o/d, other times it does fine - i think it's heat related. is there a trans temp sensor ?? if so, where the heck is it ?

[Obi..]

5-speed swap the thing! :D Best mod I have ever done and still cheaper than the bi-annual trans-fluid service, etc.

[MTL_4runner]

looks like the seafoam trans stuff has smooted out some of my shifts, but sometimes it just won;t go into o/d, other times it does fine - i think it's heat related. is there a trans temp sensor ?? if so, where the heck is it ?


1) The truck has a cold start injector so it's running richer at startup that otherwise. This could be several issues including oxygen sensor going bad, injectors, fuel pressure, etc. Try some seafoam in your gas tank as well to see if that helps and then start narrowing down the issue.


2) Check the A/C drain tube, it's likely blocked and causing it to leak into the passenger compartment.

3) No, there is no trans temp sensor to lock into OD on the highway. If you're tranny fluid smelled bad then after driving it a few hundred miles with the seafoam, you should pull the tranny pan and clean the filter screen (use brake cleaner and air dry before reinstalling). Then refill the fluid to the proper level.

[rvschulz]

seafoamed the gas/oil - that worked out fine. i think the engine runs fine for 180K miles and has acceptable performance considering the research i have done. i have a short checklist of maintenance parts to be replaced in the next 5K.

when i get the trans going into lockdown O/D - that means that 70mph = 2600RPM approx - my MPG improves drastically. when it doesn't lockdown, 70mph = 3100RPM

on my 1st 2 tanks of gas, i noticed around 13mpg. as the trans locks down more (i have a lot of 40-50mph travel), my last tank increased to 15.7mpg overall - i think if it locked down all the time i would move up to 17-18 mpg which would make me jump for joy and ignore any lack of power.

thanks for the info.

[Crinale]

haha i wish... when im on the freeway at 70 im running near 4000rpm... and i have never gotten better than 12mpg :-P ... consider yourself lucky

[rvschulz]

:roll: well i am noticing a much better perfomance this tank of fuel - it is 100% gasoline, no ethanol. the shifting is getting better and better too. sometimes it still refuses to get into lockdown o/d - the difference at 55 mph is 2K RPM when locked down to 2.5K not locked down, but the motor will still do 3K 70 MPH not locked down. i think the seafom worked pretty well. i might put another can in the transmission this week.

if it doen;t get any better, then next time i have a couple of hours i will change the trans fiud and clean the filter.

[Robinhood4x4]

Did you fix the A/C problem?

[rvschulz]

no, i can;t find a repair manual in any of the local parts stores. i need a picture or two directing me to the a/c drain line so i can unclog it. thanks.

[Robinhood4x4]

I'll get you a picture after work today. Remind me if I forget.

[rvschulz]

thank you ...

[Robinhood4x4]

View from the wheel well:
http://www.robinhood4x4.com/UY/Temp/AC%20drain.JPG

View from underneath:
http://www.robinhood4x4.com/UY/Temp/AC%20drain%202.JPG

It took a lot of wiggling and pulling to get that pipe free from the rubber/firewall.

[Obi..]

haha i wish... when im on the freeway at 70 im running near 4000rpm... and i have never gotten better than 12mpg :-P ... consider yourself lucky


I get 15-16 and am @3500. :angel:

[rvschulz]

well, last weekend i towed the little boat (maybe 1000#) about 40 miles each way to go fishing and on the trip back - Louisiana Heat Advisory weather - about 3 miles form home the A/T light came on the dash. made it home okay - then decided to bite the bullet and change the transmission fluid.

ever seen transmission fluid that looked like chocolate milk ? and poured like maple syrup - medium weight. found "Mike's" how-to change the fluid article and printed it, got a new filter and changed the fluid and filter. cleaned the pan and magnets with acetate - magnets looked like little furry creatures, actually kind of amusing in a sick sort of way.

transmission is shifting pretty much perfect now. wish an oil change would add 40HP to the engine ...

[partsman93274]

If your fluid looked like chocolate milk I would change the fluid again after a couple hundred miles unless you did a complete fluid flush with a pump to clean out the convertor and cooler. Water was in the fluid which is why it looked like that. You may want to check the differential fluid as well and make sure no water is in there as a precautionary move.

[rvschulz]

transmission shifting is still acting a little strange (to me) - as the truck reaches operating temperature - it will shift into 4th. just as expected. then ... it will drop-down into a "highway" lock down where the RPMs drop for highway speeds - around 45 mph or so it will go from 2300 RPM to 1600 RPM.

this only happens for the 1st 3 or 4 shifts into that speed, it doesn't happen after that. if it does shift into "lock-down" and i hit the interstate - 70 MPH cruis is at about 2600 RPM, without the lockdown it is around 3100 RPM.

anyone have an explanation of what this is - the owner's manual has no information about the lock-down. and ... how can i have it continually happen because i think my mileage will be very nice if i can continue with this "ghost" O/D.

btw, i changed my coolant this weekend - very cloudy. running a little cooler on the gauge.

[Robinhood4x4]

I think what you're talking about is the torque converter locking up. There was a guy on Pirate that was making an electronics box that would completely control the auto transmission and essentially turn it into a paddle shifter style control. You could control every shift and the torque converter. I don't know what happened to it or the cost, but I doubt it's cheap.

[rvschulz]

what i have noticed at this point is that, since i changed the trans fluid and filter, it seems to be locking up in O/D more and more. i think something has a load of old varnish or something from the old lousy fluid keeping it from operating correctly, but it is getting a little better everyday actually.

it is actually making it back into OD with a little throttle feathering after it gets completely warmed up. I'm hoping to make it past Christmas without a major failure - then when it goes, i'll do the manual swap.

[Crinale]

I think what you're talking about is the torque converter locking up. There was a guy on Pirate that was making an electronics box that would completely control the auto transmission and essentially turn it into a paddle shifter style control. You could control every shift and the torque converter. I don't know what happened to it or the cost, but I doubt it's cheap.


that would be freaking awesome! i want something like that...

[DHC6twinotter]

rvschulz, my tranny does the same thing. Once good and warm, my torque converter lockup will randomly disengage. My "O/D off" light flashes as well. I really don't know what is wrong, but I'm leaning towards a bad shift solenoid (most likely, imho), or maybe low fluid pressure. I can't really complain though...it's been doing this for 9 years, but it's now more frequent than before, plus I have over 220k on my original tranny. Sooner or later, I'll probably swap out the shift solenoids, or just take the plunge and do a manual swap as well. :D

[rvschulz]

well, it's been awhile, but i figured out why my lockup would not engage or would disengage while driving normally on the Interstate - overheating. at some point, the transmission gets hot and will not run in O/D lockup. I had another transmission light in the middle of nowhere going shooting so i just stopped.

after an hour or so ... everything back to normal.

i bypassed the radiator with a auxiliary cooler - went with the smallest one since i did not want to dismantle the front cap to mount the damn thing. Shifts as well as my wife's 06 Accord now. just perfect after it warms up.

i left the connectors unplugged on the radiator and SLUDGE dripped out everyday ... i'm sure the radiator is on it's last legs too. how long does a radiator last anyway - 15 years sounds like a good run.

[Robinhood4x4]

Usually, when my light comes on because of overheating, it goes out in about 10 minutes. Good to hear you figured it out and updated the thread. Let us know how things go.

I replaced my radiator back in 03 or 04 so yeah, you're overdue.