Shift Solenoid E

[Isaac-07]

Before I start I just want to say that I've been searching like crazy for the past few weeks and everything I've searched so far just seems to be a dead end. Broken link, no pictures, etc.

My siblings and I bought my dad a 2000 Tundra this past fathers day. When we bought the truck the CEL was on. The owner said it was just because of the O2 sensor. He had recently gotten the frame replaced by toyota and had the engine replaced by another mechanic, so I figure it couldn't have been anything major.

About a month after I finally took the truck to autozone and found out it wasn't the O2 sensor. The code was P0770 or P0773, can't remember which but it was the one with shift solenoid E. The truck shifted fine so I didn't think much of it.

Now the transmission is slipping quite a bit from a dead start. Once you get it going then it seems ok. Starting in L or 2 doesn't work but once it's going you can shift it down and it will work. When putting it in reverse there is a big clunk.

My dad drained the transmission this past weekend and refilled. I drove it around the block a few times. When I stopped it was smelling pretty bad. So I drained the transmission fluid, the fluid smells burnt. I pulled the pan off and took off the filter.

So my questions is how many solenoids is in there and which one should I check? How do I check the solenoid? It seems like there are two wires on the connector, does it matter which one I apply power too and quick one I connect to ground?

Can the shift solenoid cause the transmission to slip or could it be the torque converter clutch? How hard would it be to replace that?

Here is what I plan to do.

1. Test and replace the solenoids, hopefully someone can help me out on how to do this.
2. Replace the filter
3. Refill and apply autoRX, hopefully the tranny will be good enough to run for 1000 miles
4. Flush tranny next spring

[Remmy700P]

I'd replace the shift solenoids. You have no idea what's gone on with that engine/transmission. Here's a link to a replacement set: A340 E / F / H TRANSMISSION SOLENOID KIT - Fits Many Models

Unless the VB screen is damaged, it does not require replacement.

I think an ARX treatment would be a good idea. Run it for about 1,000 highway miles and do the flush then.

When you start to think about replacing clutch packs, gear sets, etc, it's cheaper to just buy a complete remanufactured tranny. There are plenty around. You can find a 2003-2004 Aisin-Warner A340E/F for ~$500-$700 depending on mileage.

Good luck.

[Isaac-07]

Thanks for the reply.

So there are 3 solenoids and I should replace all 3? Is it just a bolt that holds the solenoid in place? I'm going to do a continuity test. Where would the other end of the wire be connected to?

Is it safe to rule out the torque converter clutch? I wouldn't want to spend all this money and then end up having to buy a re-manufactured transmission.

[Remmy700P]

Address the CEL codes first. That would be solenoid replacement.

[Isaac-07]

So I took out the 3 solenoid and tested them. 2 of them were good and 1 was bad. The one that is furthest towards the back. Anyone know what this solenoid controls?



I order the set in the link above and will be replacing all 3. Hopefully this fixes the problem. I will update with pictures after I get the pan cleaned and solenoid installed.

[Remmy700P]

See attached...

[Isaac-07]

Wow, thanks. How come this isn't posted everywhere? Could have saved me a bunch of time searching.

What might cause the solenoid to not work? Trying to cover all the bases while I have the pan off.

[Remmy700P]

Wow, thanks. How come this isn't posted everywhere? Could have saved me a bunch of time searching.

What might cause the solenoid to not work? Trying to cover all the bases while I have the pan off.

I saved the document offline in my own Tundra technical support library and simply uploaded it back again for you.

There's any number of reasons why a solenoid would fail. In the instance of a transmission solenoid, excessive ATF temps can cause fluid coagulation and the debris can get caught in there occluding the mechanism. An ARX treatment will address this concern.

[Isaac-07]

So I cleaned the pan today. Are there suppose to be magnets in the area of the 2 rectangles below? If so where can I get replacement magnets?

I took the 3 solenoids that are suppose to be in the spots I circled in red out. In the spot I boxed in yellow is that also a solenoid?

This is what I took out from the yellow box above. Solenoid?

[Isaac-07]

What type of atf should I use? Manual says dexron III. What compatible atf do you guys recommend?

[Remmy700P]

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. Buy it direct from The Mobil 1 Racing Store. $53.54 for a case of 6, so buy 2 cases (12 quarts, i.e. three 4-qt drain/fills or one complete flush) for $107.08 SHIPPED. That's $8.92/quart.

[Isaac-07]

So I got the solenoids Saturday and put them in. The 2 shift solenoids didn't fit properly. The brackets weren't correct so I just reused the old ones since they were working when I tested them. The lockup solenoid fit fine. When I tested the new lockup solenoid it didn't click (make any noise) like the shift solenoids. It did create a small spark when I removed the positive or negative lead. On the old one it didn't create this spark. So I assumed it was ok.

I installed the new filter, reset the ecu (removing battery for 10 mins), added transmission fluid and did a test drive. The car still clunked when I put it in reverse but it reverses fine. The truck also slipped quite a bit when starting off but after it got going it was fine. Starting in L or 2 didn't work. I shifted through the gear from D and it doesn't sound like the transmission shifts at all. Only when you go from R to D or N to D you can tell the transmission shifts.

I took a video of the car in D with my foot on the brake. Theres a rumbling/rotating sound. Any clue what might be the problem here?

2000 Tundra transmission slipping - YouTube

[Isaac-07]

Anyone?

[Remmy700P]

1. Did you disconnect the negative cable from the battery before removing/reinstalling the new solenoids? (Your sparking/arcing description is cause for concern...)
2. Did you check and make sure that you rec'd the proper solenoid part numbers? The fact that you said the "brackets weren't correct" leads me to believe that the solenoids might not be the appropriate component(s).
3. Is the shifting acting differently than it did before you swapped the new solenoids in, i.e. how is it actually shifting when driving it?
4. What ATF are you using?

[Isaac-07]

No I didn't disconnect the negative cable from the battery when removing or installing the solenoids. The sparking I am talking about is when I was testing the solenoids. The old lock up solenoid didn't do anything, no opening or closing, while the new lock up solenoid didn't make any sound either but did spark when I removed the hot wire from the connector on the solenoid.

I didn't check the part numbers on the solenoid but I'm pretty sure they are right. The description on the website says they are made to fit a range of cars so I'm assuming they try to make the brackets universal.

The shifting is still the same. The truck shifts fine, it's just that it has a hard time going from a complete stop. The engine revs decently high before it starts going, once it's going then it seems to be ok.

I just used some Castrol Dexron III compatible ATF from autozone. I figured just use that with autorx for now until it's warmer and then do a flush with the mobil1 synthetic atf.

I'm thinking that it's not the solenoids. The solenoids shouldn't cause the transmission to slip.