automatic transmission making clicking sound; torque converter

[20valvevanwagon]

Hello tvt I'm new here and to this amazing van I got my hands on!!
I bought it with transmission problems but everything around it seems in great condition.
Now the transmission does not engage in any gear and I hear a clicking clanking sound where the torque
Converter is. I'm sure its shot but would the kickdown cable being frayed also not make it engage in gear or is that just to change gears while driving? I have another transmission in the back that it came with that has an excellent kick down cable. Is it an easy swap or am I going to have to drop the pan? Also am I wasting my time changing the torque converter I am new to auto transmissions any help would be appreciated before I buy parts for this beauty.

Thank you
Charles

[timsrv]

Hi & welcome TVT! If it's clanking in the torque converter area, the very 1st thing I'd do is pull off the little cover that gives access to the flex plate/torque converter bolts and make sure the torque converter is still bolted to the flex plate. I would also want to have somebody crank the engine while I was looking at the flex plate to insure it's spinning with the engine. If this stuff checks out, then I'd pull the transmission pan & inspect it for metal shavings and or clutch debris. What I'd do next would depend on what I found. I'm guessing pulling the transmission and rebuilding or replacing would likely be in order.

The kick-down cable being frayed would make it stick in the kick-down position. With it stuck there the transmission would have high rpm shift points, but it would still move the van. If the extra transmission is reported to be good, I might just swap them out (the entire transmissions) and see what happens. Good luck. Tim

PS: Might sound dumb, but make sure there's transmission fluid in the transmission and it's serviced to the full mark on the dipstick.

[20valvevanwagon]

Thanks Tim for your advice I will check the opening as soon as I can and see what's going on in there. Also I bought the van from a guy who already swapped a transmission in and gave him the same problems I guess I should have mentioned that earlier sorry about that. So idk what's wrong with it either just that he said one day it stopped going into gear. I will let you know how it goes thanks again Tim

[timsrv]

Sounds like maybe he botched the job. Sliding the torque converter into the transmission can be tricky getting it lined up/engaged correctly. An inexperienced person will sometimes force and break things when putting the engine and transmission together.....who knows what went on or what happened, but he could have removed a failed transmission only to destroy a good one by improper installation (I've seen this before). If you pull the transmission, remove the torque converter and inspect the part that goes into the transmission carefully. If that's messed up, then the transmission is likely messed up too. I'm hoping this isn't the case. Good luck. Tim

[20valvevanwagon]

OK so today I took down the transmission just to find out
The torque converter was put in wrong and was all chewed up and destroyed the oil
Pump bolts. So I decided to put the original transmission in and see what happens. I put a new torque converter in,
New filter and topped off with fluid. It still makes the clanking sound so im guessing the flex plate is wrapped? But does quite down if I gas the pedal to 1300 rpm.
It looked fine no cracks or anything off I could see. Now besides that I got the car to move but I had to gas it till
2000 or so rpm and it moved!!! I'm tired so I gave in for the night. Anybody ever have these issues? Maybe the kickdown isn't adjusted right?

[timsrv]

That's too bad. Sounds like he needed to rotate the torque converter a bit more to line up the oil pump notches, but failed to do so. He probably used the bell housing bolts to force things together. Bolts this size working together can exert an extreme amount of force, enough to bend and brake things. The flex plate would be no match for this kind of force. After finding what you did, why would you use the same flex plate?

I probably wouldn't have used the original transmission either (people typically don't replace good transmissions). The engine crank is pretty tough, so I don't think that would have been messed up. It was good replacing the torque converter, but you needed to replace the flex plate too. I probably would have gone with another transmission altogether, or at the very least swapped the pumps and kick-down cables in the transmissions you had..........at least there would be a chance of success.

I try not to beat myself up too bad when I create extra labor for myself. It's good experience and gives me a chance to reflect on how I should have done things. At least it's a project you're doing in your spare time. It really sucks when you're a mechanic with a pushy boss breathing down your neck. You'll get it figured out. One of these might be worth considering: http://www.ebay.com/itm/321141497676?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTrack=true. Good luck. Tim

[20valvevanwagon]

I used the same tranny because I had a hunch maybe just maybe the guy before me didn't know what he was doing.
Also with the van I'm on a budget, im trying to sell some things to get more money for it on craigslist. So I figured what the hell let's try it. I used the flex plate because visually from what I saw it looked fine. The next chance I get I'll swap out the pumps and cable to see what happens. I don't mind trial and error it gives me the chance to practice on a vehicle I've never worked on before ,6hours this swap hopefully 3 hours the next :) plus with it not running it forces me to fix
All the little things that it needs lol.

I'll keep you updated on this issue.

[timsrv]

Makes sense. If you're pulling transmissions just for practice, I'd be pulling one from a salvage yard van and grabbing the flex-plate. Also make sure you've got the spacer between the crank and the flex-plate when it all goes together. Good luck! Tim

[20valvevanwagon]

Hey guys I got a lead on a tranny up north so when I called the guy he asked what year is it for. I told him an 84 and he told me it will not fit. He has it listed as 87 and up. Is there any difference from the 3y to 4y tranny? Would I be able to install it on my 84?

[timsrv]

Here's a quote from another thread:


A44DL is a 4 speed auto transmission used in the 2WD van from 84 - 86. A45DL is pretty much the exact transmission (except used in 87 - 89 2WD vans). There may be slight internal differences, but no change in bell housing, splines, or anything else that would affect interchange (even the gear ratios are the same). So as far as I'm concerned, other than age, they are the same transmission. The reason I said the seller might be a little confused is because he could be listing for 84-89 Toyota vans (along with some other makes & models). Of course his very limited application list is good for those of us that know about this (as other potential buyers may not be able to find his listings). He has another listing for "87-88 Toyota Van Automatic Transmission, A/T Model A44DL, 2.2L" (http://www.ebay.com/itm/87-88-Toyota-Van-Automatic-Transmission-A-T-Model-A44DL-2-2L-/321141497676?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac5865f4c) (he's asking a little more $$$ for that one). Tim

[20valvevanwagon]

Thanks a lot Tim! I went ahead and bought an a45dl transmission. Ill let you know how it goes when I install it on my next day off. I also got some trim pieces,antenna, cup holder (the one under the CD player) and the rubber for the e brake, so I'm pretty excited!!!I'll post pics of the process when I know this transmission works.Im not posting pics unless I can drive it lol

[20valvevanwagon]

I had some time today and put the transmission on, and she lives!!!!!
Took it around the block and had to adjust the kickdown cable a couple times. I got it pretty close but I think I should adjust a lil more. But I got tired and was satisfied that the tranny works so I packed everything up and hit the shower.
I will post pics as soon as I can.

[timsrv]

:dance2: :clap: :thmbup:

[20valvevanwagon]

Here she is guys finally had time to upload a few pics. The original kickdown cable from the new transmission seemed to have stretched. luckily i have a good one from the original transmission the van came with. i will be swapping in when i get another day off. heres some pics for now guys enjoy!!! :bluevan::)>::)>::)>:

[timsrv]

Awesome! Since this thread was basically a continuation on your 1st, I combined them. If you're going to swap kick-down cables, you may want to review this thread 1st. Tim

http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?563-AT-slipping-after-6-months-sitting

[20valvevanwagon]

Thanks for all the info tim , got everything up and running correctly. This van is a blast to drive. Even though it took me a couple miles to get used to it.

[timsrv]

Awesome! Just glad I was able to help. Thanks for the follow-up. I'm addicted to these forward control vans. I like sitting up on the wheel and plan on doing so for a long time :joy:. Tim

[Kyle]

How in the dickens do you remove this thing? I cant tell where it ends and the steel oil pump body begins. Anyone have experience doing this on autos?
Does it just pop out? I'm just worried about mangling it and making it even harder to remove.
6430
I damaged the old one poking at it, so there's no going back. :bdmd:

[boogieman]

looks like a common oil seal, should just pry out, one of these makes it easy...

6431

[Kyle]

Got it out. It had a steel outside ring that made it really hard to extract, esp with the shaft still in the middle of it.