So I think my 2004 Tundra is stuck in reverse. The column shifter was getting harder to move in and out of reverse/park for a while. Last week I went to Home Depot and I thought it was in park, but really it would only move into reverse and I shut the truck and couldn’t restart it when I returned. Discovering I couldn’t get it into P and that’s why it wouldn’t start I was able to get it into N (very hard, thought I was going to break the shift lever) to start and drive home, at home I couldn’t get it into Park but was able to get the key out and it didn’t roll (or rather I think the column was in P but the trans was still in R and the cable had just enough play to let that happen).
I thought it was going to be a broken shifter, gummed up cable or the brake/shift lock problem, so I took half the dash apart and removed the linkage from the column shifter and the shifter moves fine (but is a little lose from the excessive force I applied trying to shift gears lately, but the cable was solid and couldn’t be moved. I crawled under the thing and unbolted the cable from the shift mechanism on the trans and the cable was free moving as well…leaving me with the trans as the problem.
With nothing attached to the shift lever/bracket on the trans, shouldn’t I be able to move that freely and shift gears? It wouldn’t budge even with some hammer taps. It’s solid but not from rust or corrosion (and I did spray it down with penetrating oil), it just won’t wiggle a millimeter in either direction! There’s no other mechanism to keep it from shifting gears is there? Is my whole trans shot? Is there anything else I can check?
Many thanks,
Charles. 🙁
Side note, the thing shifted fine in drive, no slipping, no delayed shifts or anything, just hard shifting between P and R.
There’s no other mechanism to keep it from shifting gears is there?
Yup, there is.
Is my whole trans shot?
not neccessarily
Is there anything else I can check?
drop the pan and inspect
Can you provide anything more specific? What's the mechanism that could prevent shifting? And what would I be looking for after dropping the pan? Anything from the TSRM or something with specific and useable info?
I know jack about Toyotas, but an auto tranny shift linkage will typically have a shaft, a detent lever, a park pawl, and a manual valve link. I would drop the pan, and play some "leg bone's connected knee bone ...". Then I would diddle the shift lever and look for what's stopping it from moving. That's all I've got.
If you're not comfortable doing it, then it might be a job best left to a professional.
Maybe from lack of timely fluid and filter changes it sounds like you need a new trans.
I just bought this and only put a few hundred miles on it, but the previous owner says he kept up with maint (who knows for sure) and the fluid looks good.