Supercharged Transmission Problems????

What is the deal with the supercharged 4Runners having transmission problems? I have seen alot of guys saying they had to have their transmissions overhauled, but when i called the dealership, they told me that they have seen trucks with almost 200,000 miles, and no transmission problems. I even went as far as to call TRD, and they told me that there should not be a problem with the supecharged output being too much for the stock transmission to handle. Also, what good prevention does a tranny cooler provide? or are they just trying to get me to buy another worthless add on? NEED HELP!!!!!

well that transmission was designed to handle the 184 hp of the stock motor and probably not all that much more. I'm not sure what the TRD Supercharged package pushes but I can assure you it puts some strain on the motor. as far as an auxilary tranny cooler goes, it helps keep the fluid even cooler than the stock one tha is incorporated into the radiator usually. The cooler the tranny fluid the better no matter what the situation and especially when the tranny is under more stress. An aux. tranny cooler is a good idea especially when a do-it-yourselfer can install one for under 100 dollars usually. other than that as long as you drive the truck normally and are not hot rodding it constantly the tranny should be fine

later,

They are using the same transmission in the 2003-2005 4Runner 4.0L V6 with 245 hp. That is at least the output of the supercharged 3.4L engine. Also, the 4.0L engine is in a heavier truck and greater towing capacity, so Toyota believes it will take it. May have a larger cooler on the 4th generation trucks.

There's more to it than just the hp. People (on the average) who install superchargers are a little more heavy footed than those who don't, so that would explain why the supercharged trucks have more problems. It's not just the engine, it's the engine/driver combination that counts.

Can't go by what the dealrship says about not having seen too many tranny problems when your inquirey concerns a superchanged model they rarely (if ever)see.

It is the brake ft. lbs. of torg. more than horsepower that you have to worry about in that application.I have seen lots of crotch granades go off behind blown super charged nos motors.When they come on strong at beginning(off the line) it is torg. , the run out is the horsepower is how most view the difference.
I have experienced first hand that if you have a hot monster under you and hold it back a bit on take off and let it build a bit before letting it rip in full heart pounding raw displays of brutish power hungry asphalt churning madness...automatics tend to hold up lots better....yeah,yeah I know this takes a bit of fun out of it but who put the automatic in..... if you're loaded with bucks then by all means just stand on it and push it back in garage like it's a F.I.A.T and say...Fix It Again Tony!!!!

Thanks for all the help so far! Obviously i am new to the Toyota scene, but you guys can trust me, i am not new to the auot scene. I have had several 5.0 L mustangs, and can diagnose almost any problem with those. Gotta love the American muscle machines. Anyways, the wife has always wanted a 4Runner, and when we found this supercharged truck at the dealer, I could not let it slip by.... I know Gadget has got the hook up on information as far as modifications, but what I would like to know is this: What can I do to make this truck bulletproof without disturbing the warranty? At $2600, I value the warranty, and do not care to mess with it until it is expired. I also was thinking about a brush guard and skid plate. Any good recommendations? Also, does anyone know what is the biggest, most aggressive tire I can put on the truck without having to modify the suspension?


Thanks guys! Help is hard to find, but I apprecciate it!

The supercharged 3.4L makes 273 hp and 270 ft lbs. I own one:)Thats more than the new v6. Unfortunately I have run across many people that dont know that a neutral drop is bad for an auto. They beat the hell out of their cars and dont understand why they always have to fix em. I cant believe what some of these poor vehicles go through.

As for the tires, I prefer Yokohama Geolandar A/Ts, but BF Goodrich A/Ts are popular too. If you dont want any rubbing when your wheelin then 31's are the biggest you can go.

What is the deal with the supercharged 4Runners having transmission problems? I have seen alot of guys saying they had to have their transmissions overhauled, but when i called the dealership, they told me that they have seen trucks with almost 200,000 miles, and no transmission problems. I even went as far as to call TRD, and they told me that there should not be a problem with the supecharged output being too much for the stock transmission to handle. Also, what good prevention does a tranny cooler provide? or are they just trying to get me to buy another worthless add on? NEED HELP!!!!!

Here (http://www.gadgetonline.com/Super.htm)

This should help answer a lot of questions. Dont worry about the top part that explains what a supercharger is. Scroll down to the common problems. It will tell you what they are and how to fix them.

Also, here (http://www.urdusa.com)
Will help fix some of the problems associated with the engine when you put on a supercharger such as fuel lean at higher rpms and pinging.

Hey,

Thanks guys for all the help. Fortunatlly for us, my wife gets to drive the 4Runner, and I am stuck to my 5.0L... she will probably treat it alittle better then i would.... for some reason, i seem to think everyone on the road wants to race, no matter what i am driving... must be a man thing... one last question. does anyone know how many supercharged TRD 4Runners were sold? I saw this truck at the dealer and thought it was quite unique, to find a Toyota SUV from the dealer charged.... Could be my inexperience with Toyotas....

Thanks again!

Hey,

Thanks guys for all the help. Fortunatlly for us, my wife gets to drive the 4Runner, and I am stuck to my 5.0L... she will probably treat it alittle better then i would.... for some reason, i seem to think everyone on the road wants to race, no matter what i am driving... must be a man thing... one last question. does anyone know how many supercharged TRD 4Runners were sold? I saw this truck at the dealer and thought it was quite unique, to find a Toyota SUV from the dealer charged.... Could be my inexperience with Toyotas....

Thanks again!

supercharged 4runner? from the factory? nah... never! I dont think i've even seen one. If you saw one in the parking lot of a dealer it was either used and the previous owner put the S/C in or the dealer put it in as an "accessory".

Well, that is the question i was asking.... The salesman told me that the factory didnt install the supercharger, but a TRD dealer installed it. I was just curious as to how many TRD supercharged 4Runners there were out there, as oppossed to Joe Blow's supercharged 4Runner... I know there are probably quite a few experienced and respected guys out there doing the install themselves, but i am also sure there are a bunch of idiots out there doing the installs too....Hennessy Vipers sound familiar???

Well, that is the question i was asking.... The salesman told me that the factory didnt install the supercharger, but a TRD dealer installed it. I was just curious as to how many TRD supercharged 4Runners there were out there, as oppossed to Joe Blow's supercharged 4Runner... I know there are probably quite a few experienced and respected guys out there doing the install themselves, but i am also sure there are a bunch of idiots out there doing the installs too....Hennessy Vipers sound familiar???

The dealer doesn't necessarily know the most about your truck. If you do your research you will find that some of them will say some horendous stuff when you take your truck in.

Anyways... there's quite a few trucks out there that are supercharged.
www.gadgetonline.com is one of them.

This guy does his own research, his own trial and erroes, and has even created his own company to fix the shortcomings of the TRD supercharger. You will have all the info you need there.

If you want even more details of first hand experienced supercharged trucks, try another message board.

www.4x4wire.com
Then goto trail talk bbs
then click "toyota" then "4runner ans SUV"

There you will find quite a few people with supercharged trucks.

My guess is that very small percentage of 4Runners are SCed. Maybe 1%. It is a very popular truck and SCing is a pretty radical mod for most people.

Cause it makes the runna radical. oh yessss

Not cheap either