I drove my wife's 2000 4Runner Limited 4x4 and noticed a sound coming from the transmission.. It just rolled 157,000 miles so I figured that wasn't good.. Took it to the local dealer and had a master tech look at it and he said the torque converter is going bad.. He said it could last a year but when it goes, it will leave you stranded.. They said a Toyota torque converter installed is about $1800 (ouch!) but they will call around to find an aftermarket converter which might save about $500.. They called back and said there were no aftermarket converters available???? Could that be true?? The vehicle is in great shape so I am going to make the repair and eventually keep it for my daughter to drive but $1800 seems high.. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

Bring it down to me in Cincinnati and I'll do it for a lot less! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

There are aftermarket. Just have to look. Quick Google search found these...

https://secure.converterman.com/catalogue_product_type.asp?id=58


http://www.idatc.com/toyota/a340_toyota.htm


Theres performance converters available too, but they run $1200-$2000

Used is also another option.


Explain the noise to me, in detail. Any performance problems? Any check engine lights? What does the fluid look like?

It's a whining sound that doesn't happen until you put it in gear.. once you get to 55mph, I don't hear anything.. no performance issues outside of horrible gas mileage, which I am used to but seems to be getting worse.. no check engine light.. let me check the fluid and I'll report back..

I don't know what a bad torque converter sounds like, but just to mention one other related possibility -- read a couple of these threads about a cracked flex plate.
http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1112170
http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1060357
There is an inspection plate under the flexplate where you might be able to see if it's cracked. I checked mine not too long ago. You might want to briefly bump the ignition a couple times to rotate it to see more areas of the flex plate. The flexplate sounds like one of more likely components to fail and get you stranded with 4Runners, Tacomas, and T100's with high mileage on the 3.4L engine with A340F auto tranny.

Even if the flexplate isn't the problem and you really do need a new torque converter, you still need to be aware of the flexplate and possibly replace it with a new one at the same time since it's probably toward the end of its life anyway. It's not like it's easy to get access to.

Thanks for the info.. Here is an update.. I took my son to his baseball game, another rainout, so I stopped by Advance Autoparts in town to see if they had a torque converter and would the cost is.. He first could not believe it went bad with only 157K on it and asked about the fluid also.. I told him I have never had the fluid flushed so I figure it is bad.. He said he would just have the system flushed and serviced and see if the noise goes away.. He said he has done that in the past and it cleared up the problem.. He said if I pull the stick and it is dry, I have a big problem... So I got home and checked the fluid and it was a little low and brown in color.. Should I take it somewhere to have the system flushed and see if the problem goes away?? He said that would cost less than $100 and might solve the problem because he has never heard of a torque converter going out on a Toyota with those kind of miles.. I said my wife drives it to school (teacher) about 20 miles roundtrip and never been off road.. Any suggestions?

I would suggest calling IPT http://www.importperformancetrans.com/ and seeing what they have to say. Sometimes, it's not good to flush a tranny.