Hesitant when pulling away, as though the brakes are stuck on.

[Woodman]

I've seen this problem when surfing surf posts and can't track it down.

3 ltr TD Third Gen AUTOMATIC.
After being left overnight in 'Park' (handbrake off) my Surf has diffculty pulling away the next morning. It needs plenty of revs and feels like the brakes are stuck on. After travelling just 10 to 20 feet it frees up and is fine and it only happens after being parked up for the night.

The Auto transmission fluid was changed less than 1000 miles ago and the fluid level is OK.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Purpledoris]

I have this problem too but it doesn't take that long to sort itself - normally a quick downstomp on the accelerator does the trick but seeing as I park on street between neighbours cars it's not that practical! I shall watch this thread with interest.!

[BUSHWHACKER]

This normally happens when the transmission fluid is cold and hasn't circulated around properly.
Try moving the gear lever through all the positions then back into 'D' before pulling away.

Did you check the fluid levels with the engine running?

[Woodman]

Hi and thanks for the responses.

I thought that this was a brake problem. I haven't checked the autobox fluid since before Christmas when I refilled it through the dipstick hole and checked it hot/running.

Today the wife reversed off the drive and then couldn't select DRIVE. After several mins and a massive clonk away she went. I'll check it tonight!

[Woodman]

Last night I checked the auto box oil level when hot (5 mile trip) and with the engine running. It appeared to be a bit low so I topped it up with Dexron 3 -about 1.25 litre. Adding the oil seemed to make no difference to the level on the dipstick (again with the engine running).

Before Chrismas I replaced the auto box oil with 5.5 litres if I recall correctly and the level was fine so I'm not sure why it used some oil.

The wife had the same problem pulling away this morning and again when leaving work. The truck was stuck when moving off, like she'd left the handbrake on (she never uses it so its not sticking on). After a big clonk away she went.

Unfortunately said wife is taking the Surf to France in 7 days and I'm worried the gear box is giving up the ghost. I'm just off to check the oil level cold and will report back.

[Gizmo]

are you sure its the auto-box, ie could the brakes actually be sticking due to not being used as they are self adjusting and if i remember there were some write-ups sometime ago about things like this and if not used can create probs

[TonyN]

Is it staining under load, ie the brakes ARE stuck on, or is it just free revving till it starts to move off, like when there isn't enough fluid in it and you give it some revs to pump enough oil around to get drive.

If its the box, it could be the pump or the torque convertor, either of which means the box has to come out.

[Vagrant No2]

possible blocked pick up strainer ?

[Woodman]

Hi All
Thanks for the replies. Surf has done 115,000 miles.

Gaz -I checked the brakes by selecting Neutral and the truck rolls (backwards) down a slight incline so they seem OK.

Tony -When revved in "Drive" the engine is under load and the bonnet rises an inch as the surf tries to move forwards. Its like the gearbox is in 'park' at the same time it is in drive.

Checked the auto oil (cold) and the level was high (overfilled since I added Dex 3). The oil on the dipstick was as clean and red as it went in the previous night. I told my wife to pump the brake peddle before pulling away and today she reported an "improvement". I've just done 6 miles and the auto box does seems a little free-er.

Last night I suspected that the oil was not circulating properly so I guess the next step is to check the filter (Thanks Rick).

Previous threads say to check the oil when it is really hot after 15km (about 9 miles). My wife has been using the truck for the last 4 weeks. She only works 3 miles away so the oil hasn't been properly hot for weeks. I'll whizz out for a spin over the w/e and check the level again then have a go at the filter.

TBC......

[Woodman]

Tried to let Surf roll forward in neutral (engine off) after being left overnight and she wouldn't move. After I rocked her back and forward the wheels freed off and she gently rolled forward.

Took near side wheel off and front pad is down to 1mm....A bit of a hint was having to top up the Brake fluid some time ago.

I'll fit some new pads if I can find a thread and take it from there.

She's booked in to Tony next Friday for a full Service and he said he'd check her over (the Surf not the wife).

[Woodman]

Front Brake pad replacement. See

http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/techsite/brakes.htm

Pads cost £50-95 plus VAT from Toyota main dealer. Roughtrax and Milners are cheaper but I needed them today!

[Woodman]

New Pads went in fine, but did not cure the problem. If anything it was a bit worse and the clunk was even louder.

One of the n/s old pads was down to 1mm and just off the contacts for the brake warning light. The others still had 5mm or 6mm of material on them.

The pistons pushed back in fine to make room for the new pads, but I'll give the caliper a whack in the morning just to check that its not sticking on.

Next stop (forgive the pun) is the rear brake drums. Then I'll check the mesh filter. I'm not sure if the autobox sump needs a gasket or just sealant and I'd like to find out the torque settings for the fixing bolts?

TBC......

[Woodman]

Next day I put the auto box into neutral (handbrake off) and put a wooden chock under the wheel to stop it rolling away.

I jacked up each wheel separately to check that it rotated freely and they all did. Started her up and she was stuck fast, so it is definately a gearbox problem.

I noticed that flicking from neutral to drive eased the problem slightly and that going straight from reverse to drive eliminated the sticking problem but didn't seem good practice.

The rain and snow meant that the mesh in the gearbox didn't get cleaned. I've asked Tony to check it on Friday and will update soon.

[Purpledoris]

Any joy? After an update, cause I think I might have a wee problem myself and can't afford to do a lot about it yet!
Cheers
Lou

[Apache]

I get that slight sluggishness for 30 seconds or so when cold and figured it's just a 'feature' of the car. It's been like that since I got it three years ago, and has never got any different or caused any grief.

I reckon Bushwhackers right.