Remans are so hit or miss especially for such a vital piece.......I'd go to a transmission shop and see if they can get you a good one or help you out

 

I'll give some a call, but this car isn't worth a $400 TC, which is what I assume they charge. If so, my best bet is a local parts store that accepts returns of defective items from 30-90 days. I'd have to drive it around a bit to see if it's a good one, under all speeds and conditions.

Btw, in case I get a bad one and have to replace it, can TC's be replaced without removing the trans, by disconnecting the trans from the engine and sliding it leftward to give enough clearance to do the swap?

 

Can you get information off the current TC to see if it may have been replaced when the other work was done that messed up the R? Perhaps the existing TC may be relatively new...or you might see if it's a terrible brand and secure your need to buy a different one while you are in there.

 

I checked and there's basically nothing on the current TC that could give me a clue as to how old it is, what make (or who rebuilt it) and whether it was replaced when the reman trans was installed. No sticker, stamp, etching, etc. I found the old receipt and it just said rebuilt trans installed, no mention of the TC.

But given that it's permanently inside the bell housing and fully protected from the elements, if it had an identifying sticker then it should still be there, so it probably never had one, suggesting that it was a cut rate reman TC and probably worth replacing just for that reason alone. The only question being with which one, and from whom?

I'll call some local trans shops and talk to my neighbor, who used to own a junkyard, so see what they can get. But there's also a Transcend/Transtar not that far away from here, and they sell several reman TCs, including a Recon & CVC. Maybe it would be best to get one from them, since they're a known and reputable vendor and if it's a bad TC I'm sure they'd exchange it? Otherwise it's a TA Remanufacturing one from RockAuto or an ATC Pro King from Autozone.

 

So I ended up getting a Recon TC from Transcend. I've yet to install it but they're a reputable vendor and there's a 4 year warranty on it, and I got a good price on it with a 5% discount, around $185 + tax. I picked it up myself as I live near one of their warehouses so no shipping charges. Hopefully it's a good unit as I'd hate to have to take the trans down again if it's not.

I also got a brake band from them, and separately ordered a master rebuild kit from Cobra Transmission. It was only $20-$30 more than getting a basic or banner kit and buying the individual discs and steels that needed replacement, so I figured that I might as well replace everything while I have the trans down and apart.

Now if only I can find a replacement for one of the thrust bearings that's missing 5 of 32 rollers, part # 90374-24002. It's the last or innermost one on the "main" subassembly of gears, pistons, brakes and clutches that inserts into the O/D subassembly, if that makes sense, closest to the driver's side of the trans.

Someone installed one plate too many on the 1st & Rev clutch pack which applied excessive pressure on the bearing and damaged it, along with all the discs and plates in that pack, which are all worn out and why there's no reverse on this trans. It's discontinued and out of stock everywhere I checked, and I might have no choice but to use it as is and hope for the best. It's encased in races so that should offer some protection.

 

Now if only I can find a replacement for one of the thrust bearings that's missing 5 of 32 rollers, part # 90374-24002.

It is readily available. Here are the first 3 that came up after a quick google search for you:

90374-24002 Genuine Toyota Bearing, Thrust Needle Roller

ToyotaPartsDeal.com offers the great deal for genuine Toyota parts 90374-24002 (9037424002) Bearing, Thrust Needle Roller for $3.13. All parts are backed by the Toyota's warranty.

www.toyotapartsdeal.com

https://www.toyotaonlinepartsdepot.com/p/toyota__/bearing--thrust-need/53739921/9037424002.html

https://www.toyotapartsdirect.ca/p/Toyota__/BEARING--THRUST-NEEDLE-ROLLER-FOR-REAR-PLANETARY-FLANGE-BEARING/47935502/9037424002.html

 

Also try the big warehouse Megazip, in UAE (I've found some NLA parts through them before) and the big one in Japan (just now the name escapes me, Partsouq?).

 

I'll try these, thanks, but I did try Amayama, in Japan and UAE, and no dice.

And today I found another part that needs to be replaced, one of the 3 valve body piston springs, which had a couple of turns break off. I mean the big ones in the corner. Hopefully it's not as hard to find a replacement part. I should probably replace all three to be safe. I forgot for sure which one it was but I think it was C1, the one you have to remove with compressed air. I imagine that a spring short 2 turns will cause all sorts of issues.

 

From the descriptions you are certainly getting further and further away from something that will be worth trying to rebuild (beyond trying to find replacements for all of the broken and damaged parts).

 

I don't see it that way. The hard parts are all fine, other than these two small ones. Gears, shafts, main bearings, pistons, etc. It's just these two and some of the clutch discs and steels and all the o-rings, gaskets and seals that need replacement, which is standard for a rebuild and all are available. With a junk yard trans there's no way to know what I'm getting. When I'm done I'll have a fully rebuilt trans, that would have cost me $2-3k from a reman shop.

If I can't find these two parts then I might go to a junkyard to see what I can find. Do they typically let you open up a trans that's sitting around, for parts, or do you have to buy it as is and use it for parts as needed?

If it's usually the latter, what I could do is get a junkyard trans, open it up to get the parts I need (assuming that they're not broken too), then try to sell all the other parts, individually or as subassemblies, on eBay and such over time. I'd probably be able to double what I paid this way. It would just be a hassle is all. Does this site allow such sales of used parts here? Given all the help I've gotten here I'd certainly give priority to site members.