a340e Vibration/shutter while shifting into 2nd under moderate to heavy load

[Supra0089]

Hello. I'm running 15psi on lex afm, 550 setup with supporting mods. My auto tranny has an external cooler with fan and shimmed 1/2, 2/3 accumulators.

As the car shifts from first into second, I can feel a few (3 or 4) distinct vibrations or shutters as 2nd gear starts pulling and then they go away as I accelerate through the rest of the gear. This started about a week ago, and there haven't been any changes to the car's setup or my driving habits in about 2 months. There is not loss in power (as far as I can tell) to the wheels while this is happening. It is only noticeable in 2nd gear, not first or 3rd or OD. A couple people think the torque converter is the culprit. I'm looking for more feedback and/or ideas around the problem, or where to troubleshoot next.

Fluid level seems to be where it should be while it's hot/cold. I check the car when it isn't running.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Supra0089]

Saw a toyota racing specialist today. He drove it and as soon as 2nd gear hit under WOT, he said, "it's definitely the 2nd gear clutch pack starting to slip."

He said it's drivable a long time as long as 2nd gear isn't abused. He recommended getting the tranny built within a year with performance clutches, torque converter and whatever else. Guess I've got my next year's plans in place for the car...

For those of you who get similar symptoms, here is what to look for according to this guy:

Tranny fluid starting to darken within the first 4k miles after a fresh flush/tranny oil change. Smelling oily/burning smell combined with any slippage/loss of power under moderate to WOT. Wining sound as a gear attempts to catch. Any jumping of the RPM as the car is drivin through any given gear.

All of which I have with the exception of the wining sound.

 

[Nick M]

If you are having it built locally, you should go with the IPT kit. That should save a lot of coin over buying the rebuild from them directly.