Automatic transmission upgrades:

Limited model 4Runners only came with an automatic. The A340F transmission is also used in other vehicles like the Jeep Cherokee and Toyota Supra. What many do no realize is that the valve body, the mechanical computer of the tranny, is set up different for the vehicle it is going into. The 4Runner comes stock with 'luxury shifting' and made for the power of the motor. What happens is that the tranny shifts too slowly, burning up clutch packs between shifts, similar to burning up the clutch on a manual. This type of modification is best left to a transmission race shop that specializes in the transmission model you have, which are only two in the U.S. for my A340F: Level10 and IPT (I went with latter). There is a ton of R+D of removing, adjusting, installing, test driving, and repeating as needed to get it perfect before they offering this service to the public, which is what you pay for. For the stock power the motor was making, the tranny was fine. When I almost doubled the power, the shifts were extremely long with a noticeable decrease of vehicle speed during shifts, (OVER 1 SECOND between 1st and 2nd for example)! I sent the valve body to IPT (import performance transmission) up in Maryland where it was disassembled, orifices were enlarged, new solenoids installed, new springs for the accumulators, and it was adjusted to add twice the line pressure at max boost. I don't have pictures with it out due to the mess and how I had springs rolling everywhere on the garage floor, only installed:



All done, new filter, pan painted, flushed, and serviced with Amsoil synthetic. I used about 20 quarts of Amsoil ATF, go to their site and price the fluid. But it is the best stuff out there!

Transmission oil cooler installed. This is a quality stacked plate design, what should be looked for when buying any type of oil to air oil cooler. A note on attention to detail: Those clamps securing the oil cooler lines are aircraft adel clamps. Far superior to the wire-tie method. All in the details: