1988 Toyota Camry has shifting issues

[lazycam]

Today I started up the car and let the engine run in park. After about 30 seconds the car's rpm gage steadily dropped until the engine cut off. I repeated the process 2 more times and after 30 seconds, the car shut off once more. Could my problems be the result of a air flow sensor?

[lazycam]

Update: After reading the thread Chirp noise while starting I decided to head out to the car once more to listen to the engine. Sure enough I heard a screeeeching sound for about 15 seconds and 15 seconds later the engine shut off. I heard the noise 3 days ago, but assumed that the old cassette deck was making the noise. Could my problem simply be a worn alternator belt or the alternator itself? Could that also explain why my car has had trouble shifting through gears while driving the last few days? Thank you.

[atobe]

i don't see how the alternator and shifting through gears are related.. but if the alternator isn't working right then it will stop the engine from running and drain the battery. ... alternator keeps the engine running the battery is only to start the engine.

[lazycam]

I just checked the battery and it's pretty much dead (bought a volt meter today). I guess that explain why the car was not starting. As soon as my buddy gets back I'm going to get a jump and test the alternator.

On a completely separate note, would this explain why my automatic has been having trouble shifting gears (from first to second)? At the suggestion of a friend, I switched from power to manual and the ride became a lot more smooth. However the car seemed to have no clue on where to shift. I had to tap around on the gas peddle, and then finally it would shift to the next gear. Car runs fine in first gear and reverse works as well. Could my problem be simply a few gummy valves and I need to hit it with some sea foam? It's very important to note that I purchased the car used last Sunday. Drove perfect for two days (on the highway and streets), until I noticed the car had trouble shifting and would suddenly die when started. The alternator would explain the drained battery and starting, but what about the shifting? I hope I was not too confusing. Thanks in advanced for the help people.

[Kingdom934]

it could be a transmission solenoid that is malfunctioning. What color is the transmission fluid?

[lazycam]

I checked the fluid and it's pretty dark, on the blacker side. I'm guessing this is a bad thing correct?

[atobe]

did you fix the alternator/battery issue ?? it shouldn't be dark red it should be a cherry red. you should try a drain/refill and not do a total flush and see where that gets you.... and the A140 tranny is very picky about the fluid level.... you'll have crappy shift if it's over/under filled also

[lazycam]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to have the alternator issue addressed this week and I'll see how the drain and refill goes.

[racer66]

i have a similar problem.and tried a few used trans computers and it still did it.its possible that the other 2 used computers were bad but i also know the speed sensor tells the trans info so try and check that

[senshockey19]

i have the exact same problem could it be the maf because i get poor gas mileage, it dies out sometimes and my tranny shifts weird.. i changed the fluid and filter and its at apropriate level.. also does anyone know of a diagram for changing tranny solenoids

[nuron]

sens, there have been some threads on the changing out of transmission solenoids, one I recently posted in.