1st gear only when cold

[ravi2patel]

HI,

My camry with 150k LE 97 4cyl is lately causing some issue. When i start the car from cold and start driving (before the quiet idling), the gear stays in first and does not seem to automaticaly shift. At the same time ofcourse the RPM shoots up as the gear does not shift. Once the car reaches the idle 50% temperature mark, the transmission works normal.

i admit that the last major service i had done by the delear was at 70K and none since however i do change the oil on regular 3k intervals.

Can someone shed some light on the transmission issue ? THanks

-Ravi

[SKYravefever]

When's the last time the tranny oil was changed? Also, how long does it take for your car to reach the half mark on the temp gauge? If it takes a while (>5 min while driving), you might consider changing the thermostat.

[ghettosled]

sounds like you are low on trans fluid. the fluid level actually raises when its warm, so maybe its raising enough when warm so the trans gets enough fluid to shift.

[ravi2patel]

Thanks for the reply. The last time i had my trans oil change was at 70k. Last time i checked the trans. dip stick the oil looked good (orange)...don't remember the level. i think i will have it flushed.

[GaryS]

The very first thing that I would do is a complete transmission flush and fluid change and then see if it continues.

Gary

[Corsulian]

The overall problems is a common one--I've been told it partially has to do with your catalytic converter needing to warm up before operating properly.

I've got 112k on a 94 I4 Auto and it does this anytime it's less than 40 degrees--but it gets 2nd gear ability in about 30 seconds and 3rd gear after about 2 minutes (no need for 4th gear in DC area traffic)--well before my temperature reaches 50%. But my car also only reaches the halfway point on the temp gauge when I'm sitting in traffic.