Tranny Shifts REAL hard... help please? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

99Camry99 · 06-16-2007, 04:40 PM

1999 Camry LE, 5sfe, auto... had the tranny replaced in Dec. 2006 since the old one had a hole through the casing (yikes) anyways, its been shifting really rough in the past few months.

It is smooth when its cold when first started but gets worse as it warms up. It is rough through all gears, not just first. Not as bad between 3000-5000 rpms (highway merging, etc.) but worse between 1000-3000 rpms.

Two different mechanics said it might be a mount, also maybe the electronic shift points. Wrong transmission fluid was also brought up.

Do we have two seperate fluids in our tranny? Transmission fluid and final drive fluid? I've heard this final drive fluid get thrown around but have no idea what it is and I've done a bunch of searches for it too. Thanks folks.

.Camryman97. · 06-16-2007, 05:19 PM

does it do it with the a/c on cause mine shifts kinda rough when its on but when its off it shifts smooth

but if it does it either way then idk

geoff5093 · 06-16-2007, 08:58 PM

I doubt it would help, but there is a kick-down cable located underneath the throttle cable, which in turn controls how quickly the car shits. You can try moving the nuts more to the side (I forget which at the moment, lol).

Venom_5 · 06-16-2007, 09:00 PM

^ i believe its to the right

for some reason mine are all the way to the left, but i didnt do it ... and im the original owner ... so idk

99Camry99 · 06-16-2007, 09:21 PM

I tryed the kick-down cable and it didn't really help, just made the rough shift slightly shorter cause it was shifting faster. It was still just as rough from when I adjusted it from the original setting/position.

Anyone ever hear of this final drive fluid tho?? Thanks

Spartan0536 · 06-16-2007, 11:05 PM

Let break down this "Final Drive Fluid" thing. First off its ok to ask questions like this, it is what we are here for. Final Drive Fluid = Blinker Fluid. If this doesnt click then let me explain: WHO EVER TOLD YOU THAT LOAD OF CRAP PROBABLY DOESNT KNOW A CAMSHAFT FROM A DRIVESHAFT. Tranny Fluid is the only fluid in your transmission (I Hope) :P.

99Camry99 · 06-17-2007, 03:15 PM

Thanks for the help Spartan but there is no need for the sarcastic crap. Apparently I'm not as smart as you but I'm only telling you what a mechanic told me and I never heard of it before so that's why I asked.

***eyeball96*** · 06-17-2007, 03:20 PM

Ya get sarcastism on TN sometimes...believe I know! But most of the members here are really GOOD PEOPLE, don't let it bother ya!

marc780 · 06-17-2007, 05:13 PM

I think its possible that you could have gotten a rebuilt transmission that requires Toyota TIV fluid. But since you paid them to replace your transmission and now it doesnt work right, the damn shop should really fix the problem after all. What kind of idiots would "fix" a trans and then give it back to you shifting like that?

However - I dont know what trans model number goes to what year etc. But unless you are certain they just rebuilt your old one, its very likely the shop just grabbed whatever one off the shelf they had rebuilt that they thought would fit and stuck it in there! So in other words maybe its possible you got a trans for a newer camry installed in your car and this trans requires TIV fluid? If it requires TIV and Dexron is used instead, Toyota says it can cause bad shifting. A fluid flush is worth a try before you tear into it again - TIV fluid is a dealer only and it costs about $5 a qt, unfortunately - i'd use a 2 or 3 gallons of it and flush out the old stuff.

as for your question about whether the final drive fluid is seperate from the trans fluid or not - depends on the year and engine etc. For the best answer look here, factory manuals with maintenance info:

http://www.camrymanuals.com/

99Camry99 · 06-17-2007, 06:30 PM

Thanks for all the help guys. I tried the kick-down cable but this time I loosened the shit out of it. It helped 100%. So I tightened it back up to take the slack out of it but not so much to the point where it made the shifts rough again. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

I'm gonna leave it that way for the rest of the week. Then we'll see how it handles after a few daily commutes.

xtremeskier97 · 08-06-2007, 11:37 AM

Any update on this 99Camry99? Id like to know how your car was after the week.

THanks!

audionut71 · 08-06-2007, 12:14 PM

At the risk of being flamed, is it possible the mechanic meant the differential instead of the "final Drive". There is a seperate drain for that, right?

steppinthrax · 08-06-2007, 12:28 PM

What the hell is a kick down cable. I have a 99 Camry with an auto tranny. I though the transmission valve body controlled the shifting. That can't be controlled externally right????

steppinthrax · 08-06-2007, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audionut71

At the risk of being flamed, is it possible the mechanic meant the differential instead of the "final Drive". There is a seperate drain for that, right?

It's a FWD transmission the Final drive gear and differential are housed in the same unit. There is not seperate fluid. The transmission is so small.

Venom_5 · 08-06-2007, 12:39 PM

the kick-down cable is right below the throttle cable [on the same little pulley-wheel-thingy] .... and yes, it allows you to adjust basically how late the tranny will shift ... i think it allows the tranny to take more pressure before it decides to shift up, making it slightly more sporty [or, as sporty as a camry can get]