Shifty. well, every so often....1992 Camry

[elsirianni]

it's a 4 cyl auto and it's been giving me trouble since i got it on the road. i'll basically be cruising in overdrive and it will randomly downshift into third and then start going back and forth from 3rd to 4th about every second. it will either just stop after a minute or so or will stick in third gear. generally this will only happen every two or three weeks, but sometimes it will happen more frequently. i've taken it to a few places now and they all just want to start throwing parts into it without knowing what the problem is. i'm broke, so this technique is not going to work out. the car runs like a champ 95% of the time, i'm just concerned the problem will just get worst if i don't take care of it. does anyone know anything about this?!

[Dave's]

I won't pretend to have a clue. But random thoughts has me wondering about a wiring problem between the overdrive switch to the solenoid. Doubt a defective solenoid would cycle that fast. Guess the RPM changes when this happens so hard to tell if an engine problem could be causing it. But is the engine smooth all the rest of the time?

[ghettosled]

is there a kick-down cable on a camry? maybe its too tight.

what is the condition of the transmission fluid? (level, color...)

[elsirianni]

thanks for the fast replys!

the engine runs great the rest of the time. the car actually blows me away. it sat in my buddy's woods for a year and a half before i got it and passed inspection and emissions with flying colors. ride's smooth, good gas mileage, just a great car.

the transmission fluid is at a good level, a little dark, but nothing that got my mechanic worried.

i did have quite the mouse infestation when i first got it. they had nests EVERYWHERE. all over under the hood, under the back seat, trunk, the effin A/C fan! so the possibility of a wire being chewed through is definitely not out of the question.

it's such a frustrating problem cause no mechanic has a clue. i've asked 5 different ones and they all said something different. i'm driving across the country the middle of july and just want the certainty that i'm not going to loose overdrive 2 hours into the trip.

[elsirianni]

here's some links to people with the same problem:

This one is the only one i can find with a follow up to the question. most of the time, the people ask a question, it's answered, and then there's no way of knowing wether or not it worked.
http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...94-camry-50-60


http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl219e.htm

http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...changing-gears



i think i'm going to try the kick-down cable and see what that does. the annoying this is, i might not be able to tell if it worked for another 2 weeks! or whenever it decides to do it.