3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Ok so im new to TN and a new camry owner. just got a 97 4cyl LE auto with 92k on the clock. The car runs great. Am going to do the timing belt/water pump soon. I did change the oil to Valvoline syn blend. I dropped the trans pan and did a fluid/filter change. Used Valvoline syn blend here too... I believe it has the AISIN trans it it. Anyways there was hardly anything on the 2 magnets and almost nothing in the filter. Put a new gasket on it, filled it back up and it shifts GREAT! For two weeks, not a kick when shifting from P to D or during driving. Until I let my sister drive it one day. I think she might have raced it. When it shifts, it kicks now. Not when you put it into gear (cant feel it, just like before)... but that silky smooth shift is gone now... and it shifts like my accord..... what do ya think? maybe she stretched out the kickdown cable???? knocked something out of adustment??
get the fluid changed and have the tranny checked for leaks. make sure you use the right toyota type t fluid for your make/model.
Give it a few weeks after that. Worst case, add a bottle of lucas auto tranny fix AFTER giving the above a try as it may remedy the problem, at least temporarily.
Harsh shifts are usually due to excessive fluid pressure. Does it still "kick down" normally (when you semi-floor it, does it drop down a gear for better acceleration?) If it doesn't kick-down, then need to check the kickdown cable up on the throttle body and down on the tranny...
I vote the PWR button has been activated by your sister! Deactivate it. Trans shifts return to normal!
/\+1 for this comment!
Was the old fluid varnished? Did it have any distinctive smell?
It could be that the fluid change made the clutchs grab during engagement. Did you drain the converter too? A simple pan drop only gets about 1/3 of the total system capacity. So now you have 33/66 split of dino and synthetic. Pull the plug on the pan AND pull the plug on the torque converter. this will get you about 80% of the fluid. Refill and try again.
No matter what you do do not add any kind of stop leak additive.
Because you need to get the MIX out you could do this after the plug in the T/C has been installed: fire the engine up to 1000 rpm for about 5 seconds and turn it off. This will dump some of the remaining fluid into the pan. Maybe get you to 90% fluid change.
PS - disregard the modulator. It doesn't have one.
Let us know how it shifts. Oh and the original fluid condition.
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95 Cam, V6 1MZ, Auto A541E, LE >245,000 miles!
Harsh shifts are usually due to excessive fluid pressure. Does it still "kick down" normally (when you semi-floor it, does it drop down a gear for better acceleration?) If it doesn't kick-down, then need to check the kickdown cable up on the throttle body and down on the tranny...
True - but it doesn't sound like anything else was changed.
I'd say yes, if the engine was swapped or maybe a top end overhaul where the t/v was disconnected.
Think of this as a condition like getting your brake rotors wet. It makes them grab for a while. I'm curious WHAT the fluid looked like that came out of that machine!
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95 Cam, V6 1MZ, Auto A541E, LE >245,000 miles!
the fluid that came out of it was a darker red, a little funky but wasnt burned and didnt smell weird. this camry was originally a toyota lease car. I believe all or most of the scheduled maintenance was done at the dealer. So i think the fluid has been changed at least once already. It did need to be changed tho. but with only 92 k on it, i think the trans is still cherry, eh?
i dropped the pan and changed the gasket, but I did not know the torque converter had a plug on it! wtf! thats a great idea. this weekend Im going to pop both plugs like 73 recommended and see what that does. It was shifting better today, for some reason. this being my first toyota, i dont know how their trans feels. if a firm shift is normal, just how much kick is normal, and how much is too much??
still would like to figure out why the lites behind the climate control panel (and next to the gearshift) do not work.....? im thinking maybe a loose connection. how possible is it only those bulbs burned out?
and which engine/trans do i have? i have yet to figure that out (i work a lot)
Last edited by carpetguy00; 03-09-2010 at 11:41 PM.
the fluid that came out of it was a darker red, a little funky but wasnt burned and didnt smell weird. this camry was originally a toyota lease car. I believe all or most of the scheduled maintenance was done at the dealer. So i think the fluid has been changed at least once already. It did need to be changed tho. but with only 92 k on it, i think the trans is still cherry, eh?
You never know with trannys, but chances are the tranny is in good shape.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carpetguy00
i dropped the pan and changed the gasket, but I did not know the torque converter had a plug on it! wtf! thats a great idea. this weekend Im going to pop both plugs like 73 recommended and see what that does. It was shifting better today, for some reason. this being my first toyota, i dont know how their trans feels. if a firm shift is normal, just how much kick is normal, and how much is too much??
Heh. I didn't even know that -- I always do an exchange by pulling the cooler line off the radiator. 73's way is probably almost as good, a lot less messy, and doesn't waste as much fluid (I just use cheap Wally World DexIII, but if I were using synth, I'd definitely care about the wastage). I've always considered the Camry's shift to be pretty soft and sloppy, unless the PWR button was engaged.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carpetguy00
still would like to figure out why the lites behind the climate control panel (and next to the gearshift) do not work.....? im thinking maybe a loose connection. how possible is it only those bulbs burned out?
If all the bulbs are out, it's gonna be a connection, ground, or fuse -- the chances all bit the dust are pretty much nil.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carpetguy00
and which engine/trans do i have? i have yet to figure that out (i work a lot)
yea mine kicks too slightly cold while changing thru park to reverse to drive etc. and had great maintenance i got it from the dealership i think its normal it does bother me sometimes but oh well. Also when changing up and down gears like 1,2,3 when driving you can feel it changing which i think is pretty cool
Lock-up:
Only 3rd (1:1) and O/D and above 42'ish miles per hour.
Smooth, subtle nudge, firm, harsh, , jolt, stutter, In/out, None.
Kick-down via throttle position:
Same as downshift.
FYI: My V6 A541E, has solid firm shifts in all ranges. It feels solid, and deliberate. No "Slide" between the gears. In ECT, very firm no slide, borders on a jolt that you noticiably feel. Fluid is bright red'ish and smells just like fresh fluid from a jug.
Folks, its slipage the heats and burns up trannies. A smooth tranny which is hard to feel shift will typically have darker fluid because it slips bewteen gears. This "slip" takes a thin layer of clutch material from the linings and floats it in the oil, hence the darker fluid. The flip side is a tranny that's to harsh between gears and does it very solidy. This is good for towing, less heat, no slippage but can break stuff over time due to shock loading.
I think the hardest shift to notice is not a shift at all but the torque converter going into lock-up. Only happens in 3rd and OD above 40+. If your super sensitive to the tranny you can feel 5 distinctive changes.
1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to lock-up, 3'rd w/lock-up into OD, and lastly OD to OD with lock-up of the T/C. A slight tap of the brake pedal will drop the tranny out of lock-up. Can you feel it? Not so much, but it can be seen on the tach and may be felt as soon as it goes back into lock-up. Remember the t/c appliess like 95% of the engine rpm at cruising speed until the t/c goes into lock-up and it becomes 99.95% delivered to the transmission input shaft. This increases the fuel economy and reduces the tranny temp because the T/C is not slipping that 5% anymore.
I hope this helps. There are lots of things to seperate "when an event" occurs and sometime a few lines of text just don't do much.
And then you get one my novels. . .
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95 Cam, V6 1MZ, Auto A541E, LE >245,000 miles!
added 1/4 at of tranny fluid today b/c i checked it and was a little low. can tell a diff in the shift. firm but solid. less shitty. I mite have torqued the bolts on my pan a little too much and pushed the gasket out a little, I'll have to check.
a good friend of mine, an old man that seems to know how to fix absolutely anything, seems to think that a firmer quicker shift is better on a transmission than a drawn out smoothie shift. i will say, i have owned (and still do) own my share of fords (2, currently).... before the trans died on them, the shift was almost too smooth. now, both fresh rebuilds, they do have a nice solid shift you feel.
one answer ive yet to come up with: driving/taking off faster, or taking your time to work up thru the gears. Does your tranny heat up more the quicker you rabbit from the red lite or what?? or does it just adjust to the way you drive, so it doesnt matter. . . .?
And what is this PWR button u guys keep mentioning??
Last edited by carpetguy00; 03-10-2010 at 10:49 PM.
In the GEN 3 Camry, it is the button next to the shift lever. It is marked NORM and PWR. If you push it down it will turn on the PWR light in the dash, and change the shift points to a more aggressive shift pattern. It will hold on to gears longer before shifting, and down shift much more readily. It does up the performance noticeably. I turned mine on to PWR (power) in 2001 when I first bought my '93 V-6 LE Camry, and haven't turned it off since. Your Camry being a '97 may not have it, I'm not sure.
a good friend of mine, an old man that seems to know how to fix absolutely anything, seems to think that a firmer quicker shift is better on a transmission than a drawn out smoothie shift.
He's correct. A trans that shifts smooth will wear out quicker,because the clutches are slower to engage completely ,something like that.
Mine doesnt have the PWR button. Just the O/D off button. Which is fine. I deliver pizza part time but I try not to rag on it. kinda let it build speed slowly. I was looking for a stick shift when I got this car, as automatic trannys seem to hate me. I have replaced 3 in Fords that I own/ have owned since 2005, even with proper maintenance. So yeah, Im just a little paranoid. Aside from the leaking sunroof, this Camry is great. Strong winds do seem to blow it all over the road. But, it runs so nice and quiet, you wouldnt think its a 13 year old car.
when I accelerate from a stop, the first shift on my trans on my 96 I4 shifts hard and makes the car kick. no matter how tight or loose I adjust the cable, it still does this. it feels like it slips when trying to shift, which explains why the Check engine light is on with the error code for Shift Solenoid "E". My mechanic replaced the solenoids, ECU, and tried other things to get rid of the CEL, but it just kept popping back up.
it also kicks when i slow down in traffic, right below first gear, and accelerate immediately to speed up. it's annoying cause the RPMS go up but the car doesn't go anywhere for a brief second or two.
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1996 Toyota Camry DX [230K]
DEPO Chrome HL's w/ converted Nokya Arctic White 9005 low beams, CF Dash Kit, 14" AR Rims
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