Transmission Hesitation Upshift/Downshift

[DaFOBulous1]

1997 Toyota Camry V6 XLE

In the last few months, I have been in progress to do some maintenanca to my beloved Camry with 228K miles. (tires, struts, springs, new paint, engine mounts).

One concern I have is my transmission. It has quite a rough upshift and downshift specifically 1-2 and 2-1 especially if I have the A/C or heater on. Traffic is a nightmare since I try to be real careful. More like a clunk than anything and at times it isn't that bad.

Flushed it once and changed the oil twice within the last 20K. Still red like new. My mechanic said all of the mounts are broken but I'm not sure that would fix it.

I have been using it with my travels and logging lots of miles but I don't want to do a rebuild and it has the problem with the P0446 so I can easily see myself spend a lot more and rather just start looking for a new car.

Any suggestions is appreciated.

[71Corolla]

If your mounts are bad, then that can definitely cause the clunking you're experiencing. I would start by replacing those and go from there. You don't want to dump a bunch of money into the car if the transmission is starting to fail. But it's more likely that the damaged mounts are causing your problems.

[fenixus]

on a side note, when engine mounts go bad there is like a dozen bolts getting over-stressed along with it ... so check the air cleaner box mounting bolts (one of mine got broken off), check the metal splash shields under engine (I had 2 bolts missing and other 2 broken) as well and take a look at bottom bolt holding the grille/hood opener bracket to body (mine got broken off).

also take a good look at your exhaust flex pipe (mine was cracked open).

but to answer your shifting problem, I think as above that bad engine mounts can cause that harsh shifting for sure (3 engine mounts and 1 transmission mount are probably worn out).

... but to be safe, I recommend you drain and refill the transmission fluid at check the color, smell and consistency (should be red, clear and not stinky). refill with something good depending on the budget, like Castrol IMV blend or Supertech Mercon-V (compatible with Dexron-III).

[JohnGD]

What does the engine do when you shift from P or N into D or R? Does it clunk? If the engine mounts are bad and the "dog bone" is bad, then you should experience a noticeable jolt as it shifts. Is the 1-2 shift similar to the shift into D/R from P/N?

It's also possible that it's something inside the transmission. The Aisin A140 is a decent transmission, unlike the newer U-series clunkers that can flare and clunk even when new!

Have you ever dropped the pan, clean it and replace the strainer? (Cleanliness and fluid level accuracy are important here). Since you're having some problems (if not solved by mounts), maybe use a high mileage ATF like Valvoline MaxLife.

Main engine mounts are something I'd prefer OEM. But if you're just counting the miles before getting rid of the car, then maybe just use aftermarket mounts/dog bone like Anchor or Beck Arnley. The dog bone or the transmission mount are just rubber and those you can always use aftermarket.

Looks like all four Beck Arnley mounts are about $203+shipping before 5% rockauto's TN member discount. BTW, always use the manufacturer's catalog to find part numbers.

BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1041425 Front $86.79
BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1041520 Rear $49.79
BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1041751 torque strut "dog bone" $25.99
BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1041406 Transmission mount $40.99

Originally Posted by DaFOBulous1

1997 Toyota Camry V6 XLE

In the last few months, I have been in progress to do some maintenanca to my beloved Camry with 228K miles. (tires, struts, springs, new paint, engine mounts).

One concern I have is my transmission. It has quite a rough upshift and downshift specifically 1-2 and 2-1 especially if I have the A/C or heater on. Traffic is a nightmare since I try to be real careful. More like a clunk than anything and at times it isn't that bad.

Flushed it once and changed the oil twice within the last 20K. Still red like new. My mechanic said all of the mounts are broken but I'm not sure that would fix it.

I have been using it with my travels and logging lots of miles but I don't want to do a rebuild and it has the problem with the P0446 so I can easily see myself spend a lot more and rather just start looking for a new car.

Any suggestions is appreciated.

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

It's also possible that it's something inside the transmission. The Aisin A140 is a decent transmission, unlike the newer U-series clunkers that can flare and clunk even when new!

Sorry to hijack this thread, but what fluid do you recommend for a A541E/2000 Lexus ES300? The car has always had fluids changed by the Lexus dealership up until I bought it (they used Toyota fluid) but when I drained it, it had turned brown after only about 8,000 miles of use. I've read that the Toyota brand fluid tends to do this.

I bought some Mobil ATF 3309 on sale so I used that, transmission seems like like it, but not sure if that is what I should continue to use going forward. Cost is not so much of an object I'm willing to pay extra, except for some of the exotic fluids that cost $12/liter that's a bit much. Thanks.