Torque Converter Going Bad?

[cheeba]

Hi guys,

My 2000 Camry CE has about 120,000 miles on it. About a year ago the CEL came on and gave a P code that referenced "shift solenoid E". I reset it and it came back on a few months later. Finally took it to a transmission shop and had them test drive and diagnose and they said something about the car "losing prime?" and that the torque converter might be going bad. They want to rebuild the transmission. $1500 bux.

Does this sound like the correct diagnosis? I just had the tranny replaced about three years ago. The only discernable symptom is a whirring sound shifting from about 1 to 2nd and 3 to 4th...kinda like it is slipping.

Should I go ahead and have it rebuilt, 2nd opinion, or keep driving it until it fails (if i can get at least a few more years from it)?

Thanks.

[hill8570]

Unless you really trust the shop, I'd get a second opinion...1500 bucks is a lot of change. "Losing Prime" means the ATF pump in the tranny isn't pushing much pressure -- I'd want to know if they actually measured the pressure, or just did a shade-tree diagnosis based on symptoms. The E-solenoid controls lock-up in overdrive, so it wouldn't generally be an issue that would cause a 1-2 or 2-3 slippage.

BTW, did y'all do the basic checks, too, like checking that the ATF level is OK? Low ATF will give you a slippy shift, too.

[slavie]

Definitely go for a 2nd opinion first.

If you are in for a tranny rebuild indeed (which seems unlikely), I'd say drive it till it starts to slip noticeably, then rebuild.

And what do you mean when you said your tranny was replaced 3 years ago? Usually these Camrys pull off 150k mi+ before the tranny rebuild. If you had yours replaced with used, high-mileage one, then you might have gotten screwed.

[cheeba]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yes, I checked the fluid level and that appears fine. I can have it checked by someone else to be sure. Solenoid E is the code the car is throwing but when the shop tested it, they said the solenoid was operating fine, but the torque converter was having issues.

As for my transmission swap, the last one died around 100,000 miles. It would no longer shift into any gear, so yeah, I had to get another one put in (from a 97 cam I think).

I can go get another opinion, but shops charge like $65 diagnostic fees

[slavie]

Originally Posted by cheeba

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yes, I checked the fluid level and that appears fine. I can have it checked by someone else to be sure. Solenoid E is the code the car is throwing but when the shop tested it, they said the solenoid was operating fine, but the torque converter was having issues.

As for my transmission swap, the last one died around 100,000 miles. It would no longer shift into any gear, so yeah, I had to get another one put in (from a 97 cam I think).

I can go get another opinion, but shops charge like $65 diagnostic fees

So if my math is correct, this current transmission is giving you trouble after just 20k miles? Or did you mean that the 120k was for the current one, and not total?

[cheeba]

That is correct. I've put about 20 to 30k on this tranny.