2002 Camry LE 4SP Auto slow/sloppy shifts 1-2 2-3 when cold with colder weather

[FireLikeIYA]

Hello,

I have a 2002 Camry 4 cyl LE with a 4spd automatic transmission. Recently I have been experiencing slow long shifts from 1-2 and 2-3. It's as if it is coasting in neutral for a couple of seconds before finally engaging the next gear. I experience this sensation only after the vehicle has cooled down. The transmission will start to shift like normal within 3 miles of driving. I have only experienced this recently as the weather has started to drop. I have not changed my transmission fluid much as it is a synthetic and Toyota claims it will last the life of the car. I did a drain and fill at 90K mi. The car currently has 150K mi on it and after experiencing these problems I did a drain and fill, drove the car 10 miles and repeated with another drain and fill. This seemed to have helped the first day after doing this but now it is back to the slow long shifts. I am thinking of cleaning the strainer and taking the car in to have the transmission flushed. Does anyone have an idea on what is going on? Is there a way to tell if my transmission is failing? It has been recommended to me to have the bands adjusted but I do not know if this tranny has any. Thanks!

[FireLikeIYA]

*bump*

[FireLikeIYA]

--Just to update-- I have been told that my transmission is going out... Specifically, I have been told that the seals have hardened and need to be replaced requiring an overhaul of the transmission. After talking to a brother of mine who use to work on transmissions I was informed that the seals should start to soften back up just by replacing the transmission fluid. He recommended that I continue to drive the car and just keep changing the fluid for a while and see what happens. So far I have put roughly 2000 miles on the car and have performed three drain and fills and one transmission flush. The car still has slightly longer than normal shifts when cold but it is much better than before. I plan on changing the filter in the transmission ( I have read online that this is a strainer but the one I purchased is a filter?). Hopefully this will do the trick. I assumed before that my transmission contained synthetic fluid due to the "No fluid change required" sticker on the transmission fluid stick but recently found out that it is not. I guess I will start chagning the fluid in regular intervals from this point out.

[FireLikeIYA]

-update- To date I have performed 5 drain and fills and have replaced the transmission filter (it is indeed a filter and not a strainer as I have read online). I have also added a can of K & W Trans-X. Before I correlated the slow shifting with the colder weather but now that it is consistantly cold outside I am finding that my car is experiencing this slow sloppy shift irratically. The shifting does not progressively get worse the colder it gets... Now it either shifts fine or it doesnt (although, it always shifts fine when warm). I am starting to suspect that my transmission is not the root cause of the problem. I have read several similiar issues regarding the Rav 4 having this problem (which shares the same drivetrain to my knowledge). The root cause with the Rav4 appears to be faulty ECU's. Is there a way to check the ECU? What is the best way to reset it? I know I should bring the car into a shop but I am in fear of the lack of skilled troubleshooters out there. I dont want to pay $100 + per hour for someone to tell me that there are metal shavings in the pan so the transmission must be shot. Currently, I can live with the car the way it is but I need it to last another 70k miles.... Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Also, if anyone is replacing their transmission filter, the OEM part is made by a company called Filtran. It is made in the USA. I purchased a WIX filter kit which was made in China. Although this was a kit I went ahead and purchased a new pan gasket and O-ring from the dealer. When compared to what came with the WIX kit the Toyota parts appeared to have a greater thickness in material. I would have purchased a filter from the dealership as well but the dealership informed me that they do not keep filters in stock nor have they ever sold one as this is a part that they have never seen serviced????

[johnnyzee]

wish i could help, all I can think of is software, but if the tranny was working fine before this sloppy shifting occured, software wouldn't be the issue either.

other than being a broken tranny,

could it be bad signal / poor grounding? I've heard that some "big 3" grounding kits help auto trannies shift faster, smoother. Haven't tried it personally, but for now check the grounds, electrical connections.

hopefully someone else can chime in.

[FireLikeIYA]

Originally Posted by johnnyzee

wish i could help, all I can think of is software, but if the tranny was working fine before this sloppy shifting occured, software wouldn't be the issue either.

other than being a broken tranny,

could it be bad signal / poor grounding? I've heard that some "big 3" grounding kits help auto trannies shift faster, smoother. Haven't tried it personally, but for now check the grounds, electrical connections.

hopefully someone else can chime in.

There is a known problem with the software on 2002 models from what I gathered on http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwor...ta-camry-2.htm

"Poor transmission shift: Early production vehicles with automatic transmissions may shift poorly. The revised engine-control module designed for 2003 models can be installed in older vehicles. (2002) "

My problem appeared over night so I am not sure if that applies to my car. I need to do some more research to find out which ECM's this problem affects (The part numbers that I obtained from my ECM are as follows 89666-06220 and TN275000-1882). The car was built in Oct '02 so it may not apply. I have found used 2003 ECU's online for ~$70 but there are quite a few different model numbers.

Where can I find information on the "Big 3" grounding kit?

Thank you for your help. I too am hoping someone chimes in who has experienced the same symptoms.