Transmission died recently at 180,000 km (112,000 miles). My sister drives this car in New Jersey but I do all of the maintenance for her. I thought the transmission was fine as recently as December 2011, car overall seemed find other than rough idle when the engine was cold. So this was quite a shock to me.
ATF was changed 3 times (drain and fill) - 1st with Toyota ATF and then 2nd and 3rd times using Amsoil Universal Synthetic ATF, most recent drain and fill was October 2011 (at around 175,000 km).
My sister was in Vermont (in cold weather) and just today the car wouldn't go into gear. She got it towed to a local mechanic who advised that the transmission was gone and needs to be replaced. Since that time she has gotten it towed to Boston (AAA plus $140).
Does anyone know of any mechanics in Boston who specializes in transmission service at a reasonable price? I am hesitant to take it to the dealership as they will likely quote me a ridiculous price which will not make any sense given the year and mileage of the vehicle.
The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that this just happened all of a sudden. Usually a transmission failure is more gradual, with rough shifts, etc.
Transmission died recently at 180,000 km (112,000 miles). My sister drives this car in New Jersey but I do all of the maintenance for her. I thought the transmission was fine as recently as December 2011, car overall seemed find other than rough idle when the engine was cold. So this was quite a shock to me.
ATF was changed 3 times (drain and fill) - 1st with Toyota ATF and then 2nd and 3rd times using Amsoil Universal Synthetic ATF, most recent drain and fill was October 2011 (at around 175,000 km).
My sister was in Vermont (in cold weather) and just today the car wouldn't go into gear. She got it towed to a local mechanic who advised that the transmission was gone and needs to be replaced. Since that time she has gotten it towed to Boston (AAA plus $140).
Does anyone know of any mechanics in Boston who specializes in transmission service at a reasonable price? I am hesitant to take it to the dealership as they will likely quote me a ridiculous price which will not make any sense given the year and mileage of the vehicle.
The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that this just happened all of a sudden. Usually a transmission failure is more gradual, with rough shifts, etc.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Try cartalk.com there is a feature called Mechanics Files. You may find some good information there. Good luck.
The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that this just happened all of a sudden. Usually a transmission failure is more gradual, with rough shifts, etc.Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
What is the fluid level? You might be leaking trans fluid at the output shaft seal. On the corolla you can get some sludge there, which causes the seal to shrink, and then when that sludge gets cleaned off by a cleaner or a product like amsoil, you can have a gap left over due to the shrunken seal, resulting in a leak. This is one time where sludge removal can be a problem. To check, turn your steering wheel all the way to the left and look in at where the axle enters the transmission behind the front left tire, and reach in and feel for fluid in the area.
As an update, the plan is to take it into Toyota to assess what the problem is, and if it can be fixed. I'm curious to find out what the problem was.
Its hard for me to believe that the use of Amsoil synthetic ATF caused the transmission to fail as from all of the research I've done, Amsoil is a higher quality ATF than the Toyota ATF and is compatible on these cars. That is why I elected to pay the premium for Amsoil ATF.
I should find out soon what the issue was, thanks again for the responses.
i think the 03 corolla takes toyota type t-iv atf fluid. that stuff is not synthetic. amsoil atf is synthetic and may be better, but isn't oem. i suggest a 2nd opinion mechanic.
for it to just let go, out of no where, no noises,etc.. It has to be something electric IMO. A bad/loose ground, solenoid, speed sensor,etc.. Possibly low fluid.. I think the transmission is fine if it never gave a hint as to a problem. It's just easier for most shops to make a buck by replacing it, than trying to properly diagnose it.
Did the check engine light ever go on? Any codes stored? Please update when the problem is found.
car still has not been taken in...but will keep everyone posted on the results..
as for any codes, I did have intermittent check engine light (P0171), which I think is unrelated to any transmission issues...light has been off for the last while which is why I elected not to replace any of the O2 sensors which may have been the source of the check engine light.
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