neutral rpm too high, causing hard shifts to D & R - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

xtheeliminator · 03-17-2009, 09:20 PM

I have a 99 avalon, and ever since i got the tranny flushed/ cleaned egr , ive been having a shifting problem.. when thae car is cold ( NOT IN OPERATING TEMP) i do not have this hard shifting problem but as soon as the car has warmed up.. if i put the car in neutral rpm will go higher than(i think arnd 1500) usual and naturally if i then shift to either reverse or drive it will jerk the shit out of the car.. - very frustrating, any have any clue why this is happening.? could it have anything to do with the throtttle cable//?

additional info- i also changed 3 of the 6 spark plugs about a year ago.. could that have caused this after a year..??

PLEASE HELP!

xtheeliminator · 03-19-2009, 12:49 PM

CMON!!! no one else had this issue???

TTercel · 03-19-2009, 02:25 PM

Is your idle high in drive as well?

xtheeliminator · 03-20-2009, 01:16 AM

thanks for the reply.. and no its not high on drive.. well its close to 1k.. and i really payed attention today.. and this jerking crap doesnt happen.. the first first 15 minutes of driving.. and i think it only happpens when im going from R to D.. like after backing out of a parking spot.. and yes i tried holding it in neutral and yah still does the jerk.. cuz rpms will stay right above 1k.. on neutal.. and then just shift really hard into D... u think it has anything to do with the amount of fluid?? or maybe dextron isnt a good atf? i feel like changing the fluid now.. i also recently did a tranny flush..

lhandzs · 03-20-2009, 12:19 PM

you said , "ever since i got the tranny flushed/ cleaned egr, ive been having a shifting problem". suggestion only... look back at your engine and check the hoses from EGR if it is misplaced and check the level of tranny fluids. one more thing is check all of the engine mounts and transmision support if it still in good condition.

xtheeliminator · 03-20-2009, 12:24 PM

thanks lhandzs, i willl check everything.. , and yah the torque mount kind of has a crack.. on it..

aznstylez · 03-09-2010, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtheeliminator

thanks lhandzs, i willl check everything.. , and yah the torque mount kind of has a crack.. on it..

I kind of have the same similar problem with my 2001 Avalon and it just started happening like 4 days ago. The rpm would be high at 1500rpm in park and neutrel when I start up the car and it stays at 1500rpm even when the car warms up. If I put it into Reverse, Drive, 2, or L it goes down to 1000rpm. I just replaced the "DogBone" engine mount. I haven't replace the transmission fluid for at least 11,000miles or the coolant like forever. I just replaced the alternator and cleaned the IACV valve last month after it acted up by shutting the engine down, it fixed the low RPM symptom. So I'm just wondering if there is any fix to this and is the high RPM gonna mess up anything in the long run. My state inspection is due this month also. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

pmesfun · 03-09-2010, 09:28 PM

Same here we have always had a problem with high idle when the engine is cold, and I hate the way it jerks when you shift gears. Is this common with the 1mz-fe engine, or is there a way to fix this?

xtheeliminator: Would you recommend having the trans fluid changed or not change it at all, I'm at 125k and I am debating on whether or not to do so?

aznstylez · 03-10-2010, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmesfun

Same here we have always had a problem with high idle when the engine is cold, and I hate the way it jerks when you shift gears. Is this common with the 1mz-fe engine, or is there a way to fix this?

xtheeliminator: Would you recommend having the trans fluid changed or not change it at all, I'm at 125k and I am debating on whether or not to do so?

I don't know if it's a common thing or not for the 1mz-fe engine. My car has 218,010 miles on it and it just started happening a few days ago. Have you check the engine mounts to see if any are worn out? I just don't want to fail the state inspection test this month. There is no check engine light.

artbuc · 03-10-2010, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmesfun

Same here we have always had a problem with high idle when the engine is cold, and I hate the way it jerks when you shift gears. Is this common with the 1mz-fe engine, or is there a way to fix this?

xtheeliminator: Would you recommend having the trans fluid changed or not change it at all, I'm at 125k and I am debating on whether or not to do so?

I have the same problem on my 99 Avalon. Yes, it is a common problem. If the high idle only happens when cold and all other idle control functions are ok, eg idle bumps up when A/C is turned on, idle is nornal at normal eng temp, etc, then your problem is in the ECU and there isn't anything you can do about it. The ECU has "look-up" tables programmed into it which determines how much fast idle you have when the engine is cold. My car was fine for the first 6 or 7 years, then something in the ECU shifted. I thought about wiring in a variable resistor into the Engine Coolant Temp loop so I could fool the ECU into thinking the engine is warmer than it is. I did not do this because it was more trouble than it is worth. BUT, it is a royal PITA to start the engine on a cold day and shift into R with the engine revving at 2k. Also causes extra wear on the brakes while you wait for engine to warm-up.

sarsman45 · 03-10-2010, 05:09 AM

Question: is your A/C always on? Because if you have way too much freon it screws up the idle speeds for the engine, resulting in crazy high idles and high RPMs. The normal RPM for the 1 MZFE is about 750 in Neutral.

aznstylez · 03-10-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarsman45

Question: is your A/C always on? Because if you have way too much freon it screws up the idle speeds for the engine, resulting in crazy high idles and high RPMs. The normal RPM for the 1 MZFE is about 750 in Neutral.

My A/C is never on and it doesn't matter if it's cold outside or not. When it's in Park or Neutral, the RPM rises to 1500rpm. When I put it into Drive, Reverse, 2, or L, the RPM lowers to 1000rpm. Put it back into Park or Neutral again, it rises back to 1500rpm. This just happened a few days ago.

aznstylez · 03-10-2010, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artbuc

I have the same problem on my 99 Avalon. Yes, it is a common problem. If the high idle only happens when cold and all other idle control functions are ok, eg idle bumps up when A/C is turned on, idle is nornal at normal eng temp, etc, then your problem is in the ECU and there isn't anything you can do about it. The ECU has "look-up" tables programmed into it which determines how much fast idle you have when the engine is cold. My car was fine for the first 6 or 7 years, then something in the ECU shifted. I thought about wiring in a variable resistor into the Engine Coolant Temp loop so I could fool the ECU into thinking the engine is warmer than it is. I did not do this because it was more trouble than it is worth. BUT, it is a royal PITA to start the engine on a cold day and shift into R with the engine revving at 2k. Also causes extra wear on the brakes while you wait for engine to warm-up.

I resetted the ECU but it still happens.

artbuc · 03-10-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aznstylez

I resetted the ECU but it still happens.

Resetting the ECU will not solve this problem as you just discovered.

sarsman45 · 03-10-2010, 02:49 PM

How are your gauges reading? Is the engine temp normal? Have you also checked/cleaned the throttle body? (a stuck throttle can also contribute to this.

It could also be bad o2 sensors or a bad MAF sensor. There are a lot of factors that can add up to this. I dont have my Haynes book on me right now, so that's all I can give right now.