89 Camry engine/transmission problem

Hello all.

My 1989 Camry with 3S-FE engine and automatic transmission has been
exhibiting the following problems in the last two weeks especially in
the morning when temperature is cold (in Souther California):

1) Engine RPM can be "unusally" high when the car is idling in
traffic. I am talking RPM level that you normally hear when you
accelerate a car to about 10-15mph. And when idle RPM is too high I
noticed that whenever I accelerate the car from stop, the moment that
I press on the gas pegal there is a sudden drop in engine RPM almost
to the point of engine stall and then the car will accelerate
normally.

2) Transmission does not shift normally. When this problem happens,
the transmission will attempt to shift from first gear directly into
third gear. At least that is the impression I get because if I put
the transmission selector into "2", the car will continue to use the
first gear even as I accelerate to 20mph. And as soon as I put the
selector into "D", the transmission shifts from first to third gear.

3) Transmission will not shift into overdrive even after I drove the
car for 10 minutes on the free way at over 45mph. This has severely
hurt my car's fuel economy in my morning commute (unless there is
traffic jams).

These problems only happens when temperature is cold and they can
persist for over 15 minutes before everything is returned to normal.
The problems only disappear only after the car has been driven for
over 20 minutes.

Also the "O/D off" light on the dash has blinked a few times even when
the car is operating normally.


Does anyone here know what kind of repairs I need to have to get my
car back to normal?

Thanks very much.
-CG

<nospam@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:e1gbj2dvp3v0q44tpksvcka7g6ebk0if8o@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Hello all.
>
> My 1989 Camry with 3S-FE engine and automatic transmission has been
> exhibiting the following problems in the last two weeks especially in
> the morning when temperature is cold (in Souther California):
>
> 1) Engine RPM can be "unusally" high when the car is idling in
> traffic. I am talking RPM level that you normally hear when you
> accelerate a car to about 10-15mph. And when idle RPM is too high I
> noticed that whenever I accelerate the car from stop, the moment that
> I press on the gas pegal there is a sudden drop in engine RPM almost
> to the point of engine stall and then the car will accelerate
> normally.
>
> 2) Transmission does not shift normally. When this problem happens,
> the transmission will attempt to shift from first gear directly into
> third gear. At least that is the impression I get because if I put
> the transmission selector into "2", the car will continue to use the
> first gear even as I accelerate to 20mph. And as soon as I put the
> selector into "D", the transmission shifts from first to third gear.
>
> 3) Transmission will not shift into overdrive even after I drove the
> car for 10 minutes on the free way at over 45mph. This has severely
> hurt my car's fuel economy in my morning commute (unless there is
> traffic jams).
>
> These problems only happens when temperature is cold and they can
> persist for over 15 minutes before everything is returned to normal.
> The problems only disappear only after the car has been driven for
> over 20 minutes.
>
> Also the "O/D off" light on the dash has blinked a few times even when
> the car is operating normally.
>
>
> Does anyone here know what kind of repairs I need to have to get my
> car back to normal?
>
> Thanks very much.
> -CG
>[/color]

I think the car has 2 different problems. Check the engine coolant
temperature sender for the ECM to make sure voltage goes up as coolant
temperature goes up. Also, make sure that the engine warms up properly,
that the thermostat is not stuck in the open position, and that the
thermostat is the correct temperature range. If the engine does not warm up
or if the computer thinks that the engine is not warmed up, it can make the
engine idle high and keep the transmission from shifting into overdrive. If
the engine is actually warmed up but the computer thinks that it is not,
then you could experience drivability problems.

The blinking OD off light means that the transmission computer has detected
a problem and may have a trouble code stored in memory. My guess is that
there is a problem with one of the shift solenoids, which would also cause
erratic shifting. Check the connection to the transmission shift solenoids
and check the level and condition of the transmission fluid.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)