Probably a worn mount.

 

I don't think so. I recently (2 months ago) had all four mounts replaced because of vibrations and rattling. This was happening before and is still happening now.

 

Well. How many miles does the tranny have on it? Did you check the transmission fluid levels?

Otherwise. These vehicles are old, many of them don't have the transmission fluid changes they probably should have had, etc. The 99 Corolla I have has a slight clunk when it shifts into park from any other gear (this has developed over the last 20k miles/3 years), I'm chocking it all up to the tranny fluid not being as fresh/lubricating as it should be.

If you think the trasmission fluid is due for service (or you think it's safe to service, due to age/mileage/etc), it might smooth out or stop the clunk a bit with some clean fluid. Or it might not, could just be due to normal wear over the years or something more complicated.

 

I bought this car 4 months ago so I don't know how many miles the tranny fluid has. What I do know is that it's properly filled and it's a bright red color still. The car has 94k miles so it's definitely been changed at some point or it would be black/brown by now.

That said, the fluid could definitely be the culprit, because color isn't everything. I'll keep that in mind.

edit: If it's just an age issue, I probably shouldn't worry about it then? Your Corolla has done the same thing for a while, I'm assuming, with no ill effects?

 

I've had no issues with the clunk, my gears and all shifting is still strong (on hard acceleration is a little rough and it'll surprise the inexperienced, but nothing horrible). Although I make sure I come to a COMPLETE stop before shifting gears of any kind. I believe this was my original problem, and caused the tranny fluid to sort of 'age' prematurely. I had gotten the car when it was 42k miles old in 2010, tranny fluid was still bright red when I got the car. With 71k on it now, it's due for a flush.

If the tranny is only 94k old in miles, I'd say it's fine. Just if you're a real eager quick shifter and you roll when you're shifting.. the clunk might be from the wear due to that action. I'd just be sure the brakes are engaged completely before shifting at any point.

If the fluid is the cause, it might be due to the lubrication abilities of the fluid in the tranny/etc. But if you're not having issues with your driving gears, I'm not sure I'd worry too much.

I do recall if I'm shifting to park on an incline of any sort, it tends to be a bit louder and/or the car will rock a bit along with the clunk.

 

The car still shifts smoothly, no problems there. I'm always at a complete stop before I shift. I always pull the e-brake before I lift off the brakes and put it in park. I find this avoids that rocking motion, which I hate. Probably good for the pawl as well.

You're right, I shouldn't worry about it, unless someone else chimes in and gives me reason to the contrary.

 

Just a little tip. let the car rock after shifting into park. The transmission locks itself into place when you shift into park by basically sticking a peg into a gear. Obviously, it won't always push the peg into one of the low points in the gear. That's why the car rocks: The wheels, thus the gear, move so the peg can properly lock.

My mother had some transmission issues on her previous 2000 RX. The shifter would lock itself in place if the pin didn't seat itself properly. Even on a hill, just put it into park and let the car roll just a little bit then pull the handbrake.

 

The best thing to keep the parking pawl in good shape is pulling the handbrake and letting off the brakes in neutral. Then brake again and go to park. The weight of the car transfers onto the drums instead of your 20-year-old transmission and the car doesn't rock.

It might be the linkage making noise.

 

Interestingly the 1993 Corolla factory repair manual doesn't have an A245E troubleshooting item dedicated to issues with P. (The A245E repair manual doesn't have a troubleshooting guide and is entirely focused on teardown and assembly.)

In the "Operation" section it is indicated that P engages "U/D Brake" ("Prevents underdrive sun gear from turning either clockwise or counterclockwise"). So if it's internal to the assembly (and not linkage cable or anything external) then that's the area to focus on.

That being said, sounds like it might be worth putting the car up on ramps and getting the help of a friend engaging D/N and then P, while you're under with a light to see if it could be anything external.

If it's internal it's probably worth what you're suggesting, i.e. draining and refilling the fluid. Might not be super likely to fix anything, but also relatively simple and inexpensive to try.

I'd get some high quality synthetic fluid, and there are options for high mileage transmissions. This thread discusses the procedure: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...generation-1993-1997/807593-diy-4-speed-auto-transmission-fluid-drain-fill.html

 

Thanks for the link. Was definitely thinking on refilling with synthetic ATF.