Hello, I was hoping someone here could help me with my 2004 Camry XLE. It has a 2.4L engine and a U241e automatic transmission. It has 240,000 miles on it and I have never had to do ANYTHING to it but change the oil, buy new tires, and replace the brake pads and battery. 
A couple of weeks ago, while on a road trip, I was using the cruise control at about 75 mph. I could feel a slight surging and pulling back, so I just turned the cruise control off and drove without it. But then I noticed a "ticking" in the speedometer. At first, the needle on the speedometer would jump up and drop back down around 2 to 5 mph - but the vehicle was not surging like the speedometer said it was. A couple of times, I noticed the tachometer jump up to over 3500 for no apparent reason while I was cruising at around 75.
Several days later, I was driving at about 45 mph and the speedometer started fluctuating between 40 and 60. When I started to climb a little (not steep) hill, I saw the tachometer jump up to around 4000 and then drop right back down.
I took it to a mechanic and we went for a drive in it, but everything went fine (of course). I had noticed that it only acted up after it was warmed up - like after driving 20 or 30 miles. I had all day and a full tank of gas, so I decided that I would just drive it until it started acting up again, and then go back to the mechanic. About 7 miles down the highway, the speedometer started moving up and down erratically and the engine started surging. I turned back and was driving in the emergency lane at about 25 miles per hour when the speedometer dropped to zero, the tachometer jumped up to 4000 and the check engine light came on. It was as if the car was in neutral - I would accelerate, but there would be no power, then the transmission would engage for a little way and then it would seem to be back in neutral again even though I had the transmission in "Drive". I was limping along like that at about 25 mph but the speedometer continued to read zero.
When the mechanic took it into the work area later that day to get the check engine code, there was no code! He noted that it was idling at 16 RPM. (? is that normal?) He dropped the pan on the transmission to check for any evidence that the transmission was shot, but he said it looked good so he put in a new filter, gasket and the synthetic T-IV ATF. We also decided to put on a Vehicle Speed Sensor. Not sure where to begin, (because there is more than one) I bought a Dorman 917-603 Transmission Output Speed Sensor (the one with the big hole in it) and he installed it.
He took it for a little drive (just a couple of miles) and it did fine, so I went to take it out on the highway to see how it was going to act. This was new...as I was accelerating onto the highway, instead of the speedometer increasing at a smooth rate, it was jumping up in 2mph increments. When I got up to 65, I set the cruise control. It wasn't running smoothly, so I turned the cruise control off. After driving about 10 miles at 65 mph with the speedometer "ticking" a couple of mph, all of a sudden the speedometer started started fluctuating between 40 and 60. Then, with no warning the transmission downshifted and the tachometer jumped up to 5000. I braked heavily, shifted the transmission into neutral and moved into the emergency lane.
I drove back to the shop in the emergency lane and didn't have any more big problems, other than the speedometer cable moving erratically between 20 and 40 while I was driving about 30.
Anybody here have any idea what I should do next? I was thinking of buying the other output speed sensor - (the one with the long cylindrical shaft), but any suggestions anyone here might have would be greatly appreciated!
A couple of weeks ago, while on a road trip, I was using the cruise control at about 75 mph. I could feel a slight surging and pulling back, so I just turned the cruise control off and drove without it. But then I noticed a "ticking" in the speedometer. At first, the needle on the speedometer would jump up and drop back down around 2 to 5 mph - but the vehicle was not surging like the speedometer said it was. A couple of times, I noticed the tachometer jump up to over 3500 for no apparent reason while I was cruising at around 75.
Several days later, I was driving at about 45 mph and the speedometer started fluctuating between 40 and 60. When I started to climb a little (not steep) hill, I saw the tachometer jump up to around 4000 and then drop right back down.
I took it to a mechanic and we went for a drive in it, but everything went fine (of course). I had noticed that it only acted up after it was warmed up - like after driving 20 or 30 miles. I had all day and a full tank of gas, so I decided that I would just drive it until it started acting up again, and then go back to the mechanic. About 7 miles down the highway, the speedometer started moving up and down erratically and the engine started surging. I turned back and was driving in the emergency lane at about 25 miles per hour when the speedometer dropped to zero, the tachometer jumped up to 4000 and the check engine light came on. It was as if the car was in neutral - I would accelerate, but there would be no power, then the transmission would engage for a little way and then it would seem to be back in neutral again even though I had the transmission in "Drive". I was limping along like that at about 25 mph but the speedometer continued to read zero.
When the mechanic took it into the work area later that day to get the check engine code, there was no code! He noted that it was idling at 16 RPM. (? is that normal?) He dropped the pan on the transmission to check for any evidence that the transmission was shot, but he said it looked good so he put in a new filter, gasket and the synthetic T-IV ATF. We also decided to put on a Vehicle Speed Sensor. Not sure where to begin, (because there is more than one) I bought a Dorman 917-603 Transmission Output Speed Sensor (the one with the big hole in it) and he installed it.
He took it for a little drive (just a couple of miles) and it did fine, so I went to take it out on the highway to see how it was going to act. This was new...as I was accelerating onto the highway, instead of the speedometer increasing at a smooth rate, it was jumping up in 2mph increments. When I got up to 65, I set the cruise control. It wasn't running smoothly, so I turned the cruise control off. After driving about 10 miles at 65 mph with the speedometer "ticking" a couple of mph, all of a sudden the speedometer started started fluctuating between 40 and 60. Then, with no warning the transmission downshifted and the tachometer jumped up to 5000. I braked heavily, shifted the transmission into neutral and moved into the emergency lane.
I drove back to the shop in the emergency lane and didn't have any more big problems, other than the speedometer cable moving erratically between 20 and 40 while I was driving about 30.
Anybody here have any idea what I should do next? I was thinking of buying the other output speed sensor - (the one with the long cylindrical shaft), but any suggestions anyone here might have would be greatly appreciated!
