Background:
We all know that the Automatic Transmissions in the Camry/ES 300 (both of the v6 4-speed automatics 2vz-fe & 3vz-fe A540E, 1mz-fe A541E are mechanically the same) are setup for comfort. The bad news is that they're slow shifting. The good news is that they don't hunt for gears under anything but highly spirited driving. The great news is that there is something we can do about it!
Theory:
Anyone that's looked into making serious power gains on any A/T Toyota engine will notice the second most important upgrade to the A/T is to upgrade the valve body. By raising the pressure in it, the shifts are much harder, and faster. This gives quicker shifts and also reduced wear on the transmission. (less heat is produced)
Most of you that poke around the engine bay will see two cables going to your throttle body. Obviously one is the throttle, but what is the other cable? A good guess would be cruise control, however that is incorrect.
The second cable is the "Throttle Kick-down Cable" and it's function is close to what the name says. It controls a valve in the transmission's valve body that can increase, and decrease the pressure in the valve body.
(A great example is the ECT button on the transmission. With it held down, the transmission shifts harder, and holds gear longer. The astute among you notice if you get on the throttle hard enough at the "right" RPM range the same thing is accomplished. This is because the cable is tighter the more the throttle is open.)
What we are going to do raise the pressure of the valve body, without sending it off to a transmission shop and spending $399 on a great upgrade.
Instructions:
The red cable is the throttle kick-down cable on *my* car in it's stock position (the nuts are in the middle). What we need to do is make the cable as tight as possible WITHOUT restricting wide open throttle. (If you crank it too tight, you can't open the throttle all the way.)
All you have to do is run the top nut in that picture all the way to the rubber stopper, then close the bottom nut on it. (as said above, this will probably restrict your WOT operation, so back off a little)
Your shifts will now be much quicker, and much firmer also. Possibly to the point of just being a really hard shift. Your car is not only quicker, but the transmission will go longer without burning fluid, and the clutches will last longer because they're not holding the planetary gear set as long.
*note*
Forewarning, the transmission will also shift into Drive and Reverse harder also. You can't have it both ways, everythings a compromise. If it's too much of a pain going into D & R back off.
*edit*
So many months later and so many still confused.
Just do that!
****************************************
Other Articles in the Series:
Part I Quicker Transmission Shifting
Part II Adding Airflow
Part III Taking Advantage of Intake/Exhaust Upgrades
Part IV Cheaply Monitoring the ECU & A/F
Part V How to pick up MPG, and sleep with her too!
Part VI Acing Aerodynamics
Part VII Cheap Water Injection
Part VIII Electronic Transmission Controller
****************************************
We all know that the Automatic Transmissions in the Camry/ES 300 (both of the v6 4-speed automatics 2vz-fe & 3vz-fe A540E, 1mz-fe A541E are mechanically the same) are setup for comfort. The bad news is that they're slow shifting. The good news is that they don't hunt for gears under anything but highly spirited driving. The great news is that there is something we can do about it!
Theory:
Anyone that's looked into making serious power gains on any A/T Toyota engine will notice the second most important upgrade to the A/T is to upgrade the valve body. By raising the pressure in it, the shifts are much harder, and faster. This gives quicker shifts and also reduced wear on the transmission. (less heat is produced)
Most of you that poke around the engine bay will see two cables going to your throttle body. Obviously one is the throttle, but what is the other cable? A good guess would be cruise control, however that is incorrect.
The second cable is the "Throttle Kick-down Cable" and it's function is close to what the name says. It controls a valve in the transmission's valve body that can increase, and decrease the pressure in the valve body.
(A great example is the ECT button on the transmission. With it held down, the transmission shifts harder, and holds gear longer. The astute among you notice if you get on the throttle hard enough at the "right" RPM range the same thing is accomplished. This is because the cable is tighter the more the throttle is open.)
What we are going to do raise the pressure of the valve body, without sending it off to a transmission shop and spending $399 on a great upgrade.
Instructions:
The red cable is the throttle kick-down cable on *my* car in it's stock position (the nuts are in the middle). What we need to do is make the cable as tight as possible WITHOUT restricting wide open throttle. (If you crank it too tight, you can't open the throttle all the way.)
All you have to do is run the top nut in that picture all the way to the rubber stopper, then close the bottom nut on it. (as said above, this will probably restrict your WOT operation, so back off a little)
Your shifts will now be much quicker, and much firmer also. Possibly to the point of just being a really hard shift. Your car is not only quicker, but the transmission will go longer without burning fluid, and the clutches will last longer because they're not holding the planetary gear set as long.
*note*
Forewarning, the transmission will also shift into Drive and Reverse harder also. You can't have it both ways, everythings a compromise. If it's too much of a pain going into D & R back off.
*edit*
So many months later and so many still confused.
Just do that!
****************************************
Other Articles in the Series:
Part I Quicker Transmission Shifting
Part II Adding Airflow
Part III Taking Advantage of Intake/Exhaust Upgrades
Part IV Cheaply Monitoring the ECU & A/F
Part V How to pick up MPG, and sleep with her too!
Part VI Acing Aerodynamics
Part VII Cheap Water Injection
Part VIII Electronic Transmission Controller
****************************************