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Toyota Camry Transmission Questions (MY Prior to 2007)

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Comments

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I can't diagnose the problem over the internet, but the 2002-04 Camry has a 4-speed automatic; the 5-speed was introduced in the 205 model year.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    There is at least one solenoid in your transaxle that is used in a "linear" fashion. If that is the one replaced the battery needs to be disconnected for 10 or 15 minutes to force the ECU to learn the correct control parameters for operating the new solenoid.
  • adbsadbs Member Posts: 5
    I have an '03 Toyota Camry. Yesterday morning after I put the car in drive and started to drive it hesitated to change gears for approx 1 minute and then it did and drove fine the rest of the day. It also drive fine this morning. We took my car to a transmission shop this morning to have it checked out and we have been told that "the fluid was darker than motor oil" and "there was very little pressure" and that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. I have 117,000 miles on this car. Is there anything else that could be the problem other than needing the transmission rebuilt? There have been no other problems other than yesterday.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    How cold was it outside yesterday morning, and is the car garaged?
  • adbsadbs Member Posts: 5
    It was probably low 40's and no, we do not have a garage.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    OK, then it wasn't cold enough to cause the delay in upshifting, which can occur on a cold start when temps are well below freezing.

    At this point, I'd say simply to drain and refill your transmission's fluid, if it's never been done before. But do not have it flushed, and don't go back to the shop that said it has to be rebuilt. It sounds like they have $$$ signs in their eyes!
  • birdie11birdie11 Member Posts: 1
    Purchased my 2007 Toyota Camry brand new. Transmission fried itself at 30,000 miles. I was told by the dealer in Augusta Ga that this was the first transmission their dealership had
    replaced and very unusual for it to happen. January 28th 2011, my son drove my Camry from South Carolina to Pittsburg, PA. Just as he arrived at Pittsburg, the transmission started slipping. Next day on the way to the dealership, the car just stopped in the middle of a very busy street. So....this is now transmission 2 fried and 3rd transmission to my car. The Car has 52,000 MILES! My son is stranded in PA. I call Toyota Corp and ended up screaming at the idot on the other end. They are acting as though I am having my muffler changed instead
    of 2 freaking transmissions in 52,000. I own two small businesses and would never treat my customers this way. The dealer that just replaced the 2nd transmission cannot tell me why
    the transmission failed. I argued that at this point it is clear that it's not the transmission stupid, it's the CAR. I believe there is a problem being sent by the computer to the transmission that is incorrect. The service manager told me that when they connected the car to the computer that he had never seen so many codes on the screen. I asked howmany transmissions he had replaced at his shop and he told me this was the first. Looks like Iam in the market for an attorney....this is just plain wrong.
  • dcking09dcking09 Member Posts: 3
    My daughter has a '95 Camry and it's acting really wierd. I'm not sure if it's the transmission, something electrical or what. At any random point and speed while driving, it seems to kick itself out of gear. There's no warning, no lights come on or anything. When we're driving down the road suddenly it loses power and the RPMs jump up as if it drops to the previous gear. When it does this you can feel it catch that lower gear but you have to allow the car to slow down for it to begin to run normal again. Sometimes this happens while the overdrive is activated, sometimes it don't and sometimes it happens before we even activate overdrive. Sometimes this happens but once in a day and sometimes it will happen about every other mile. I can't seem to force it to happen and there is nothing typical about each event. At one point we had problems with her car not starting while the previously mentioned was taking place. This was traced to an after market alarm system that we were unaware of and once it was removed several other issues were revealed. Her starter was replaced and we had problems with the Neutral Safety Switch. Now we need to figure out why it's doing what it's doing now. If you have any ideas I would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks in advance.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Doesn't it only drop out of overdrive, or are you saying to would drop, say, out of 2nd into 1st at low speeds, or are you not sure which gears drop?

    If you aren't sure, you can lockout the overdrive I believe with the "hold" button and then test to see if the transmission still does this.

    Certainly, checking the fluid level of the transmission is the first step.
  • dcking09dcking09 Member Posts: 3
    I'm not sure which gear it's dropping out of at the time it chooses to do it but it's definitely random. It'll do it at 65 mph and at 25 mph. Sometimes it runs like a charm when the overdrive is locked out but again that's just sometimes. It's crazy...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well what I was driving at, no pun intended, was.....if it drops out of ANY gear, that's a lot worse than if it drops only out of overdrive, which could be a simple electrical problem.
  • dcking09dcking09 Member Posts: 3
    ok...so, since I'm not 100% sure if the overdrive is the actual cause or if it's something worse I'm going to attempt to fix it by starting with the least expensive route. I know that checking and/or changing the fluids is the first thing but what electrical components am I looking to change if it is the overdrive and then what would be next suggestion to look at or consider?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    First thing I'd look for is the switch for the overdrive, which I guess is on the gearshift on that car?? Check for loose wiring, connections, etc. Then also check the overdrive fuse for corrosion.

    It's important for you to dial in your diagnosis and determine whether it is only in overdrive that it drops out.
  • skyking13skyking13 Member Posts: 1
    Your problem is the method that your son is driving the car!!
    Toyota transmissions are perhaps the most durable in the entire world market place.

    If you can, sit him down, and explain to him exactly how to operate the transmission, and tell him that the next time it happens, that you will not pay for it, but that he must.
    Stop throwing your good money at your sons problems.
  • eliotbeliotb Member Posts: 3
    The car is a base model with 94,000 miles, new to me about 14k/2 years ago. The previous owner was fastidious about car care. At 90,000 I had my indy mechanic drain the tranny and differential and refill as it was about on schedule for that. Maybe 1,000 miles later I began to get a turbine-like whine in 1st and 2nd gears. I don't link the two events, other than they are sort of near one another time wise.

    The noise rises with engine/transmission speed, then falls as the shift is made, rises again in 2nd until the next shift, and then disappears. Shifts are smooth. From a cold start in the morning, the noise does not appear until the car has gone what is probably enough distance for the tranny to heat up. It almost sounds like a high-bypass airplane turbine whine, though the frequency sounds a bit higher, and obviously the decibel level is lower!

    Does anyone have any thoughts? Am I perhaps imagining a problem that isn't there?

    Thanks
  • bribarrybribarry Member Posts: 1
    I'm 20 years old and this is my first car that I am taking care of on my own. I bought my 2007 camry from the dealership about three months ago, with 81k on it and "no problems". Car fax was good. Mechanic gave it the ok. A few days after I bought the car, I noticed when I was parked with my AC on, the rpm's went up to 2.5k. I also noticed (gradually) that sometimes I felt the car jolt/kick. So, I went to the dealership. They did some pointless stuff, said all the little twirks I'm going to feel are "normal". It's gotten worse. The car is so loud when it's idling. When It is supposed to be going into second gear,It gets slower. Lack of acceleration. The rpm's get stuck in between 2k and 3k very frequently. I've read online about 07 camry recalls. I KNOW my transmission is going. I can just feel it. What can I do about this without a warrenty????

    thank you.
  • carbuf1carbuf1 Member Posts: 9
    Are you sure it is the transmission making the noise? I have heard of cases similar to yours where the alternator was actually making the noise. Try removing the alternator belt and take it for a short drive to see if the noise goes away. Also sometimes having the belt overtightened may put too much strain on the alternator bearings causing the whine.
  • eliotbeliotb Member Posts: 3
    I figured out the source of the noise (with the help of a garage) and it is close to what you suggested. It's the bearings in the A/C compressor going bad, or so said the owner of a local shop who pointed out the noise came and went with the A/C switch on/off, and used a stethescope to listen to an area behind the pulley as it was running. I think this little repair is going to wait until late Spring of '12! thank you for responding.
  • joonjoon Member Posts: 121
    I have a 95' Camry V6 automatic with 235k miles. I bought it new and it has run perfectly until very recently with just normal and wear and tear-type maintenance. For several years the car has been shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear in the morning when the engine is cold (goes up to around 3000 RPM before shifting to 2nd), which I consider normal since it has been doing that for many years. But recently the check engine light came on and several times a day even when the engine is hot the transmission is shifting hard from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd (waits until about 3000 RPM before shifting); also maybe once a week or so, when I come to a full stop I notice that the transmission has not shifted down to 1st and is still stuck in high gear.

    I took my car to a transmission shop and the technician told me that there is probably something wrong with one or more of the solenoids, which I figured as much. But even without looking at the car or test driving it, he told me that based on the high mileage (235k miles) just replacing the solenoids would at best be a very temporary fix as the reason things are getting plugged in there is because parts of the clutch, gaskets, etc are starting to disintegrate. So, his recommendation is to rebuild the transmission.

    On the surface his explanation seems to make sense. On the other hand, I have purchased this car new, most of my driving is on the highway and I never push the car hard at all and have changed transmission fluids at the recommended intervals. Is this technician telling me the truth (he is just basing his recommendation of rebuilding the tranny based on mileage, have not seen or driven the car) or is it possible that a transmission with over 200k miles can still be perfectly good, if driven smoothly? Also he gave me two quotes: one using non-OEM parts w/ a 2-yr unlimited miles warranty and the second using OEM parts w/ a 3-yr unlimited mileage warranty and the difference in price is about $1000 ($1,800 vs. $2,800). I know you get what you pay for, but $1,000 is a big difference, but not sure if I should skimp on something like a transmission. Any recommendations? Thanks for your feedback.

    Joon
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