1997 SR5 possible transmission problems?

[Dnauge]

Hello, I've owned this car for about a year now. It's currently at about 195k miles. It was purchased brand new and passed from my grandfather to my mother and finally to me.

Roughly a month ago I was driving with flip flops on as I was driving down a hill at about 30mph. I accelerated slightly, then let up for a second to readjust my foot and when I accelerated again it slipped gears and made a screeching sound. This happened in a matter of seconds, but I want to say it downshifted RIGHT before I hit the gas again. So I figured that may have been the problem.

Fast forward to this week and it seems to be taking a lot longer to get from gear 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. It'll get up to 2500 RPM and I've gotten into the habit of letting off the gas (if this is doing me worse, please tell me!) at that point, it downshifts immediately and I try again. Past 40mph, it's completely fine.

I also feel like it rocks or rumbles a bit more when I turn it either off or on.

It's been maintained at the same Toyota dealership it was purchased from years ago and for the second time in it's life I took it to a Valvoline to get the oil changed. I had to make a 400 mile trip the next day but felt like I had to get the oil change first and just went with it. At my last change back at the dealership, I learned that Valvoline didn't change the oil filter they charged me nearly twenty dollars for. So that's about 8000 miles on the same filter. Maybe that could have caused this?


I'm sorry I'm so wordy, just trying to provide as much information as possible. I'd greatly appreciate any and all advice helping diagnose the problem before taking it in. I'm working 12 hour days the next two weeks Monday-Saturday so unfortunately I don't have time to take it in to get looked at yet.

 

[jakknz]

A little more info on the truck would be nice, info like engine type, what maintenance have you done etc. With that being said, first thing I'd recommend is changing your transmission fluid. To see a DIY way to do this, look here: Dropping Pan And Flushing Transmission. I wouldn't worry too much about the oil filter thing. Several brands of oil filters can actually be good for more than the standard 3000 to 4000 miles. Just think about how many people out there don't even change the oil for 8000 miles lol.

With the mileage you have, there are so many things that could cause what you're experiencing. I would suggest an entire tune up including timing belt, water pump, drive belts, spark plugs, wires, clean IAC (Idle Air Control) valve and your MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor. Also change all fluids - coolant, transmission, engine oil, gear oil. Some people thought their transmission was giving them a problem when it was really the rear brakes sticking so check those out too.

Without totally obvious symptoms, you need to eliminate the small things first before thinking you have larger issues. Also, I was freaked out the first couple of times I drove my T4R because it wouldn't shift from 2nd to 3rd until I hit 2700 RPM. The computer controls the shifts on start up to where it will not shift into 3rd until the coolant is at a specified temperature or 2700 RPM's are reached - whichever occurs first.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[gannonrt]

Agree with poster jakknz. I've had similar types of issues with my T4R. Eliminating the small issues may save you from attacking something that is not actually wrong and is a more major repair. Get your confidence up by doing some of the smaller issues and hopefully the transmission shifting returns to normal.

 

[quicksilvr]

While I agree with the maintenance suggested...it sounds to me like the transmission is indeed acting up a little. Like some solenoids are sticky. A BG transmission service from a reputable shop would be my first step. Their process goes like this: they put a cleaner additive into the trans, and let you drive for a couple days. This is a mild product that simply loosens varnish, etc. Then they completely flush the system with new fluid. After that, I would drive a couple more days, and then drop the pan and change the filter. Fill it back up with the 4-5 quarts you lose when you dropped the pan, and you're on your way. I've done both trans services: BG's and my own style listed in that link. I like BG's for simplicity.

 

[BlackCat914]

A little more info on the truck would be nice, info like engine type, what maintenance have you done etc. With that being said, first thing I'd recommend is changing your transmission fluid. To see a DIY way to do this, look here: Dropping Pan And Flushing Transmission. I wouldn't worry too much about the oil filter thing. Several brands of oil filters can actually be good for more than the standard 3000 to 4000 miles. Just think about how many people out there don't even change the oil for 8000 miles lol.

With the mileage you have, there are so many things that could cause what you're experiencing. I would suggest an entire tune up including timing belt, water pump, drive belts, spark plugs, wires, clean IAC (Idle Air Control) valve and your MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor. Also change all fluids - coolant, transmission, engine oil, gear oil. Some people thought their transmission was giving them a problem when it was really the rear brakes sticking so check those out too.

Without totally obvious symptoms, you need to eliminate the small things first before thinking you have larger issues. Also, I was freaked out the first couple of times I drove my T4R because it wouldn't shift from 2nd to 3rd until I hit 2700 RPM. The computer controls the shifts on start up to where it will not shift into 3rd until the coolant is at a specified temperature or 2700 RPM's are reached - whichever occurs first.
Hope this helps a little.

That freaked me out a bit too, lol. :lol: