1997 Toyota 4Runner. 5 speed automatic?

[97Limited4Me]

OK, I know that my 4Runner does not have a 5 speed automatic transmission. But with that said, I have an odd problem.

When shifting from 3rd to 4th, my transmission does a wierd thing.

It shifts into fourth, and the RPMS drop aproximatly 500rpm. Then, if I keep a constant speed, the transmission will apparently shift again, dropping another couple hundred RPM's. Just like it would if I had a 5 speed automatic.

Noticed it also on a trip to LA this weekend. Driving up the grapevine, I pushed the foot down a little to downshift from 4th to 3rd for some acceleration. Tranny kicked down aprox 500 rpm like you would assume, however i decided to do a test.

A few seconds after i pushed the foot down and the tranmission kicked down, I clicked the O/D button. At this point, the transmission decided to kick down again... What the hell?

It seems to me like I have an issue with 4th gear but I was wondering if anyone here had a similar experience..

Thanks
Roger

 

[JP4RNR]

You are noticing the engagement of the lock-up torqe converter. When the lock-up engages it feels like an extra shift because when the lockup engages the RPM's do drop slightly. The lockup clutch locks both halves of the converter together as one unit to eliminate normal slippage that occurs in the torque converter. The linkage between the engine and transmission is similar to what you would have with a manual tranny. Lock-up only occurs in O/D or 4th gear. When you are going up a hill the transmission senses this and disconnects the lockup clutch so you can utilize more power.Reduces heat in the converter and you get better MPG's