ECT tranny 'power' mode

[bmanning]

Hey All...

Looking for a real techie to answer this one for me:

The 'power' mode on the 4-speed ECT transmission on 3rd gen 4runners-- what exactly does it do? I know it "holds" the transmission in gear longer, creating more RPM & therefore more power, but does it also affect torque converter lockup?

What I'm getting at is: I drive a lot in stop/go traffic (NYC & surrounding area), and I also love the performance difference driving in 'power' mode makes. However, I'm afraid to use power mode very much because if it allows more TC slippage (to build up more power), that means more transmission heat-- not a good thing.

Anyone have a detailed explanation of exactly how power mode differs from economy, and if it's safe to run constantly? The owners manual says not use in conjunction with cruise control, but doesn't say much about it beyond that...

BManning

 

[lee]

they say not to use it when towing and in conjunction with cruise, but you can keep it on in any other conditions for as long as you want.

thats the info i have read.

 

[molotov]

Good thing I read this thread. I was going to be towing my boat this coming weekend and thought it might be better to use that ECT feature. I thought because I was pulling a boat the extra power might come in handy. I guess I won't be using it after all.

 

[lee]

sorry got that wrong!

use ECT for towing... its O/D you wanna turn off when towing. sorry about that.

 

[ebelen1]

There were a couple of threads on yotatech about this and from what I recall, it's not an issue to use this during daily driving. Others went as far as to check if it affected gas consumption and it didn't as long as you are consistent with the gas pedal.

 

[4-Ruiner]

To my knowledge, there should be no problem keeping it on the POWER setting. I have had toyotas in the past with the same ECT feature, and never had any problems driving with it on all the time. I do notice a decrease in gas milage, but not much.

 

[makakio]

Yeah you can drive 100% of the time in ECT - it just holds the revs longer before shifting, that is all. Actually, my tech said to break our new 4R (back in 2001) in with ECT on all the time to get the engine properly worn in during break-in period. Apparently, if you just baby the thing along it develops an RPM "sweet spot" from idle to about 2800RPM and revs over 3500 can come really hard, feel grainy and rough, etc. So I used it as instructed and the enine feels nice and smooth pulling all the way to 4800RPM or so. I suppose they probably all do. Now I only use it when towing (with OD "off") or climbing long, sustained grades.