Tranny slow to shift up when cold
- Thread starter GeD
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brian2sun
Elite Member
That's a normal thing that supposed to happen. It's a factory safety feature in which a sensor on the tranny won't let it shift normally until the engine gets up to temp. O/D will not work at all during the warm-up phase. Don't waste your money taking it to a shop (they'll probably tell you it needs a new tranny, haha!). Just let it warm up a few minutes, it's almost winter!
GeD
New member
HaHa ..I wondered.. I read some vehicles do this I have only owned a 4runner for a month or so. I get so paranoid when I first buy a used vehicle.
Jon
New member
This is common in pretty much every auto trans. Just the laws of physics again. The seals and valves are not quite sealed until the unit reaches operating temp, goes for engines too. Perfectly normal operation. I wouldn't suggest waiting for the trans to warm up before you drive to work either. That's gonna take a long time rather than the 30 sec it takes while driving. The torque converter makes 90% of the heat in the trans and isn't going to do so unless you driving.
creatix
New member
Yep on both count: Normal and let it warm up minimum solid 5 mins. Still running and towing over a ton with original, unrepaired auto tranny at 182k+ miles.
PhdNPrerunners
New member
So you are saying I should let my 4runner ideal for 5 mins before I start driving?
creatix
New member
Yes, for cool season temperatures below 40F at least 5 mins minimum. Also if you have not driven your truck for a few days in any temperature. I realize not everyone here is a proponent for engine/tranny warm up but it certainly kept my truck healthy.
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004Gunner
New member
So it sounds like your temperature point is arbitrary and the benefits of idling are anecdotal. I'll agree that normal, and especially hard driving, should not take place until the engine is at or near normal operating temp. But stating that 5 minutes of idling helps keep a vehicle healthy or makes the engine last longer is simply not true. It still seems to be a matter of preference, though there are more and more publications that state gentle driving is best for reaching operating temp. My vehicle will idle cold at 1500 rpm. I can let it do that for several minutes, or shift into gear and transfer that energy into forward motion. Think about that.
creatix
New member
I note you're from New Jersey which get's plenty of cold weather as we do up here in central New York. So yes, any and all advice given on forums should not be taken as gospel. We are merely sharing our individual experiences which then enriches collective ideas from which the reader can choose. Having stated my views does it mean I warm up every single time religiously? No, if my truck was used a few hours earlier I just start and go. But in most cases when given a choice, not in rush I like the idea of warming up my engine/tranny fluids at the expense of perhaps half to one gallon a week? Fuel has been wasted on far worse things like being stuck for hours on end in bumper to bumper traffic every single day.
Mr. Leary
New member
I like to think of it this way: When it first wakes up, your truck is kinda grumpy. Give it a few minutes to wake up and have its morning coffee (warm up), and it will be much more pleasant to deal with...
Slow to shift, perfectly normal for all the reasons mentioned. Take it easy on the truck and always let it warm up, and you will be rewarded with a very reliable vehicle for a very long time. Abuse it, especially when cold, and you will start to hear expensive noises in relatively short order, "Toyota reliability" or not!
Slow to shift, perfectly normal for all the reasons mentioned. Take it easy on the truck and always let it warm up, and you will be rewarded with a very reliable vehicle for a very long time. Abuse it, especially when cold, and you will start to hear expensive noises in relatively short order, "Toyota reliability" or not!
GeD
New member
Well in those terms it doesn't take very long at all I take much longer to warm up
