Transmission has stopped engaging Overdrive?

[importman]

first of all, the OD is not related to temperature, the trans should go into OD at the right speed & engine load regardless of if its -10f or 100f. so its not related to temps of the engine or trans/fluid.

the fluid is not lifetime, toyota recommends change at 100k miles or 60k if towed or abused, however, at 110k miles its should still be ok depending on its history. based on the symptoms you describe i dont think a fluid change will fix the OD issue unless its low, sounds like its solenoid/sensor related or possibly shifter/cable adjustment issues. best is to have a mechanic or trans shop look at it & test & diagnose further. also check for any codes that may be strored. but a fluid exchange is due so it cant hurt to try that first.

My 05 shifts immediately into OD regardless of temp. But I wanted to mention that there are some other vehicles that do require a certain fluid temp before they will allow OD. When I worked at Nissan in the 80's and early 90's we would have a run of customers every Winter complaining about their cars not shifting into OD until they drove it a while, (variable depending on ambient temp). And they would always claim it never did that before, but they were wrong. In summer it was never an issue since it reached the threshold so quickly. According to Nissan the reason they gave for it was to help the engine heat up more quickly, primarily to make the heater get hot sooner. Not really any mechanical reason for it.

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

Awesome, glad my question helped you to realize the issue!

Don't feel to bad about it though, the reason I ask that question is because for the first week after I bought my T4R I drove it in 4th until I realized I was pulling the shifter towards me as I was shifting from park to "D" and thusly I was pulling the shifter into 4th every time, it's not hard to do when you're not used to the gated shifter since "D" and "4th" are side by side and doesn't take too much force to pull it left into 4th .

Definitely change the tranny fluid as soon as you can.

Lol it was a painfully slow realization, leading to immediate "Duh!". I don't know why I started shifting to the 4 instead of D, maybe the detent is wearing out. But I've been consciously shoving it to the left recently (nice and tight into 4) because I wanted to ensure it was in the correct gear...ugh, glad it's a free fix!

I have been driving manual transmissions for the past 6 years, maybe that can be my excuse...

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

Another vote for the "don't be too hard on yourself" camp. When we first bought the 03, my sister drove it somewhere in the winter and thought the "4" position was for 4 wheel drive.

Ha thanks for that! Yeah I am very happy to have a working transmission, much rather look silly than have to pay for repairs! Ironically, a lot of the "My OD doesn't work!" threads I read through brought up the "4 vs D" shifter mistake. I thought that was only for the V8 though and on the V6 the "4" and "D" use the same notch... after a year and a half, I've learned how to use my automatic transmission!

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

I have to avoid the tendency to pull the shifter towards me too. When I got my runner it had the binding shifter issue and with me messing with it I got the floppy shifter syndrome. I took it apart and "fixed" it but the detents aren't nearly as firm as they originally were. So I consciously avoid moving the shifter when driving, unless I need to downshift etc.

Yeah I've literally been making a conscious effort to pull the shifter nice and tight into "4" because I thought that was the correct spot... now to figure out why, in the past 2 months, I started doing it wrong!

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

I'm relieved to hear the problem was between the steering wheel and seat, lol!

Yeah, many years ago, I was asking for help about a fogging problem on my 3rd gen, and didn't realize what the defrost symbol on the HVAC looked like... they explained it to me using very small words, haha. But, the fix was free, so it's all good.

No worries about driving the truck around in 4th (direct drive 1:1)... just rev's the engine higher.

Glad to hear everything's okay!

Yep, I'm very happy the problem was me and not Toyota! And that there was no damage done, that would have been just the icing on the cake... it does respond well in 4th at 65mph though.

 

[Montego Murph]

it does respond well in 4th at 65mph though.

And now just think of the Prius-like MPG and Bentley-level silence you'll be enjoying with that new-found gear!

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

hey thats awesome you realized that & there isnt anything wrong with the trans. glad you did some more checking & testing & didnt pay someone to look at it or buy an additive that wasnt needed.

so its shifting into OD now? & when driving at highway speeds its not at the high rpm you mentioned? if so, sounds like the trans is working as it should, take it out when cold & get up to 40mph or so on a flat road & it should go right into OD like i was saying, regardless of temp. the manual actually says to leave it in OD all the time for normal driving unless towing or climbing hills etc. it should also kind of default to that position when pulling down from park, ive always had to manually push it to the left for 4 gear.

depending on mileage i would still do a fluid change or at least drain a small amount to look at it, if its dark & not bright red might be a good idea to change it. use whatever brand of CORRECT rated ATF you prefer. theres good write ups on here for full fluid exchange or can do 3-4 pan drain & fills.

glad the trans aint broken :thumb3:

Yep, took it out over lunch break today and OD engaged ASAP. Course, it's 85° outside...
Now that I realize it's two separate shift positions I'll go back to using "D" full time, can't believe I had been missing that. It's not a super definitive detent/stop at the "D" position, I can see how people might accidentally tap it over into "4" and then get worried like I did.
Thanks for your help!

 

[y=mx+b]

No CEL, I'll run my cheapo OBD scanner tomorrow to see if it's throwing any codes. It's looking more and more like a job for a transmission shop, either to change the fluid (I don't feel like dealing with that...) or check the connections and try to diagnose the issue.

Thanks for chiming in! I've seen your name all over this forum, cool to find out you're local. I actually commute the opposite way, BalCo to AACo, but in a work truck. If you know a good place to grab some AT tires around here (255/70r18?) let me know! Then maybe I'll be able to tackle Rausch...

Sorry for the late response. Looks like you got the OD figured out, thats great! I can't count the amount of times I've made a mistake that, taking a look back, makes me feel a little silly. Don't sweat it

Not to hijack this thread, but I've been to AOAA twice and another place on pretty much stock size falken wildpeaks and nothing else and its been fine for the easier stuff. There are some guys from TacomaWorld going somewhere undecided yet on 6/5/21 so I'll give you a heads up when that gets solidified. I am waiting on some dobinsons to arrive now, because I hate scraping everything lol

 

[Bluesky 07]

The V6 doesn't have dedicated "4" and "D" shift notches, so it's in the right gear and I'm not accidentally bumping it out of OD.

That jumped off the screen at me when I read the first post b/c I have an ‘07 and thought there’s no way it changed between those model years. Glad you got it sorted out & I can’t (won’t?) count the times I’ve been in the same boat as far as “Duh!” moments.

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

That jumped off the screen at me when I read the first post b/c I have an ‘07 and thought there’s no way it changed between those model years. Glad you got it sorted out & I can’t (won’t?) count the times I’ve been in the same boat as far as “Duh!” moments.

Man I felt so silly! While reading up on my "issue" I kept reading about people bumping it out of OD but for some reason I just never realized that my shifter is the same way! I have an Aux cable and USB charging cords that lay around the shift knob, I think one got wrapped around the shaft and blocked the "D" side. Oh well, I'll take a free "duh!" moment over an expensive repair any day

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

Sorry for the late response. Looks like you got the OD figured out, thats great! I can't count the amount of times I've made a mistake that, taking a look back, makes me feel a little silly. Don't sweat it

Not to hijack this thread, but I've been to AOAA twice and another place on pretty much stock size falken wildpeaks and nothing else and its been fine for the easier stuff. There are some guys from TacomaWorld going somewhere undecided yet on 6/5/21 so I'll give you a heads up when that gets solidified. I am waiting on some dobinsons to arrive now, because I hate scraping everything lol

Thanks! I'm very happy it was just a dumb mistake on my end Course now I'm eyeing up your CV reboot/reinstall thread, I see that in my near future...ugh.

I appreciate the invite! Is TacoWorld a good place to keep up to date on trips like that? I can't do nthe 5th but would love to eventually get into some Offroad stuff. I'm currently on stock size highway rubber, so I'm planning to bump up to 255/70r18 ATs to match my lift. Should be 1.5" taller so that's nice, and now I can put the tax return toward tires instead of nonexistent transmission issues!

 

[y=mx+b]

Thanks! I'm very happy it was just a dumb mistake on my end Course now I'm eyeing up your CV reboot/reinstall thread, I see that in my near future...ugh.

I appreciate the invite! Is TacoWorld a good place to keep up to date on trips like that? I can't do nthe 5th but would love to eventually get into some Offroad stuff. I'm currently on stock size highway rubber, so I'm planning to bump up to 255/70r18 ATs to match my lift. Should be 1.5" taller so that's nice, and now I can put the tax return toward tires instead of nonexistent transmission issues!

Nice, let me know if you need a hand or have questions on that.

Sounds like a solid plan for the tires! I just got some suspension goodies this weekend, so once everyones got their parts on, we'll have to organize something

TacomaWorld just has more traffic in general, especially in regional subforums. I tend to hang out in Maryland Tacomas and Northern Virginia Roll Call to get to know some local names. FB is also another place where things are posted, so try groups like HiLuxSurf Off Road and Maryland Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE). Outside of those structured group outings, we can gather a smaller group of local people and head to AOAA or something

 

[DriftwoodDaddy]

Nice, let me know if you need a hand or have questions on that.

Sounds like a solid plan for the tires! I just got some suspension goodies this weekend, so once everyones got their parts on, we'll have to organize something

TacomaWorld just has more traffic in general, especially in regional subforums. I tend to hang out in Maryland Tacomas and Northern Virginia Roll Call to get to know some local names. FB is also another place where things are posted, so try groups like HiLuxSurf Off Road and Maryland Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE). Outside of those structured group outings, we can gather a smaller group of local people and head to AOAA or something

Thanks for the good info! I'll check them out.