01 camry late shift and vibration noise

I have an 01 camry le v6 automatic (probably obvious that it's an automatic :p). When the engine has sat for a few hours, or overnight, it tends to shift later until the engine has warmed up a little. I drive the car pretty lightly meaning when it's nice and warmed up it shifts at about 2000rpms or just a little over. When it's cold it refuses to shift until about 3000rpms or more. I've owned the car for almost 2 years. When I first had it I don't believe it did because it was warm out and I had the windows down and as most camry owners know, they are really quiet. But then as time went on I started noticing it. Is this normal? I went to where I bought it last night and had them check it out. They said it was overdue for a transmission flush and that was all. Just picked it up and it still does it. Normal?

Now this next one is hit or miss. When the car is stopped in drive and I hold the brakes there is a strange vibrating noise under the hood it seems. I know that the brakes and probably the rotors need to be replaced and a friend and I will be taking care of that. I was wondering if that's possible for the noise. The sound seems to go away when the hood is opened as well.


Please please please I'm begging someone to help. There is no one competant enough around here and no one that has given any straight answers other than "we'll look into it". The car was taken to deal and I know that was a big mistake. The only reason that I have been bringing it there is because I have 1 year left on a extended warranty or sorts. As it is if I can find someone better than them then I will bring the car to them. Any help or suggestions with be greatly appreciated.

Late shifting > After you make sure the fluid level is full the first thing to do for just about any transmission issue is change the fluid and filter especially if it appears black or smells burnt. They should be changed at regular intervals as scheduled maintenance. READ YOUR DRIVERS MANUAL. Flushing can create additional problems so I would just go with a change. If when the fluid pan is removed and you see metal flakes beyond the "metal grit" normally found on the magnets, you'll likely need to have the transmission rebuilt.

There are issues with "a fluid change". Done the normal way, meaning dropping the fluid pan, reinstalling and refilling, only changes 1/3 to 1/2 the fluid because most of the fluid is trapped in the torque converter. This may be all you need, however, there is a procedure to get all the fluid out. Thats best left to someone knowledgable. Short of that, you can drain the fluid from the drain plug on the pan 3 to 4 times, driving the car between drains. Takes longer but, accomplishes the same thing.

Vibrating noise > You're a bit weak on the discription. Going word for word by what you're saying it could not be the brakes if as you say " When the car is stopped and in drive and I hold the brakes". The brakes (rotors/pads) aren't in play at that point. Are you saying what you want to say? Could it be the noise is there as you are coming to a stop?

It's nearly impossible to accuratley diagnose a noise without being there to hear it. Your best bet is to let the pros handle it. Let the warranty work for you. If one dealership doesn't make you happy, find another.

The transmissions fluid flush has already been completed. The dealership gave no results. The vibration noise is mostly there as far as I can tell if I am at a stop light ot stop sign. It occurs when the car is fully stopped and sometimes I can hear it a little as I am coming to stop very slowly. When i release the brakes the noise is still there but not as much and goes away as soon as I press on the gas more to go. As for the warranty on the car I will need to look into it more deeply. It's not a typical toyota warranty it's like an addon warranty that I purchased when I bought the car.

what does the noise sound like? Metal on metal? A low, hollow sound? A buzzing noise? Also, which side of the car does it come from...driver or passenger? Keep giving us clues and we'll try to help.

the higher rpm is perfectly normal until the car warms up. The car is smart enough to know that it needs to warm itself up, so it will shift a bit higher until it has enough heat in it.

agree with JDM, need more clues on sound to help

Guess my 94 is a one of a kind. Shifts at the same points warm or cold.

by warm i mean warm enough to show up on the temp gauge.
but your 94 is a prior gen than krono's 01 and my 98 also, maybe there is a difference (oh how I miss our 92).

My car 2002 camry have the same problem?, How did you fix it?

Dunno about the newer gen Camrys, but my '92 does the same thing. It will delay an upshift slightly when cold and won't engage overdrive until the temp gauge has started moving. Just another way for the ECM to help warm up the fluids quicker.

I will say though that the coolant and tranny fluid are both cooled (and warmed) by passing through the radiator. Any leak that allows the two to mix would result in erratic shifting or sluggish acceleration. But I would doubt this on such a "new" Camry.

Vibrations at a stand still could be from a loose or broken motor mount, loose heat shield, or incorrect adjustment of the hood bumper stops. Check the hood and the all the hinge hardware for looseness and proper clearance around the body panels.

I have an 01 camry le v6 automatic (probably obvious that it's an automatic :p). When the engine has sat for a few hours, or overnight, it tends to shift later until the engine has warmed up a little. I drive the car pretty lightly meaning when it's nice and warmed up it shifts at about 2000rpms or just a little over. When it's cold it refuses to shift until about 3000rpms or more. I've owned the car for almost 2 years. When I first had it I don't believe it did because it was warm out and I had the windows down and as most camry owners know, they are really quiet. But then as time went on I started noticing it. Is this normal? I went to where I bought it last night and had them check it out. They said it was overdue for a transmission flush and that was all. Just picked it up and it still does it. Normal?

Now this next one is hit or miss. When the car is stopped in drive and I hold the brakes there is a strange vibrating noise under the hood it seems. I know that the brakes and probably the rotors need to be replaced and a friend and I will be taking care of that. I was wondering if that's possible for the noise. The sound seems to go away when the hood is opened as well.


Please please please I'm begging someone to help. There is no one competant enough around here and no one that has given any straight answers other than "we'll look into it". The car was taken to deal and I know that was a big mistake. The only reason that I have been bringing it there is because I have 1 year left on a extended warranty or sorts. As it is if I can find someone better than them then I will bring the car to them. Any help or suggestions with be greatly appreciated.


Hi, were you able to solve the vibration problem when at idle? I have a camry 2000, 4 cil and have the same problem and I do not really know where the problem could be. Please, let me know if you could solve it and how...thanks.

I have not been able to locate the vibration cause. However my guess is that it's something that is loose near the passenger side. I have noticed that when someone closes the passenger door the same noise is made (but to a much lesser extent). I haven't had time to look into it personally but I think it's probably just a loose bolt or something. By the way, does yours make the noise when it's cold outside? Mine only does it when it's about 40-50 degrees or lower. It's about 70 degrees+ now so I almost never hear it.

Still haven't seen anything as to what kind of noise it is. Metal on metal? Plastic? Rattling? Buzzing?

Orlandollerena, I think your vibe issue may be different. Might be better to start your own thread with your specific symptoms.

The rattling noise described earlier was coming from the intake manifold, and can be replaced for the low price of $544.00 by any mechanic.