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Old 11-26-2009, 01:09 AM   #5
methodmix
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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Re: 1997 nissan altima. tranny

Quote:
Originally Posted by jkiry View Post
Very helpful. Are all cars like this?
Most cars built since the mid-1990's with electronically controlled automatic transmissions have the TC lock-up feature. This is one of the most significant improvements to automatic transmissions which resulted in better fuel economy at highway speeds.

And for each car that has the TC lock-up feature, it requires a warm engine temperature (which is also necessary to warm up the tranny fluid) before the transmission can lock-up. This is all electronically controlled, and is dependent upon transmission fluid temperature (which is also a function of coolant temperature), engine load, and a minimum RPM (usually need at least 2000 RPM before lock-up can occur). Also, TC won't lock-up until you are in 4th gear.
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