Will a 94 V6 tranny work in my 92? Junk yard says "no"...why not?

[rysbrnr]

I have a 92 ES300 with the usual problems ( slipping reverse gear) .... I found a 94 V6 Camry tranny at a local junkyard... they won't sell it to me or give a price becuase I told them my car is 92 and they say it won't work. Can I use this 94 tranny or not, if not what is so different about the 94 that it wont work in my car?

Thanks for any good replies...

[Brian R.]

If no one gives you a definitive answer, I would as a Toyota parts department and see if they are helpful.

Another possibility is a transmission shop.

[rysbrnr]

I've cross referenced the driveshafts for both types of trannies... and the use the same drive shaft. I also found that the final drive ratio of the 94-96 Camry's are just a hair taller than the 92-93's... which just happened to be the year that Toyota upped the HP on the 94-96 3hp.

I think mechanically, the two trannies should be the same and interchangeable between 92 through 96.

Also, what would changing the thermostat do to possibly help with shifting? Wouldn't my temp gauge show abnormally high readings? I've read the the throttle kick-down cable needs to correctly adjusted. how do you do that and do what specs should it be done. I found that high idle speed can also affect the line pressure inside the tranyn which will cause a "slipping" effect like mine is doing. Do you think replacing or rebuilding teh valve bodies will make any difference? Sorry for asking so many questions all at once, but it seems like the whole entire internet is lacking in answers to this seemingly common problem in Camry's and ES300's.

My car drives fine going foward. The only noticable problems is I hear a whining sound and a lil hesitation on the 2-3 shift. This is also the same sound I hear when I put it in reverse... it's a whirring sound that increases with RPM's while trying to make the car go reverse. The car stutters going in reverse when warmed up. BUT when the engine and tranny are cool, the reverse gears locks up perfectly with no slipping or stumbling, once I get to normal operating temps, the reverse starts acting up again. So AT LEAST I know it CAN go in reverse just fine which leads me to beleive the problem MIGHT not require replacement or rebuilding the tranny.

[Brian R.]

The ecm controls the shift points depending on the engine coolant temperature. That is the only thing I know of.

I hope someone who deals with transmissions can get involved with this deal.

What I would do is (assuming I was capable of the job) is buy the appropriate rebuild kit for the transmission in your car and both rebuild it and aquire alot of help from the guys who sold you the rebuild kit/manual.

http://www.drivetrain.com/autotransoverhaulkits.html

[Toysrme]

Some of the parts will change over.

The valve bodies will not. The electronic controls iwll not.


The A540-E is electronically controlled by it's own TTCU.
The A541-E (94-01 Toyota v6's) has completely different programming, but the same net effects.


They are electrically in-compatible, tho nearly all toyota fwd transmissions and differentials can be forced to work with each other with the right combination of parts.

[Toysrme]

Drive around the block. Park, and check the fluid level idling...
If not OK, bring it up to full, drive around the block again, then see if it's slipping.

If it's OK, flush the fluid out to start fresh. or atleast drain the pan, drive around the block, drain the pan again - that way you change the majority of the fluid out.



Slipping is always caused by low line pressure. 99% of the time due to low fluid , or fluid that has completely given up. 1% of the time, the pump is damaged.

If you let them slip for any length of time, the clutch<es> suffer extreme wear and then the transmission must be rebuilt.



The kick-down cable can't cause the transmission to slip by itself. There is enough line pressure in the transmission without it to shift without slipping. The correct adjustment is that it should be in the middle of it's adjustment range.




From the quicker transmission shifting guide I did.



You want it in the middle for stock, and adjusted like I showed for a more sporty feel.

[rysbrnr]

thanks for the input Toysrme and Brian R.

The car was driving fine then one day it wouldn't go anywhere until I i shut it off and restarted the car at every stoplight. I changed the fluid with a flush... bought 4 gallons of Dex/merc3 and flushed out the system through the return lines from the cooler. I did it til the stuff came out red. Tranny fluid levels check out fine after a drive..Am I supposed to check it with the engine ON or OFF?

It works decent going foward, with a little trouble getting into overdrive and sometimes 3rd gear. reverse squeaks alot but it works... shudders quite a bit in reverse once it's warmed up.
I was looking into that Lucas Transmission Fix fluid... heard good things about it from other people.
My kickdown cable is adjusted like shown in the pic above exept right in the middle. Today I will drain and flush coolant and change thermostat... you know the cheap fixes first before I say it needs to be rebuilt or replaced...
Since the A541E "could" work in my car... what other components would I need to make it work. I really don't want to get rid of this car all because of tranny problems... it's a great work/daily driver.

[Toysrme]

No... What I was telling you is that an A541-E will NOT work on your car.

Why are you changing the thermostat and CTS? While the CTS will send the TTCU into a limp-mode, that will not cause mis shifting or slipping. it will simply hold you out of O/D.




If reverse is slipping and the fluid level is OK, there is one of two problems.

1) 99% The clutch pack for reverse is worn out - requiring a rebuild (new clutches / bands)
2) 1% The pressure is too low to engage the band and clutch pack - blockage / bad transmission pump (normally the pump, not blockage)

[Brian R.]

Toysrme - Why don't you write a short post on common Toyota transmission problems/fixes and/or engine/tranny compatibility for the FAQ? That would be helpful...

Also, if the pump was putting out low pressure, wouldn't affect all the gears? Or is there a separate pump for reverse bands/clutches?