94 Camry Transmission shifting

[shlepadoodle]

Have about 200k km om my 94 Camry which is running very smoothly and have not had any problems with except at around the 150k mark the transmission shift from 2 to 3 is delayed after sitting overnight. This happens every morning and will not shift until the rpm is over 2200 and it has warmed up. Once shifted it will run all day shifting properly and the problem won't appear until the next morning. Have changed transmission fluid and also added slick 50 but still no improvement. Am living with it since it really is a minor problem however if there is a simple solution or a toyota secret warranty I would like to know.

[Brian R.]

Since your transmission shift points are controlled by the engine coolant temperature (among other parameters), it is possible that your engine thermostat is not working correctly and needs to be replaced.

[shlepadoodle]

Originally Posted by Brian R.

Since your transmission shift points are controlled by the engine coolant temperature (among other parameters), it is possible that your engine thermostat is not working correctly and needs to be replaced.

This pattern doesn't seem to change from summer to winter (+30 to -30 degrees). Forgot to mention that this clears after about 1km which I know for fact that the thermostat will be closed summer and winter in the first km. The thermostat is operating properly. Something else is affecting the shift points and isolating or disconnecting an external part is what I would like to start with. I suspect it might be a valve in the tranny but am not sure.

[Brian R.]

Sounds to me like normal behavior for alot of cars. Maybe you don't need to worry about it.

[shlepadoodle]

Since it has been doing it for 50k that I know of you are probably right. It would be interesting to see if any other Camry owners are experiencing that problem.

[Bossman]

If I lived where you do, I think I would seriously consider using fully synthetic transmission fluid for the extreme low temperature. The opposite is equally true for those who live in environments such as Nevada and Arizona. Mobil 1 makes such a synthetic trans fluid. Again, only food for thought.

[shlepadoodle]

Thx Bossman - I think that is a good suggestion. It's time anyway for a good cleaning. Unlike synthetic motor oil which needs to be dumped regularly it will stay in the tranny until it needs to be cleaned again prolly every 100k which I think is better value for your $.

[Bmaintz]

Have you ever taken off the pan, cleaned it & replaced the filter???? I use Amsoil ATF & it will CLEAN the transmission in no time.... If your tranny has a lot of sludge, varnish, etc.... The synthetic will clean it out & plug up your tranny filter.... I would recomend a weak flush in the exiting trans. fluid, taking off the pan & installing a new filter, then pull off a cooler line to a bucket... Run the Camry in Park, the tranny will pump out the fluid, add the synthetic fluid at the same rate.... This will get all of the old fluid out of your converter... Bob

[shlepadoodle]

Talked to a Toyota dealer mechanic and he didn't think it was a problem which I tend to agree. I think it may be programmed into the computer to do this. Will do further checking when I get a chance.

Bmaintz - Thx for the tips. I will follow the steps in your process. Is Amsoil ATF a cleaning solution or is it a regular synthetic at oil?

How many km's would you run it before flushing?

How much would I add while flushing the converter to be sure that all the old stuff is out?

The last time I had it changed the shop told me there was no filter in the tranny. Is this correct?

[Bmaintz]

AMSOIL is the best synthetic ATF fluid on the market, been in business for 32 years...
Number of miles would depend on condition of tranny, if it was dirty & sludged then I would flush with regular fluid to clean, then drive aeound a thosand miles & flush out with Amsoil ATF or any good synthetic ATF...
The pan holds aeound 4 quarts, the converter holds the rest... There is a filter kit that you can buy at any auto parts store... You can go to my web page at Amsoil .....
www.lubedealer.com/gulfcoast

Bob

[Brian R.]

There is too little difference between various synthetic ATFs to worry about. Any will do the job very well. Nothing magic about AMSOIL.
JMHO

[Bmaintz]

Yes a good synthetic will work better than regular ATF..
The Amsoil specs out better than the others though..
Bob

[shlepadoodle]

Bmaintz - Would be interested to see if Amsoil cold weather performance spec is better than the others. Do you have a comparison chart that you could post?