94 camry transmission slipping when it gets hot

[melaniegb]

i have a 1994 camry V6 LE , just suddenly started having problems with transmission slipping.
if car is cold and has sit for a period of time it will drive perfect until it seems to get hot. then it will struggle to shift and will just stall. if you stop the car and let it sit , turn it off for a few and then try again , you can get a little further down the road before it does it all over again. already changed the fluid but no stand out hints to what is causing my problems. told by others that it is my transmission gone and then told by others that it could be a sensor?
any suggestions are welcome and will be helpful.

[javatrooper]

I'm no tranny expert, but I did just R&R my tranny on my 95 and did a bunch of test to try to see if it was sensors or the tranny itself. I believe that the sensors tell the tranny when to shift. If your tranny shifts fine when cold, unless the sensors are malfunctioning when they get hot, (which I doubt) I'd have to believe that you need a new (used junkyard) transaxle. You should be able to find a good one for between $300 - $600 depending on the mileage. It's a lot of work but I did mine by myself in a couple of days. Pay extra to get the lowest mileage one. It will be worth it to not do it again in the near future. I am running my new used transaxle with 50% new fluid right now and in about 3 months I'll drain it and put in some transX and new fluid. When you drain a tranny you only get about half of the fluid out. Whatever you do, do not get your new tranny flushed at a shop. You are better off just replacing 1/2 of the fluid per change.

[jdmccright]

Any check engine light? What was the condition of the old fluid and was the level low? Sometimes that can be a hint. Also, did you remove the pan and check the filter and magnet for particulates? Anything coarser than a grayish sludge on the magnet is cause for concern. Does it only do it in one gear? Use the gear selector to lock out OD, then 3rd, then 2nd, to isolate the problem. Finally, did you check to see if there is any oily film floating on the top of the radiator coolant? Mixing due to a hole in the radiator's tranny fluid cooler will show up there. Of course, if this were the case, it should have gotten at least a little better when you changed the fluid...for a little while until it mixed.

I'd follow the troubleshooting section for your tranny in the Gen III repair manuals stickied at the top of the forum. The transmission will delay shifting and won't engage OD when the coolant is cold in order to help get the tranny fluid up to temp faster. Once the coolant temp is high enough, OD attempts to engage but cannot because there is a fault. You could try and replace the OD lock-up solenoid, but that's no guarantee. Run the diagnostic and post back with the results.