2003 corolla overdrive

I suspect that quite a few people drive their 2003 Corollas in the city with the OD off.

This is the correct way to use the OD off function.

Jack mumbles:

I have a 2003 Corolla and leave the overdrive turned on all the time. I guess I got the impression that the transmission would pick its own gear as torque was delivered by the engine.

It would be informative to have your views on this.

By the way, how often should I drain/replace the fluid? (I have the LE transmission, about 277,000 kilometers).

Regards,

Jack.

The transmission chooses gears based on a variety of factors including selector lever position, coolant temperature, engine RPM, and vehicle speed. Torque delivered by the engine is not really one of the factors.

I believe that the owner's manual or Toyota's web site will have automatic transmission fluid (ATF) replacement intervals. Some Corollas have "lifetime" fluid that do not normally require replacement. Those that do not have the lifetime ATF probably have a replacement interval of 15,000 or

Ray,

What year of Corollas have lifetime fluid? wm

I don't know the answer to your question. I believe that the vehicles with "sealed" transmissions without an automatic transmission fluid dipstick are the ones that fall into the "lifetime" ATF.

Thanks Ray O.

- Jack

You're welcome!

I found when turning if off in the city I got a few less miles per gallon. So now I leave it on all the time. I've not notice any performance change, since I don't tow, and I don't have rapidly changing terain.

hth,

tom @

and why exactly ? This isn't a sportscar, I am guessing economy (mpg) is higher on the list and you will save money with leaving the OD on.

When I used to take test drives with customers, I noticed that quite a few people drove with the OD off, usually because they thought that OD was only needed for the highway.

IMO, Toyota should have called it 4th gear lockout so people realize that OD is just the top gear in the transmission.

I once dated a girl who drove 2 hours on the freeway with OD off. I asked her why. She said she thought it was better for it. I explained to her that it is best to leave it on.