My 1998 Camry automatic transmission seems to be shifting hard on both acceleration and deceleration. Actually one of the reasons I prefer a Toyota to a Honda was because the transmission shifts were so smooth one hardly knew they were happening. Is this a problem and/or a simple fix?
RD
PS What's happened to this group and alt.autos.toyota? Nobody really using them? Has everyone gone to a different group?
RD
PS What's happened to this group and alt.autos.toyota? Nobody really using them? Has everyone gone to a different group?
**********************Check the condition of the automatic transmission fluid (ATF). It should be red and translucent, not brown or black or have a burnt smell. If the ATF has not been changed in the past 30,000 to 45,000 miles, I recommend getting it changed.
Another thing that causes harsh shifting is a worn or leaky accumulator. The accumulator acts as a shock absorber/pressure relief to reduce shift shock. Fortunately, replacing the accumulator should not be a mega job.
Ray, I know nothing about transmissions (automatic or manual) but recall that I once had a problem with an '86 Mercury Cougar which kept burning up ATF thru the engine. I finally got it looked at and found that the "modulator" was leaking, pulling out fluid and sending it to the engine where it was burned like motor oil. Fortunately the part was cheap and on the exterior of the transmission, and replacing it cured the problem.
Is the 'accumulator' similarly placed outside the body of the transmission?
The purpose of the old vacuum modulator, or modulator, was to tell the transmission when to shift. Modern automatic transmissions are controlled by a computer and use signals from an engine speed sensor and a road speed sensor to determine when to shift.
The accumulator is usually inside the valve body of the transmission, which is covered by the transmission oil pan. Access to the accumulators is usually gained by removing the transmission oil pan. It is not as simple as replacing a vacuum modulator but it should not require removal of the transmission from the vehicle or disassembly of the transmission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Ray! You're a never ending font of knowledge....hope you don't get too tired of answering dumb questions from 'civilians'.
You're welcome! BTW, I don't consider a question about how something works "dumb."
I forgot to mention that some shift shock is not necessarily bad for the transmission and can actually prolong the life of the friction surfaces in the transmission. The analogy with a manual transmission would be slipping the clutch a lot to get a smooth start while wearing out the clutch.
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