>>
>> > That is the code of the Check Engine light which came on today. I
>> > had just pulled out of a parking lot when it illuminated. Nothing
>> > felt different when driving. I became nervous since I had my kid
>> > in the car and had just changed my oil earlier this morning. I was
>> > wondering if the oil was leaking out or something funny was
>> > happeneing since I used Castrol instead of the usual Valvoline. >> >
>> > I took it to Advance Auto and they hooked up the OBDII analyzer and
>> > gave me the code {P0773 - shift solenoid e circuit electrical}. I
>> > asked for it to be reset but he said they can't however if I was
>> > holding the analyzer I could. I erased the code and have driven
>> > around for a few miles and it remains normal.
>> >
>> > What is the code in relation to and what should I be wary of? Is it >> > serious?
>>
>> Shift solenoid e is solenoid SL in the valve body and controls the
>> torque converter lock-up. If the solenoid fails, it fails safe so
>> that you will end up with a 4 speed transmission without a lockup
>> torque converter. To check the solenoid, you will need a replacement
>> transmission pan gasket and some replacement ATF (Check to be sure,
>> but I believe your car takes Dexron III). Drain the transmission
>> pan, remove the pan. If you are in the rust belt, be careful
>> removing the pan bolts as they may be rusted. If they are rusted,
>> apply a rust penetrant like PB Blaster, wait an hour, apply again,
>> then carefully loosen the bolts. Remove shift solenoid SL from the
>> valve body and measure resistance between the two terminals on the
>> wires connected to the solenoid. It should measure between 11 and 15
>> ohms. If that checks out, apply 2 volts to the 2 terminals and see
>> if it makes a clicking sound. If the resistance is not correct or if
>> you do not hear clicking, replace the solenoid. Before you replace
>> the transmission pan, take a look at the screen. It will probably be
>> clean, but while you are in there, looks are free ;-)
>>
>> When you replace the transmission pan, tighten the bolts
>> finger-tight, then tighten in a star pattern and refill with ATF. >>
>> Good luck!
>
> The light has come and gone twice now. The dealer says there is a
> broken wire in the harness that goes from the computer to the
> transmission. Labor alone is $375. No full quote yet. I asked what
> if I don't do get this fixed? He says over time the transmission will
> begin to act up since it won't get proper information. Any thoughts?
I would invest $10 for access to techinfo.toyota.com to get the wiring diagram for your vehicle so you know which color wire you are tracing, then do a continuity check between the connector for the solenoid and the transmission ECU. The easiest repair would be to solder splice a new wire between the connectors.
The problem if you don't get it fixed is that you will have a check engine light illuminated most of the time, and the vehicle will not pass an emissions test with a check engine light illuminated or a trouble code stored in the ECU.