rickyp39

On a cold start I accelerate and it doesn't shift into 4th gear like it should. It usually shifts into fourth gear at about 27 mph but when the motor and transmission is cold it goes all the way to 32 mph and shifts much more drastically. The rpms reach about 2300 before it shifts. Note that this only happens once when the engine is not warm. Once it happens it won't happen again until the next time the car is cold. I just ga a trans fluid flush and still no change. Any ideas on this issue?

Bedore

Assuming we are not actually talking about a real transmission 'slip', then it's normal. On a cold start your engine should idle quite high; around 2k RPMs. I have noticed that sometimes my ES300 holds on to second gear longer than it should (won't shift into third until around 39mph) but will eventually shift, but only behaves this way when it's cold. It will also not shift into overdrive until it reaches a certain temperature. It is my understanding that this is normal and has to do with engine operation and emissions. Most cars and trucks follow the same procedure as far as when to shift into overdrive (as in most don't shift into O/D until at a certain temperature which is indeed normal).

However if you believe your transmission is slipping then that is a whole different matter. Find out for sure if it's doing as I described, or if it's really slipping as a transmission 'slip' so far is different from what you are describing.

rickyp39

Im not too familiar with technical terms. I thought a slip was when it can't shift into the next gear. In that case my understanding of what my car is doing would be as if it is almost slipping. Please correct me if i am wrong but about it taking a little longer than usual to shift into 4th, that is true.

Bedore

A transmission slips when one of three things happen: the fluid is low, the torque converter malfunctioned or the clutches have worn out. When any of these things happen, the driver presses on the gas and the engine revs up, but the vehicle does not move right away. Depending on how bad the transmission is slipping, the vehicle may start moving after a small amount of slippage, or it may rev up quite high before it starts to move, if it moves at all. Keep an eye on your RPM gauge if you feel a slip; if you see the RPMs spike, it's a sign of transmission trouble.

Based on what you are describing, I do not see your transmission slipping however I wouldn't know for sure unless I drove it. What you describe seems to me to be normal. You said the "symptoms" go away when the car is warmed up, so I would rule out transmission problems. If there was a serious problems with the transmission, it would be present whether or not the trans was hot or cold. Every car I have driven generally will not shift into overdrive until it reaches a certain temp. That I know for sure to be normal. If you think that it's not normal then have it looked at by someone who knows Toyota/Lexus transmissions.