repairmatt

I'm not sure if this is normal, so I thought I'd ask here. My 94 ES300 seems to shift too soon into overdrive, especially if I'm accelerating lightly. It drops into OD by the time it hits 35MPH if I'm light on the throttle, but if I push it the shifting is more normal, only going into OD around 50-55MPH. Also, when I let off the throttle at low speeds (below 35MPH), slow to around 5-10MPH without hitting the brakes then accelerate, it seems to still be in overdrive or a high gear as it always seems to downshift two gears before it starts to accelerate, creating noticeable lag in acceleration. If I come to a complete stop however, like at a stop light then go it's fine, it pulls very strongly and I almost always beat all the other cars off the line at normal acceleration.

Does this sound normal or is it off? The car runs great, I changed the tranny fluid about 3000 miles ago and have done a immense amount of tuning up and maintenance to it since I got it, new spark plugs, air filter, PCV valve, intake hose, front engine mount, torque strut, flex pipe etc etc.

310V6

Sounds like a few I have felt, if your light it will go in early, if your heavy it will take longer to shift into O/D.

repairmatt

Okay, thank you for the reply. Does the downshifting two gears before accelerating sound normal as well? It seems that it doesn't downshift if you use the engine to reduce the speed by gliding, only downshifting once you hit the throttle, which of course causes some lag in accelerating and a weird feeling of rapid deceleration before it kicks in, causing a slight jerk. Mind you, I'm not hitting it hard either, it's at normal acceleration when it does this.

310V6

It might just be trans worn gears... Ive noticed that happens for sure. Like a jerk movement, everyone ones in a while. slugish sensors. 94.. OBD 1. How many miles you got on that one?

repairmatt

A tad over 194000, I can't remember the exact mileage. Possibly related, but upshifting between 3rd and 4th gear under load or hard acceleration causes the tranny to do a weird shudder for a split second before it engages the gear. If I go easy on it, letting off the throttle at the required RPM range to make it shift up to 4th, it's fine. All the other gears shift quickly and cleanly, doesn't matter what load it has.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

If you have not already done so, a few cycles of drain and fill with new ATF might help.

Won't hurt.

repairmatt

I'm in the process of doing that, the tranny fluid wasn't changed properly by the previous owner and when I got it, it was a little burnt. I'm going to be changing it today, as it's also oil change time. I'm probably going to do it every 3000 miles for the next 2 or 3 changes.

coffee4000

I thnk I heard that in the 4th generation models, the computer actually tries to switch the transmission into the higher gears very quckly . . . even before the engine has reached the correct speed. This was to improve fuel economy. The theory is that the engine will work less once you are in a higher gear. But this caused the "shift shock" or sudden jerking that everyone complained about. And this is also related to the feeling of "sudden acceleration" that many Toyoto's ( . . . and Lexus ) experienced. The owners noticed the "sudden acceleration" at stop lights. But this was in the 2003 and 2004 models . . . I think.

Mythotical

Why not simply adjust the kick down/line pressure/detent cable? I have a 98 ES that had the same problem, all I did was tighten up the slack in the kick down cable to fix it.

repairmatt

I did tighten once, but I didn't get it really that tight as I wasn't sure how tight it's supposed to be. How tight is tight? Like almost no slack and it takes a lot of pressure to put a bow in the cable, or should it be looser than that?

Mythotical

I set mine up so that when the throttle is opened all of the way, the kick down cable could still be deflected 1/4"-3/8". Play with it a little, it will have a dramatic effect on how soon the kick-down will occur. I.E. if you are at speed and start to climb a slight hill requiring a little more throttle, and it kicks down then it is still too tight.

repairmatt

Just wanted to update on this, after getting some major service done which included a transmission inspection and service, it would appear that the tranny is in pretty good shape, but the cable is too tight, causing it to shift really fast and apparently causing a slip between 3rd and 4th. I'm now playing with the adjustment, trying to find the optimal balance between quick but still smooth shifts. Thank you for the helpful pointers, Myth!

The problem I was having with the lag while accelerating was also solved. Turns out the calipers were sticking, and they were progressively getting worse the longer I drove! I figured this out after coming home from work one day and found that the front drivers side rim was almost smoking hot. According to the mechanic, the caliper and pads on that side had turned black from the heat and warped the rotor pretty bad. The passenger side was sticking as well, but not as bad. What I thought was the tranny was actually my brakes sticking and retarding the car's momentum.

Unbelievably though, I was still getting 20-22MPG with 70% highway and 30% city driving, even with the brake problem, so I never really thought the problem could be the brakes. Needless to say, the car drives 100% better now, I can't wait to see what it'll get now.

Mythotical

Glad it all worked out! Sad thing about the calipers tho. I have found that sweet spot for mine. It ends up so the metal cable stop on the cable sticks out about 2mm passed the end of the sleeve with the throttle closed. Let us know how it goes.

mitmaks

Do you have O/D button on shifter?

repairmatt

Yes, of course.