dansandieg

I had my transmission replaced about 45 days ago. Since then the shifting is bumpy for the first 1-2 miles each morning. I have taken the vehicle back to the transmission shop but they don't notice anything wrong on their test drives (I should leave it there overnight so they experience the jolts at 20mph and 40 mph each morning).
I started thinking about it and am hopeful that I can solve the issue myself (I do a lot of auto DIY). Has anyone else experienced this issue?
Is it possible that the transmission fluid has 'drained' down overnight and that is why the first 2 miles have bumpy shifting? Is there a pump that should be pulling the fluid up into the transmission?
Any ideas on what may be causing my jolting shifts each morning would be greatly appreciated.
RX300 2001 Automatic

salimshah

First a warm welcome.

Please scan discussion on transmission. When the engine and transmission are cold the higher gear is locked out and what is expected is that the driver keeps rpm below 3k. Once temp gets to normal, you can drive faster.

Are you experiencing harsh shifting even when you keep rpms below 3K?

Salim

dansandieg

Thank you Salim. I posted a few times back in 2006 (when I got the RX, but everything has been smooth since then - except for the rebuilt transmission).

The jolting shifts in the morning are taking place with greater emphasis when RPMs are lower (e.g. 100 yards from my house I turn onto a 45MPH street and go slightly downhill. So I am picking up speed to get to 45MPH but with little effort due to the grade of the road). If I push hard on the accelerator the slip during the gear shift seems almost unnoticeable.

Where I live (San Diego) it is not cold in the evenings or morning (and my RX is in the garage overnight) so I don't believe that my issue is related to cold temperatures.

I have a good opportunity to experience the issue this morning and will post more in a little while.

Note: My mileage is 155K, I unplugged the battery for 40 minutes two days ago to reset the ECU (clock reset, heat/AC settings reset, but radio stations in memory did not get lost?)

lexus114

Try clearing the ecm, may/may not help. But certainly wont do any harm. Oh, never mind. I posted the same time you did. Find out what fluid they put back in the transmission. you may want to do a couple of drain and fills with the correct Toyota fluid. Or the Castrol Import vehicle fluid.

dansandieg

Sure enough. After driving 193 miles yesterday, all smooth shifting (except the first 2 miles), the first two miles were very jerky this morning (felt like a double pump with a long delay between the pumps when approaching 40MPH). Then it drives fine for the rest of the day.
I am going to ask the repair shop about the type of fluid they put in. They are smart enough to know to use Toyota fluid (and since the first transmission replacement was very defective within days of being installed I would hope they paid special attention when installing this one).

I'll try some new techniques tomorrow morning to see if I can fend off the shifting hestitation in the first two miles. That may shed more light on the situation.
If not, I will drop it at the transmission shop Sunday night (key drop box) and have them drive it Monday morning.

dansandieg

Transmission shifted hard (stumbling) again this morning (just the first 2 miles). I am now thinking that my issue may be a general weakness/sluggishness of the car each morning (something is draining down overnight). I believe this because the RX feels 'bogged down' when I first drive it each morning and I can tell immediately whether the transmission is going to shift well or not - the place where the transmission stumbles is 1/2 mile away.
So I am going to look into more general problems that are experienced before an RX has had a chance to warm up.

Dan

dansandieg

Two more mornings of hesitant shifting (~20MPH and ~40MPH on slight downhill grade) for first 5 miles of driving. Tonight I am going to take my RX back to the transmission shop so they can take it for a test drive in the morning (when the engine and trans fluid are still cold).
I am also going to find out which transmission fluid they put in (the receipt says only "Multi-Vehicle ATF"). This may be the root cause of my shifting issue in the morning.

Note: I won't be making any changes myself, like draining/filling the fluid, because that would void my 3 year warranty with the tansmission shop.

dansandieg

After dropping off the RX300 on Monday evening the transmission repair shop was able to experience the shift flares on Tuesday morning. They think that it is a bad transmission valve body. As soon as they can reach their transmission provider (he is out on paternity leave) then a new valve body will be shipped. So in a few weeks my car will finally be fixed. Hopefully driving the car with a faulty valve body (shift flares during the first 5 miles each day) won't damage the gears or the rest of the transmission.

hypervish

I assume they will be providing you with a loaner car. Considering this the third problem you have had with them, or at least with the transmissions they installed.

dansandieg

Well I got my RX back from Poway Transmissions last night (third time). This morning the flare shifting is still present. They said that they put in a new transmission valve and when that made things worse they put in two new solenoids.
I am planning to drive the car a few more days to see if the flare shifting continues (only present on my first 5 miles of driving each morning - cold engine) and then take the next step with this mechanic. What a horrific experience (spent $4,000 with them in July for a rebuilt transmission and things are still not fixed).

dansandieg

This time they rebuilt the transmisson and all seems well.