GS4.0

Hi Guys,

I was flying down the freeway on my ES300 the other day and suddenly my CEL came on and the O/D light started flashing. Not wanting to burn up my transmission, I pulled over to check the fluids, everything was fine.

I went to the nearest AutoZone and pulled the code and it read "P0770" which they said was a "Shift Solenoid E Malfunction - SSV DSL" and the possible causes: 1. Shift Solenoid stuck open 2. Blocked Oil passage 3. Lock up clutch failure.

The car still shifts smoothly and I am able to put it into all gears P,R,D,2,L

Does anybody know anything about this? Am I in danger of a transmission failure? Is this part an easy DIY? I have search the tread and there was a diagram but really no other information.

Any suggestion from the experts here? Thanks!

tuan92129

If your tranny has less than 100k miles, then fix the solenoid..
If its over 100k, then there could be little metal peices getting caught in the solenoid, which triggers the code.
This happened to my tranny too, and i got the E Shift solenoid code.
It should be fine to drive it, but your car won't be reliable until you rebuild the tranny and replace the solenoid.

GS4.0

Thanks for that information. The tranny has 124,000 on it. It is a 1995 ES300 so that's about 10,000/year miles on the car. Did you change the solenoid yourself? If you did, is it an easy DIY?

Does anyone have any instructions on how to change it? If I can flush the transmission and just replace the shift solenoid, do you think that would take care of the problem?

tuan92129

I rebuilt the tranny (the first time) at about 120,000 miles.
I rebuilt the tranny the second time at about 216,000 miles.
At this point, i would have the tranny opened, and inspected.
Replacing the shift solenoid doesn't fix the problem, because there are little metal pieces in the tranny that is causing the solenoid to malfunction. You need to have the tranny opened, to see if it needs rebuilding (this is usually done free of charge) since your tranny still runs fine. (I drove the car for a year with the code on before fixing it) The costs of rebuilding should be from $2500-3500 depending on what needs to be replaced. Make sure the shop uses OEM Lexus rebuilding kits and electronics.

adhana2

I had the same problem, with the shift solenoid e code. I had Aamco replace the solenoid and check the oil pan for metal shavings. Its been fine for a long time now. Good luck.

P.S. I think the solenoid cost around $160, the labor is more expensive. Cost me around $450 for the whole job.

GS4.0

Hey, thanks for the info, tuan92129 & adhana2, I will try to get it to a reputable shop and have it checked out. If it is just the selonoid, I think I can change that by myself (DIY instructions, anyone?). If I need to rebuilt it, I might just get a used tranny instead of rebuilding it for $2500 - $3500, the car is probably not even worth much more than that! Well, I will keep you guys posted. Thanks!

JSM1284

DTC P0770 Shift Solenoid E Malfunction (Shift Solenoid Valve SL)



SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
The ECM uses the signals from the Throttle position sensor, Air-flow meter and crankshaft position sensor to monitor the engagement condition of the lock-up clutch.
Then the ECM compares the engagement condition of the lock-up clutch with the lock-up schedule in the ECM memory to detect mechanical trouble of the shift solenoid valve SL, valve body and torque converter clutch.

GS4.0

Thanks! JSM1284, That's great information! I will definitely be under my hood this week! Will keep you posted.

GS4.0

Hi Guys,

It took me almost a whole year before I can find time to go under the hood, but I just want to report back and thank all who have contributed to this thread that I have replaced the SL Solenoid in the transmission and it works!! No more blinking "O/D" light and the check engine light have gone off! Yippee!!

JSM1284

Yay!!!!!!!!!!

Jeremy-KY

I have a simmilar problem, with my O/D Flashing however I have no CEL, and my smooth normal shifting is completely out of whack.

The car feels like it's struggling to accelerate, when put in L, the car accelerates fine, in 2 however it returns to sluggish acceleration, the same effect shows with D and even with the O/D button off it still has the same sluggish performance.

Any Suggestions?

GS4.0

Thanks again, JSM1284! You gave me the confidence to look into it.

Jeremy-KY, you need to go to Autozone or a shop to pull the code. Autozone will do it for free. Then come back and tell us what it is, this will give us a better idea of what you are dealing with.

BTW, for those interested in what I did, I went online (just google) and got a free FSM for a 1997 ES300 and it is the same transmission as the 95's. These were the removal instruction to get at the solenoid. You have to pay attention not to mix up the screws because they are of different length and you need to put the same screws back in the same thread that you got it from! Hopefully you will get the FSM, it has all the pictures in it as well.

1. REMOVE OIL PAN AND GASKET
(a) Remove the 17 bolts.
(b) Remove the oil pan by lifting transaxle case.
2. CLEAN EXHAUST PARTICLES IN PAN
Remove the magnet and use it to collect any steel chips.
Lock carefully at the chips and particles in the oil pan and
on magnet to anticipate what type of wear you will find in
the transaxle.

Steel (magnetic): bearing, gear and plate wear

Brass (non-magnetic): bushing wear
3. REMOVE OIL PIPE BRACKET AND STRAINER
4. REMOVE MANUAL VALVE BODY
(a) Remove the 2 bolts and detent spring.
(b) Remove the 5 bolts and manual valve body with the
manual valve.
(c) Remove the manual valve from the manual valve body.
5. REMOVE OIL PIPES
(a) Remove the bolt.
(b) Pry up both pipe ends with a large screwdriver and remove
the 6 pipes.
6. DISCONNECT SOLENOID CONNECTORS
7. REMOVE CONNECTOR CLAMP AND PIPE RETAINER
8. REMOVE B3 APPLY PIPE
Pry up the pipe with a screwdriver and remove the pipe.
9. REMOVE VALVE BODY
(a) Remove the 9 bolts.
(b) Remove the wire harness clamp.
(c) Disconnect the throttle cable from the cam, and remove
the valve body.

Once you get the valve body out, you will have access to all the solenoids, just make sure you identify the right ones!

Good Luck!

Jeremy-KY

Ok I'll try to find a shop that can pull down the codes for me, Autozone does not exist where I live, so i'll search around for a shop to pull the codes down.

I'll check back with you within the week.

sleepy4lif

hello everyone where is the best place to get the shift solenoid thanks for the help.

GS4.0

I got mine at the Dealer. Make sure you get the correct solenoid that needs to be changed. There are three types on the '95 ES300.