I recently did a full flush of the trans, filter cleaning, tune up, cap-rotors, clean TB, new air filter, new O2 sensors to try and remedy my 3rd gear hard shift. No help. I have a 1995 ls400 with about 120,000 on it. It has been a hard 3rd shift since I bought it at about 110,000. Changed the fluid then, but still shifts kinda hard into third. Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

What kind of trans fluid you running?

 

Yours isn't the only one. Mine just started doing it a couple days ago, along with the thermostat going out. I have no idea what the problem would be for it to be doing it in one gear. It's like the computer is messing up the **** times, because you'll notice it rev a little higher than normal and shift and jerk. Try putting the car in 1st gear, take it through a little, shift to second, then shift to third and see if it still drives like that. We may have the same problem.

 

I am using Toyota type-IV fluid. Old fluid was dirty, but not too bad. still reddish. I did a full flush with the trans cooler lines. Also cleaned the filter. I have tried the manual shift deal, and it still shifts hard into third only. 1-2 is ok, 3-4 is ok.

 

My friend's 91 LS400 had a weird problem where it would not shift into 2nd gear. It turned out that a rodent got into his engine bay and chewed one of the wires on the harness closest to the TPS. Once he replaced the wire, it worked fine. Might want to check that out.