Cars1990

I had a Transmission shop in town drop my pan, clean the screen and replace the 1.9L of displaced ATF in my 1990 LS400 back in May 2011. The shop did not use the recommended Toyota Type 4 ATF - but assured me the "full synthetic" ATF used was fine.

I drove the car all summer (approx 5,000 miles) without any issue, just smooth shifts. Now that winter is settling in here, and the temperature is dipping below freezing point the transmission is acting up. It seems to be slipping and not operating smoothly. However, once it reaches operating temperature it seems fine.

Basically, just wanted some advice...do you think my transmission is done? Should I take it to dealership and get a complete flush with proper Toyota Type 4? Or should I use a Lucas type additive?

Thanks, all comments appreciated.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

I would suggest a full replacement with the Type IV fluids.

Cars1990

Ok thanks!

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

it depends on which fluid was used, some (minority) syn fluids are listed as meeting requirements.

sdls

Check the trans fluid filter. If it's clogged up with gunk then that will cause the trans to slip. If it's badly clogged up enough, the car won't move at all. I've been there.

fluxedup

if you take it to a dealer for diagnosis they will hook up a proprietary diagnostic tool, called an ECT analyzer, this is used to manually shift the transmission. This is how they determine if the problem is due to actual transmission damage or a faulty ecu. I would have thought this would only concern shift points but from what the manual says the lockup is also controlled by computer and this relates to slippage.
I would ask the tranny shop which specific fluid they did use, as there is a published spec which will be listed , I think if you search you can find the spec listed on here somewhere.

Cars1990

Thanks for the input guys