I think something's wrong ...
 

Maybe I'm paranoid or something, but since a few weeks I get the feeling that there might be something wrong with my tranny. It's very hard to describe. It kind of feels like in a manual in first gear when you just let the car roll with the engine at idle ... you get a very light jerking movement.
It appears to be most pronounced at around 30-50mph, under no or light throttle. Gives me the impression as if something is 'loose' in the tranny.

Oh well, I guess you have no clue what I'm trying to say ...

Actually, I do. Check and see how the trans fluid looks and smells, you'll definitely know if it's burnt, smells like nasty pee.
Either way, try a trans flush and fill, if the problem persists you'll want to check the torque converter, they aren't the strongest in these cars and the speed you mentioned includes the speed at which the converter locks up, it'll feel like it's bucking very slightly, like the chugging you seem to be getting. When was the transmission serviced last? Could be a couple other things, but that's usually the first place to check.
- LL

Thanks for your reply.

The car was last serviced 2.5k miles ago at a Toyota dealership. This included tranny flush/fill. Also, from what I can tell, the fluid is OK.

I am going to get a TC from that Steve Ganz groupbuy. Already talked to a specialized auto tranny shop about installing it and at the same time having the entire tranny checked for any signs of wear. However, it's going to be another 4-5 weeks to the installation. Do you think it's save to wait or should I have it checked immediately to avoid any further damage?

What else do you think it could be besides the TC?

Thanks again,