I'm considering buying a 1996 Camry, 4-cyl. (2.2 L), automatic (about 175,000 miles). There is a problem with the transmission (I think). Everything works fine except on the highway, even when warm, the car doesn't seem to make the final shift (overdrive) and at 100 km/hr (60 mph) the tach shows around 3000 rpm. I drove it for a half hour and tried speeds up to 130 km/hr (3700 rpm) but it just wouldn't make the final shift. I own a 1995 Camry (with 515,000 kilometers) with the same motor and (presumably) same transmission and at 100 km/hr my tach shows about 2300 rpm so I suspect something is up with the '96. The strange thing about this however is that when I'm driving the '96 at highway speeds and click on the O/D button (O/D OFF) the rpms jump up slightly (about 200 rpms). I tried this several times to make sure I wasn't imagining it. How can this be?
The car is so quiet and smooth that many people wouldn't even be aware that the rpms are too high at highway speeds. I pointed this out to the dealer selling the car and he seemed genuinely surprised but agreed with me (after taking it for a drive) that it wasn't making the final shift. Because of this potential problem with the transmission he's offered to sell me the car for a terrific price but it won't look so terrific if I'm faced with a $2000 transmission bill.
Could any of you offer any suggestions as to what may be wrong with the transmission....i.e. the probability that it's just an electrical problem (fuse, sensor, wire, etc.) that might not cost too much to repair as opposed to a broken piston/crank whatever in the transmission that will cost a lot. The transmission seems to work perfectly apart from this failure to shift into overdrive - no indication that it is slipping or pausing - I even tried backing up a steep hill and it worked fine.
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Stu in New Brunswick

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1995 Camry LE 4cyl. automatic w/ 515,000 kilometers

 

This could be something simple - or not. It could be (but not limited to) shift solenoid SL, malfunctioning OD Off switch or engine coolant temp switch, all pretty cheap to fix. Are you getting any codes? It may be an opportunity to pick up a good car cheap that you can repair also for cheap, but you may pay for what you get as well. It's too bad you can't get the car diagnosed then make the deal with that information. It also sounds like the dealercan just sell it to someone whowill notdetect the no OD operation, maybe that was what he was trying to do to you.If the car was operating OK is the price a good one?I'm surprised, if this is a dealer, he hasn't had it fixed, unless he already knows the fix is expensive. Try to come up with a win/win offer. Maybe offer to buy at reduced price he offered if you can take it to your mechanic to diagnose.I would use a Toyota shop who knows what to look for.

 

If a seller, whetherindividual or dealer, would not allow me to have my legitimate, qualified (i.e. not shade-tree) mechanic at least look at (e.g. perhaps an hour's worth of diagnosis) aninarguable and obvioustransmission problem such as this one, then I'd simply walk away from any further negotiations on the vehicle in question. It's simply too risky to assume the risk of the unknown.

However, if they were willing (albeit highly unlikely, esp. in case like this where some other potentialbuyers might notnotice this on a quick test drive) to lower the previouslynegotiated selling price (i.e. not their asking price) by the market price of a new/rebuilt transmission, then I'd likely buy it and then have it evaluated by a mechanic.

 

Thanks very much for your thoughts and advice. The seller runs a small repair shop in a village nearby and sells a fair number ofcars on the side. He has a reputation for honesty and fair prices. His asking (negotiable) price for the 1996 Camry 'Plus' 2.2L Automatic with 280,000 kms. (175,000 miles)was $2500. I checked the car out quite thoroughly and everything (engine, steering, suspension, body) except the transmission appears and sounds to be in great shape. After pointing out the transmission problem to the seller, he's offered to sell me the car 'as is' for $1500....I can no doubt get it for $1200. My conundrum is deciding if I want to take the risk that I can correct the transmission problem for a few hundred dollars and have a great car for a good price. I was hoping someone could advise me of the odds (1 in 10?; 50-50?), although I guess you'd have to be a mechanic who deals with these sort of symptoms regularly to have a good idea of what the odds are of it being something minor as opposed to major.

By the way, Pedro, would your possible causes still make sense in light of the fact that when I push the 'O/D OFF' button the 'O/D OFF' light comes on and the rpms go up by a couple of hundred (when travelling at highway speeds)? I'm really confused by how this can happen....a transmission that clearly hasn't shifted from 3rd to 4th increasing the rpms when the 'O/D OFF' button is pushed?? Am I missing something....Thanks!!

 

You're going to need a trans guy to answer that. What happens if you set OD switch to off when stopped and accelerate to speed then turn switch on,do rpms drop? I don't understand how the OD lockup worksinternally. There is an OD clutch, OD brake, OD one-way clutch and OD planetary gear. Maybe your not getting complete lockup?? Whatever you do don't go to one of those national chain trans. shops. I've never heard them say anything except, "you need a new tranmission. You'd be best to find a local shop operated by the owner. Good luck.

 

If the OD disengages when you switch it off- and neither side of overdrive is slipping, there's a possibility that Toyota may have changed the ratio's of the transmissions between the 95 and 96 model year. Before purchasing the vehicle- ask if you can have it inspected from a local Toyota dealership and have them look into this.

JJ

 

stubirdnb, joel haspresenteda great possibility. If Toyo has changed the ratio between 95 & 96 and there is nothing wrong with the 96 then you may have agood car at a great price. Maybe someone herewith a 96 can give you their observation of the rpm difference between 3rd and OD.

 

Joel and Pedro - Thanks for your input. I had thought about that possibility but dismissed it because I don't hear, feel or see (on tach) the car make that third and final shift into fourth gear, even after ten minutes at highway speed on a warmed up engine. Still I'm baffled by the small jump in rpms when I push the O/D button (=O/D OFF)..... I checked my'95 Camryout today and at 110 km/hr my tach reads about 2450 rpm and jumps to about 3400 rpm when I push the O/D button. The '96 I'm thinking of buying reads about 3300 rpm at the same speed and jumps to about 3500 rpm when I push the O/D button.......bizarre!

Maybe I could live with that since I do relatively little highway driving but obviously it will affect my fuel consumption and engine wear.

Thanks again!

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1995 Camry 2.2L Automatic with 515,000 kms.

 

Just like at the "national chain" transmission repair shops (e.g. AAMCO andCottman...actually the same since they "merged" recently), the odds that a service advisor/technician at a Toyo dealership will tell you that the transmission requires complete replacement is very high. Dealership service advisors are paid commission on the revenue they generate; therefore, they'll likely recommend complete replacement with a new (not rebuilt, since they can't do that there) transmission since it's a higher-priced product/service than simply replacing the problem component(s) within the transmission.

My advice is to pay a visit to a local independent mechanic who is both reputable and, in particular, knowledgeable and experienced with imports such as Toyota and Honda.

 

stubirdnb, i have the same problem with my 2000 xle.
at 100 km/h my rpm is at 2500, at 120 km/h over 3000 rpm.
if you ever find the solution please let me know. thanks!

btw, how does your transmission behave at start-up during cold mornings?