I just started noticing this after I gunned it pass one of those drivers doing 20 on a 50 zone, who then decided she didn't want me in front of her and sped up. So I hit the gas hard, and my car drops down a gear (automatic) and takes off (probably hitting around 4K to 4.5K rpms in second gear -maybe higher, sounded pretty high-, before shifting back to third). I did manage to stay ahead of her though. And she slowed down again... :-P

Anyway, after that little "race", I started noticing that my rpms wasn't sounding consistent as it did when I first got my car. Before, easy to moderate acceleration from stop, the rpms would be 18K to 2.5K before shifting to second gear. But no higher. Now, it's 2.2K to 3.8K, before shifting to second. As well, my car sounds a little rougher. Kinda like when you get a little hole in your muffler.

Note: the 18K to 2.5K numbers, is a guess (I never checked the rpm gauge before), and based it on the sound of the engine. I only started looking at the rpms when I started noticing that my car was revving higher than usual off of first gear.

Is it all in my head, and these are normal figures? Or did I do something in my little "race"? Thanks!

 

lol maybe ur gassing it harder...
well give it some time and if shifts get rougher or it starts slippng
u know something is going bad.

usually a change in transmission fluid solves many transmission issues.

 

lol. honestly, I thought that too. But you know when you drive a certain way, it becomes automatic and you don't even really think about it. And now I find that to get it to the revs that I'm used to, off of first gear, I have to consiously make a point of easing up on the accelarator. This is at about 2800 rpms.

But if hitting 3800 rpms off of first is nominal, then I'm all good. Cheers.

 

depends on how u drive and where u drive and what u've got in the trunk. haha

easy norcal driving i usually just get to 2.5 rpm in first
so cal i hit 3k in first

but if i drovea 4 banger like urs i'd prob hit 3k all the time.

having it shift at 3800 is iffy.
does ur car have any buttons like pwr (power) or anything like that you may have pressed?
i dont think the gen4 camry's have that but in the older camrys it used to be used for more power as in the transmission would hold higher rpms and shift later to give u more power.

 

I do mostly city driving. I do have an O/D switch, but that has always been set to "on" since I bought the car. And always take the "evidence" out of the trunk. ;-)

My acceleration has always been moderate. I'm not one of those drivers that takes 4 sec to cross a normal intersection when the light turns green. But I'm also not one to hit the accelerator the second the light turns green, and squawk my tires. I usually take about 2.5 sec.

3800 is the highest I've seen it go, but if I average it out from the last few times I've made a note, it would be more around 3200 to 3500.

On easy acceleration, I've hit as high as 2800 before shifting to second, but usually shifts at 2200 (that's taking about 4 sec to cross the intersection).

 

The cars computer could be tring to switch to your driving habits? Not sure. My 05 2.4 5speed auto tranny will shift as low as 1800rpms if i want it to. Normal acceleration usually puts me in the 2.5 3 k band range. So its all on the drivers habits im guessing. But 1st gear is geared low for torque and to get the car moving out of the gate so to speak. So a high rev in 1st gear is ok as longs you dont always gun it to the floor. Id have to agree that a transmission fluid exchange and filter should ease your worrys. The fluid could begining to break down. In all honesty if your not a granny driver and you done race it often you probably shouldnt have any worrys. Its a toyota and its built to take abuse. Unlike any domestic i cant speak for. Just get the fluid changed see what it looks like for yourself. Should be a nice bright red pink if not its due for change. Its just like your cars oil. It eventually breaks down and needs replacing and if it hasnt been done in a while you should atleast get it done so you know what it doesnt need. You might even notice better acceleration or smoother shifting. Or possibly worse. But like i said its a TOYOTA. Its the cheapest way to go about this before costly repairs strips you. Just a suggestion

 

no it sounds to me that something else is wrong.

 

Well, I'll check my tranny fluid, if it needs to be changed I'll have it done. And see what happens then. A couple of friends have been in my car, and I told them about it. They say that alot of 4 cyl cars rev in the lo 3K rpms, especially with my driving habits. As long as I'm not hitting the 4K mark and hanging there longer than usual before shifting to second. It's fine.

I a novice to intermediate (at best) when it comes to car mechanics. So diagnosing this concern is beyond me. Other than hitting about 3300 rpms, before shifting to second (with my driving), it's not shifting hard on any gears, and it doesn't hang unusually longer on a gear before it shifts. I had to take over another car today (but I didn't slam on the gas this time), and it down shifted okay. Guess what I'm primarily trying to figure out is, in normal driving condition, and for a person who drives like I do, what is the nominal rpm in first before shifting to second. I haven't seen my rpms go to 3800 the last little while (only if I actually gun it). It's been shifting at about 3200 to 3300.