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I have a 1997 toyota camry se 2.2l automatic.


Sent to Toyota Experts March 23 11:11 p.m.
I have a 1997 toyota camry se 2.2l automatic. Transmission is an a140e .The problem I''m having is that it can''t decide what gear it wants to be in when you first take off. It starts off in first then wants to shift to second almost immediately,then wants to shift back and forth between the two gears as you increase in speed.The farther you drive,it will shift through the gears but it will be a hard shift. I''ve tried the manual shift as the book recommends to see if it''s in the electrical or in the transmission itself. It seems to shift fine manually. Any recommendations? Could it be in the solenoids, the computer, etc....? I have replaced the lockout solenoid/SL solenoid because I got a code for that but replacing it didn''t make any difference. I am stumped by this problem and don''t quite know where to go from here. I don''t want to replace the transmission if it''s something electrical. Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

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1997 Toyota camry 2.2L

Already Tried:
It's included in my question.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status: Closed   Value: $15   
Answer
March 23 11:26 p.m. (15 minutes and 29 seconds later) 		ACCEPTED Check Mark

You need to verify if the ECU is telling the trans to shift or if the trans is malfunctioning on its own. Hook a volt meter to the shift solenoids at the ecu. monitor the voltage and see if the erratic shift pattern coincides with the voltage out puts from the ecu. Also check the throttle position sensor make sure the input to the ecu is smooth and not jumping around this can cause erratic shifting and not get detected as a faulty sensor by the ecu. Check the links below.

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Randy Miller
PictureRandy Miller  -- ASE Certified Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 999 Toyota Accepts
23 YRS. TOYOTA EXP, 2 TIME FINALIST - TOYOTA NAT'L SKILLS CONTEST! HYBRID & ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST!		6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008
Reply to Randy Miller
Sent March 23 11:38 p.m. (12 minutes and 21 seconds later)
I have tried a TPS sensor and it didn't make any difference. How do you suggest hooking a volt meter to the shift solenoids while then driving it to monitor shift pattern? Not sure how I can do that... thank you for the diagrams.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 23 11:48 p.m. (9 minutes and 42 seconds later)
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PictureRandy Miller  -- ASE Certified Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 999 Toyota Accepts
23 YRS. TOYOTA EXP, 2 TIME FINALIST - TOYOTA NAT'L SKILLS CONTEST! HYBRID & ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST!		6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008
Reply
Sent March 25 1:42 a.m. (1 day and 1 hour later)
After looking at the diagrams, I checked the resistance from the plug to the solenoids with it unplugged and ignition off. S1, S2 and SL solenoids were all within resistance range of 11.6. Diagram doesn't say if you need to have ignition on or off, with the ignition on S1, SL still are within range but S2 reads 64.4 (that is with ignition on). Driving it and checking voltage coming out of computer, S1 reads at 13.8 volts in 1st and 2nd gear then below 1 volt in 3rd and overdrive. S2 reads at below 1 volt in 1st gear, 13.8 in 2nd and 3rd, then below 1 volt in overdrive. The diagram you sent doesn't give me voltage going through the gears however one I got from a Chilton online shows that S2 in 1st and 2nd gear should be between 9 and 14 volts and when in 3rd and OD below 1 volt. Also noticed that when the constant shifting between 1st and 2nd occurs, the voltage is below 1 volt at S2, then when it finally remains in 2nd gear the voltage is at 13.8 volts. From my reading of the diagrams, this appears to point to the computer rather than the solenoids or the transmission itself. Do you think that I am correct in my assumption? Thank you for taking the time to help me analyze the data.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 25 12:43 p.m. (11 hours and 1 minute later)
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PictureRandy Miller  -- ASE Certified Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 999 Toyota Accepts
23 YRS. TOYOTA EXP, 2 TIME FINALIST - TOYOTA NAT'L SKILLS CONTEST! HYBRID & ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST!		6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008
Reply
Sent March 25 3:50 p.m. (3 hours and 7 minutes later)
Could you please send the solenoid activation chart? I didn't see it attached to your last response as indicated. I'll check my numbers with the chart and let you know.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 25 8:12 p.m. (4 hours and 21 minutes later)
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PictureRandy Miller  -- ASE Certified Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 999 Toyota Accepts
23 YRS. TOYOTA EXP, 2 TIME FINALIST - TOYOTA NAT'L SKILLS CONTEST! HYBRID & ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST!		6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008
Reply
Sent March 28 1:42 a.m. (2 days and 5 hours later)
Went to drive it again and the readings were within the range of the chart and it shifted fine but sometimes hard. However, I did find that when I took it up a long hill, it would shift from 1st to 2nd as normal, then begin to lug as I went up the hill and shift back down to 1st. All normal. As I would pick up speed again it would shift back to 2nd, however, at this point the readings for S2 were below 1 volt even though it still shifted into 2nd gear. I am frustrated at the intermittance of this problem and am wondering what you would recommend to a customer with a vehicle exhibiting this type of erratic shift pattern. Give me your best guess...would you first replace the computer, the solenoids or the transmission? I'm sorry to be taking up so much of your time. I have been trying to diagnose this on my own and that is why I sought help online thinking there must be someone out there that may have dealt with something like this before. Thank you for the help you've given me so far.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 28 2:07 p.m. (12 hours and 24 minutes later)
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PictureRandy Miller  -- ASE Certified Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 999 Toyota Accepts
23 YRS. TOYOTA EXP, 2 TIME FINALIST - TOYOTA NAT'L SKILLS CONTEST! HYBRID & ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST!		6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008

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