Hi,
I have a 90 Camry with 200,000+ miles, runs fine but:
tranmission started dragging recently, whirring before coming fully engaged
at start. The other day went to back up and there was no reverse, and car
now moves forward in neutral. Still runs fine as long as I am going
forward.
Fluid level is fine. Is the transmission shot, or is there something I
should look at/for before I know.
Thanks,
Mike
m Ransley - 22 May 2006 22:40 GMT
When is the last time you changed the trans oil and filter, my 91 did
the same when 10f out, even though the fluid was only 10000 miles on it,
doing the whole job helped out, its been 3 yrs.
justinm930 - 23 May 2006 12:46 GMT
most of the time when you mess with the fluid of an older cars transmission
especially with that kind of mileage you end up doing more harm then good
so make sure you know what your doing b4 you touch anything
Charlie - 23 May 2006 15:31 GMT
I have a 2000 Camry and before that I had a 1997 Camry. There is a 1
year time change recommendation for the transmission fluid. It suggests
a "refresh" rather than the dealership full flush unless there is a
major problem. You do have a major problem, however you might try
refresh. If it were my car I would drain the transmission and refill it
with the Dexron-3, wait a week or a month and do it again. If the new
fluid cleans it up and frees the gummed up clutches and valves you have
it cheap. Then the second refresh is to get rid of most of the crud.
There are a lot of places inside that will not drain like in the lower
part of the torque converter and the valve body, but most of the fluid
will have been replaced. You can buy a kit of seals and pull the bottom
panel of the case and clean or maybe replace the filter (screen?) also.
My cars get Mobil-1 ATF (synthetic automatic transmission fluid)
instead of Dexron. The synthetic will hold up better to heat and last
longer. I still refresh it every fall. The viscosity of each fluid
will be very slightly different but not enough to make any difference.
These fluids are engineered to be interchangeable and mixable anyway and
the mechanical parts of the cars are engineered to do well with anything
generally available for cars unless noted on the packaging. There is a
"Ford F" fluid that is only for specified transmissions. And there are
special fluids for things like airplanes that do not mix with anything
else or other brands, of course, but that should not be a
consideration for most of us. Location of the drain plug and replacement
amounts are in your owners manual or repair manual from the auto parts
store of your choice.
Daniel - 23 May 2006 14:49 GMT
johngdole@hotmail.com - 28 May 2006 04:11 GMT
Was the strainer ever replaced (not just cleaned with compressed air)?
Pan dropped and metal shavings cleaned?
However, like others said, beware before touching an old transmission.
It might just fail completely. Begin with the simple stuff first, like
cycling all tranny fluid every few weeks to refresh all the fluid in
the system (before going into a power flush).
m Ransley - 28 May 2006 15:16 GMT
If the filter is clogged oil wont circulate, replace it , its BS to
worry about changing a filter on an old unit.