JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

There may be a pending code that hasn't triggered your check engine light yet. Torque converter lockup is where clutches inside the torque converter engage to lock the engine and transmission so they rotate the same speed( like a manual transmission) I'm not sure what speed it is supposed to lock up but I'm sure someone with an auto can chime in.

kevo4runner89

let the chiming begin, Autos!

Gsolo

I can tell you what the manual says...and I think its kinda vague to real world anyhow...should be locking up between 47-49mph

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Just found on Pirate.

With O/D OFF 25-28 mph
With O/D OFF and ect 34-37
Normal 37-39
ECT 47-49
All with throttle valve opening at 5%

kevo4runner89

I had OD off and ect on when I was headed toward Tahoe and had issues at 35mph so does this mean torque converter isn't the culprit?

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Torque converter lockup should not effect shifting issues. Have you counted the shifts while your driving?

kevo4runner89

I forgot to check the gears/speed but it had the issues at 55mph. No other gear does it have the issue with. Any suggestions or ideas?

kevo4runner89

Ok, so driving to work I tried to keep an eye on the shift points and these are approximate as I wasn't trying to crash.

1st gear 0-12ish
2nd gear 13-25ish
3rd gear 25-40/45ish
4th gear 45+

(this is city driving without flooring it and driving under normal conditions) I dont use the freeway on my way to work so I didnt have a chance to get it up and going as those shift points would be a lot higher)

Driving yesterday on the freeway as I mentioned earlier, was occasionally shifting back and fourth between 3rd and 4th @ 55mph. The faster I went and got away from that trouble spot (about 70) was fine and didnt have any issues.

Again driving to tahoe (steep climb) was stuck at 35mph and was either bogged down under 2krpm or almost redlining and that would take me to approx 40mph. (reference for which gears it was shifting through)

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Saying that you went faster about 70 and didn't have issues, but it kept hunting between 3rd and 4th around 55 I want to say it might be normal for a underpowered 4runner. Someone can chime in that has a rig like yours and see if theirs does the same. I know from towing with a auto with so much weight the trans will start to hunt gears going to 3rd and back to 4th that's why it's best to leave it in 3rd to keep from overheating the trans.
Also you said your O/D OFF light is on, did you find out why?

kevo4runner89

I do have a trans cooler installed (bought it that way) but I never had issues before packing the 4runner all the way and going up to Tahoe (really steep hill) so I might have just put too much on the trans?

Nope, I still havent checked much into that issue with my OD light always saying off. Im hoping it's just a fuse but just taking one problem at a time.

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Your saying you have went up the same pass with the 4runner before and it done fine or it had trouble?
I'm looking at my wiring diagrams for a 93 right now, the O/D off light is just controlled by the switch, looking at this if the light is on it is sending power to the ECU and the trans should stay in 3rd.

kevo4runner89

No, this was my first time ever taking the pass. I was just mentioning that I never noticed the trans issue before on the freeway.

The switch on mine is just button on the actual shifter facing towards the driver. I have clicked that a few times and it always just says off on the "light" even though there is no light or back light for this. maybe more of an issue. Thanks JasonYota for your help so far

Yotard

I don't know if this helps at all or not...but I have a 95 4Runner 3.0 Auto. I am in the bay area and spend a lot of time in the Tahoe National Forest off hwy 80. I have had my runner 3 years now, I am running 32" tires with stock gearing.

First few trips up there I took I would turn the OD off when I climbed hills in Auburn, by the time I was to Dutch Flat I would have the Trans Temp light come on (set at 300F) I tried different combinations of ECT and OD on and off but I had that light come on 3 different trips so I installed a Hayden 777 aftermarket cooler and put an Autometer gauge on the output from the transmission to the cooler. I found that even on the highway with the OD on that if you drop out of torque converter lock up it immediately generates a lot of heat. It will go from 180 degrees in lock up to 210 in about a minute for passing a big rig or the slightest incline. If I drive with the OD off the temp just climbs and never cools so I always drive with the OD on. When I run it in ETC mode though, it will run about 3000-3200rpm and hold lockup climbing the hills and the temp never goes over 210. Since I have put the gauge and cooler on, I haven't had any problems. The bigger hills I can't go over 50mph but usually I can keep it right around 45-50mph and 3000rpm. If I don't put it in ETC mode, it won't hold that 3000 rpm range, it will lug until I floor it and then jump up to 4000-4500 rpm. I don't know if you have the ETC button on your model but it definitely works on mine.

The other thing is that the speed sensor is connected to the transmission for the shift points, OD and lockup. If your OD light isn't working right then you may have a bad speed sensor and that will definitely cause you OD and lockup issues.

Gamefreakgc

Man, autos have a hard time! I was just up 80 all the way to Yuba gap a few weeks back and kept 65+ the whole way...

Yotard

Yeah if my wife could drive a manual I would not have bought an auto. My cabin is on the other side of 80 from yuba gap, emigrant gap. My photo here is of the grouse ridge fire lookout off of bowman lake road.

Gamefreakgc

Nice, that's great area. I'm going to be up their on Labor day camping at Lake Spaulding just off on Highway 20 and probably do some hiking on Grouse Lake Trails, near Island lake and all those little pristine lakes.

kevo4runner89

Ok so new info. my OD does work. I always figured it did when I would want to pass people (who were going slower than me) Just every time I looked at the OD light, my 4runner was in Park. I was driving and was at a stop light and looked and saw that it was on and when I got home I put it in Park and it switched to off so that takes care of that issue.

I do have the ECT button and I turned that on in camino to help get up the hill as I knew it was going to get steep and the higher rpm would help a bit.

@Yotard, I have stock gearing as well, however my rpm range climbing 50 was way more dramatic. I would be bogged down under 2k or past 5k or almost redlining and that was at about 35mph and so that was with ECT on Power and OD on as well. Do you think that might equal my issue? Or do you think speed sensor as it's doing it at 55mph now just on 80 but when I go faster it doesnt have that issue so the sensor must recognize there isnt as close of a difference? Just letting my mind wonder to try to connect dots.

@Gamefreakgc I wish I could have stayed @65 but its not really possible on 50's single lane so it makes me feel a little better that I couldnt go 65 even if I wanted to

@Yotard that was a major factor in buying an auto. Im on my 8th vehicle and it's my 2nd automatic so I'd prefer the control of a manual but it is what it is. I'd like to do that trail sometime.

Gamefreakgc

Glad it works, sorta. Glad there's nothing wrong with your overdrive, sorry that it doesn't perform quite at where you want it to. I can't remember if I said it here, but sometimes a real good tune-up can go a long way on these engines.

P.S. My wife couldn't drive stick either, so I taught her! Now she's fine driving my truck all over town.

Yotard

Driving yesterday on the freeway as I mentioned earlier, was occasionally shifting back and fourth between 3rd and 4th @ 55mph. The faster I went and got away from that trouble spot (about 70) was fine and didnt have any issues. [/QUOTE]

That is the torque converter locking and unlocking. I have experience that occasionally as well at the same speed. It seems like the computer is near a threshold right at that speed so it keeps switching the lockup in and out, don't know why.

I have one other idea...I don't know if you have an electronic speedo or a cable speedo. I have a cable speedo that actually went out a while ago and the speedo needle was bouncing about 10mph all the time. During this time the shifting points were all screwed up. Cruise control would just floor it too! When the speedo cable finally broke the shift points and lockup became regular, the OD light flashed all of the time but it still worked. I put a new speedo cable in and that fixed the light flashing and the shift points worked as they were supposed to as well again and cruise control works normally again.

If that isn't your problem then I am guessing it is performance related...sorry not to be much help.

kevo4runner89

So does everyone think that it might be the torque converter going out then? I never experienced this happening the first 600 miles with it. Only after this recent trip up 50 did it start. Now when I drive 80 and in traffic 50-65 it just gets a little annoying with it changing back and fourth. Just doesnt seem good for the trans?

I am not sure on my speedo cable, but my needle doesnt bounce around, so i dont think that its this.

any other suggestions or ideas anyone?