Guys,

I have a 99 limited (6 cyl) with 114K on it. I purchased it back in Sept with 106K. I did not get any service history . Here lately the tranny has been shifting hard from 2nd to 1st as I come up to the same stoplight near my home. This only occurs when the tranny is cold and only from 2nd to 1st. After that 1st stoplight its warmed enough and doesn't do it anymore. I guess my options are to run the red light each time or try some Lucas Transmission Fix. I have recently done a drain and fill, but that hasn't made any difference. I probably need to drop the pan and do a filter change also. Does anyone have any experience with the Lucas Products? I have always been hesitant to use any additives. Thanks for any help.

 

Change the fluid and filter first.

I used lucas stop slip in a camry I had that if you applied to much gas (to much fluid pressure on the trans) it wouldnt shift out of first unless you backed off. Lucas fixed it to make it tolerable.

 

Lucas products are 100% petroleum.....its not an 'additive' per se.
I had an old Toyota tercel with an Auto that experienced similar hard shifting symptoms.....Lucas made a big difference in the way it shifted. Although the problem was not gone completely, I was able to drive it thru several more oil changes before major service was required.
I have had good experience with Lucas products.

 

Might not be the issue, but a cheap check is to lube up the driveline (if you are 4wd) as this can cause a jerkiness in the situations you described.

 

I may be wrong, but I don't think its the zerk fittings. I have them lubed each time the oil is changed. After the tranny is warm there is no hard shifting at all. I think I am going to drop the pan and change the filter this time before I add the Lucas product. I will follow up after its done.

 

do a tranny flush esp since you have no idea on when it was changed last. i prefer amsoil universal atf or their torque drive for dex3 purposes. if it calls for T4 then use the amsoil universal atf.

 

+1000.....I had the same issue, Amsoil Universal ATF in now after a total flush and now she shifts like a dream!!!

I posted about the flush a while back, do a search and find that thread and you'll know everything you could possibly need or want to ask about a flush.

 

I donno if you have A/T or M/T, but, I wouldn't use Lucas in the Auto Tranny.

 

SC

i would say auto from the talk described
dont call me right or wrong
although it could be anyones guess

 

Transmissions are weird. Plain and simple.

If your tranny is shifting down hard when it is cold, then maybe drive slow for a little bit and let it warm up. I see a definate change in your future. See how much it will cost for them to drop the pan and clean out the filter.

What does the fluid look like? Color? Are the shavings in it?

 

its an auto....I've never heard of a "hard" shift on a manual?

Why do you not recommend Lucas if I decide to go that route if a flush doesn't take care of it? Did you have a bad experience with their products?

Does anyone actually know what causes the hard shift? It usually happens once when its cold and then no more....

 

OH! the hard shift is almost normal when the ATF is cold- hence why some of us switch to synethetic bc it isnt as thick when cold. therefor providing better cold shifts. also hence the reason why it goes away when warm, the atf is thinner and lubricating like it should. either way i would flush with dino atf or synthetic atf since you have no previous history.. the atf could show bright red but thats no real indication whether its shot or not... i say do the flush and not worry about it for quite some time.. imo.... btw dont use the lucas for anything! a lot of that stuff is just smoke and mirrors. it really doesnt "FIX" anything, it masks, if it does anyting at all.. waste of $$.. do the flush you will notice a good difference..

btw where in NC are you located?

 

I plan to have it flushed within the week.

I live in Clemmons....hr. west of Burlington.

 

gotcha, yeah i know where that is. off I40. my gf's parents live in Advance. what kind of atf are you going to go with? Noticed yours is a 99 model, they require a DexIII atf like my truck. You have a quite a few options to go with. personally i like synthetic for the tranny bc it does keep them cooler and protects much better in cold weather. also doesnt shear like dino atf's.. take a look at these below

1. Amsoil torque drive
2. Amsoil universal atf (which i use bc its easy for me to get at a mom and pop shop)
3. M1 atf, good luck finding the one that states DexIII, most are now universal aft's. personally i wouldnt use those bc it doesnt state DexIII..
4. redline DexIII

non synthetics

1. Valvoline maxlife atf
2. penzoil atf dexIII

 

Yes, you can have a hard shift in a manual transmission. I have one in my FJ40. Turned out that the PO liked to fill the transmission with half water and half gear lube.

Lucas is not fixing the problem. It will just prolong it.

Hard shifting when cold is normal.

 

Update...

I had the tranny flushed last Friday and replaced the filter. The shop recommended a Penzoil Synthetic and thats what I went with. Today when I came up to that same light where I had been slowing and getting the initial hard shift it just barely did it. A definite improvement. It had always shifted smooth after warming up, but now its really smooth.

Now I have another issue....nothing to do with the tranny. Plan to start a new post. I think my starter is going....

 

remember to do drain and fills every 15-30k miles pending if you offroad and or haul stuff.. the harder you work it the more you should do drain and fills. you will never have to have a flush again if you keep up with it.

 

Well thats a relief!! Good to hear.

As for your starter, most likely your contacts are going. Its a cheap fix if you want to do it yourself. Pull the starter (It took me about 30 mins, others have taken a few hours). Pull it apart, replace the contacts, and you're good to go. The whole process took about 2-3 hours.

I've heard from some Toyota mechanics that the starters put in these models are made to last at least 300,000 mi.

 

Time to revive the old thread with the same problem...

I had the tranny flushed and refilled with a Penzoil Synthetic ATF as stated in one of the previous posts, but the hard shifting has come back worse than before...

I have recently tried the Lucas Transfix, but it has made no difference. I even tried two bottles...no help. I have been told that its probably a shifting solenoid sticking or a bad sensor that the computer uses when shifting. Has anyone had anything like this to happen? I really don't think my tranny is on the way out. Once its warmed up it drives so smooth...go figure.

I hate to do it, but it looks like its going to the dealer to get checked out this Friday.

 

How cold are you talking? You just jump in and go? If mine is cold it wont shift into 3rd until it is warmed upif it is in the 30s outside. I just let it warm up while i put my shoes on and its ok. Lucas is a bandaid mostof the products are way to thick