Still problems after trans fluid topoff? Possible fix

My OR AT with tow was 1qt low on trans fluid when I made the dealer check it. They topped it off and sent me on my way. The truck drove much better for the first 500 miles or so but than it started acting strange again. I was getting slipping, very sluggish acceleration, and lots of gear hunting. Driving the truck sucked. I assumed that the trans has learned bad habits while it was learning with low trans. I was about to take it back to the dealer and let them have it, instead I decided to try disconnecting the battery to see if it clears the existing learning the transmission has already done. I disconnected the battery this morning for about 30 min, reconnected it, and now I'm on a test drive. The truck drives 1000x better now!!! It's acting like it should and hopefully it says that way. Damn dealer should have cleared the learning after topping it off. I know there was debate if disconnecting the battery clears the learning, but it definitely did something for me. So, that said.... If you still have a trans that is acting strange even after topoff than either disconnect the battery or take it to a dealer to clear the TCU learning.

 

I seem to have some "studdering" when accelerating from a stop....Feels like an old carburetor on an old engine missing, but it's not the engine. Also the constant gear changes. I've decided the transmission wants to get to the lowest RPM for the engine so it gears up but as soon as you want to go a little faster or come to the slightest incline on the road, it has to gear back down again.

My local dealer, Fox Toyota said they checked the fluid level last month. Yesterday I asked them about it again and he said...."That's normal"...lol

He also told me don't get my hopes up but there "might" be a update for the transmission in the future....I shouldn't even say that but that's what he lead me to believe, that it's a possibility.

 

Stupid dealers

 

Toyota can't reprogram tranny like everyone is hoping. EPA tests were done with tranny as is. Toyota just can't change the oeverall behavior of the transmission. Get used to it. Will be like this until 2026 when the next generation Tacoma is released.

 

They can release software updates to retune or map the transmission of they feel necessary. Many manufactures do this. Had nothing to to with EPA so I don't know what your talking about

 

Lube your drive line yet??? There are 5 zirks - all of mine were bone dry = drag on driveline = possible problems shifting. My MT shifts smoother after (DIY) lube. Dealer didn't do that at my 5K service even tho I asked them to.

 

Yeah I did mine

 

it is all about gas mileage....better gas mileage = less emissions= EPA

 

Adjusting shift points or fine tuning the transmission or anything else isn't going to get them into problem with the EPA and will have little to no effect on the MPG

 

I disconnected my battery this morning and am about to go out and reconnect it with fingers crossed. As mentioned in other threads, I had zero issues initially. Truck shifted smooth as silk, wasn't 'hunting' for gears like others were reporting, etc. After maybe 3,500 miles it began shifting rougher and more erratically, would intermittently clunk down into gear when coming to a stop at lights, stop signs, etc. it even slipped into neutral on it's own twice on me so far while driving down the street going about 35mph after pressing the gas to accelerate. I watched the tach rev with no power then it slipped back into gear. Both times truck was warmed up plenty and I had been driving for a while. It's also had trouble getting into gear when leaving my driveway in the morning on a cold start where it appeared to hang out in neutral for a second or two even though I placed the truck in drive and pressed the gas pedal before going into gear. I have had the truck into the dealer twice now for the issues mentioned above. I've been to two different dealerships. The first dealership refused to check the trans fluid because they were unable to duplicate the issues during a ride along with me. Second dealer checked trans fluid and said it was perfect but again, couldn't replicate the issues.

Now the truck is noticeably more sluggish and does not have the acceleration it had before on the freeway when I stomp on it, has started 'hunting' around much more, and my MPG has dropped. Wondering why I bought this truck in the first place even though I really want to love it. Aside from the transmission issues I have zero other complaints about the truck.

 

The best way I've heard this described is like a "fish bite" - very short/frequent hesitations while under load.

I hate to say it, but I can feel it from time to time in my MT truck, particularly while at lower RPMs.

Not to start another shitstorm/dogpile, but running better quality fuel seems to help. At the stations I usually go to, 87 and 89 octane "may contain up to 10% ethanol" FYI. 91 is pure lol.

Frank

 

Just got back from fueling up after removing the battery for 30 minutes.
I definitely noticed a difference...
Seems to hold the gears longer; less lugging when it upshifts. It at least feels tamable now.
I do the same refueling trip every Sunday; about 6 miles total.
My tank average is usually 18 by the time I get home. Today it was 21.5.

 

I disconnected the positive terminal for a few hours today. Reconnected it and drove around. Didn't notice any difference.

 

I've been experimenting some with the select shift this weekend ...

I've been keeping the transmission in the select shift mode in the 5th gear position, except on the interstate....

My road is very hilly and curvy and I've found it does good when I down-shift the transmission to the 4th gear position....

It obviously keeps it from needlessly shifting into those taller gears but so far still holds up the mpg, according to the dash info....

This is however no excuse for the problems we are experiencing and shouldn't even have to address this situation...

It does seem to help with my blood pressure when I'm driving and thinking of the 30k+ I spent on this truck...

 

Disconnect both battery terminals for 30 min then reconnect? Any particular order?

I made another thread about this and people seemed to think it doesn't so anything....

 

After checking ATF? Was your ATF low?

 

Who knows, maybe all these extra gears with autos will cause people to revert back to manuals and manuals make a come back?

 

I just disconnected the negative for 30 min. Went on a 200 mile drive today with lots of inclines and the truck held gears and shifted perfectly. I use to not be able to climb a slight incline without constant shifting and lots of sluggishness. I would have to pretty much floor it just to maintain speed. Anyways, all that is gone now and the truck drives awesome. I am really curious if this works for others as well. It's literally night and day difference for me.

 

just saw this in another thread
"Disconnecting the battery for several minutes resets short term adaptation...long term is retained" so it looks like disconnecting does erase the short term learning, whatever that means. Well I guess that was enough to fix my issues. Might not help everyone but it's worth a try. If not then I would have the dealer do a full reset. Again, this is ONLY for people who had low ATF and had it topped off but still have issues.