No vroom vroom with the Camry

Very odd. Yesterday as I was slowly coasting on level ground
into a gas station, I was going too slowly, so I decided to
press down on the accelerator pedal a bit. The car's RPMs
increased (I heard the RPM rev up), but the car did not move
forward any faster than my coast! LOL.

So after one second of this, I removed my foot from the accelerator
pedal, and tried again. The second time was the charm. The 2006
Camry LE 4-cylinder moved like it's suppose to. There's only
15,000 miles on this 2-year-old car. What gives?

As mentioned, I gave the car some gas, but the increased REVs I
heard were not translated into forward motion. I expected a
bit more from Toyota. Very odd. I hope I don't experience more
of this in the future. I had just started driving the car from
a cold start-up about 12 minutes earlier. The temperature was
about 76*F outside, and the coolant had reached operating
temperature, although I'm sure the oil hadn't yet.

The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed tranny.
There
were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came out, and
I
suspect that this is what you are sensing.

We bought an Avalon, simply because it still was fitted with the older five
speed
unit which did not have this unsettling shift characteristic.

A sharp mechanic, dealership or independent, can probably counsel you on
this.

"HLS" > wrote in message
...
> The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed
> tranny. There
> were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came
> out, and I
> suspect that this is what you are sensing.

Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the 6
speed transmission.....

I have seen cases where electronically controlled transmission from
all manufacturers, not just Toyota, can "get confused" and shift into
neutral instead of downshifting. If it was my car, I'd experiment and
see if I could recreate the condition reliably. If I could, I'd take
the car to the Toyota dealer and demonstrate it for the service
writer. If I could not recreate the problem (even occasionally), then
I would forget it ever happened In either case, I'd check the ATF
fluid level, and if it is low, I'd be sure to use the correct Toyota
ATF (purchased from the dealer, not an auto parts store).

Ed

"C. E. White" > wrote in message
news:487392e3$1@kcnews01...
>
> "HLS" > wrote in message
> ...
>> The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed tranny.
>> There
>> were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came out,
>> and I
>> suspect that this is what you are sensing.
>
> Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the 6 speed
> transmission.....

I thought it did. Sorry. When did the 6 speed go into production?

"HLS" > wrote in message
news
>
> "C. E. White" > wrote in message
> news:487392e3$1@kcnews01...
>>
>> "HLS" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed
>>> tranny. There
>>> were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came
>>> out, and I
>>> suspect that this is what you are sensing.
>>
>> Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the
>> 6 speed transmission.....
>
> I thought it did. Sorry. When did the 6 speed go into production?

They introduced the 6 speed in 2007, but only for the V6. The 4
cylinder still gets the 5 speed (even in 2009). The fly by wire
complaints go back a little further....

Ed

"Gary L. Burnore" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:15:50 -0400, "C. E. White"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"HLS" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed
>>> tranny. There
>>> were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came
>>> out, and I
>>> suspect that this is what you are sensing.
>>
>>Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the 6
>>speed transmission.....
>>
>>I have seen cases where electronically controlled transmission from
>>all manufacturers, not just Toyota, can "get confused" and shift
>>into
>>neutral instead of downshifting.
>
> Toyota's 4speed will still work without ANY ETC. It won't have od
> but
> it'll work.
>
>>If it was my car, I'd experiment and
>>see if I could recreate the condition reliably.
>
> By the time he does that it could be too late for the transmission.
>
> He should get it checked ___ BEFORE ___ it gets worse.

Well my first check would be the ATF. If the level is correct and the
color is OK and the transmission was not acting up, I wouldn't take it
to the dealer. Chances are if you can't demonstrate the problem, they
won't find it. I suppose you could have them read the codes (assuming
there are any), but you could do it for free at AutoZone (or similar
stores that read the codes for free). If there are no codes and you
cannot demonstrate the problem, what do you expect the dealer to do? I
know - charge you $75 for saying everything is OK - been there, done
that.

Ed

"C. E. White" > wrote in message
news:4873baea$1@kcnews01...
>
> "Gary L. Burnore" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:15:50 -0400, "C. E. White"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"HLS" > wrote in message
...
>>>> The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed
>>>> tranny. There
>>>> were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came
>>>> out, and I
>>>> suspect that this is what you are sensing.
>>>
>>>Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the 6
>>>speed transmission.....
>>>
>>>I have seen cases where electronically controlled transmission from
>>>all manufacturers, not just Toyota, can "get confused" and shift into
>>>neutral instead of downshifting.
>>
>> Toyota's 4speed will still work without ANY ETC. It won't have od but
>> it'll work.
>>
>>>If it was my car, I'd experiment and
>>>see if I could recreate the condition reliably.
>>
>> By the time he does that it could be too late for the transmission.
>>
>> He should get it checked ___ BEFORE ___ it gets worse.
>
> Well my first check would be the ATF. If the level is correct and the
> color is OK and the transmission was not acting up, I wouldn't take it to
> the dealer. Chances are if you can't demonstrate the problem, they won't
> find it. I suppose you could have them read the codes (assuming there are
> any), but you could do it for free at AutoZone (or similar stores that
> read the codes for free). If there are no codes and you cannot demonstrate
> the problem, what do you expect the dealer to do? I know - charge you $75
> for saying everything is OK - been there, done that.
>
> Ed

If there is no check engine light and the transmission OD light is not
flashing, there will not be any codes stored.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
. ..

> If there is no check engine light and the transmission OD light is not
> flashing, there will not be any codes stored.

Good information. I didn't know if the PCM stored "pending" transmission
codes, or stored old codes.

So if the transmisison is acting normally, there is noting wrong with the
fluid (level and color OK), and no check engine/transmission lights, do you
think it would be usefule to visit the dealer?

Ed

"C. E. White" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
> . ..
>
>> If there is no check engine light and the transmission OD light is not
>> flashing, there will not be any codes stored.
>
> Good information. I didn't know if the PCM stored "pending" transmission
> codes, or stored old codes.
>
> So if the transmisison is acting normally, there is noting wrong with the
> fluid (level and color OK), and no check engine/transmission lights, do
> you think it would be usefule to visit the dealer?
>
> Ed
>

The ECM does store pending codes for 1 trip for codes with 2-trip detection
logic. I believe that if the code doesn't appear on the second consecutive
trip, the pending code is cleared. While there are codes that do not
illuminate the MIL, I have never run across an instance where one of those
codes is stored and the MIL is not illuminated.

If the transmission is acting normally, the ATF level and color are OK, and
there are no trouble lights illuminated, IMO, a trip to the dealer is
unlikely to make a repair attempt unless the OP can duplicate the condition
to demonstrate to the dealer. Otherwise, it would turn out to be a "unable
to duplicate condition" trip. If the car's powertrain warranty is close to
expiration, it wouldn't hurt to have the complaint documented by the dealer.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I wrote:

> Very odd. Yesterday as I was slowly coasting on level ground
> into a gas station, I was going too slowly, so I decided to
> press down on the accelerator pedal a bit. The car's RPMs
> increased (I heard the RPM rev up), but the car did not move
> forward any faster than my coast! LOL.
>
> So after one second of this, I removed my foot from the accelerator
> pedal, and tried again. The second time was the charm. The 2006
> Camry LE 4-cylinder moved like it's suppose to. There's only
> 15,000 miles on this 2-year-old car. What gives?
>
> As mentioned, I gave the car some gas, but the increased REVs I
> heard were not translated into forward motion. I expected a
> bit more from Toyota. Very odd. I hope I don't experience more
> of this in the future. I had just started driving the car from
> a cold start-up about 12 minutes earlier. The temperature was
> about 76*F outside, and the coolant had reached operating
> temperature, although I'm sure the oil hadn't yet.
========

Well, Monday's mysterious gremlin hasn't made a return visit
yet. The Camry's been driving fine ever since. Whatever happened
on Monday remains a mystery.

The level of the ATF on the dipstick is fine, it's bright cranberry
red, and
doesn't smell burned.

The local dealership sells Toyota Genuine ATF Type T-IV for $7
a quart.

This morning a local gas station mispriced its mid-grade gasoline.
The price was showing as $3.09 on the big sign that advertises
prices--you know the sign that's visible from the street. I'm
sure the pumps had it priced correctly at a dollar mo $4.09.

Another gas station is selling highway, low-sulfur, #2 diesel for
$4.65.
And they even sell specially dyed /Off-Road/ diesel on a separate
pump.

Yet another station sells E-85 for $4.41, but I see a lot more
stations
carrying diesel than E-85. Still trying to determine if Hy-Vee
premium
gasoline doesn't contain 10-percent ethanol (E-10). According to the
manager there, it doesn't, but he also says that premium everwhere
in the state is ethanol-free, but I know that's wrong. Most premium
everywhere is E-10, just like the lower grades. Trying to find
ethanol-free gas is not easy.