Corollas2019-23ToyotasTech

Search Corolland!

Corolla 2007 Automatic Transmission Slip

by abuyusuf, January 12, 2011



Recently, I purchased a Corolla 2007 model automatic transmission car. On the same day, I changed the transmission oil (ACDelco ATF Type-III (H) fluid). Whenever, I slow down (10-20 KM/H) the car due to round abouts or speed breakers and again push the accelerator, I feel a transmission slip - the engine rpm increases but without speed. At that time I put the gear in "L" then I move and thereafter I bring it in "D" mode. On high speed there is no problem or jerk. When I inquired from my previous owner he accepted the fact that he was also feeling this slip. Can anyone please help me - this is due to oil that I am using or due to any other problem. Should I try with Toyota ATF T-IV oil?

Wrong transaxle fluid - get the transaxle fluid out and flush the system, ASAP. ACDelco ATF Type-III (H) fluid (or Dexron III ATF) is NOT compatible with Toyota Type T-IV ATF. Friction properties are completely different, hence the slipping you are seeing. If you continued to drive with the incorrect fluid, there would be a chance that you'd be looking at a transaxle rebuild or new transaxle.

There are Multi-vehicle specs for aftermarket AT fluids - many cover the DIII (H) and Toyota T-IV spec in one bottle. Though I personally am pretty leery of running something that is "universal". Toyota T-IV ATF in case packs run about $4/qt, or you can run Mobil 3309 ATF, which is the original supplier for Toyota T-IV ATF.

Probably also a compound issue you are seeing, the DBW throttlebody and transaxle shift strategy is "different" than cable actuated throttle bodies and conventional shift programs. Takes some getting used to - car will seem to fight back when you want to slow down and not speed up when you accelerate due to a slight latency in the control system.

Yeah, stop driving until you get the fluid changed. Back in my quick lube days I saw a few transmissions toasted due to techs changing transmission fluid and not adding the Smart-Blend additive that converts dexron lll to type lV.

Thanks a lot for this guidance. I will replace the ATF as soon as possible.

Wrong transaxle fluid - get the transaxle fluid out and flush the system, ASAP. ACDelco ATF Type-III (H) fluid (or Dexron III ATF) is NOT compatible with Toyota Type T-IV ATF. Friction properties are completely different, hence the slipping you are seeing. If you continued to drive with the incorrect fluid, there would be a chance that you'd be looking at a transaxle rebuild or new transaxle.

 

There are Multi-vehicle specs for aftermarket AT fluids - many cover the DIII (H) and Toyota T-IV spec in one bottle. Though I personally am pretty leery of running something that is "universal". Toyota T-IV ATF in case packs run about $4/qt, or you can run Mobil 3309 ATF, which is the original supplier for Toyota T-IV ATF.

Probably also a compound issue you are seeing, the DBW throttlebody and transaxle shift strategy is "different" than cable actuated throttle bodies and conventional shift programs. Takes some getting used to - car will seem to fight back when you want to slow down and not speed up when you accelerate due to a slight latency in the control system.

Thanks to all for their guidance. Just after receiving your advice, I replaced the ATF with Toyota Type T-IV ATF. First, I drained the old oil then I put approx. half liter new oil and drained that too. I am feeling improvement, means, the number of transmission slips are happening but less than the earlier. Weather is also 8-10 degree celcius here. Please let me know if any thing else is required to completely fix this transmission slip problem.

Wrong transaxle fluid - get the transaxle fluid out and flush the system, ASAP. ACDelco ATF Type-III (H) fluid (or Dexron III ATF) is NOT compatible with Toyota Type T-IV ATF. Friction properties are completely different, hence the slipping you are seeing. If you continued to drive with the incorrect fluid, there would be a chance that you'd be looking at a transaxle rebuild or new transaxle.

 

There are Multi-vehicle specs for aftermarket AT fluids - many cover the DIII (H) and Toyota T-IV spec in one bottle. Though I personally am pretty leery of running something that is "universal". Toyota T-IV ATF in case packs run about $4/qt, or you can run Mobil 3309 ATF, which is the original supplier for Toyota T-IV ATF.

Probably also a compound issue you are seeing, the DBW throttlebody and transaxle shift strategy is "different" than cable actuated throttle bodies and conventional shift programs. Takes some getting used to - car will seem to fight back when you want to slow down and not speed up when you accelerate due to a slight latency in the control system.

You'll have to do a complete transaxle fluid flush, as there is a significant amount of old fluid left in there. Several drains and refills will be able to "dilute" the older fluid. Total system capacity is approximately 12 liters, for a drain and refill - probably get about 3-4 liters to drain out. There is also a filter on the transaxle valvebody, I'd recommend having the replaced as well - as the fluid you initially switched to was not compatible. There could be quite a bit of metal shavings and material trapped in the filter and bottom of the transaxle pan.

Thanks fishexpo101 for your guidance. I also feel that there might be still a substantial amount of old oil in the transaxle. Can you please let me know FLUSHING is same as "DRAIN AND FILL" 2-3 times or it is a different process through which I will have to clean the transaxle. I consulted few mechanics that usually do drain and fill of transmission and other oils but they do not have any idea of flushing.

You'll have to do a complete transaxle fluid flush, as there is a significant amount of old fluid left in there. Several drains and refills will be able to "dilute" the older fluid. Total system capacity is approximately 12 liters, for a drain and refill - probably get about 3-4 liters to drain out. There is also a filter on the transaxle valvebody, I'd recommend having the replaced as well - as the fluid you initially switched to was not compatible. There could be quite a bit of metal shavings and material trapped in the filter and bottom of the transaxle pan.

Flushing is different than drain and refill. Drain and refill will only get the fluid in the transaxle pan. A flush will remove all the old fluid at once.

Drains and refills are what Toyota recommends and is the least likely to cause issues.

Flushing, depending on how it is done, can actually cause more problems for you. These typically include the fill tube or cooler line flushing units - as they tend to stir up deposits and move them to areas that they would normally cannot get into. An inlet pump flushing process is preferred, but involves taking the pan off the car and connecting directly to the pump pickup. Not all shops have the equipment to do an inlet pump flush.

You can flush it yourself by disconnecting a cooler line and using the car's engine to pump the old fluid out a little at a time - constantly refilling the transaxle pan to replenish fluid that was pumped out. This process can get pretty messy and liable to cause some grief unless you've done this before.

My recommendation is to "dilute" the old fluid as much as possible, multiple drain and refills over the course of a couple of thousand miles will get a majority of the old fluid out. Since the change will be gradual, be less of a "shock" the transaxle.

I changed the transaxle filter and re-filled with Toyota type T-IV ATF before two weeks . Thereafter, I was observing the change. The missing problem is still there - difficult to say it is less or more than earlier - as some times it happens very frequently, means on every slow-down, but some time it happens rarely. I also observed that generally during morning time the slip is less in comparision to evening driving. After changing filter and oil my mechanic also did test drive and felt many slips as the road was very crowdy. Can anyone please guide what I should do next? Should I wait for more drain and refill or give it to mechanic to open and fix (its very costly - they are asking for approx. 800 USD)? In general there is no big issue but sometime it becomes very irritating specially when I am in round-about and slip happens. So, I wanted a permanent solution. Thanking you in anticipation.

Flushing is different than drain and refill. Drain and refill will only get the fluid in the transaxle pan. A flush will remove all the old fluid at once.

 

Drains and refills are what Toyota recommends and is the least likely to cause issues.

Flushing, depending on how it is done, can actually cause more problems for you. These typically include the fill tube or cooler line flushing units - as they tend to stir up deposits and move them to areas that they would normally cannot get into. An inlet pump flushing process is preferred, but involves taking the pan off the car and connecting directly to the pump pickup. Not all shops have the equipment to do an inlet pump flush.

You can flush it yourself by disconnecting a cooler line and using the car's engine to pump the old fluid out a little at a time - constantly refilling the transaxle pan to replenish fluid that was pumped out. This process can get pretty messy and liable to cause some grief unless you've done this before.

My recommendation is to "dilute" the old fluid as much as possible, multiple drain and refills over the course of a couple of thousand miles will get a majority of the old fluid out. Since the change will be gradual, be less of a "shock" the transaxle.

Did you just do a drain and refill or did you have the all the old ATF flushed out? A drain and refill will take some time to work, a flush varies, depending on how/what was used to flush the transaxle.

Seeing less slipping in the mornings vs the evenings is quite odd. Is the car garaged indoors or outdoors? Is you driving route grossly different from one direction to another (ie, one is going downhill, coming back goes uphill or viceversa?)

It is possible that there is still contamination of the clutch bands with the other fluid. Sometimes it takes weeks of driving, hundreds or even thousands of miles before it the transaxle is back to normal, assuming this slip was not present before hand (before any fluid was exchanged).

Also, it is the transaxle that is slipping or the throttle response that is too slow? How did the mechanic observe slipping, was he monitoring engine speed vs engine load to ground speed or was it a more subjective feel, i.e., transaxle "feels" like it is slipping? Does this slipping seem to be more or less problematic at low speeds (from a dead stop) or when you have to accelerate from speed?

I would drive the car a bit more, see what will do with some time. If there is truly something wrong with the transaxle, then spending $850+ to do some diagnostic work after a couple of thousand of miles is not a problem.

Thanks for your reply. It was second drain and refill and the transmission filter was changed. The car is garagged outdoors. In morning I face down raods whereas in evening I face little-bit hilly roads. After changing the filter the mechanic just made a test drive and his test was very subjective - as he was not a transmission expert. The slipping seems to be more problematic when I accelerate from speed (less than 10 KM/H) and there is a turning point. If there is a complete stop then on acceleration, the car moves and engage the gear. As far as the opening and repairing of the gear box is concerned, can you please let me know whether the automatic transmissions are successfully repairable or not? Should i assume that after repairing, the slipping problem wouldn't occur. Or, should I wait for more drain and refill.

Did you just do a drain and refill or did you have the all the old ATF flushed out? A drain and refill will take some time to work, a flush varies, depending on how/what was used to flush the transaxle.

 

Seeing less slipping in the mornings vs the evenings is quite odd. Is the car garaged indoors or outdoors? Is you driving route grossly different from one direction to another (ie, one is going downhill, coming back goes uphill or viceversa?)

It is possible that there is still contamination of the clutch bands with the other fluid. Sometimes it takes weeks of driving, hundreds or even thousands of miles before it the transaxle is back to normal, assuming this slip was not present before hand (before any fluid was exchanged).

Also, it is the transaxle that is slipping or the throttle response that is too slow? How did the mechanic observe slipping, was he monitoring engine speed vs engine load to ground speed or was it a more subjective feel, i.e., transaxle "feels" like it is slipping? Does this slipping seem to be more or less problematic at low speeds (from a dead stop) or when you have to accelerate from speed?

I would drive the car a bit more, see what will do with some time. If there is truly something wrong with the transaxle, then spending $850+ to do some diagnostic work after a couple of thousand of miles is not a problem.

At this point, seems that your issue will take more than just fluid exchanges to fix. Assuming the fluid is the correct type and at the correct level - likely that your friction bands are completely worn out. The transaxle will likely need to be replaced or rebuilt - depending on the skill of the mechanic.

Also, really can't tell what is happening until you get a full system flush - to get all that old fluid out of there. But I'm afraid that damage was already done with the incorrect fluid.

The parts that need to be replaced are not that expensive, but the equipment needed and the labor costs to remove and install new components will be quite a bit. Looking at a minimum of several hundreds of dollars to repair this sort of failure, assuming it is worn friction bands. A new or remanufactured transaxle can cost in the $1300-$1600 range plus installation.

There is also a chance that the transaxle issues are electrical in nature. Some Corollas in your model year have had PCM malfunctions that can cause harsh transaxle operation. Coupled with old fluid, can be a recipe for a slipping transaxle. You'll need to take the car in to be scanned by a Toyota tech with the appropriate handheld scanner. This point, not sure what resolution you will be able to come up with - if they find out that you poured in Dexron III ATF, all bets are off for possible warranty work.

friendly_jacek

How many miles on the car?



Topic List: Go to Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)