Strange transmission behaviour

[Cañonero]

3 days after buying my land cruiser, the transmission blew off and I have to get it completely rebuilt.

It worked fine since then about a year ago, but this rebuilt transmission does an strange thing from the first day: when it changes from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd, it changes at 2200-3000 depending on the circustances, but, when changing from 3rd to overdrive, it changes at 1500-2000 unless I press the pedal to the bottom. It makes it unconfortable sometimes cause it leaves me without power and I use the stick to keep it in 3rd more than I'd like.

I hadn't worried about it cause I had been told that this is normal in old design automatic transmission like this but I'd like to know you opinon. What do you think?

The car is a HDJ 81 from 1991, and the transmission is the A440F

PS: I tried an HDJ 80 from 1993 with the A442F and it works much better, but I guessed that, being the new model they had improved it.

[Cañonero]

Have any of you experienced anything similar?

[breathed]

That sounds a little strange to me, but I'm no expert. From what I've read on this forum, if there's a shifting problem check the kick down cable for proper adjustment. If you don't have a manual, you may want to buy a temporary membership here https://techinfo.toyota.com

[Cañonero]

Hello breathed.

Thanks for your info.

I already adjusted the kickdown cable, but I can never get the proper adjustment, because, even adjusting very tight, the change from 3rd to 4rd improves a little (still doesn't do it at the right rpm in my opinion buy could be ok), but, with that adjustment, the changes between 1st 2nd and 3rd are crazy, it easily takes it to 4000 rpm when changing from 2nd to 3rd and it kickdown at the minimum insinuation at the pedal.

So the solution is not the kickdown cable cause the adjust is not the same in the first three changes and in the fourth.

I still don't know if this is the way the A440 does the change to overdrive, but I suspect there's something wrong with it.

It'd be great if someone else with the A440 gave me an opinion.

[Cañonero]

No ideas?

[shromani]

My transmission behaves the same way with 60K miles on the truck. Just got back from camping and found it irritating how it will go down to 1100RPM lugging on a hill, shift down to 3rd for only a few seconds, then shift up to OD at 1800RPM, only to lug down to 1100RPM and the cycle repeats - if I let it. I feel there is an adjustment off somewhere. Why would it shift up into overdrive if it's working 3rd hard and barely over 2K in that gear? I'd have to drop it to 3rd and back off the throttle and hold at 2K RPM. So much for automatic

[Cañonero]

Hi, shromani.

Significative enough, we both have HDJ 81'S with the A440F.

Anyway, does your do the changes between 1st, 2nd and 3rd right?

Mine does, the problem is from 3rd to overdrive. If it was shifting at very low rpm in all the gears, it would be an easy solution problem, just adjusting the kickdown cable, but as I explained above, that doesn't work in my case.

[shromani]

Mine shift just fine up to 3rd. It's the relationship between 3rd and OD that's the issue. I've recently learned OD is when the transmission locks up with the engine. Don't know what bearing that has on this, it just seem the OD is lazy, reluctant to shift down, eager to shift up.
BTW I just did a tranny flush yet OD acts the same. Again this is on a truck with 104K KM and recently a Tokyo Pavement Princess so I would expect the tranny is good and tight like the rest of the truck.

[Tapage]

My tranny isn't the best example .. and my Cruiser are not stock .. but get an idea ..

YouTube - Marilu EGT's / Boost

[Cañonero]

I just talked with a mechanic that suggested that there could be something wrong in the valve body.

Does that make sense to you?

[Tapage]

All auto trannys are to me a mistery .. I can't said nothing about the diagnostic from your mechanic. could be good or not .. actually my A442 do sometimes weird things .. but I'm scary to open it here and get it worse after the job ..

[The Pea]

Alright, my 2 cents as well. First, areyou sure that you have a A440, Canonero? Tapage and I both have the A442 in our HDJ's, mine is a 1991. Secondly, just try to clean the strainer once a year, does wonders, especially if you drive a lot of short distances or lugging. Thirdly, all Toyotas with an auto gearbox I have driven so far have done exactly that with the overdrive. Problem IMHO with LandCruisers is that they do not have the OD OFF button. Makes life so much easier.

[Tapage]

Mine have the OD button and usually I drive it off ..

[Cañonero]

Yes, mine is A440, it hasn't got the overdrive button, just D 3 2 L.

I think the A442 started to be used from 08/1991 and mine is from 02/1991.

I could use 3 position in the stick with the same results as the od off button, but I've tried two HDJ 80 with the A442 and, even with the overdrive on, they don't behave like mine. It's true that all try to go to Overdrive very early, but not nearly as much as mine. Sometimes it changes too soon that the rpm go down to 1000 rpm.

[Tapage]

Did you have been playing with your throtle cable .. ?

[Cañonero]

When you say throttle cable you mean kickdown cable?

Originally Posted by Cañonero

Hello breathed.

Thanks for your info.

I already adjusted the kickdown cable, but I can never get the proper adjustment, because, even adjusting very tight, the change from 3rd to 4rd improves a little (still doesn't do it at the right rpm in my opinion buy could be ok), but, with that adjustment, the changes between 1st 2nd and 3rd are crazy, it easily takes it to 4000 rpm when changing from 2nd to 3rd and it kickdown at the minimum insinuation at the pedal.

So the solution is not the kickdown cable cause the adjust is not the same in the first three changes and in the fourth.

I still don't know if this is the way the A440 does the change to overdrive, but I suspect there's something wrong with it.

It'd be great if someone else with the A440 gave me an opinion.

[Tapage]

Originally Posted by Cañonero

When you say throttle cable you mean kickdown cable?

yes the same ..

[RedTacoma]

curious . How is shifting downwards? Lets say you start climbing the hill and tranny needs to down shift.

[Cañonero]

Uphill is the same, does very well between the first three but I have to press the accelerator very hard if it's in overdrive and I want it to shift to third, and even that way, it delays one or two seconds.

I've been talking with Rodney from wholesale automatics and he's pretty sure the problem is in a bad tuned valve body. I'm seriously thinking in bringing one of his extreme valve body kits.

[Cañonero]

Originally Posted by The Pea

Alright, my 2 cents as well. First, areyou sure that you have a A440, Canonero? Tapage and I both have the A442 in our HDJ's, mine is a 1991. Secondly, just try to clean the strainer once a year, does wonders, especially if you drive a lot of short distances or lugging. Thirdly, all Toyotas with an auto gearbox I have driven so far have done exactly that with the overdrive. Problem IMHO with LandCruisers is that they do not have the OD OFF button. Makes life so much easier.

You were absolutely right. I have the A442F, but the hydraulic version, without the overdrive button. I thought all the hydraulic where A440F, that's why I said so, but mine is a A442F, anyway, it's closer to the A440F than to the A442F electronic.

[viktor]

having the same problems with my 94 hzj81 . i have noticed that when it up shifts to o/d it seems to do it at 70 kmph or 80 kmph with etc switched on and the convertor clutch lock within 1 second of the up shift.. if drive in the lower 3 gears using the button to turn the o/d off will unlock the convertor clutch when the a/t is under light load insteed of having it kick down to the next gear under heaver throttle