Transmission solenoid going bad? and throttle/kick down cable question-calling Dan!

[mudking82]

I searched and it sounds like my transmission solenoids are going out like some others are having problems with. This just started out of the blue about a week ago. Start vehicle, put in drive, acts like it is taking off in 3rd gear, so I manually drop it into first gear and shift up through the gears, all is fine. Happens almost every time I start off in drive from park. If I put it in reverse first and back up just a little then put it in drive it will always take off normally (so far). As soon as I go back to park then to drive it happens again.

Also I feel like I really have to mash the pedal down further then I should have to to get it to kick down to the next gear when going up a hill.

No codes at this time. Fluid drained and refilled about 7000 miles ago. I have tried adjusting the kick down/throttle cable but my cable does not have the little stopper the FSM speaks of so I have no idea if it is even close. Anyone got a picture of their properly adjusted throttle cable to show how much threads on either side of the bracket?

Dan, if you read this, do you stock these solenoids? Thanks in advance.

 

[spdwaver]

Here is my thread detailing my A442F transmission shifting issues. Yours seems similar; the only way of knowing for sure, other than having a mechanic look at it, is to swap out the solenoids and see if the problem goes away. This is not a cheap solution by any means, but it did work for me.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/351009-1993-fzj80-transmission-slips-forward-gears.html


Here is another thread:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/15662-transmission-problem.html

 

[Eicca]

Shot in the dark, but always try the simple things first.

Try tightening your kickdown cable. A lot. Really give the tranny some line pressure to think about.

Maybe that will force the solenoids to behave?

 

[Buckru]

Try this to adjust your throttle cable. Pull the intake tube so you can watch the butterfly valve opening and closing. Mash the go pedal to the floor, if the valve isn't fully open, tighten the cable till it is.

Good Luck,

Buck

 

[Tools R Us]

... I have tried adjusting the kick down/throttle cable but my cable does not have the little stopper the FSM speaks of so I have no idea if it is even close. Anyone got a picture of their properly adjusted throttle cable to show how much threads on either side of the bracket? ...

The cable is only a progressive pressure control, has nothing to do with shift timing. Adjust it to were the shift smoothness/harshness is how you like it and your good to go.

 

[Eicca]

Try this to adjust your throttle cable. Pull the intake tube so you can watch the butterfly valve opening and closing. Mash the go pedal to the floor, if the valve isn't fully open, tighten the cable till it is.

Good Luck,

Buck

You can also (with the engine running) tighten it right up until the idle starts to go up. I have mine like this. Very responsive.

 

[mudking82]

Well I ordered the solenoids, I will update it with what I find. It is doing it consistently now whenever I go from Park to Drive. Now even when I start in First then manually shift up to Second, when I do it, it is like it goes to Third very briefly then kicks down to Second, kind of weird.

 

[mudking82]

Well I got both solenoids from Dan and replaced them. Unfortunately it did not help at all, the exact same problem is still there, nothing changed. I have driven about 1500 miles since I changed them and nothing has gotten worse or better. It still acts the same. So I have two good used solenoids for sale if anyone needs some.........

 

[calfj60]

Did you adjust your cable with any results??

 

[mudking82]

The cable seemed fine, although it is missing the little crimped marker that is supposed to be on it, however this problem is clearly electrical. It just started out of the blue one day with no work ever touching the cable. If it was the cable I would be having the problem all the time. Thanks though.

 

[azTony]

So your selling the new solenoids or your old solenoids?

 

[edwards_rljr]

any updates on the shifting problem?

I've been reading a few similar threads on here about this intermittent shifting problem because my 1993 FZJ80 is doing the same thing... one guy says the new solenoids seem to have fixed the problem... you say it didn't help yours... have you done anything else yet? I don't really have $300-$400 to throw away on new solenoids if they are not going to fix this so I'm looking for more info... curious about your final outcome.

I've had my 80 for a year now and I first noticed this issue last November when it started getting colder at night here in GA. When i first started it up after it sitting for 8 hours while I was at work until 11pm, it would act like it didn't want to go when I put it in D.. but it didn't do it every time... I did the fluid exchange.. it would still do that sometimes... especially if it had been sitting for a couple of days... then after the weather started warming up in the spring it didn't happen again for a while.. then one nice warm day out of the blue it happened again.. and I had been driving it daily too... then it didn't happen for a while... now the nights have been getting cooler again in the last few weeks and it's happened a couple of times... randomly.... then last week, I was sick with the flu and the 80 sat in the driveway for 6 days and when I drove it, it acted like it didn't want to go in gear, and when it did, it reved way up and then downshifted and went on it's way... then every time I came to a stop it shifted weird every time.. the rpm's went way up before it would shift... that was in the 15 min drive to the store... when I came back out and started it up again, it seemed fine on the drive home... and has not had the shifting issue again for the last 3 days.. funny thing about that is that's the first time it's done the high rpm thing.. before it would just sit there for a few seconds and then finally go.. but no high rpm... i wish it would be as simple as solenoids but I don't want to buy them if that's not going to fix it.

 

[mudking82]

I left the new solenoids in, so I am getting rid of the old ones.

It still does the same thing all the time consistently. Whenever I go straight from park to drive, it will always start off in third gear. Normally now I go from park to first and manually shift up. Once I make it all the way up to drive and regular speed it acts normal, until I put it in park again and start the process over. If I go from park to reverse and back up for even just a couple feet, then go to drive, it will work perfectly normal like it should every time.

However it did act slightly different yesterday. It is getting colder here now, and I jumped in and immediately backed out of my driveway without letting it warm up at all, like less then 5 seconds of run time before going to reverse. Normally after backing up then going to drive it would work fine, but yesterday for just that one time it didn't. I put it from reverse to drive and it took off in third, so I dropped it to first, drove in first a bit, then it upshifted to second while the shifter was still in first on its own. I will have to keep an eye on it and will keep this updated if anything changes.

 

[TXBruiser]

Did you ever get to te bottom of this issue? I am currently experiencing the same problem.

 

[edwards_rljr]

Did you ever get to te bottom of this issue? I am currently experiencing the same problem.

I know this was not my thread but I had posted here asking about this issue then I got a email about your post so I figured I would throw my 2 cents in here to give you more to go on hopefully...

After doing a lot of reading on here I finally bit the bullet and bought the new solenoids and changed them out and I have not had the "delayed engagement" issue again since then... mine felt like it either didn't want to go or like it was trying to start off in 3rd gear or something... it was random at first then happened more and more until it was an almost daily thing where I had to put the shifter in "L" to get going then shift up... I replaced the solenoids and the problem was immediately gone and hasn't resurfaced... good luck with yours.

another thing I will add is that most of the posts I have read about similar transmission shifting issues talk about replacing the 2 shift solenoids. There are a total of 4 solenoids there, 2 shift, 1 timing, and I forget the other one but I decided that I was just going to bite the bullet and replace all 4 of them since I figured all of them were 18+ years old and I didn't want to have to be wondering if the other 2 were causing problems as well if the shifting issue wasn't fixed and then have to get under there and drop the pan again.

 

[mudking82]

Nope I never did, I have gotten used to this quirk until I have more time to deal with it. I attempted to remove the connector that some people have had trouble with above the started, but I could not get it apart to check it. So I am just living with it for now. I either back up a little first then go to drive, or I just start in first gear. Glad the solenoids worked for you, they clearly did not for me. Guess I am the first to have them not work out.

 

[rove_mcanus]

Some other often over looked things to check - adjust the shifter linkage, and the neutral start switch.

The neutral switch isn't just so you can't start it in gear, it also relays to the transmission computer what position the shifter is in.

When there is an error, the transmission computer logs an error code independantly of the engine ecu/check engine light. When there is an error the OD off light blinks. For that to happen the OD off light must work, and the OD button must be on.

 

[mudking82]

I think I may have figured it out, although it is not fixed. In doing my head gasket this past weekend I had easier access to that square plug that I thought might be the culprit. Problem was in times past working from the bottom by the starter, I could not get the plug apart. Well I finally got it apart. It is the large square connector, that has 9 slots, although only 8 pins are used. It did have some light corrosion inside it, but pin#7 was broken off. So I suspect this might be my problem, however I did not try to fix it. That wiring down there is all really tight and hard to access. For now I will continue to live with it as I have been doing.

 

[Trock]

I decided that I was just going to bite the bullet and replace all 4 of them since I figured all of them were 18+ years old and I didn't want to have to be wondering if the other 2 were causing problems as well if the shifting issue wasn't fixed and then have to get under there and drop the pan again.

Sorry to carry on with the hijacking but my truck is also doing pretty much the exact same thing.. And am considering doing the same thing - Is changing the solonoids a fairly simple excercise?

 

[edwards_rljr]

Sorry to carry on with the hijacking but my truck is also doing pretty much the exact same thing.. And am considering doing the same thing - Is changing the solonoids a fairly simple excercise?

Well, yes and no. Changing out the solenoids is very easy. After you get the pan off, they are literally right there. Unplug one connector and take out one bolt and pull it out and replace.

The hard part, for me anyway, was getting the pan off. It was glued on there with the Toyota orange stuff and it was a GIANT PITA to get it off. I beat the sh*t out of it with a rubber mallet with little luck. There's not a lot of room there. The FSM shows a special service tool that basically looks like it is a handle with a blade at a 45 angle to cut the gasket material and pry it loose. I don't have that so I ended up improvising and taking a cheap putty knife and bending it to 45 so I could slip it up in there and cut and pry with it.

Do yourself a favor and order the good neoprene gasket and filter kit from NAPA to put back on there when you're done. You'll be thankful if you ever need to take that pan back off again. Just be sure to only tighten the bolts to the specified torque. Mine hasn't leaked a drop of tranny fluid since I replaced mine.

Oh, and speaking of tranny fluid, do yourself another favor and measure how much you drain out so you know how much to refill with when you're done. It can be a pain to get the level right again after draining the tranny pan.

Drain the pan. Put the plug back in. Fight with the pan until you get it mostly loose. Because fluid continues to drain from an alternate dimension (torque converter,etc), pull the drain plug again and drain more fluid before you pull the pan completely loose or you will likely get a face full of tranny fluid or make a huge mess. Good luck.