Transmission not shifting past 3rd - P0761 & P0781 resolution
07-14-19, 07:49 PM
#16
Got the car back. Initially there would be a rough idle/shake on start up and at some stop, I was super afraid there was an issue with the TC solenoid, but the re-builder insisted the ECU has to learn. A few drive cycles later and yeah, super smooth. The 1-2 shift is better than I ever remember it being, all the shifts are super smooth. The shifter itself is way smoother when moving from park to N and D, I guess as a side affect of the shift kit, not sure. Here is to hoping I get even more miles from this one than OE did.
I have an observation though- when trying to find this post again when doing my initial research, I found another post from the OP where his alternator went out. My IS250's alternator went out and I drove the car a few miles on a new battery to get it home to replace the alternator myself. I can't help but wonder if extended low voltage situations can allow for trans damage. The re-builder mentioned he feels that the A960Es wear out quickly due to Yota going over to PWM solenoids, not simply on/off. If they are PWN and do not have good position sensing/fuzzy logic, low voltage could cause them to be 'way off base' and let clutches slip/burn. If it contributed, it wasn't immediate, I replaced the alternator nearly a year ago.
I have an observation though- when trying to find this post again when doing my initial research, I found another post from the OP where his alternator went out. My IS250's alternator went out and I drove the car a few miles on a new battery to get it home to replace the alternator myself. I can't help but wonder if extended low voltage situations can allow for trans damage. The re-builder mentioned he feels that the A960Es wear out quickly due to Yota going over to PWM solenoids, not simply on/off. If they are PWN and do not have good position sensing/fuzzy logic, low voltage could cause them to be 'way off base' and let clutches slip/burn. If it contributed, it wasn't immediate, I replaced the alternator nearly a year ago.
Last edited by Token1; 07-17-19 at 12:31 PM.
09-04-19, 02:41 PM
#17
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HI there,
great photos of your Transmission Solenoid change. Do you have Pictures of the jackstand and how you placed them ? Did you have enough room to work under ?
thanks in advance.
cheers
sunny
great photos of your Transmission Solenoid change. Do you have Pictures of the jackstand and how you placed them ? Did you have enough room to work under ?
thanks in advance.
cheers
sunny
03-25-20, 02:05 PM
#18
Rookie
Thread Starter
Sorry all, I've been pretty dead on here.
Just as a update for this car, the car is still driving without an issue with the *used* transmission. I'm coming up pretty close to 175K and plan to do a fluid drain/refill again with maxlife and a blackstone test. Might also do the transmission pan/gasket again. Cars been doing great, although it's develop a random CEL P0014 which related to the Camshaft position "B". Comes and goes randomly and stays off most of the time. No obvious performance impact. Thinking it's just the OCV that is acting up. Car starting to develop some light clunks on the front end when going over uneven roads/bumps/steel plates, so it's starting to show age.
Did you happen to see my other thread on the DIY? I think I have a pic in there...not sure. Been a while and I'm on my work Wifi and I think it's block the pics. If the pics are not loading, lmk.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...val-a960e.html
You'll need as much space as you can get. More the better. 21-22" is a minimal as you gotta slide the transmission out from below the car. I had to put cardboard all over the ground and slide it on over there. You will scratch up the transmission pan ... maybe put something on there before sliding. If you are using a transmission jack to roll, you'll need to account for the additional inches for that. Maybe even like 25"+?
Just as a update for this car, the car is still driving without an issue with the *used* transmission. I'm coming up pretty close to 175K and plan to do a fluid drain/refill again with maxlife and a blackstone test. Might also do the transmission pan/gasket again. Cars been doing great, although it's develop a random CEL P0014 which related to the Camshaft position "B". Comes and goes randomly and stays off most of the time. No obvious performance impact. Thinking it's just the OCV that is acting up. Car starting to develop some light clunks on the front end when going over uneven roads/bumps/steel plates, so it's starting to show age.
Did you happen to see my other thread on the DIY? I think I have a pic in there...not sure. Been a while and I'm on my work Wifi and I think it's block the pics. If the pics are not loading, lmk.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...val-a960e.html
You'll need as much space as you can get. More the better. 21-22" is a minimal as you gotta slide the transmission out from below the car. I had to put cardboard all over the ground and slide it on over there. You will scratch up the transmission pan ... maybe put something on there before sliding. If you are using a transmission jack to roll, you'll need to account for the additional inches for that. Maybe even like 25"+?
03-25-20, 04:56 PM
#20
Thank you for providing these pictures i am about to tackle this job soon. Pictures make things alot better. Im getting a 2757 code now i see exactly where it is. And also knowing i can use valvoline maxlife is great.
09-10-20, 12:04 AM
#21
Rookie
Thread Starter
Just as a status update...sorry I'm not active on this forums. Between work and maintaining my fleet of cars on the weekend, it's a bit lot lol.
The car is at around 180K (179K to be exact). So far transmission is still doing fine. Just as a FYI the transmission came from a 2009 IS250 RWD with around 50K. So probably right now it has almost 100K.
I have not drain/refill the transmission yet since I button everything back up and did the drain and refill a few times when I did the transmission swap. I'm planning to drop the pan and replace the filter/gasket and get a fluid analysis done....hopefully by end of this year. I'll report back then.
The car is at around 180K (179K to be exact). So far transmission is still doing fine. Just as a FYI the transmission came from a 2009 IS250 RWD with around 50K. So probably right now it has almost 100K.
I have not drain/refill the transmission yet since I button everything back up and did the drain and refill a few times when I did the transmission swap. I'm planning to drop the pan and replace the filter/gasket and get a fluid analysis done....hopefully by end of this year. I'll report back then.
04-16-21, 02:16 PM
#22
just bought an 06 is350 not even 3 hours drive time I notched a few times ( 4 times) issues shifting past 3rd gear took it to a trans shop they scanned irt came back with a P0761 code also said if it was him he would take the car back . he also said that there is a kit called Sonnax oversized clutch control valve kit https://www.sonnax.com/parts/1777-ov...trol-valve-kit that might work but he also said that he would have to go out and buy a very expensive tool ( I think drill bit)
02-23-22, 07:35 PM
#23
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Join Date: Aug 2021
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Hello all,
I figure I should post this to help others who may come across this in the future. This may not be your fix, but it was a fix for me.
I had bought my 2006 IS250 from a used car dealership back in April 2015 with 120,177 miles. Previous owners were neurosurgeons who donated the car to an auction. The car dealership then purchased the car from the auction.
Car was in pretty decent shape, a fair amount of scratches on the lower front bumper and rear bumper. Not much dents. Interior was kept clean, but you could see the wear and tear from what it looks like short distance driving (around door sills and center console/HAVC). Dash and door panels were nasty. Had the original window sticker but no maintance records. Two key FOBs and the key number plate.
Over the three years, the car had been relatively problem free. The dash was recently replaced in Dec 2017. Early this year with around 144K miles, I started to noticed the car was starting to act a bit strange. When going past 40mph, it would seem the car would upshift way too quick and wouldn't downshift as 'quick' unless you hit the accelerator harder for it to downshift from 6th to 3rd gear. It wouldn't be consistent, but I thought it may had been contributed to a possible carbon built up. I haven't check the top end to see if there is excessive build up, but the car did have the short block redone and the piston rings replaced by the first owner with around 93K miles on it.
I told myself that I should do a drain of the transmission fluid at 150K since it probably had not been done even though looking at the carfax, the previous owner had a national wide shop do 'transmission fluid service'. I didn't spend the time to research on the process on this...that was my fault. I'm a strong adviser for fluid maintenance.
So low and behold, right at 147,7xx miles ~, the car went into limp mode and wouldn't go past 3rd gear when my other half was driving it. Going faster, the car would drop in netural when coasting in third until giving it gas would it rev up and continue in third gear. CEL came on along with the TCS and the red triangle.
The issue was troublesome for me. Cleared codes, issue came back instantly (won't shift past 3rd). This time, I had two different codes.
F I said.
So I decide to maybe try drain and refill with fresh fluid. I been using VavolineMax Life in all my cars with great results. Of course...hoping it could work in this car as well.
Removing the side panel that covers the refill bolt, this panel was RUSTY. It seems to hold in moisture. Ugh. I was scared that I was going to have a stuck refill bolt (and more reason why I think this transmission never got serviced).
I drained the fluid and collected a fluid sample. I was going to send a sample to Blackstone Labs for checking to see how bad this fluid was. I didn't see anything crazy, but the magnets on the pan were pretty gummed up. Fluid was NASTY. It was the darkest fluid I ever seen. It also had a terrible smell. I wasn't sure if it was burned but after the fact, the people I had sniff the fluid said it smelt burned and really bad.
Spent some time researching on how to pump ATF back into this transmission. Kind of a PITA, but it becomes second nature once you do it. Again...I think I should had done this way before and this could had all avoided...*grumble grumble*
(Yea, I know I marked the jug wrong...I just minus 1 from each number...LOL)
So the sample went out....with my anxiety, I decided to try and replace the solenoid that was throwing the code...hoping it was just that. In the mean time I filled it up and tested again with 'new' fluid. No fix...same issue.
https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resource...identification
Solenoid SSC or S3 was the one I ordered on eBay. Came from a used known working A960E.
Fluid was still pretty nasty after several drain and refills.
Picked up a cheap toyota techstream kit on Amazon to check out the manual shifting. It seem to shift manually OK....maybe not all is lost? Oh yea, see my pretty dash but f up door panel lol.
So I ended up dropping the pan a few more times...clean out the magnets....reinstalling....new filter. Nothing fixed the issue. Transmission kept going into limp mode, CEL came on, and wouldn't go past third. As I kept changing the fluid out though, I started to get the upper gears to work sort of, but the CEL would trigger and I would have the same codes again.
I figure I should post this to help others who may come across this in the future. This may not be your fix, but it was a fix for me.
I had bought my 2006 IS250 from a used car dealership back in April 2015 with 120,177 miles. Previous owners were neurosurgeons who donated the car to an auction. The car dealership then purchased the car from the auction.
Car was in pretty decent shape, a fair amount of scratches on the lower front bumper and rear bumper. Not much dents. Interior was kept clean, but you could see the wear and tear from what it looks like short distance driving (around door sills and center console/HAVC). Dash and door panels were nasty. Had the original window sticker but no maintance records. Two key FOBs and the key number plate.
Over the three years, the car had been relatively problem free. The dash was recently replaced in Dec 2017. Early this year with around 144K miles, I started to noticed the car was starting to act a bit strange. When going past 40mph, it would seem the car would upshift way too quick and wouldn't downshift as 'quick' unless you hit the accelerator harder for it to downshift from 6th to 3rd gear. It wouldn't be consistent, but I thought it may had been contributed to a possible carbon built up. I haven't check the top end to see if there is excessive build up, but the car did have the short block redone and the piston rings replaced by the first owner with around 93K miles on it.
I told myself that I should do a drain of the transmission fluid at 150K since it probably had not been done even though looking at the carfax, the previous owner had a national wide shop do 'transmission fluid service'. I didn't spend the time to research on the process on this...that was my fault. I'm a strong adviser for fluid maintenance.
So low and behold, right at 147,7xx miles ~, the car went into limp mode and wouldn't go past 3rd gear when my other half was driving it. Going faster, the car would drop in netural when coasting in third until giving it gas would it rev up and continue in third gear. CEL came on along with the TCS and the red triangle.
The issue was troublesome for me. Cleared codes, issue came back instantly (won't shift past 3rd). This time, I had two different codes.
F I said.
So I decide to maybe try drain and refill with fresh fluid. I been using VavolineMax Life in all my cars with great results. Of course...hoping it could work in this car as well.
Removing the side panel that covers the refill bolt, this panel was RUSTY. It seems to hold in moisture. Ugh. I was scared that I was going to have a stuck refill bolt (and more reason why I think this transmission never got serviced).
I drained the fluid and collected a fluid sample. I was going to send a sample to Blackstone Labs for checking to see how bad this fluid was. I didn't see anything crazy, but the magnets on the pan were pretty gummed up. Fluid was NASTY. It was the darkest fluid I ever seen. It also had a terrible smell. I wasn't sure if it was burned but after the fact, the people I had sniff the fluid said it smelt burned and really bad.
Spent some time researching on how to pump ATF back into this transmission. Kind of a PITA, but it becomes second nature once you do it. Again...I think I should had done this way before and this could had all avoided...*grumble grumble*
(Yea, I know I marked the jug wrong...I just minus 1 from each number...LOL)
So the sample went out....with my anxiety, I decided to try and replace the solenoid that was throwing the code...hoping it was just that. In the mean time I filled it up and tested again with 'new' fluid. No fix...same issue.
https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resource...identification
Solenoid SSC or S3 was the one I ordered on eBay. Came from a used known working A960E.
Fluid was still pretty nasty after several drain and refills.
Picked up a cheap toyota techstream kit on Amazon to check out the manual shifting. It seem to shift manually OK....maybe not all is lost? Oh yea, see my pretty dash but f up door panel lol.
So I ended up dropping the pan a few more times...clean out the magnets....reinstalling....new filter. Nothing fixed the issue. Transmission kept going into limp mode, CEL came on, and wouldn't go past third. As I kept changing the fluid out though, I started to get the upper gears to work sort of, but the CEL would trigger and I would have the same codes again.
I was unsure of that and took the car back to get another quote. I talked with a Toyota/Lexus mechanic who owns a shop about taking my car in on May 4th, which is a week and few days from now.
I originally thought this would be just a simple change of transmission oil and possibly solenoid change, but based off of your context, I think it couldn’t be. If the oil is bad, I had learned online that if it was never changed, to not change the oil because it can cause the gears to slip. Could you confirm with me on that? I’m unsure if I want to change the fluid or not because of that.
Anyways, If you could help me out with what I should do. I just replaced my battery right now because it went out and it flushed my system so I don’t have any CEL on the car at this moment, but I know they’ll come back up in a day or two. Please assist me with what I should do, as I’ll greatly appreciate it.
02-24-22, 09:57 AM
#24
one thing I learned from a very good transmission builder from many years ago he told me that if your trans fluid is very dirty don't change it because that is more than likely the only thing that is keeping it working as well as it is as soon as you change it the transmission will noticeably fail and need to either be rebuilt or replaced. when I buy another car I am going to do my best to buy one that is manual or at the very least not enclosed and has a dipstick, my trans in my 06 is350 sometimes sticks in third to 4th which is a valve body issue so far I have been able to slow down a little then downshift into second and then switch it back to automatic and it will then upshift properly, it seem to happen when the weather is colder but again the keywords are when it is colder or when the engine is still a little cold
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