stranger1

Thanks for your answer. You don't seem very happy about it...I know many people say it's a good idea to switch the O/D off when towing something because by doing so you can keep the converter locked up more easily. I guess their trannies are different...For us it's quite the opposite...

Hi everybody. I got a question about the lock-up function in my torque converter (A246E tranny). As far as I know it applies to 3rd and 4th gears only, but the owner's manual doesn't mention it and is no help. When I'm driving uphill on a steep and winding road with the gear lever in D (4 gears available), the car stays in 3rd gear all the time and the converter doesn't lock, but it does lock when the road becomes a little less steep (of course it never upshifts to 4th gear because of the slope and the low speed, which is about 25/28 mph). But if I switch the OD off (3 gears available) the converter never locks in 3rd gear, even if I'm driving on the plain. If I switch the OD off while the converter is locked in 3rd gear, the tranny remains in 3rd gear, but the converter unlocks at once. Is that normal or is there something wrong with the tranny? My tranny only has 17000 miles on it and I don't remember if it was like this when I bought the car because I never paid attention to it until now. I thought the OD off button only prevented the tranny from upshifting to 4th gear but it seems it also prevents the torque converter from locking...If this is the case I think leaving the OD "on" when driving uphill could improve my fuel economy and keep the transmission cooler by allowing the converter to lock up when the road is not too steep, though, on the other hand, it could wear out the lock-up clutch faster. What do you think? Do you leave the OD on all the time or not? Any help is greatly appreciated. PS: Assuming the lock-up happens in 3rd and 4th gears only, my transmission behaves like this: "L" = 1st. "2" = 1st + 2nd. "D with O/D off" = 1st + 2nd + 3rd (but no 3rd locked). "D with O/D on" = 1st + 2nd + 3rd + 3rd locked + 4th + 4th locked.

A simple question: when you get off your car for a few seconds (for example to open the door of your garage) do you leave your auto transmission in R or D with the handbrake firmly applied or do you put it in Neutral? Can we rely on the handbrake to prevent the car from moving even if it's on an incline? Thanx.

Hello. Could anyone tell me what's the difference between the A-series and U-series of Toyota auto trannies and which one is better (for example U341E vs. A246E)? Do all of the current American models make use of the U-series? Thank you.

Does anyone own a Toyota A246E auto transmission? I have some questions about it. Thanx for every answer. -Is it a good and reliable 4-speed? -Is it an ECT-i? (electronically controlled transmission with intelligence) -Have you had problems with it? -Does it offer a good fuel economy? -Is it a smooth tranny? -Does it have "hunting" problems? -On which gears does it have the torque converter lock-up feature? -What's the difference between the A and U-series Toyota transmissions?

Thanks for your suggestions. Maybe I'll try and change the cold air intake. Everything else seems to be in order in my car, I have it serviced regularly. I think the main problem is I drive too much uphill and too slow on winding roads. Do you think I'd save gas if I had a 5 or a 6-speed tranny? Gas price is a problem these days, I live in Europe and now the average price over here is 8.60 dollars or more per gallon... that's one of the reasons only luxury cars have auto trannies here, very different from America. Have you ever experienced the hunting problem going downhill on your cars?

Hi. I'm the owner of a 2006 110 hp 4-speed AT Corolla (European) with an A246E tranny. I've got only 11000 miles on it and no matter how I try I'm not able to do more than 26 mpg, even without air conditioning. I should average 30 mpg combined, 22 in city, 37 on highway, or so Toyota says... I never drive too fast (I average 22 mph!), no city, no highway, I mainly drive uphill/downhill and on the plain through the country. I'm not so pleased with this fuel economy. Do you think it's acceptable or not? Is it possible that there's something wrong with the tranny? Any suggestions on how I could improve it? By the way, I sometimes have some "hunting" between gears going downhill, even with the O/D off. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it?

Hi everybody. I'm the owner of a 2006 1.6 4-speed Corolla (European). I'm trying to understand something more about my automatic transmission, an A246E gearbox. Does anyone know the gear ratios of this car? Do you know if it's an ECT, super ECT or ECT-i (with intelligence) kind of transmission? It's a 4-speed, but is the overdrive the 4th or does it come after the 4th gear? I mean, when I drive it seems to me that it changes gear 4 times and this would mean it's got 5 gears, wouldn't it? Please help me understand these things.