stranger1 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XR2003 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Normal, sad to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stranger1 Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XR2003 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 The auto trannys on the Corollas and Matrix (particularly the 03-08s) are a bit quirky. 90% of the time just leave it the O/D on. The only time the Toytas can have the O/D off is if on a steep incline or decline (think hills & mountains). Though keep in mind the automatics on these cars run hotter than what the manual would state for a fluid exchange. The 03-04s were to be changed @ 45-60k miles, but from my experience and from many others - it is better to do the tranny fluid flush OR fill and replace @ about 25-30k miles. I think the 05-08s have been updated about the longetivity for the ATF service. Also if you have the Cruise Control on - the auto tranny will feel like it's slowing down or in some cases even turn off - the transmissions are adjusting to the lack of torque in these 4 cylinder motors. <_< I suppose that is the price to pay for better than average fuel economy as compared to other manufacturers vehicles. More torque would be nice, in fact even a few bolt on modifications can assist with the scenario I mentioned in the previous sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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