Automatic Clutch Issue

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Soldato
Joined
21 Jul 2004
Posts
6,360
Location
Harrow, UK
I have a 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.6l T-Spirit and I noticed the engine sounding like it was in a lower gear than it actually was and increased fuel usage. I called out the RAC to have a look at the car and the transmission fluid levels seem fine so the mechanic suggested I get it checked out by the garage because the chances are that the clutch is slipping.

I am currently about 200 miles from home, so I could have it looked at by a random mechanic here or pay for a higher level of roadside cover and get the car towed home to have it looked at a Toyota Service Centre.

What do you guys recommend? Also what could the issue be and what sort of cost could I be looking at?
 
If its an automatic, then what you say makes me think there is something up with the torque converter. Maybe some of the fluid has leaked from it, not letting it transmit as much drive.
Just a thought.
 
I'm sure there will be a transmission specialist in the area you're in, just show it to them and they will renew the fluid if necessary for under £50, or be able to at least say if the RAC man was correct or incorrect.
 
Danger Phoenix said:
Ahh Right! Will get it looked at in the morning. Hope I can get sorted there and then.

Is it a big job or can anyone do it?
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Fluid change any mechanic should be able to do, but I suggest to take it to a gearbox place in case it's something else.
If it's something else then I guess it depends. Corollas are ridiculously well engineered, so I would be surprised if it's anything major.
 
jamoor said:
Fluid change any mechanic should be able to do, but I suggest to take it to a gearbox place in case it's something else.
If it's something else then I guess it depends. Corollas are ridiculously well engineered, so I would be surprised if it's anything major.
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I am at GL14 2TU, so there isn't much for quite a distance... I drained about 5 litres driving 18 miles earlier :(. The RAC guy recommended I take it to:

CDT Auto Repairs
Littledean Garage, Broad St, Littledean, Cinderford GL14 3JT
 
I used to play football for Littledean! God that pitch was annoying, one of the corner flags was higher than the crossbar!
 
When you say sounds like a lower gear, can you actually build up speed? Might be in limp mode and not shifting up if so. If you can build speed and its shifting but need to rev a lot more then i guess something is slipping. When i had a 1.6 focus auto yrs back, the tc apparently was slipping, needed more revs etc.. to build power and used a lot of petrol too..going up hills resulted in a screechy sound from the transmissio. Job was 1000 for a transmission rebuild :(
 
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Yeah I can build up speed, and the revolution counter shows that the gears are changing but it sounds like it is in a lower gear than it actually is. When I was driving at 60mph earlier it sounded like I was in 3rd gear or something. I can also feel a slight vibration in the accelerator pedal, which I don't think was there before.
 
You can check the fluid level in the transmission but you must catagorically do it by the method stated in the handbook - usually when having been driven for several miles and fully warmed up, with the engine running and in park or neutral. Remove the dipstick, wipe it clean with a lint-free cloth, reinsert and then remove to check the level.

The fluid on it should be a bright or near-clear red colour, although older fluid will tend to look a darker shade, sometimes even brown if it hasn't been changed for a while.

If it's blackened or very dark, and smells, then there's an issue with the box. A fluid change will help but it's usually too late by then.

Anyway, if you're loosing that much fluid and it doesn't feel right, DO NOT drive it anywhere. The life of an autobox is dependant on the fluid and if it's too low, or runs dry, you'll kill it. You can drive it if you want but you won't be driving it back.......
 
classicVin said:
I'm on about the fluid in the Torque converter, its meant to be sealed and thus cannot be checked with a dipstick.
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The torque convertor fluid is shared with the transmission - they are one and the same, so you can check the levels. The torque convertor drives the transmission's oil pump which is on the front of the box, generating the high pressures required to operate the transmission.

That's why you can't tow the majority automatics (for any meaningful distance) with the driven wheels on the ground - without the engine running there's no oil flow, so the transmission just burns itself up.

When you drain a transmission, however, the TC tends to retain the fluid that's in it (which can sometimes make up for the majority of the total capacity of the transmission). That's why specialists have to employ special techniques to flush them out totally, or you can do it yourself with some pipe and by using the transmission's cooler pickups, if it has one.
 
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I went to 3 different places today.

Toyota said they couldn't see anything wrong but did notice the sound.

The automatic transmission specialist said it sounded like the wheel bearing.

The local mechanic initially said that it could be the wheel bearing but upon looking at the car came to the conclusion that it was the differential.

Now the last mechanic was the only one who seemed decent enough to explain properly and gave me details of another mechanic if I wanted a second opinion because the costs will be quite high to get it replaced.

Now my question is, we bought the car new 5 years ago and its done 36,000 miles. It should not fail this quickly unless there was a fault with it, right?
 
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