Hey all!
New guy here, with a question about my recent purchase.
2015 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD with 113,000 miles. (No Check Eng. light)
I had a mechanic inspect it before purchase and gave the green light, but within the first week of driving it, I've noticed intermittent, slight transmission clunking. Once or twice after putting it into reverse (little double bump through driveshaft), while accelerating here and there, downshifting clunk after braking, etc. There was a couple of times it surged and acted crazy on the highway, but letting off the accelerator, it leveled out back to normal. Then, most recently, it wouldn't go into gear at all. I drove it for a few mins after it was off for awhile, but then it just idled above 1,000rpm and just revved higher, like in neutral. After a few mins of running, it went back to normal and seemed to shift alright.
Is this just low fluid? Bad shift solenoid? I hope I haven't made things worse by driving it the couple of days. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Clarification: Do you know if the transmission fluid had ever been changed by previous owner(s)? If so, at what mileage?
According to the notes in the maintenance guide, the previous owner "changed and flushed" the fluid at 91k. He also had several entries for oil and filter, and tires rotated. He seemed particular enough to do the work himself, but there's also some holes as far as some long jumps between dates, etc.
Check the fluid level first. You may change the ATF (drain and refill), but if still slips, try some Lucas anti slip products.
Thanks! I'm not sure exactly how I would check the fluid level as it doesn't have a dipstick in the engine compartment 😬 That's the first thing I wanted to do...why do they make it so hard to do the basics? Lol
Whoever "inspected" the vehicle just took you for a ride. If you don't know when the trans fluid and filter was serviced, it may be some serious bad news.
According to previous owner's "records" he "changed and flushed" the transmission fluid at 91k. Could it be as simple as him not putting enough fluid back in? I'm really concerned about the fact that I didn't see any of the symptoms until after purchase, because I was allowed to drive it 80 miles round trip to my trusted mechanic. Since the transmission is "sealed", with no dipstick, and there wasn't any slipping out surging, etc. it makes sense for the shop to not have gone further on that side of things. Not sure if it would make a difference, but it was relatively warm weather when I looked at it, and then it got into low temperatures below 10° F a few times right after I bought it.
Why the down vote? Did your mechanic put it up on a lift and check the trans fluid level through the filler plug? I'll bet he did not.
Sorry about the downvote, not intended! (still getting used to the forum) I will be calling them back tomorrow to see what information I can get.
Scotty says don't buy cars without transmission dipsticks.
Are there ANY Toyota cars that have one?
I missed that video, lol, but that does seem to make good sense!
I had a 2009 Rav4 that had a transmission dipstick. That car turned out to be a nightmare, lol