[coachray62]

my 2002 mr2 spyder with the smt tranny all of a sudden wont go into reverse. drives good forward. no shifting problems. if i get lucky and it goes in reverse it acts normal. anybody have any suggestions or experience with this trouble ? any help is very appreciated. thanks in advance

 

[docman]

Have you checked the SMT fluid level, under the air cleaner box?

 

[cyclehead]

my 2002 mr2 spyder with the smt tranny all of a sudden wont go into reverse. drives good forward. no shifting problems. if i get lucky and it goes in reverse it acts normal. anybody have any suggestions or experience with this trouble ? any help is very appreciated. thanks in advance

What shows on the screen when you put the shifter in "R"? Does it also show "R"? Does it beep when the car won't go into reverse? (It is supposed to beep whenever there's a mismatch between the shifter position, and the gearbox.) Do you ever get the flashing "gear" symbol? Do you get a check-engine light?

 

[coachray62]

Have you checked the SMT fluid level, under the air cleaner box?

no i haven't but i will in the morning. thanks

 

[coachray62]

sometimes not even the neutral light comes on. if the R comes on so does the gear. the neutral light blinks sometimes when its trying. i had a little trouble getting it into 1st but after that it shifted and drove fine.

 

[plebian]

A few quick questions:

How long does your HPU run for?

Did the transmission warning light come on? If it did, what code did it send?

How old is your battery?

Did you try reverse after the car runs for awhile?

Simple fixes I would try first:

1) Get your battery checked out, at low rpm the SMT relies heavily on battery power since the alternator is barely pushing.

2) Change your SMT fluid, old fluid makes it quirky.

3)Clean the contacts on the neutral and reverse position sensors (the black grey and white plugs under the airbox)

4) Get a relearn. Sometimes fresh numbers are better than the SMT trying to figure out where it's at from old numbers.

 

[plebian]

What shows on the screen when you put the shifter in "R"? Does it also show "R"? Does it beep when the car won't go into reverse? (It is supposed to beep whenever there's a mismatch between the shifter position, and the gearbox.) Do you ever get the flashing "gear" symbol? Do you get a check-engine light?

beep,beep,beep like an alarm clock=good
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep=bad

 

[coachray62]

ok well i dropped it off at the dealer yesterday. they called and said they THINK it might be a sensor in i think they said the shift box. they said they would have to change the whole thing, $800. and if that dosent work they are going to change the ecu, $1200. and that SHOULD fix it. Should? wtf? i thought the dealer would know what they are doing but it sounds like guess work with my money. i'm picking it up today and going to try some of the things you guys are telling me. "plebian" i'm guessing the hpu is the pump i hear when i open the door. it runs probably around 15-30 secs. i'm not sure what the transmission light is but there is a red gear looking light lit up on dash. i'll find out all the codes when i pick it up in a little while. i'm guessing the battery is 10 yrs old like the car. never had any trouble with it but i'm guessing it's worth checking out. i dont think it matters how long it's running for the reverse not to work. what kind of fluid does the smt take and can i get it from a parts store or do i need to get it from the dumbass dealer?

 

[cyclehead]

Dealer's troubleshooting procedure always says the TCU computer is bad. The TCU computer is never bad. Run away from the dealer.
Flashing gear light is an important clue.
The exact time that the pump runs is important. Less than 30 seconds is good. More than 30 seconds means things aren't right.
SMT fluid is $140-$180 or more from the dealer. (Part No. 08886-02206) Some folks here are running DOT4 brake fluid with good success so far. Don't let the dealer pour any other crap in the reservoir or things will really get expensive.
I think the dealer's OBD reader is the only one that can see the flashing gear errors from the Transmission control computer. (not sure about that one) Regular OBDII readers can read the engine computer. "Techstream" software is available from china for about $65 that can read the TCU codes and run the "new-part" relearn procedure.

My suggestion would be to follow Plebian's sequence. Get a new battery. Change your SMT fluid - yourself. *link* Order fluid from 1stToyotaparts.com in Washington for about $130 shipped - or use DOT4.

 

[plebian]

OBDII can read most of the transmission error codes, don't need techstream to read the codes, just to reset the ECU for a relearn. Most of the sensors are easily changeable and none should cost more than 300, unless they're changing multiple sensors.

I can't stress how much a bad battery can mess with the whole system, especially at initial startup (which is where you sounded like you were having problems). Getting that to a parts store and testing it would be priority #1.

As far as how long the HPU runs, I don't even change gears until the HPU finishes its first run. Making sure the system has enough hydraulic pressure before working anything can save you a costly repair later.

 

[plebian]

Oh, did they do a relearn before they started throwing guesses at the problem?

 

[coachray62]

ok back from the dealer. 2 main codes were P1863- master pressure control sys malfunction. and P1873- shift stroke control sys malfunction. they want to change the shift lever assembly first for $800. and if that dont work then the transmission ecu for $1200. they THINK that should fix it. crazy. if they said this part WILL fix it i would let them do it but it sounds like all you guys know more about this tranny then the f'ing dealer. i paid my $100. for the checkup and drove it home. started it up, put it in reverse and backed out of the parking spot and drove home. no red gear light on, just check engine light. i'm going to order the fluid and get my battery checked. i have the part #'s for what they wanted to do so if nothing else i can get them online and try to replace myself. i'm not sure if they did a relearn. the pump stays on for about 25 secs when i open the door. maybe low on fluid? i just cant see paying $2000. for someones guess. thanks for all your help.

 

[plebian]

It's not their fault, the SMT's just aren't that common. They're just doing what toyota tells them.

 

[coachray62]

i just found 1 quart of the right part #08886-02206 for the fluid on amazon for $43. it says toyota automatic transmission fluid on it. is that the right stuff? is 1 quart enough ?

 

[plebian]

NO! That's automatic transmission fluid. The SMT fluid is hydraulic fluid, basically dot 3 with some castor oil added. Personally, I've been using dot 4 brake fluid for a little over 7k miles now and haven't had a problem. The SMT fluid runs about 120 bucks. The choice is yours. I would suggest sucking what remains of the old stuff out and fully replacing what's left in the reservoir with whichever you decide in case there was sludge that was blocking the fluid feed.

 

[plebian]

actually that's the right part number, picture looks wrong and the price is really really cheap. Might be it, I would send it back if it came in that container though. Cyclehead was supposed to order some, he'll know if it was the right stuff.

 

[coachray62]

ok glad i didnt order it. toyota has a online special for $108. not sure about shipping yet. 1sttoyotaparts.com doesnt have the fluid. i'll keep looking

 

[cyclehead]

Yeah, the amazon fluid has not shown up yet. I don't have high hopes for it being the correct fluid. The real stuff is in a metal can, Amazon's pic shows a plastic bottle. I'll post a note when I get my hands on it.

Amazon's update yesterday...

Toyota Genuine Parts 08886-02206 Sequential Manual Transmission Fluid - 1 Liter"
Previous estimated arrival date: May 30, 2012 - June 08, 2012
New estimated arrival date: May 16, 2012

Update:
Got it May 22. It is the correct fluid! Unbelievable! $45.
I see they updated the picture of the can also.
Amazon

 

[coachray62]

i just ordered from Toyotapartszone.com . 120. with shipping . thanks guys for all ur help. i'll try the fluid and new battery. and let you all know what happens.

 

[cyclehead]

Plebian recommended "3)Clean the contacts on the neutral and reverse position sensors (the black grey and white plugs under the airbox)".

I love this stuff for fixing electrical/contact problems. It has solved lots of problems for me in the past...safe on PC boards, connectors etc.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&productId=441952&langId=-1