I'm thinking I am having a bad ECM, car is having problems shifting. Plus I smell something burning in my car at times. Wondering if I can find out where the ECM is, I can test and swap with a good unit. If anyone is parting their car and will sell an ECM to me, I will keep that in mind to buy. Can anyone confirm a 3sfe ECM is the same as a 5sfe ECM? Thanks!

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 13, 2008 - 4:34 AM

Does anyone know where the ECM is at? Someone must have changed it already.

It's located inside the car, in the middle of the car right where the firewall meets the floor.

ECM?
For controlling the solenoids?

Hey, if you dont have any kind of manual I can send you what I have from the BGB. BTW I thought you pulled a code for a bad solenoid? I told you that I would look to see if I couldnt find those wires as well, so I'll get my phone and head out there and see what I cant find on the exterior of the trans.

Ok, so I just got back from that and the only wires I located are the ones by the neutral safety switch and the switch itself. I can say 100% what those other wires go to though. Its pretty easy to see from the topside, just locate the NSS and they are right behind it to the side a bit. I know its a ways off but sunday Im going to change my trans fluid and when I do I'll try to locate and photo the solenoids for you. I can imagine how frustrating it can be but thats the best I can do for now. BTW new solenoids are about 115 each from rock auto.

Spider is that OEM parts? I took my car to the dealer and they told me the same thing I told them code 63. They gave me a piece of their troubleshooting manual for this code and it says check the connectors first. I dont see any burns, severed wires. Next it says test the solenoid which I can't test myself and then if all else checks out, it says to check the connection going to the ECM. ECM i know controls many things in the car and maybe its not getting a signal? But thats last case theory. Because I compared my celica harness/connectors to my camry with a 5sfe as well which has the same problem, the camry just doesn't blink the overdrive light is the only difference. I'm going to try to change fluid first. Second, then solenoid, filter, gasket and see what happens from there. This is going to span over weeks because I can't change fluid til the weekend and after that doesn't work perhaps I can order parts which might take over a week or so. Do I have to change the trans gasket if I change filter? Thanks Spider, Coomer!

All my research points to solenoid because there is a possibility that my solenoid is clogged or valve. Or my filter is clogged and starving the hydaulics.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 14, 2008 - 12:48 AM

Well, if your changing the fluid then its easy to pull off the pan and change the filter at the same time. Usually when you get the filter it comes as a kit with the gasket. Im sure you could reuse the old gasket as long as its in good shape. As far as your filter being clogged that could be fun, say, since its a hydraulic system, you dont happen to have any water in the system do you?

My car shifts fine and smooth, I just get the od light blinking and then it gets sluggish shifting from 1st to 3rd gear. I don't have misfiring because my car is good when I first start it up and drive.

The only reason why i was asking about the water is that water in a hydraulic system causes response to be "spongy". Although Im not 100% how it would affect a trans. Have you considered doing a flush as opposed to a fluid change?

I've read online that a flush is not good for your car. Some state, make sure you have enough money for another trans if you're going to do a flush. Is that a myth?

>

There's nothing wrong with a flush if you have a properly maintained transmission, we do them all the time at work. Now from personal experience, if you haven't at least changed the fluid every 30k then you're almost better leaving it alone. I've had a couple cars come thru with about 70-80k (both were Fords tho) on them that wanted a tranny service, I drained the fluid and pulled the pans and there was a lot of fine metal shards and dust in the fluid. Both of them after the service had to be towed out to a transmission shop for a rebuild.

time to replace something!
I remember a burnt smell from my auto trans prior to it finally failing a month after the first symptoms. (it was mated to a 3sgte though).
Its prolly the trans. I suggest you just swap trans with a low milage used one. And make sure your throttle-trans linkage is pulled out extra in future.

>

I've had Toyota techs tell me not to get the trans flush service on my old auto Camry's [two different dealers] - something about the odds of them getting it right the first time are really low and you could end up burning out your tranny. IDK jack all about Autos tho - this is just what they've told me.

Its not a failing tranny, its really all electrical because of its intermittency. I think each time the solenoid starts up when I turn on the vehicle it works for a while until it fails. Its not mechanical because my camry has the same thing has had this problem for almost 3 years now, hasn't gotten worse, nor it has failed mechanically plus its a daily driver. Solenoid is common to fail on automatics because electrical fails before mechanical.

Solenoid failure would be rectified by replacing the solenoids or replacing the whole transmission. I doubt that the wiring between the trans and the ECU is to blame - if it was faulty wiring outside of the transmission, I believe the symptoms would be that you would be stuck in the wrong gear, not slow changing between gears.

I agree or I could be getting the bubble effect. Which is if there is too much tranny fluid, it creates a foaming effect, not allowing the fluid to get through to the solenoid. Because my car runs normal on some days. Or when I first turn it on it works normal maybe because it hasn't foamed up yet.