1998 Toyota Camry shifts hard

THERESASTARKEY

MEMBER
1998 TOYOTA CAMRY
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
196,000 MILES

98 Camry runs good considering the mileage. . But engine light has been on steady for a few months. I don't have the engine code but the guy at the parts store said it was a oxygen sensor that needed to be replaced. Sometimes I have to keep one foot on the gas when stopping, to keep the rpms around 800 or it will die. No big deal but recently it has started shifting hard. It goes into the gears fine but when it shifts into second and third you can feel a pretty pronounced sideways tug. I assume that is the transmission. I checked the transmission fluid level and it is ok. I don't think it has been serviced in a very long time. I really cant afford to replace the transmission. Are there some cheaper fixes I can do to get more miles from the transmission?

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

Hi TheresaStarkey,

Thank you for the donation.

Harsh shifting are usually due to faults with the transmission control system and it sould be any of the sensors. Since the CEL is indicating, get it scanned at Autozone, they provide free scanning, and let me know the exact code.

It could be related to the transmission shifting.

Apart from fluid changes, there are nothing you can do if the transmission is failing. However if the problem is due to solenoids, the repair might not be too expensive.