2001 Toyota RAV4 Computer causing Transmission Failure

Tiny
HUNTEREK
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 TOYOTA RAV4
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 107,700 MILES
Is it credible that a failed computer could cause the transmission shift solenoids to be damaged thus requiring a transmission replacement?
Friday, December 18th, 2009 AT 3:50 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,938 POSTS
Hi there,

Thank you for the donation,

This I feel is not so, the ECU is just a control unit sending and receiving information on engine & transmission parameters, the solenoid is just a valve, and if it fails normally there is a drive problem, depending on which one it is, but I find it hard to believe that it has destroyed the transmission, is this report from a general mechanic or a qualified transmission repairer? I would like to see the report, but one really needs to be able to view the problem first hand, otherwise I am only relying on an honest report from the tech doing the job, I would be getting a second opinion from a transmission tech, and comparing the reports, post your findings here I would be interested in knowing what they say.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Friday, December 18th, 2009 AT 4:53 PM
Tiny
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Thanks Mark,

That's what I thought which is why I asked the question.

The repair was done by a Toyota dealer in the Chicago area and I am in West Texas so wasn't there to really know what was going on.

That was the story the Service Manager gave me. I think I got a new computer ($1300) that I didn't really need. I know the solenoids were bad because another mechanic told me so before I took it to Toyota.

Why would solenoids go out at 107,000 miles anyway?
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Saturday, December 19th, 2009 AT 7:43 PM
Tiny
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Hi there,
if I knew the answer to that one I would be a millionaire. Lol basically its just the luck of the draw, you may of just got a suspect one to start with, these solenoids are normally very reliable, but like anything, sometimes they just fail. With these it is usually a fault in the windings of the solenoid it self.

Mark.
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Saturday, December 19th, 2009 AT 9:36 PM
Tiny
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Mark,

My real question is how could the COMPUTER cause the solenoid windings (or any other part of the solenoid) to fail?

Kent
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Sunday, December 20th, 2009 AT 8:35 PM
Tiny
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Hi there,

In my experience this is not the case, it is the solinoid that fails with out any fault of the ECU, now in saying that, if there was a higher input voltage that normal this may do it, but with out a full diagnosis of the ECU you just would not know, this is a problem that you could surmise on for hours, but a full diagnosing of the ECU would soon pick a fault, this is not done in car, it is done in a specialist tech work shop.

Mark
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Sunday, December 20th, 2009 AT 9:08 PM

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