douglitas Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 We took our Seabreeze on another shake down trip up to Bishop, CA. About half way there the OD stopped engaging. Even with just the 3 speed we got 13 mpg. I took the SB into the tranny shop yesterday and they said it needed the solenoid replaced...altogether estimated price around $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Are you aware that the OD in most of (maybe all) of the Toyota RV's have a altitude sensor that locks the overdrive out above about 3500 ft. This is to compensate for the lose of power the engines put out. When I head out to the Rockies from Wisconsin, I loose overdrive at about Chamberlan, South Dakota. If I had not read about this from these great people on this forum I would have thought that my tranny was going out. Some people override this sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Go back to the tranny shop and ask them if they are aware that the OD is disabled above about 3000 ft. Put the 500 back in your pocket. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Wow $500 the solenoid isn't even inside of the transmission! 15 minute job! and yes they do have an altitude sensor and will not work above 3-4 thousand feet it also has an engine temp sensor. Does the off light work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmowrey Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 As I've mentioned before, the overdrive on my 85 Dolphin works fine here in Santa Fe at 7000 ft. So does the on/off light. Does that mean my altitude sensor is not there, or is it not working? I generally don't use the overdrive anyway, unless I'm in a completely flat or down-hill driving situation and going over 55mph (which rarely occurs in these parts). Otherwise it is constantly shifting in and out of overdrive. Very bothersome and seems to me that might be hard on the transmission. I've read here in this forum that some people recommend not ever using the overdrive as it can overheat the transmission. So what's the buzz? Should I or shouldn't I? I'm a complete novice about all this and don't know much about the mechanical aspect of cars in general. I would appreciate any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 jmowrey, I would say make sure you have an aux tranny cooler. If it keeps popping in and out, just disable it with the pushbutton.Yours may have been mofified to bypass the ECM signal. I've been thinking of doing it with mine.John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 wow thanks for all the replies! I didn't see these until just now when I returned from picking up our baby. shop did not replace solenoid, Instead removed and installed valve body, disassemble and assemble valve body...reduce overdrive solenoid feed hole from .030 to .015 and service the tranny...inspect and change fluid and clean filter. guaranteed 6 mo. they said one of their servicemen said the this procedure works on Toys 99% of the time, but to take it on a shake down drive and check if it's a good fix. overdrive coming on all the time now. I'll ask about the altitude thing as we are at 3000 ft and bishop sits at 5200. thanks again I'll keep you posted on what happens next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 shop charges were $326.94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I don't get it.Toyota thought it was important to have overdrive disengauge at around 4000 ft. There must have been a reason for it don't ya think. If your driving a 4 banger the trannie is known to fail from the heat caused by the excessive slippage when in overdrive. This excessive slippage also causes reduced mileage not better. After proving this to myself several times at close to sea level on very flat terrain I turned my overdrive off and never used it again. Don't miss it a bit Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 My limited experience with the OD in my Toyhouuse has led me to NOT use it. My unscientific test goes as follows: 1. Drive at a constant speed in third (drive) gear with constant pressure on the gas pedal. 2. Engage the OD and see what happens. 3. Even on flat terrain my speed starts to drop in OD and I have to put more pressure on the gas pedal to maintain speed. I figure that if I am putting more pressure on the pedal I am putting more fuel into the engine so My gas mileage is dropping. The only downside is the engine noise goes up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Bob, not quite, remember, the engine is turning slower, so if the engine was turning 1/2 the rpms, and you were providing the exact same fuel charge to the cylinders, your fuel consumption would be 1/2, and your corresponding power produced would be 1/2 (not exactly 1/2 but close enough for this example. You really need a fuel flow sensor to get an accurate indication of the difference.John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 took MH for a test drive today. OD would not engage above 3000'...as soon as we passed the 3000' sign (descending) it started engaging! very accurate sensing of elevation--incredible! Since our favorite destination is near 4000' and we live at 2350, i'm inclined to see if we can get this sensor disconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If you have driven a stick shift for many years you learn how to shift the O/D off just by feel and sound. Sort of like down shifting a stick. My Toy home was one of 3 automatics I ever owned and I used O/D. It does make a difference in fuel mileage and it is a lot quieter. Converter slip does cause heating in an automatic and if you strain the engine in too high a gear it will get hot but using O/D properly will not shorten the life of the trans. Two things: fluid changes and aux coolers are key to making your transmission last. Using O/D or not, the trans is doing a lot more then it was intended to do so the service is all was considered severe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 just dropped another $200 getting a toggle switch to bypass the altitude cutoff switch. going up to Bishop again this coming weekend to test out the result...will keep you posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I don't get it.Toyota thought it was important to have overdrive disengauge at around 4000 ft. There must have been a reason for it don't ya think. If your driving a 4 banger the trannie is known to fail from the heat caused by the excessive slippage when in overdrive. This excessive slippage also causes reduced mileage not better. After proving this to myself several times at close to sea level on very flat terrain I turned my overdrive off and never used it again. Don't miss it a bit Linda S Yes there was a reason but it was all about engine power at altitude and little about O/D. At 3000' your power is down 10% by the time you reach Durango CO. you have lost 25% of your power when you don't have a lot to begin with that is a huge hit! Yes it also keeps the trans from "hunting" but you could do the same thing by simply turning it off in the hills. Some thing as heavy as a Toy home all of the gears will cause converter slip even 3rd this is why a extra cooler is pretty much mandatory and 30K fluid changes if you want to keep it going. The slip can be reduced by using lower gears and keeping the rv's up but knowing when to do this is paramount because if you are late it's slipping like crazy the trans it's self is fairly good at this if you put your foot to it trying to get good mileage climbing hills is a waste of time it ain't going to happen no matter how you drive it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 O/D for gliding downhill on long slow descents..like from Flagstaff to Kingman. "OFF" when going even slightly uphill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglitas Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 just got back from weekend up over 9500'...O/D worked flawlessly! toggle switch mounted on dash. click "on" when going downhill. click "off" when going up...THANK YOU all for the info and the wiring diagram! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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