I have problem with acceleration from 0 to 60 with high revs between 2k to 3.5k. Once I reach 60 and above car drives very good. So the problem is when I take off at traffic lights, the car does not go. It seems that the problem is between 1st to 3rd gears. The fuel consumption comes to about 15L and above.
However sometimes when I start the car it drives and switches gears as normal. Fuel consumption comes down to around 12L, city driving and 7.5L – 8.5L on highway.
When the car has been taking for a drive, for some period of time and then I do reverse parking, I can hear noise coming from the front side of the passenger seat, just where the transmission is located.
The noise is similar to a small motor of a kid's toy.
The car has done almost 130k.
I did OBD check and it did not show any errors.
I've heard that in a similar situation, it is usually problem with the transmission valve body that needs to be replaced or fixed.
Has anyone done DIY repair of the transmission valve body and could make some suggestions?
I was looking for transmission mechanics in Melbourne a few car repair shops suggested J.Pringle Automotive but after looking at their reviews I've changed my mind. If I don't find the problem myself I may take it to Top Shift Automatics or Fluidrive Automatic Transmissions. If anyone has a good experience with other transmission shops in Melbourne, please let me know.
I've found informative video on U660 transmission and may try to inspect the valve body myself, before taking it to the shop. I've thought taking to the Toyota service but then I think they don't fix/rebuild transmissions, only replace with new ones. I looked on eBay, the used valve body can cost around $700.
I have changed my spark plugs, cleaned throttle body and changed oil. I did change ATF as well about a year ago with Penrith ATF LV, Just whatever was in the ATF pan. I may think that the change of ATF killed my transmission at the end...
Also when the car does not accelerate I try to stop the car and move gears, from Park to Natural and Drive several times and sometime it fixes the problem.