Transmission issue?

[Sidicas]

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

Okay, so I have had two incidents where the engine would not start. This is when i was using shell gasoline. So i switched to Sunoco. The problem fixed itself so far.

Does the Shell gas have ethanol in it? If not, then your problem might be that your gas line is freezing.. A gas additive would fix that, or just use gas that has 10% ethanol..

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

Next, Whenever I go from 20-40 mph, the car feels like there is a thousand bricks in it. It feel like its heavy and drags. I have to push the pedal down hard, and even then it still wont go much faster. Once im over 40 mph, it does a bit better.

It's a small engine, that's fairly normal..

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

Once i take my foot off the acceleration pedal, and the speed gets down to 25-20 mph, it jerks out of gear. It is the strangest thing, and it ALWAYS does this. I have had this jerking sensation when i hit 30 mph too.

If you're rough on the pedal, it will shift rough.. If you're delicate on the pedal, it will shift more smoothly.. Move your foot less and it will start to shift more smoothly.. If you send the engine RPMs through the roof right before it shifts gears, you're going to get a rough shift whether you're on a manual or an automatic.

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

The car sometimes shifts in weird intervals. A few days it will shift at 30 and 40...then sometime 35 and 45. It is always all over the place when shifting.

Most likely temp related.. It will stay in lower gear if the engine is cool (the little temp symbol with "cool" on it shows up to indicate delayed shifting on my 2010 yaris).

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

I have taken the car to the toyota dealer twice, and they have found nothing wrong with it,and have claimed they cannot feel the jerking and shifting sensation.

Again, Might be just how you're driving it. Move the pedal more slowly, and you'll get smoother shifts. Pressing the pedal hard and then letting the pedal go is a recipe for rough shifts..

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

I am at a loss because the problems with this vehicle have caused me to start looking for a different car. It only has 8000 miles on it, and i love this car, just not the issues it came with.

What should I do?

Smell the tranny fluid, if it smells like burnt toast have the fluid and filter replaced.

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

Is it because i use synethic oil?

No.

Originally Posted by Twistoffate0817

Also, In the mornings, when i turn the stereo on, you can barely see the numbers and what not. Very dull lettering.
Thanks.

It's a cheap radio, mine does the same thing.. A little disappointing, I agree.. If you really have a problem with it, have it replaced by a nice aftermarket radio.. None of the OEM radios on my Saturns are as weak as the LCD display on the Yaris, so it was a shock to me as well.. Doesn't really bother me, but if it does get on your nerves, have the radio replaced. As the weather warms up, the display will be more responsive. Buying an aftermarket radio with a more responsive display while it's cold will sap more power though, and that can hurt your gas mileage (though it'd be so small you wouldn't likely be able to measure it without a scangauge or something). Usually the way to make an LCD display more responsive when it's cold is to just give it more power, the Yaris clearly does not automatically adjust the LCD display voltage to the temp of the display.. Most aftermarket displays just use a higher power level all the time on their LCD display so the liquid in it remains responsive even when it's cold.

Originally Posted by woof

I wonder if using a high quality transmission fluid like Amsoil would reduce the auto warm-up time? Is there a fluid temp sensor?

Any ideas?

I'd think it would be the OPPOSITE, a higher quality tran fluid would mean less friction which means less heat which means the engine will spend more time in lower gears and high RPMs. Heat is generated in both the tranny and the engine, when the combined heat gets above a certain temp, then it will shift normally. My '93 Saturn SC2 was the same way. I think when the engine is up to temperature, you'll get much higher gas mileage because you'll have more fuel combusting and less fuel going out with your exhaust. Also, when it's up to temp, you also start to get warm air from the heater.. So the delayed shifting and running at higher RPMs to warm the car up, is important for both engine efficiency and comfort.


It's very important to keep in mind that the Yaris isn't like an American muscle car at all.. In an American muscle car you can go from 0-60 with only 1 gear shift, the Yaris can't. It just doesn't have the engine for that kind of thing.. You're going to get much more shifting going on which can lead to a less smooth ride if you're aggressive on the pedal. The smaller engine is what gives the Yaris it's gas efficiency.