so I've been doing lots of searching on 4EAT issues and the most prevalent one was the DFE problem with 99-00 4EATs.... but I never really saw much for newer ones...

 

this is only my 4th AT out of like 40 soobs, and I'm painfully reminded why

 

I did find a thread related to the kickdown solenoid, which may be my issue.

 

it was very windy today, and I went out to pass someone, and there may heve been a delay beore the trans reacted (I should have just manually shifted down) but it seemed to hesitate and sputter a bit, and the CEL fluttered on and off. I finally got around the truck and the light stayed off... and was fine the rest of the trip to work.

 

there seems to be some occasional roughness of the shifting, but not any bad clunking like I've seen some complain...

 

I will pull codes tonight when I get home...

 

thoughts?

knock sensor or coolant temp sens, or MAF dirty; any slight engine miss/roughness due to those are greatly exacerbated thru the trans, especially when it is in lockup mode.

55mph gusts here ALL day.

CEL flickering on a sudden acceleration makes me think it is not transmission related....

Yuupp. P0302

any slight engine miss/roughness due to those are greatly exacerbated thru the trans, especially when it is in lockup mode.

 

your trans is fine, well just normal slushbox, you got some sensor that is weak. Probably could use new plugs NGK and new OEM plug wires. That might create a random misfire that isn't happening all the time with any consistency.

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by bheinen74

Roughness of shifting, possibly worn trans or engine mounts. How many miles.

Yes it was windy today! My forester did something similar at one time, without throwing any codes. I had the fluid swapped to synthetic ( I can't remember the brand), but it helped some and has stayed much cleaner than regular OEM; albeit at added cost for the fluid.

so I reseated the #2 plug wire today at the coil pack end. no issues this morning, but I never really had to utilize the kickdown...

 

thought I did notice that it has Packard branded wires, so it's probably got the wrong plugs too.....

How many miles are on this one. Better replace with OEM stuff.

108k. and yes, it will get the good stuff.

NGK wires will work fine too

I'd fix the engine issues before worrying about the transmission.

The auto tranny is such a complicated wad of electro-mechanical controller wizardry that a poorly running engine upsets the balance.

 

I was having a stupid misfire issue with mine (caused by a cracked insulator on a plug). But when it was misfiring the transmission wouldn't shift right. I guess the ECU isn't reporting load properly to the TCU, so it gets confused.

Packard wires I believe are OEM replacement wires. I use them all the time and never have an issue unless the spark plug tube seals are leaking or mice have gotten to them.

 

If it was me, I'd start by checking the easy stuff like plugs and wires. If the problem persists on the same cylinder, then swap the fuel injectors between the #2 and #4. Again, if the problem persists on the same cylinder, I then would perform a compression test and a leakdown test. Only time I get that far is when there is a internal issue like a burnt valve or more.

 

Also make sure there's no corrosion on the terminals on the coil pack and if there is, clean it off with a scotch brite and replace the plug wires.

plugs and wires were gonna be my first route...

 

the wires were OEM with FHI logo, but looked old. NGK plugs in it, tips looked about right, but base of ceramic had a lot of rust stains...

 

so after replacing the #2 plug and wire, I took it for a spin, and all seems good now. so I replaced the other 3. used NGK wires. they actually seemed to seal better around the plug tubes, but again, I have no idea how old the wires were....