limp-in mode

[micky]

A female friend has a 2002 Toyota 4-cyl Camry had a check-engine light. Has a code coming from her transmission, and the shop suggested she just drive it around town and not from city to city, rather than get another transmission for a car with 187,000 miles. They didnt' tell her what the code was.

I've heard that when one breaks, it goes into limp-in mode so one can still drive home or to the shop.

True for Toyota? Yes.

True for 2002? ??

Surely not always true and depends on what breaks, right? Only true if sensor out of range, or computer confused. But no limp-kn mode if actual transmission failure, right?

Usually turns out to be true?

How fast is limp-in? 10mph?

Most of her errands are near her home and if perchance she has to spend

2 hours driving at 10MPH from the far side of Baltimore, that certainly seems acceptable to me.

I have an $80 code reader, but iiuc most of them can't detect transmission codes, right? A device to do that is over 1000 dollars?

This is funny, from

Do not panic! Limp mode is specifically designed to limit further damage and allow you to get your car to a service center .... It is advised that you do not continue to drive a vehicle in limp mode as it is unsafe and can cause further damage to your vehicle

So limit further damage includes causing further damage!!

[danny burstein]

Most, not all, automatic transmissions, including from that time, will lock into the equivalent of second gear, aka "limp home mode". But note, this can be the result of anything from a minor "needs more fluid" to "dirty filters" to lots and lots of heavy duty stuff.

You should be able to find a local repair shop with a more functions reader, which might, or might not, give details of the underlying problem.

One suggestion: Disconnect the battery and see if that resets whatever the glitch was. THere's a slight, but realistic chance, it was a momemntary hiccup.

[Ralph Mowery]

For a car that old and many miles it is not worth it to spend very much money on. The car may be worth $ 1500 if in good shape.

Sometimes you just have to junk the car. I had a 1991 Camry with about that many miles and age at the time. It was in good running shape. Was offered $ 500 for a trade in . It was over due to have the timing belt changed. That would have been about what the trade in offer was. I decided to drive it for a while longer before trading it in. Thinking if it did lay down and die on me, I would not loose any money. I bought a new car and sold that Camry to a fellow that could put the timing belt in his self for the $ 500 I was going to get for a trade in. If I was really going to get that much the way dealers work.

[Clare Snyder]

Anyone who gave that advice is no mechanic and an idiot. It is "limp HOME" mode - not "go shopping" mode. Find out what the code is - what the transmission computer thinks is the problem. Often it is a simple sensor or solenoid electrical failure.

Either get it fixed while it is still fixable or get it towed to the scrapyard when it fails spectacularly. It won't likely be long

[gfretwell]

Dunno about Toyotas but on my wife's old Honda you could make that go away by disconnecting the battery for a minute. It was actually shifting bad and stuff. That reset the controller and it was good for a couple thousand more miles.

[micky]

And you did this more than once?

I'll tell her. It actually runs fine now, but the mechanic told her it had some code, and all her other (girl) friends are telling her to sell it. She's about 76 years old, loads of energy, but doesn't want to hitchhike home from I-95.

She's had some extra expenses of about 1000, maybe more, and is in her words, flat broke.

I'm telling her to keep it and that the worst scenario is not that bad.

I see that my own $70 code reader isn't able to read transmission codes

-- I knew that when I bought it -- but that there is a model now for $190 that does engine, xmission, airbag, and ABS, though it doesn't do everything such as relearning. I haven't had many xmission problem so I'm sure I would not have bought it.

Thanks everyone.

[micky]

LOL

Noted, but she drives very little, and has no money.

[micky]

GF's idea too.

[Clare Snyder]

Depends what the issue is. If it is a "glitch" it may work. The problem is aften a corroded connector. The issue with driving in "limp mode" is it can protect the transmission at the expense of the engine. Limp mode generally dissables all the shift solenoids, locking the transmission in either

2nd or third gear, with apply pressures maxed to avoid slippage which would overheat the clutches. Driving continuously in secopnd or third gear could cause the engine to either be overloaded or over-reved. GENERALLY it is a signal failure that causes the light to go on - very seldom an actual mechanical or hydraulic issue. Sometimes it can be a shift solenoid ptoblem. USUALLY it is not a terribly expensive repair. Going to the dealer for diagnosis may be the cheapest first step - the service manager may say "the scanner shows P0714 - we've seen a few corroded connectors on the tansmission fluid temperature sensors. We may be able to just resolder the connector and get you on your way" - or " Code p0776 indicates the pressure control solenoid is either malfunctioning or stuck off - have you had the transmission fluid changed in the last 2 years? If not changing the fluid and putting in a can of BG ATC Plus conditioner will likely free up the solenoid - if not we will have to replace the solenoid".

Taking it to an independent shop may take 3 hours of troubledhooting to find the problem - or they may never find it.

[Clare Snyder]

Give her a christmas present. Take it to the dealer and have the code read. Or go back to the clown who told her to keep driving it and find out what code it was and report back. Might be something even YOU can repair if we know the code.

[Clare Snyder]

GENERALLY the "hiccup" will reset the light and go out of limp mode itself if it is not redetected in a number of restarts. If you do disconnect the battery short the disconnected ground cable to the positive to short and drain any charge from the computer. The VEHICLE end of the grond cable to the positive cable - NOT the batter end!!!!!!!

[Ed Pawlowski]

Tough situation but even if you have to pay, get a reading. Auto Zone and Advanced Auto do it for free in hopes of selling you parts to fix it.

You can try the other suggestions with the battery for temporary relief. No fun driving a car in limp mode but it may be enough for her to make a plan for repair or replace. The car is not worth much but if it turns out to be a $200 repair, not a bad deal. If #2000, just scrap it.

[gfretwell]

Yup. maybe 3 or 4 times in the two years before we got rid of it. It really lasted quite a while between resets but my wife wasn't really driving it that much. Her job was about 4 miles away. A tank of gas would last a month. I thought it was just a fluke the first couple times it happened. We ended up trading it.

Go to Auto Zone or Advanced Auto. They will scan it for free. You might get lucky and find out it is an easy to replace part.

[gfretwell]

Just get the code and google it. There are some yacking groups out there with a lot of knowledge on various brands.

[Clare Snyder]

Most of them only have OBD2 scanners that do not read trans, brakes, ABS, or transmission codes. Perhaps some have updated to full function scanners

[Clare Snyder]

If it's like the BMW groups 90%+ is BS

[A noiseless patient Spider]

Sometimes a quick inspection will reveal something simple like a corroded wiring harness plug/socket.

Or maybe your tranny is seriously f***ed and you'll need a pro.

Or maybe watching a few of this guy's videos will inspire your leftocrat ass?

[trader_4]

I've said here before that for things like this, the dealer may be the best option. Already she's had it to an indy and IDK what she paid, but she didn't find out anything useful. I used to use an indy here instead of the Mercedes dealer, twenty five years ago. Back then, their labor rate was about 30% less and they used aftermarket parts with big savings there. Over the years the labor rate went up to the point that it's only a little less than the dealer. And the bills went to showing only MB parts numbers, with prices to match. I came to the conclusion that you're better off going to the dealer, where they service one make, see more cars with the same problem, have the full factory diagnostic tools, etc. They may find it, correctly diagnose it and fix it in one hour compared to two or three, in which case, it costs less.

For the BMW X5 I have the full BMW factory software running on a PC. And that has certainly paid for itself a hundred times over. I can read out all the modules and it has diagnostics where it will go through a test for a suspected fault. Some of those tests, it has to run the car or run it long enough to get the coolant warm. First time, it's interesting to see the computer telling you it's doing to do that, and then see the engine speed up.

There are OBD cables and software for smartphones now too. For the average car owner, I think having one of those, keeping the cable in the car, is an excellent idea. They won't read everything, but they will read most of the engine codes.

[gfretwell]

I don't know about Toyota but the Honda group was pretty good. They had a few dealer mechanics on it.

[Ralph Mowery]

I hope those dealere mechanics are better than the Toyota dealer mechanic here. Took them 3 weeks to find and replace a mass air sensor that is about $ 500. It was one of the top things on the Autozone (or similar) internet trouble shooting cause after the simple things like spark plugs and wires. I would have thought they would have a tester for that item.