99 Solara torque converter bad?
I have a 99 Solara SLE V6 with 74k miles. My check engine light came on recently so I took it to my mechanic. He ran a scan and received indication that the problem was in the transmission. He doesn't work on transmissions in his shop, but has a shop that he partnerships with to do this kind of work.
The mechanic at this shop said that my solenoid needed to be replaced and that it was what had caused the light to come on. Additionally, he had found aluminum in my transmission fluid. He claims that the torque converters put into the engines back in 99 often break down. He said that the aluminum was the first sign of this problem, but that eventually it would release bits of metal that would damage the transmission. He further claims that Toyota became aware of this problem and have redesigned the torque converters as a solution.
I have looked and looked and can find nothing anywhere to support this claim. He says that he needs to overhaul the transmission and replace the converter, which combined with replacing the solenoid will run at least $3200. Has anyone out there had a similar problem or know anything about this?
Thanks,
sistersue
p.s. Oh, and a couple hours after he told me all of this, he called to tell me my shifter cable was stretched out and needed to be replaced too. I was suprised to hear this since I've not experienced any shifting problems. He said that he would not warranty his work unless I elected to overhaul the transmission.
The mechanic at this shop said that my solenoid needed to be replaced and that it was what had caused the light to come on. Additionally, he had found aluminum in my transmission fluid. He claims that the torque converters put into the engines back in 99 often break down. He said that the aluminum was the first sign of this problem, but that eventually it would release bits of metal that would damage the transmission. He further claims that Toyota became aware of this problem and have redesigned the torque converters as a solution.
I have looked and looked and can find nothing anywhere to support this claim. He says that he needs to overhaul the transmission and replace the converter, which combined with replacing the solenoid will run at least $3200. Has anyone out there had a similar problem or know anything about this?
Thanks,
sistersue
p.s. Oh, and a couple hours after he told me all of this, he called to tell me my shifter cable was stretched out and needed to be replaced too. I was suprised to hear this since I've not experienced any shifting problems. He said that he would not warranty his work unless I elected to overhaul the transmission.
- sistersue
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