Car problems, any help is appreciated

[ghostsoap01]

Thanks for reading this.

 

So I drive an old 2004 Toyota echo with an automatic transmission. Its on its last legs and I need help diagnosing a problem.

What happened is that I shifted the car into reverse, backed up, then went to shift to drive. I felt a bit of resistance, and then the gear shifter became very loose, moving through the gears like butter. It doesn't shift into any gear, and it seems the wheels in front are locked up, as if it were in park. Doesn't even go into neutral. The engine is fine, I can rev it and hear the engine respond accordingly. Its been louder than usual when in high rpms right before upshifting for a good 2 months now, and I was about to go have it checked out before this happened.

 

I put it up on bricks to check under, and everything seemed fine. I know it must be transmission related, but I want to dodge the bullet of a restored transmission if I can. I suspect its the transmission cable connecting the shifter to the transmission that either snapped or is worn down, but how can I be sure?

[Standard Deluxe 59]

All I can instantly think it could be are your linkages that connect the shifter to the transmission have gone out. You might be able to check if you can pry off the center console housing and then check the linkages with a flashlight. As far as fixing it goes, I know you can replace worn out linkages but that might require dropping the transmission to do it properly.

However since those are front wheel drive, there could be an issue with your transaxle. I don't know too much about working on those though unfortunately. Granted I don't know all that much about working on transmissions but i know disconnecting linkages has been a long common problem with older cars just because of age and use.

Maybe try a Toyota owners forum. I found a Crown Victoria forum that was helpful in diagnosing a rough idle issue I had in my Grand Marquis after I replaced the intake manifold. So I would suggest looking one of those up, though I'm not sure how many people held onto their Echos, it's been a long time since I last saw one driving around. It could be a problem with the switchgear which I'm sure was shared between Toyota products so maybe look up 2004 Toyota shifter not engaging gears and go from there.

[ghostsoap01]

Thanks for replying!

 

Yep took a look at the linkages by removing the console around the shifter, it wasn't obvious if it was severed or badly worn, but I'm thinking that its the most likely problem due to the way it suddenly refused to shift right after going into reverse (almost like the linkage cables snapped or something when moving from reverse to drive). I should note that the transmission fluid is also fine, had it replaced on my last oil & tire change. I've taken it to a garage and am waiting for a diagnosis from them, hopefully its not too expensive. From what I've seen, a refurbished transmission for the Echo costs upward of 2000$, well over the value of the car itself. Wish me luck!

[sivispacem]

It's likely that the linkage has failed somewhere away from the centre console. FWD cars typically have an assortment of cables and levers with a fairly substantial reach as the actual gearbox is basically under the engine.