Ok, need a little insight on the 2005 shifting problem!

[JenVanVooren]

Hello again,

It has been a few weeks and a not so fun family emergency, but I am back for your advice on our 2005 and it's shifting problem.

We have had the brake light switch removed and replaced and the dealership and just got the entire shifter assembly, which they said was the problem, and we were wondering if it was possible to install ourselves or if we should take it into the dealer again and pay 180.00 for 2 hours of labor?

I sent Hobbit a PM about this, but the funny thing is that I was thrilled when we picked up the car the night the brake light switch was replaced because the car was not shifting itself into Neutral from Reverse at all. I thought the switch was the problem....The next morning going to work I again had no issues backing out of the driveway, but when I left work for my lunch at 1pm it went back to shifting from R to N on its own again. The funny thing is and my hubby finally agrees with me after trying it out today is that it has no issues in the morning or night at all, it is only during the nasty 90 degree hot and sticky days...Am I crazy?

If anyone can give me an opinion about my potential craziness and then installing the shifter assembly ourselves, it would truly be appreciated. Our only worry is that the last time he did anything with wires in the car (installed DICE unit), the shifting issue began that afternoon. He doesn't want the guilt of another problem after he tries to help!

Thanks and sorry for the delay with this....

Have a great weekend,

-Jen

[efusco]

Gotta admit I'd be hesitant to put a critical part like that in myself. If I had the instructions (maybe in repair manual or with the part) and it was essentially plug and play with just a little dash disassembly that would be fine. If it requires testing or adjustment with the scan tool then I think you're stuck shelling out the bucks to let the dealer do it.

You've already been more patient than I could have been to have the thing fixed...I'd just pay to do it if I wasn't under warranty.

And no, you're not crazy, temperture can affect the function of various electronic components.

[galaxee]

it's basically plug and play. it's a box with a connector on it. you pull that vent off, and there it is.

let's see... well ours is in the shop currently (paint work) so i can't do a photo guide for you until at least tomorrow night provided it's ready to take home. and DH is off work on medical leave for a couple days and is going off to visit family... ick. let me see what i can do.

[JenVanVooren]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 9 2007, 11:35 PM) [snapback]493371[/snapback]</div>

it's basically plug and play. it's a box with a connector on it. you pull that vent off, and there it is.

let's see... well ours is in the shop currently (paint work) so i can't do a photo guide for you until at least tomorrow night provided it's ready to take home. and DH is off work on medical leave for a couple days and is going off to visit family... ick. let me see what i can do.
[/b]

It is not under warranty, so as long as we don't need to run any diag scans like Evan mentioned, I think my husband is up for it...I am hoping the ECU won't require anything but plugging this new assembly in? So far this whole issue has just been complicated, so it would be wonderful if it were just plug and play!


Galaxee....no worries! I totally appreciate the help and not to mention that it will save us $200.00. Please don't feel a rush to get pics or anything. We can wait, I wasn't going to be able to get it into the dealer until Monday, so honestly don't go out of your way for this. If you have a chance next week that would be great, but it sounds like you guys have enough going on right now.

I hope DH is okay and that you guys have a great weekend!

Thanks again,

-Jen

[FL_Prius_Driver]

This is good news that the brake switch is a solution for most of the time. It may be just an adjustment away from being the solution all of the time. I would get down (or let the DH get down) and see if the brake switch is fully depressed when the brake is not pushed. Then I would stop by or call the dealer and state that the problem is 90% fixed, clearly state the details (including the check you just did), and then ask could some fine tuning be needed?

It's really hard to belive that the shifter could still be a problem when most of it was solved by the initial brake switch repair. Your patience has resulted in getting the right part identified so far.

[hobbit]

Well .. the shifter is just a block of stuff with some connectors on
it. Saw several units sitting on the shelves at Autobeyours, in
fact. It's basically a set of X and Y sense coils that pick up
lever motion, and some output electronics, and it pretty much ALL
connects over to the hybrid ECU. A heat-related problem in the
shifter's electronics is plausible. A heat-related problem in the
hybrid ECU itself is also plausible, but to try and avoid being
pessimistic, I'd hope that it might even be a minor wiring thing that
got jiggled in the process of the brake switch work and became very
slightly more solid. Best case is that you'd find that to be true
and wind up with two perfectly good shifter units, and be able to
sell one for what you spent on it.
.
There are some diag tests that one *can* do on the shifter output
voltages, but not necessary -- if the thing works reliably, then one
can be pretty sure it's producing the right things. [These could
also be measured/scoped over at the hybrid ECU to make sure it's all
connected and clean in the physical domain..]
.
_H*

[galaxee]

okay. you will need:
philips head screwdriver
5/16" socket
a ratchet and extension

























that vent cover will come off the same way the first one does, and you can either disconnect the connectors in there or what i did was push it out of the way.

that's the major part, getting the dash apart. DH has the camera and my phone doesn't seem to want to send a pic to my email address. the shifter assy is held in by 3 bolts, a 5/16" socket will fit. (toyotas use metric, i didn't have metric sockets here.) make sure you've got a ratchet extension, you'll need it to fit in there. and no, you don't want to use one of those small home power tool-ish things, that's what i've got and trust me it's not tough enough to take one of those out. unless you've got a real makita laying around

it should pull out once the bolts are out, and i knew there are two connectors that need to be disconnected. the rest is all the reverse of the disassembly.

hope that helps!

[kohnen]

Can we please try NOT to use the word "insight" on this board?

[Bear68]

OOhhh I just gotta say it!!!! Hey Galaxee !!!!!! What kind of Toyota Tech uses 5/16!!!!! Grab that Snap On 10mm!!! Metric!!! Yayy Metric!!!!! Lets hear it for the millimeters!!!!





Yes, it is Friday night and I don't have to work tomorrow and the Grey Goose has been pouring......

[galaxee]

hey now, i'm the tech's wife and i don't have a metric set at home, it's just some cheapie miscellaneous non-metric home tool set. the 5/16 was the closest i could get my hands on that fit! the real matco (cough, not snap on, don't go there :P) tools are all locked up in his toolbox at work.

i pointed that out too.

(toyotas use metric, i didn't have metric sockets here.)
[/b]

here i am home alone, nobody else to worry about, don't have to be anywhere till noon tomorrow. maybe i should break out the vodka tonight too.