Very odd. Yesterday as I was slowly coasting on level ground
into a gas station, I was going too slowly, so I decided to
press down on the accelerator pedal a bit. The car's RPMs
increased (I heard the RPM rev up), but the car did not move
forward any faster than my coast! LOL.

So after one second of this, I removed my foot from the accelerator
pedal, and tried again. The second time was the charm. The 2006
Camry LE 4-cylinder moved like it's suppose to. There's only
15,000 miles on this 2-year-old car. What gives?

As mentioned, I gave the car some gas, but the increased REVs I
heard were not translated into forward motion. I expected a
bit more from Toyota. Very odd. I hope I don't experience more
of this in the future. I had just started driving the car from
a cold start-up about 12 minutes earlier. The temperature was
about 76*F outside, and the coolant had reached operating
temperature, although I'm sure the oil hadn't yet.

The later model Camrys were fitted with a new design six speed tranny.
There
were lots of complaints about this transmission when it first came out, and
I
suspect that this is what you are sensing.

We bought an Avalon, simply because it still was fitted with the older five
speed
unit which did not have this unsettling shift characteristic.

A sharp mechanic, dealership or independent, can probably counsel you on
this.

"HLS" <nospam@nospam.nix> wrote in message
news:F6Jck.22706$co7.14968@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...
Since this was a 2006 with a 4 cylinder, the car does not have the 6
speed transmission.....

I have seen cases where electronically controlled transmission from
all manufacturers, not just Toyota, can "get confused" and shift into
neutral instead of downshifting. If it was my car, I'd experiment and
see if I could recreate the condition reliably. If I could, I'd take
the car to the Toyota dealer and demonstrate it for the service
writer. If I could not recreate the problem (even occasionally), then
I would forget it ever happened :) In either case, I'd check the ATF
fluid level, and if it is low, I'd be sure to use the correct Toyota
ATF (purchased from the dealer, not an auto parts store).

Ed

"C. E. White" <cewhite3@removemindspring.com> wrote in message
news:487392e3$1@kcnews01...
I thought it did. Sorry. When did the 6 speed go into production?

"HLS" <nospam@nospam.nix> wrote in message
news:pNMck.4005$cn7.2590@flpi145.ffdc.sbc.com...
They introduced the 6 speed in 2007, but only for the V6. The 4
cylinder still gets the 5 speed (even in 2009). The fly by wire
complaints go back a little further....

Ed

"Gary L. Burnore" <gburnore@databasix.com> wrote in message
news:g509up$57g$1@blackhelicopter.databasix.com...
Well my first check would be the ATF. If the level is correct and the
color is OK and the transmission was not acting up, I wouldn't take it
to the dealer. Chances are if you can't demonstrate the problem, they
won't find it. I suppose you could have them read the codes (assuming
there are any), but you could do it for free at AutoZone (or similar
stores that read the codes for free). If there are no codes and you
cannot demonstrate the problem, what do you expect the dealer to do? I
know - charge you $75 for saying everything is OK - been there, done
that.

Ed

"C. E. White" <cewhite3@removemindspring.com> wrote in message
news:4873baea$1@kcnews01...
If there is no check engine light and the transmission OD light is not
flashing, there will not be any codes stored.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:lcmdndQyXsy9Se7VnZ2dnUVZ_i2dnZ2d@comcast.com. ..

Good information. I didn't know if the PCM stored "pending" transmission
codes, or stored old codes.

So if the transmisison is acting normally, there is noting wrong with the
fluid (level and color OK), and no check engine/transmission lights, do you
think it would be usefule to visit the dealer?

Ed

"C. E. White" <cewhite3@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:4YCdnbZSSN4we-7VnZ2dnUVZ_jSdnZ2d@earthlink.com...
The ECM does store pending codes for 1 trip for codes with 2-trip detection
logic. I believe that if the code doesn't appear on the second consecutive
trip, the pending code is cleared. While there are codes that do not
illuminate the MIL, I have never run across an instance where one of those
codes is stored and the MIL is not illuminated.

If the transmission is acting normally, the ATF level and color are OK, and
there are no trouble lights illuminated, IMO, a trip to the dealer is
unlikely to make a repair attempt unless the OP can duplicate the condition
to demonstrate to the dealer. Otherwise, it would turn out to be a "unable
to duplicate condition" trip. If the car's powertrain warranty is close to
expiration, it wouldn't hurt to have the complaint documented by the dealer.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I wrote:


Well, Monday's mysterious gremlin hasn't made a return visit
yet. The Camry's been driving fine ever since. Whatever happened
on Monday remains a mystery.

The level of the ATF on the dipstick is fine, it's bright cranberry
red, and
doesn't smell burned.

The local dealership sells Toyota Genuine ATF Type T-IV for $7
a quart.

This morning a local gas station mispriced its mid-grade gasoline.
The price was showing as $3.09 on the big sign that advertises
prices--you know the sign that's visible from the street. I'm
sure the pumps had it priced correctly at a dollar more: $4.09.

Another gas station is selling highway, low-sulfur, #2 diesel for
$4.65.
And they even sell specially dyed /Off-Road/ diesel on a separate
pump.

Yet another station sells E-85 for $4.41, but I see a lot more
stations
carrying diesel than E-85. Still trying to determine if Hy-Vee
premium
gasoline doesn't contain 10-percent ethanol (E-10). According to the
manager there, it doesn't, but he also says that premium everwhere
in the state is ethanol-free, but I know that's wrong. Most premium
everywhere is E-10, just like the lower grades. Trying to find
ethanol-free gas is not easy.

"Built_Well" <Built_Well_Toyota@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5528249b-47f3-4cc4-8c99-6064752ea7c8@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
Be thankful that you live in the USA! Over here in the UK, petrol (gasoline)
and diesel prices are eye-wateringly expensive, and prices seem to be going
up every week.

Prices are typically £1.20 and £1.35 per litre for petrol and diesel
respectively. Given conversion factors of about 3.6 litres/US gallon and £1
= $1.89 (NatWest bank figure for today), that gives prices of $8.25 and
$9.29 per US gallon - about twice what you pay :-(

Thank goodness for a fuel-efficient diesel-engined car that averages 50 mpg
(40 mpg US).

Is ethanol in gasoline a US thing? I don't think premium unleaded petrol
over here contains ethanol - just petrol at a higher octane rating (RON).

I've never seen a garage over here that sells red diesel, probably because
there's thought to be too much of a risk that people would unwittingly fill
up their car with it by mistake. I think it is usually specially delivered
in bulk to off-road places that are allowed to use it (farms, building
sites, boatyards etc).

Mortimer wrote:


Mortimer, some areas in the U.S. require that ethanol be used in
gasoline.
As of January 1 of this year, a Missouri law requires that non-
premium
grades contain 10-percent ethanol (E-10). Some pumps offer E-85.

I don't want to upset farmers, but lots of folks think
there's substantial scientific evidence that the production of ethanol
gasoline
creates as much or more greenhouse gases than simply using normal
gasoline. The new ethanol laws just seem to be a favor to big
corporate
agri-business like ADM, not a genuine desire to help the
environment.
And, of course, straight ethanol is very corrosive to automotive
components--it's basically alcohol.

Anyway, for those who like the non-ethanol, normal gasoline, it's
much
harder to come by in Columbia as of January 1st of this year. As
mentioned,
a new Missouri law mandates that gas stations throughout our state
must
offer the 10 percent ethanol variety. (Previously, only St. Louis
stations were
under the ethanol thumb.) However, there is an exception to the new
state law.
Premium gasoline does *NOT* have to contain 10 percent ethanol.
Regular
grade does.

Not sure, but I think only 3 states right now require the 10 percent
ethanol
mixture in gasoline. The states are Missouri, Minnesota, and Hawaii.
You'll
find ethanol in lots of other places in the country, though, because
of local
city laws and federal mandates and/or programs focused on some
metropolitan
areas.

As of January, most stations in Columbia, Missouri only offer 10
percent
ethanol gasoline now, but there are a couple stations that supposedly
still
offer the old, normal PREMIUM grade WITHOUT ethanol.

So far, I've found that the Sinclair gas station in Prathersville
(about 2 miles
north of Columbia) offers Premium grade without ethanol--at least
that's what
a manager there said. The regular grade, of course, by law has the
ethanol. Premium, once again, is the only exception if the station
owner
wants to offer premium without ethanol. (There are two other
exceptions to
the law: gas at airports and if ethanol-mixed gas ever costs more at
wholesale than normal gas.)

The other station I've found so far that gives you the choice of non-
ethanol is
the Randy's Market station (a Conoco), also in Prathersville.

If anyone knows of other stations in Missouri or in Southern Illinois
near
St. Louis with ethanol-free premium, please let us all know.

"Mortimer" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:m_ednZvljdl8XerVnZ2dnUVZ8s3inZ2d@posted.plusn et...
I would guess that ethanol is a US thing as we have lots of land that can
grow corn and other things that ethanol can be made out of.
Where I live I don't think it is at the pumps. I have not researched it,
but have heard it will give less miles per gallon. That means it costs less
per gallon but you use more of it so you may really get less miles per
dollar.

On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:38:27 -0700 (PDT), Built_Well
<Built_Well_Toyota@hotmail.com> wrote:

snip
snip
How much do they charge for the non-road taxed diesel?
E-85 should be cheaper than gasoline, it contains less energy and you
need to burn more of it to go the same distance.

Ethanol is a little hard to get to burn, so it acts as an octane
booster. You can run a lot higher compression on straight ethanol
than E-85 or straight gasoline, that's why Indy cars use it. However
our road cars are advertised as flex-fuel. You can use everything
from E-85 to pure gasoline. This limits the compression ratio to
around 9.5 to 1 using premium gasoline. Your compression ratio can be
as high as 18 or 19 to 1 on pure ethanol which will give more power
and higher heat conversion efficiency than burning ethanol at 9.5 to
1. With E-85 you can go as high as about 12 to 1. So burning E-85 in
our standard flex-fuel cars is a waste and very uneconomical.

E-10 is basically just an octane modifier at that ratio. It's cheaper
than some other modifiers and a lot easier on the environment.

Jack

There is no difference. Red dye is added to diesel that is sold for those
engines that are not run on the highways and thus do not need to pay US and
state road taxes.

"Mortimer" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:m_ednZvljdl8XerVnZ2dnUVZ8s3inZ2d@posted.plusn et...

"Mike hunt" <mikehunt22@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:Cv6dnZTIlqNPc-rVnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@ptd.net...
Yes, sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I realise that it's the same fuel
with and without the red dye. When I was talking about "risk" I was meaning
the risk that someone would accidentally stain their car engine with red dye
(and the invisible chemical tracer) and thus would lay themselves open to
accusations of evading tax by running their car on red diesel.

Mind you, when we had a fuel blockade in the UK in protest at high prices
about eight years ago, fuel supplies got so short that eventually, as an
emergency measure, the government relaxed the rules and allowed red diesel
to be used in cars for a few days. I'm not sure how they planned to secure
any convictions for using red diesel afterwards, because if you were caught
with a stained engine (as long as they didn't actually find any red fuel in
the tank) you could claim forever after that it was a legacy of that brief
period when it was legal ;-)


Actually, *is* red diesel and central heating oil the same as white diesel,
or does white diesel have additives to make vehicles perform better which
tractors, boats and central heating boilers don't need?

Retired VIP wrote:

I don't know. I'll have to check the price of the off-road
diesel next time I visit that station. The name of the
gas station is Midwest Petroleum and it sells Phillips 66
gasoline. It's on Range Line, just south of the Interstate 70 ramp,
if any locals are reading this and can post the price for Retired VIP
before I am able to.

I do remember that regular grade there is $3.99 per gallon,
$4.09 for mid-grade, and $4.19 for #2 diesel. Regular grade
still hasn't cracked $4 in Columbia, Missouri, but we're
perilously close, only a penny away.

I try remembering the gasoline prices so I can upload them
to GasBuddy.com . Once you've uploaded enough prices to
accumulate 10,000 points, the GasBuddy site gives you
access to their Master Station List, which I'd like to
examine. It's the only reason I'm doing this non-sense ;-)

A different station's big sign mispriced mid-grade today by
one whole dollar. The street sign's numbers, visible from
the street, showed $3.09 for mid-grade, not the $4.09
it was suppose to be. I'm sure the actual pumps priced it
right, though.

You mentioned that "E-10 is basically just an octane modifier
at that ratio."

Yes, now that we have E-10 here, sometimes premium octane
reaches as high as 93 and 94, rather than the usual 91 octane
for premium. I think there's still a whole lot of
91 octane E-10 premium, though. I'd say most E-10
premium around here is still just 91 octane.

I wrote:

Oops, I meant to say $4.19 for premium and
$4.65 for #2 highway diesel.

The Hy-Vee gas station here doesn't sell 87 octane gas anymore!

Their regular grade with 10-percent ethanol is now 89 octane,
just like their mid-grade. I've seen regular and mid-grade
priced the same many times, but I've never seen both have
the same octane level until Hy-Vee came along. No more 87.

There are some Break Time stations around here that don't
sell premium. Instead they sell regular, mid-grade, and
E-85 ! Maybe they just have 3 underground tank chambers-dunno.
Other Break Time's continue offering premium. The ones
that offer diesel don't have E-85.

"Built_Well" <Built_Well_Toyota@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:fa585593-0e4f-4c99-87e3-d82ff53d47fb@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
Interesting that in the USA there are still so many different grades of
gasoline sold.

I can remember until the mid 1980s in the UK they used to sell (leaded)
2-star, 3*, 4* and 5* (different octane ratings for cars with different
compression ratios). But then when new cars started to be made with engines
that took unleaded petrol and had catalytic converters (which happened much
later with us than I believe it did in the States) and high-compression
engines were phased out, they went over to just unleaded and leaded, each in
regular and premium.

I don't think any garages sell leaded now, since most engines can be
converted and the small number of older ones that can't can use an additive
to each tank of unleaded.

Nowadays almost all pumps on a garage forecourt just sell unleaded (green
holster) and diesel (black or blue holster), with maybe one or two pumps
also having a nozzle for premium unleaded.

One or two brands of fuel (I think BP - British Petroleum - is one of the
few) also have a pump selling premium diesel - at a "gold-plated" premium
price!

I've not heard any suggestions yet that we might gradually change over to
gasoline with some ethanol in. Even bio-diesel hasn't really taken off over
here, though I've heard of a few people running cars on recycled cooking
oil - which, to be legal, should have tax paid on it when it is put into a
car...