Gear selection is slow - 1992 Toyota Previa

Check your tranmission fluid level, if its low it can cause your transmission to shift slower, if its drastically low your transmission will slip in and out of gears or free rev (act like its in neutral) under acceleration or when shifting to a higher gear. If your fluid level is good, then you need to change your transmission filter. If your not mechanically inclined, take your vehicle to a shop and have them replace your filter for you, any repairs or maitnance envolving your transmission can easily go bad and potentially destroy your transmission if you do something wrong.

1. Buy new filter & transmission pan gasket

2. Raise vehicle, block tires, and use jackstands (never rely on any type of jack to hold the vehicle up.) and get a container or drain pan to catch the old transmission fluid.

3. Put drain pan or container under your transmission pan, start loosinging the bolts that hold the pan to the transmission. If you loosen the bolts alittle at a time you should be able to minimize spilling fluid everwhere and be able to catch it in your drain pan easier. (if your transmission has a drain plug remove it before loosening the pan bolts, this is not very common though and if you have a drain plug your lucky) once the majority of the fluid has drained from loosening the plugs, continue to loosen bolts so you drop the pan easily cause its gonna be full of fluid (unless you have the drain plug, if you do the pan should be virtually empty and you can remove it fully without alot of mess).

4. Locate the bolts that hold your filter to the transmission, be sure to only remove the bolts that hold the filter. Use the new filter for a visual aid so you can be 100% sure your only removing the filter. (The filter is bolted to a metal cover plate that houses the transmission clutch assemblies, spring valve assemblies, and floating shutter pins and they all operate under hydraulic pressure). Once the bolts are out of the old filter you should be able to slide the goose neck of the filter out of the filter port (again use the new filter for a visual aid) The goose neck should have a rubber o-ring type seal (or equivilent) make sure its on the old filter when you pull it, If its not then gently feel in the port and make sure the seal isnt sticking inside the port.


****** If you were to remove the cover plate thinking it was the filter, the hydraulic slide valves would move and you could seriously damage your transmission turning a $30.00 problem into a 1500.00 problem. I speak from experiance, so please use the new filter for a visual, I can't stress it enough*

5. Clean the pan's gasket area maticuliously, removing all of the old gasket, do the same to the transmission. Prep the pan side of your new gasket (I like using permatex gasket sealer) and install it to your transmission pad. (you can do this before you clean the transmission's gasket area so the permatex has time to adhear to the pan while you clean the gasket area on the transmission)

6. Using transmission fluid lube up the new filter's o-ring and slide it into the filter port. line up the bolt holes and start puting the filter bolts back in, tightening them evenly much like you would do to lug nuts if you had to change a tire.

7. Now get your pan and prep the other side of the pan gasket (gasket should be well tacky and sticking to the pan at this point) once the gasket is prep'd line the pan up with the transmission and begin installing the pan bolts tighten them the same way you did the filter bolts,

**Note**FWD** Depending on your vehicle's make/model, you may have to drop one of the control arms to remove the pan.

**Note**RWD** Depending on your vehicle's make/model, you may have to remove the cross member to remove the pan -or- drop the drive shaft, remove the bell housing bolts (bolts through transmission into engine block) remove the starter, and flywheel cover remove the bolts that connect your torq converter to your flywheel and slide the transmission back from the motor far enough so the transmission pan is no longer under the cross member.

GOOD LUCK I HOPE MY POST HELPS YOU!