Toyota Repair: Automatic Transmission, shift into overdrive, transmission overhaul

Question
Hi Ted,

I have a '98 Tacoma, 220,000 miles, auto transmission, two-wheel drive.  I had a complete transmission overhaul in 2004 at about 110,000 miles.  At that time I started to notice problems when the truck didn't want to shift into upper gears.  I just starting to have a similar experience again where it won't shift into overdrive when cold.  I've had regular ATF fluid change/service yearly since the overhaul.  When I had the overhaul I asked the shop what I should do to extend the life of the transmission, and besides the yearly service, they said just turn off the overdrive in city driving.  I do that religiously.  I live in a rural area and my driving is about 50/50 country and city driving.

Is this not shifting into overdrive the first sign of the transmission going out again?  Is 100,000 miles about the lifespan of a Tacoma transmission?

Jeff

Answer
You shouldn't have to turn o/d off in city driving, there may be a transmission problem developing again, Transmissions on these usually last longer than 100K miles but since this one was rebuilt already it's possible that it's having problems again. Failure to shift into o/d is usually a good indication that it's losing hydraulic pressure.