1998 TOYOTA TACOMA OVERDRIVE BEHAVING ODD
55

Asked by SRsage Apr 25, 2017 at 02:46 PM about the 1998 Toyota Tacoma 2 Dr Prerunner V6 Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 1998 Toyota Tacoma that has been babied and well maintained.
He currently has 260k Freeway miles on him. The issue has been the
overdrive. It works fine and slips in and out of overdrive with the push of a
button and has never had any hiccups. However I always have noticed that
braking in overdrive increases the braking distance. With overdrive off, the
engine feels beefier and braking is done without issue. OD also is sluggish
in acceleration (once again with OD off the truck accelerates fine even
without ECT enabled).

On the freeways, I always use OD (unless it's a steep grade as the manual
suggests) and I can easily reach 110mph without issue. I;ve had the
transmission checked, the master cylinder and brake booster are brand
new as are the brake pads. The manual states never to use OD when
hauling, towing or carrying heavy loads. I once thought this was to prevent
transmission "searching", but it definitely feels like the truck has a lot more
raw power with OD turned off. Am I imagining things, or could there be an
issue with the OD?

Also, I've always been curious if anyone has ever kept ECT on the entire
life of the truck. I think I have only used it once in the truck's history.

6 Answers

F_O_R answered 7 years ago

Over drive is a higher gear which reduces the engine speed. More engine speed makes more power which is why you like driving with the OD off. I don't see anything abnormal in your description of your truck.

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Chuck answered 7 years ago

I have had mine turned off for about 3 years......drives a lot better in my opinion....254k

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F_O_R answered 7 years ago

Yes but your gas mileage will be lower. You will also have a faster rate of engine wear.

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F_O_R answered 7 years ago

If you need lower gears all the time you could change out the front and rear differential gears to a lower gear ratio. If you are running over sized tires this would be a good idea.

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SRsage answered 7 years ago

Has anyone left ECT on and how does that affect engine/transmission wear and tear. I realize the effect is just leaving the transmission longer in a particular gear before shifting.

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F_O_R answered 7 years ago

I doubt ECT will have any bearing on transmission wear.

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