Won\'t t go in gear

There are several possibilities for your Avalon’s problem. Most probably, from the sound of it, your Toyota’s problem may be electronic as the failure occurred quickly, not over the course of several days. If your Avalon’s torque converter as on the way out, for example, if it was just beginning the problem would occasional slipping in and out of gear. Over the course of days — or weeks, there’s no telling — you would find the performance worsening to the point where the vehicle would no long move. Notice, though, that it would take some time to get there. The same would be true of:

— Clutch problems
— Band problems
— Valve body problems
— Input or output shaft problems
— Problems with the gearing

More to the point for your Avalon, I suspect the problem could be in a sensor pack or array, a control module (engine or transmission), one of the solenoids (there several that control gearing choices and function within the valve body or on the exterior case) or a related electronic device. For at least the last 15 years, computers have provided control for most, if not all, transmission functions. Items that were routinely controlled mechanically — clutches, bands and the like which relied on mechanical linkages — are now handled by digital systems and programming. This means that when a failure occurs it is likely to be quite quick, like when you turn a light switch on and off.

With that said, here’s what I would like you to do, if you want to: before you head to the dealer, take your Toyota to an independent shop and ask them to run a diagnostic scan with an OBD-II plugged into the diagnostic port. Once the scan completes, ask the technician to print out and review the results. I suspect the technician will tell you there are multiple error codes for various parts of your transmission system and that, at the very least, one control module has failed. There will likely also be sensors arrays that are also reporting failures. Indeed, the readout may even indicate there are mechanical systems — torque converter or gears, for example — that might also be failing. Ask the technician or shop foreman for an estimation of the problem or problems that may be occurring.

Once you have this information, you can take your car to your dealer — if you choose — and tell them what you want serviced. At this point, you may want to present a copy of the diagnostic printout so the dealership personnel know you are on top of things. This will also keep them from putting in the maximum amount of hours on whatever the repair may be (dealerships, by the way, though they may have all the latest information, tools, software and other equipment also tend to be the most expensive outlet for auto work).

Please keep me in the loop on this as I’d like to see how it resolves.