Transmission shifting/driving issues?

1994 TOYOTA COROLLA
305,000 MILES • 1.8L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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LIVINTHELIFE
Hey, got this car listed above with some strange issues going on and it might be a bad transmission. It happened right as I got off the highway. Going from a stop feels slow and sluggish like I’m in the wrong gear. Shifts into any gear just fine. Reverse feels real slammy sometimes like it’s mad. In drive with the pedal to the floor goes to 2200 to 2400 yet acceleration is slow. If I put it in L (first). It goes just fine, no issues. I've been Googling and thinking it might be one of the speed sensors? Which one though because my speedometer works just fine doesn’t drop or flicker at all. If you think it might be other issues let me know.
Apr 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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Almost forgot. Yes, the O/D light flashes. I can’t see exactly when the flashes stop. I think maybe a 7 and a 3 but I can’t tell really.
Apr 9, 2025 at 1:35 PM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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Hey sharing what I discovered. My jumper plug for the code read wasn’t making enough contact. It appears to be code 62 which appears to be for solenoid 1. I saw some articles that state it could be an ECU issue? Others said that it means the solenoid is plugged/not working. Oh, and transmission is the A245E.
Apr 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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Oh and I drained and filled up the fluid. Found 0 chunks or any form of glitter or gray stuff. Might try and pull the pan and see how hard these solenoids are to replace.
Apr 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
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STRAILER
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Code 62 typically means:

No. 1 Solenoid Circuit Malfunction (Shift Solenoid S1)

Here is the location of the shift solenoid so you can swap it out which should fix the problem. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.

Apr 11, 2025 at 10:41 AM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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Yes I’ve found that solenoid 1 is dead. You are supposed to test the harness and ECU as well. I went directly for the solenoid. Ohms tested between 18 and 32 constantly changing. Supposed to be between 10 and 16 ohms. Applied 12v no click and it stopped reading ohms. These are also quite easy to remove even without transmission experience. One bolt and they just pop out. Nothing crazy.
Apr 13, 2025 at 4:56 AM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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I’m still waiting on my solenoid. Hopefully, this is the only problem that occurred. I would also like to share what I’ve learned on solenoids for at least this car. There are cheaper aftermarket/rebuilt out there, but it appears they can result in worse shifting/ delayed shifting and can have a much sooner failure than the original. I ordered from the dealer at $369. Not cheap. But if the trans is toast it’ll just go into the replacement or rebuild of the trans. I’ll update on if the replacement is better or if there’s no improvement from original. I’ve owned this car for 12 years now and in high school I did a lot of neutral drops and one-wheel burnouts.
Apr 13, 2025 at 5:05 AM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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Oh and in the meantime while I wait. Ken, can you get me the torque specs/tighten pattern for reinstalling the oil pan? Oh, and should I do it dry or place gasket sealer on it? I don’t want to have to pull this pan again. Thanks a bunch for the transmission diagram!
Apr 13, 2025 at 5:20 AM
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STRAILER
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I like to use a thin layer of sealer on the pan and leave the transmission dry. Here are the torque specs for the pan.

Torque: 69 in-lbs (inch-pounds)

Do not over tighten, let me know how it goes.
Apr 13, 2025 at 10:03 AM
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LIVINTHELIFE
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After 3 days of driving, it was the solenoid and so far, the pan gasket is sealing. So much easier than a transmission swap.
Apr 19, 2025 at 11:15 AM
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STRAILER
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Nice work! We like it when we fixum. Thanks for letting us know, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.
Apr 20, 2025 at 11:05 AM
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