Celica automatic transmission slipping

Alright Celica heads, I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've got a 2003 Toyota Celica with a gasoline engine and 109871 km on the clock. Recently, the check engine light and transmission indicator light have both come on. The gearbox feels like it's slipping, shifts are unclean, and sometimes I even hear a grinding noise when it changes gears. I scanned the error memory, and it's pointing towards a potential issue with the automatic transmission torque converter lock-up clutch. Could a defective auto transmission converter really be the culprit behind all this mess? Anyone experienced something similar?

4 comment(s)

Grinding and slipping, huh? Sounds rough. I had similar issues with my Celica, though I can't remember the exact codes. Automatic transmission problems are never fun. Is it possibly the converter failing?

You had the same symptoms - slipping, grinding, and the lights? Was it definitely the torque converter in your case? How did you confirm it?

Yep, pretty much the same deal. Lights, weird shifting, the works. I wasn't comfortable diving into the transmission myself, so I took it to a workshop. They confirmed it was indeed the torque converter giving up the ghost. Best to get it checked out by a professional to be sure, though.

Thanks for the insight! Sounds like I'm heading for a similar fate. I'll book it into a local shop and get them to take a look. Appreciate the help in narrowing it down. They confirmed it was the torque converter. Total repair, including parts and labor, came to 2120€.

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