I've been having trouble with Camry with the automatic transmission.  It's only my daily driver, don't worry I've got a Honda I'm working on to race.  But when it gets cold out it won't shift into fourth gear until I've driven it quite a bit.  It really sucks a lot and I know didly squat about automatics.  Anyone have an answer out there?!?!  

Wow, lots of responses from what I thought was the most well informed group on the internet.  

well you didn't give any specifics like what year the car is, how many miles it has and how long has it been since a fluid change and what type of fluid was used.  

Or if the tranny gets abused at all.  Remember, an automatic transmission is essentially a series of valves that are turned on and off with throttle application to change gears.  If one of the valves or channels isnt working properly, it could be causing that sticking until it bypasses it and goes to the next valve.  

It's a 1989 Toyota Camry with about 140,000 miles on it and the fluid was changed in June of 2006. Again the main problem is that the transmission will not shift into fourth gear until after I have driven atleast 5-10 miles or I let it warm up for a very long time. But this only happens when it is cold outside. Usually starts happening at about 45-50 degress fahrenheit and of course when it is even colder. As far as I know the tranny was never abused. Sorry but I don't know what fluid was used because I got a brother to do it for me while I was at work. Thanks for any help even if it's just directing me to another webpage!!  

Cant really say.  Having had the fluid changed recently doesnt automatically mean that it isnt the problem.  You say you had it done by your brother?  does he know what he's doing?  As simple as it may seem, changing the tranny fluid in an automatic can be an iffy proposition if you're not 100% sure of what you're doing.

As far as Im concerned, Im thinking the tranny itself may be the problem.  Id have it checked out by someone thats qualified.  

My dad had an 87 camry that had transmission leaks all the time until the fluid pan and gasket were replaced after we ran over a big rock that fell off the back of a truck. It was a 4-cyl automatic with about 150-170k miles on it at the time.  

interesting. Not life threatening to the car though. One of the trucks at work does this, it will not shift into the higest gear in the Auto until everything is up to temp. It has been doing this for a good 3 years with no problems.

Obviously it has to do with fluid and trans temp. Typically automatic Transmissions have a coolant line that runs to the radiator with a loop inside that both helps warm up the trans and then cool it.

I am thinking either your brother put the wrong fluid in (too thick) or there is a problem with the cooling to the trans  

When I'm at a stoplight in my 93 Buick Century V6 auto, it starts to shake. The fluid levels are okay. If you put it into park, it stops. My dad says its normal for a car that old and worn (155k miles). Is it?