Toyota A540E

Transmission general data

The 4-speed automatic transmission А540E produced by Aisin Warner has been used since 1989 on AWD and FWD 2- 3 liter Toyota Camry, RAV4, Sienna and Lexus ES250 and ES300. In terms of design, this transmission is the part of А140 - А240 series with interchangeable parts, but it can transmit a higher torque. There are several sub-modifications of this transmission.

The most significant design changes were introduced in 1994 for А541E used with 3-liter engines, this gearbox differs in friction components of the 2-brake package andadditional 4-th solenoid of the torque converter lockup in the valve body. Tested design, simple electrical components and most importantly control settings that made it impossible to load components of this transmission to maximum torques – all these conditions ensured high reliability parameters of the A541 unit and durability of this transmission.

Technical issues and repair guidelines

There is no much information on the repair of this transmission, because it operates for a long time without any problems, therefore it is hard to point out any soft spots in А540-541 transmission units. It has been reported that the first released gearboxes (A540H before 1991) had some issues with the reverse gear. The most common reason for appearance of these transmissions in repair services is related to the change of oil and replacement of filter (for А541Е Camry V6).

The А540E unit usually gets in repair service with worn-out torque converter frictions causing clogging of the valve body and solenoids, resulting in the pressure shortage in packages (frictions and discs get burnt) and short supply of the pump lubrication (bushing and seal burn and leak).Problems of А540E (А541E, 540H) are commonly related to ill-timed preventive measures for the torque converter, and have nothing to do with durability of this robust transmission capable of covering one million kilometers (standard for Toyota) with just few replacements of the torque converter lockup and ATF change.

Usually at the early stages of wear-out of old Toyota cars owners restrict repair actions to the low-cost repair-cleaning of the valve body with replacement of seals and the pump bushing.The repair process obviously includes the pan gasket replacement. When taking more serious approach to the overhaul of used transmission, it is common to replace all gaskets and seals kit. After the overhaul, this transmission can operate until the end of the car service life.