Overdrive Button On End Of Gearshift

[SimonT2]

Hi everyone - this is my first post so hope someone can help me out??

Got an H reg 1991 Previa GL - goes great - only trouble is cannnot get the overdrive button to stay depressed - almost as if it is worn out but probably full up with sweat and gunge where it has been depressed so many times by people's thumbs. Can this be cleaned out - can you pull off the button to clean it. Simple thing but as it is overdrive am am loathe to try and dismantle it. Any one else had the same problem.

Only other problems been window glass in sliding door coming loose; amplifier went - found easiest thing was to buy another - easy to install under glovebox - radio now works fine.

After 106K transmission seems to be getting noisy now - whiney ??

Regards Simon T2 :

[jamesholden]

I'm not too sure about how to fix the overdrive button, i'm suprised that it would have needed to be used that often as I have only once turned the OD off on my Avensis, you might be able to find the wiring for the switch and perhaps hard-wire it on permantely or wire in a new switch, other than that the only way I think you might get the switch out is by dismantling the surround to the gear selector then you might be able to remove it that way.

As regards the noise, I wouldnt have thought the gearbox would be faulty at that mileage as Toyota mechanicals last forever, it might be ready for a fluid change though.

[Master_Simon]

Point of enquiry here, does the OD actually engage if you hold it in?? If not that is more the problem as for a noise, if it has oil and has always had oil I can't see why it should be noisy.

Right if it is the switch stuck up with gunge then I suggest going to a store like a car spares store but one that sells decent valet products, buy something to dissolve human grease because it is this which causes the problem, spray this into the switch and keep working it until it works, if as i suspect the fat has got into the switch it may take some time.

I say this from the point of view of an ex-TV engineer, we would clean up TVs to sell on and used special degreasers to clean this crap off, some of which are banned now you would be suprised at the mess which collects around the places folks touch......YUK!! Once the switch is working then I would get the vacuum cleaner and put this over the switch, to pull any excess fluids out.

Hope this is of help.

As for not using the OD, I am not suprised you don't use it in a smaller non mpv car but with our vehicles we need to.