Toyota Corolla MMT gearbox

[mindys87]

Hello,

I just bought 2007 Toyota Corolla, 1.6l, 91kW benzin. It has multimode manual transmission. I have a few questions about driving this car. Let's say if i'm driving in Manual mode and if i want to switch to E mode, which is kind of automatic, can i switch while on the move? Or do i have to stop and change it then? Other thing, if i'm driving on Manual mode and want to slow down, do i have to switch to lower gear or it will do it automatically? Also, let's say if there's an intersection and i have to stop before turning how you behave in manual mode? It seems uncomfortable for me to switch to the neutral from manual, because in between you have to go through E mode with the gear shift lever. Or you just have to stop on 1 gear and use hand brake for that? I just don't want to ruin the car, so maybe someone can share their thoughts about it. Appreciate!

[billmuirca]

I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla Verso 1.8 VVT-i , Petrol,  5-speed MMT. 70,000 miles.

I bought it at auction 12 months ago and immediately had to get its automatic clutch and flywheel replaced/refurbished at a cost of £800 sterling. It is my first automatic car and I regret not buying a manual car.

I use it for 3,000 - 4,000 miles a year only as I holiday abroad for 4 months each winter.

I drive it in E mode most of the time and only use Manual mode for climbing and descending long inclines/declines as I feel I have to "help" the car maintain the correct/appropriated gear in these circumstances. 

I recommend you use the E / automatic mode mainly as I do and only use the M / manual mode on long hills as I do.

I transfer from E to M whilst on the move, this locks in the gear you were in at E, and thereafter I move/nudge it  "+" to select a higher gear or "-" to select a lower gear as appropriate for the hill involved. Further nudges "+/-" may be needed subsequently to refine the ideal gear for the hill. As soon as the gradient levels out I transfer back from M to E (on the move again) to get the full benefit of the automatic gear box feature of the car. My car has a dashboard display of the particular gear I am in, prefixed by a E (for automatic) or M (for Manual) so the driver is always aware of the gear being used by the E automatic mode or gear selected by the driver in M manual mode.

I use the foot-brake more with the MMT transmission than I imagine I would with a pure manual car, but only slightly I think to encourage smooth  deceleration to a red traffic light.  

On re-reading your question I think you may benefit from a one hour driving lesson from an appropriate driving instructor ( or other MMT Toyota Driver) in converting from being a "Manual car driver" to being an "Automatic car driver". By doing this you will gain the full benefit from the MMT auto box whilst also protecting the car from potential damage to the MMT auto box. Perhaps you will decide the MMT box is not for you and therefore sell it for a replacement conventional manual gearboxed car !!!

Remember in USA 90% of cars are automatics whereas in Europe manual gearboxes dominate. So you have to imagine being an American driver with no clutch pedal v/s a European driver with a manual gearbox operated by a clutch pedal. I don't personally see the point in using the MMT box as a manual gearshift box, but only using the M (manual) feature in the rare circumstances I have described above.

I use N neutral with handbrake engaged or brake pedal depressed whilst at traffic lights or whilst in a static traffic jam to help safeguard the MMT gearbox rather than sitting for minutes in E1 (automatic 1st gear).

Best wishes. 

[mindys87]

15 hours ago, billmuirca said:

I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla Verso 1.8 VVT-i , Petrol,  5-speed MMT. 70,000 miles.

I bought it at auction 12 months ago and immediately had to get its automatic clutch and flywheel replaced/refurbished at a cost of £800 sterling. It is my first automatic car and I regret not buying a manual car.

I use it for 3,000 - 4,000 miles a year only as I holiday abroad for 4 months each winter.

I drive it in E mode most of the time and only use Manual mode for climbing and descending long inclines/declines as I feel I have to "help" the car maintain the correct/appropriated gear in these circumstances. 

I recommend you use the E / automatic mode mainly as I do and only use the M / manual mode on long hills as I do.

I transfer from E to M whilst on the move, this locks in the gear you were in at E, and thereafter I move/nudge it  "+" to select a higher gear or "-" to select a lower gear as appropriate for the hill involved. Further nudges "+/-" may be needed subsequently to refine the ideal gear for the hill. As soon as the gradient levels out I transfer back from M to E (on the move again) to get the full benefit of the automatic gear box feature of the car. My car has a dashboard display of the particular gear I am in, prefixed by a E (for automatic) or M (for Manual) so the driver is always aware of the gear being used by the E automatic mode or gear selected by the driver in M manual mode.

I use the foot-brake more with the MMT transmission than I imagine I would with a pure manual car, but only slightly I think to encourage smooth  deceleration to a red traffic light.  

On re-reading your question I think you may benefit from a one hour driving lesson from an appropriate driving instructor ( or other MMT Toyota Driver) in converting from being a "Manual car driver" to being an "Automatic car driver". By doing this you will gain the full benefit from the MMT auto box whilst also protecting the car from potential damage to the MMT auto box. Perhaps you will decide the MMT box is not for you and therefore sell it for a replacement conventional manual gearboxed car !!!

Remember in USA 90% of cars are automatics whereas in Europe manual gearboxes dominate. So you have to imagine being an American driver with no clutch pedal v/s a European driver with a manual gearbox operated by a clutch pedal. I don't personally see the point in using the MMT box as a manual gearshift box, but only using the M (manual) feature in the rare circumstances I have described above.

I use N neutral with handbrake engaged or brake pedal depressed whilst at traffic lights or whilst in a static traffic jam to help safeguard the MMT gearbox rather than sitting for minutes in E1 (automatic 1st gear).

Best wishes. 

Thank you very much for the answer. But when you driving in E mode and want to switch to M on the move, does it automatically choose the right gear for appropriate speed you are in? Also are you pressing brake pedal when you have to switch from one gear to another on M mode and also from E to M?

[PeteB]

I've had an Aygo (actually my former partner's, but I drove it quite a bit) and Yaris (which my ex-partner now has) with MMT and their computer control is mostly foolproof.

You can switch between E and M on the move with no worries.  If you switch to M it will select the appropriate gear.

As you slow down, it will change down at each point it reaches the minimum speed for the current gear.  It doesn't work the other way, and I did get caught out once or twice on the very few times I selected M.  For example, I select M and it goes into say 4th, slow down a bit and find myself in 2nd.  I then accelerate hard, momentarily forgetting I'm in M, and when it reaches the maximum engine revs the engine throbs as a limiter cuts in and it stays there until I manually select another gear or switch back to E.

A few other tips and hints:

• when stopped with the foot on the brake pedal, it keeps the clutch disengaged
• when stopped with the handbrake applied, it also keeps the clutch disengaged
• after about 2-3 minutes it will beep and select N, so you have to move the selector before getting a gear again
• if you stay in gear with brakes on for too long, the system gets too hot and shuts down the gearbox for a few minutes, so don't overdo it
• in slippery conditions, you can select M, and whilst keeping a foot on the brake pedal flick the "+" to select 2nd, then the car will select and stay in 2nd gear to start off with less torque and perhaps avoid wheel-spin.  It will stay in 2nd until you select another gear, after which it will drop to 1st if you go slow enough
• As there's no "P" (Park) position, you can switch off with the car in gear to back-up the handbrake.  The handbook recommends using the gear you would use to go uphill, so if you're facing uphill select E or M, and R if facing downhill
• when it changes gear and you keep the accelerator pressed the engine management momentarily interrupts the ignition to smooth out the change
• according to one of the manuals on 'my' cars, there was an inclinometer that changed the gear-change points when on a reasonably steep hill.  It wasn't too obvious unless you looked out for it, but it would sometimes change down when entering a downward slope and up when ascending

[billmuirca2]

5 hours ago, mindys87 said:

Thank you very much for the answer. But when you driving in E mode and want to switch to M on the move, does it automatically choose the right gear for appropriate speed you are in? Also are you pressing brake pedal when you have to switch from one gear to another on M mode and also from E to M?

If you select E then the car is in automatic and it will select the next upshift generally at 2,000 revs + as you accelerate and as you decelerate downshift generally at 2,000 revs.

If you switch from E to M you are disengaging automatic shifting and going to manual shifting. The shift from E to M will preserve the gear you are in until you select either + or- when it will upshift or downshift as appropriate. All you are doing is disengaging automatic and selecting manual shift without actually changing gear until you then nudge it up (+) or down(-).

You have an automatic car so use it to advantage by keeping it in E for most of the time until (if ever) you have to engage M for a long hill incline or hill decline as appropriate.

In winter with snow/slippery conditions you might find a higher gear chosen by M manual mode beneficial to avoid spinning wheels the wheels.

In essence in day to day driving stay in E mode and let the car do all the shifts automatically.

Brake pedal use after you are moving should be restricted to safe deceleration or safe stopping of the car, IT IS NOT A CLUTCH PEDAL SUBSTITUTE and has no relevance making gear changes, in fact if you are doing this at present STOP because you must be a danger to following traffic.

Try driving only in E mode for a week and forget about M mode. If subsequently you don't enjoy the automatic gearbox driving then I suggest you sell the car and get a manual gearshift car.

Best wishes , once again.

"Automatics are not for everyone"

[mindys87]

Thanks a lot for the information and kind help! I'm used to driving manual cars mostly and sometimes regular automatic. It's my first car with this kinda hybrid gearbox. I guess i'm gonna stay at E mode. Still it's not fully automatic, because when i'm driving in the city and have to slow down or stop i'm usually turn to Neutral and let the car ride for a while and stand on N until i have to move again. So it's kinda manual feature, i'm doing the same on manual cars. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The Multi Mode Transmission isn't a conventional automatic (ie torque convertor) - it is a manual gearbox with an automated clutch.

[billmuirca2]

 

56 minutes ago, mindys87 said:

Thanks a lot for the information and kind help! I'm used to driving manual cars mostly and sometimes regular automatic. It's my first car with this kinda hybrid gearbox. I guess i'm gonna stay at E mode. Still it's not fully automatic, because when i'm driving in the city and have to slow down or stop i'm usually turn to Neutral and let the car ride for a while and stand on N until i have to move again. So it's kinda manual feature, i'm doing the same on manual cars. 

Don't select N whilst in motion, regardless of the fact you may be decelerating to a STOP. If you were to do this during your driving test you would FAIL the test.

By all means select N after you have come to a HALT and engaged your handbrake. You are deemed not to be in control of your vehicle if you select N whilst in motion regardless whether the car is an automatic or manual car. It is deemed to be an unsafe practice as you are not in full control of your car whilst coasting in N..

See also Owners Handbook/Manual ........ pages 165 to 182 .....and especially the CAUTION BOX on page 168.

Page refs relate to 2004 Owners Handbook/Manual ..............your Handbook maybe different as you have a  2007 Corolla

Edited May 2, 2020 by billmuirca2
Inclusion of Page references to Owners Handbook 2004

[billmuirca2]

25 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The Multi Mode Transmission isn't a conventional automatic (ie torque convertor) - it is a manual gearbox with an automated clutch.

I realise this. 

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

51 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The Multi Mode Transmission isn't a conventional automatic (ie torque convertor) - it is a manual gearbox with an automated clutch.

 

10 minutes ago, billmuirca2 said:

I realise this. 

The comment was really aimed at the OP.

[muhsen]

Hi there,

I have a problem with my corolla verso 2005 1.8 bensin. I changed the clutch disk, clutch cover and release bearing then my car was fully functioning with no problems for 2 months. After that my friend told me that i need to do a collaboration with Diganos Data OBD model. I did so as the engine was turned off while the connection was on. After collaboration, we switched off the connection to plug off the  OBD Data. When turning on my car it was functioning normally but the gear box was not shifting and the bensin paddle was not responding and RPM is on 1000 not going up. In addition the sign of gear box (N,E,R) in the dashboard disappeared and not even blinking or showing when turning the car switch on. When i start the car and pressing the brakes paddle to shift the gear from N to E  nothing happens. When I return the gear stick back to N I do not need to press the brakes, but after that the gear stick move freely from the N position to E or R without pressing the brakes paddle. I only need to do so when turning on the car. My car was inspected by Toyota company and they said i need to change the gear box ECU control unit, ACTUATOR (GEAR SELECTOR), Actuator (Clutch) and the clutch. I am not convinced about their advice which is cost  more nearly three times the price of the car itself. This problem rised up only after connecting the OBD Data. 

Please if someone has faced the same problem would like to reply to my comment or any other advice and opinion is welcomed.

Thank you for your help in advance

 

[muhsen]

Additional note 

When connecting the car to OBD Data after the problem there is no fail detected by the Data and no gearbox sign fault is detected in the dashboard.