On Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:35:59 -0500, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 1 Jan 2020 22:09:30 +0000 (UTC), danny
burstein wrote:

In micky writes:

A female friend has a 2002 Toyota 4-cyl Camry had a check-engine light.
Has a code coming from her transmission, and the shop suggested she just
drive it around town and not from city to city, rather than get another
transmission for a car with 187,000 miles. They didnt' tell her what
the code was.

I've heard that when one breaks, it goes into limp-in mode so one can
still drive home or to the shop.

True for Toyota? Yes.

True for 2002? ??

Most, not all, automatic transmissions, including from
that time, will lock into the equivalent of second gear,
aka "limp home mode". But note, this can be the result
of anything from a minor "needs more fluid" to "dirty
filters" to lots and lots of heavy duty stuff.

I have an $80 code reader, but iiuc most of them can't detect
transmission codes, right? A device to do that is over 1000 dollars?

You should be able to find a local repair shop with a more
functions reader, which might, or might not, give details
of the underlying problem.

This is funny, from
https://www.transmissionrepaircostguide.com/limp-mode/

Do not panic! Limp mode is specifically designed to limit further
damage and allow you to get your car to a service center
....
It is advised that you do not continue to drive a vehicle in limp
mode as it is unsafe and can cause further damage to your vehicle

One suggestion: Disconnect the battery and see if that
resets whatever the glitch was. THere's a slight, but
realistic chance, it was a momemntary hiccup.

GF's idea too.
GENERALLY the "hiccup" will reset the light and go out of limp mode
itself if it is not redetected in a number of restarts. If you do
disconnect the battery short the disconnected ground cable to the
positive to short and drain any charge from the computer. The VEHICLE
end of the grond cable to the positive cable - NOT the batter
end!!!!!!!