Slight 'clunk' When Shifting Into Drive

[DobieG]

Hiya...

I had my transmission serviced a couple of weeks ago at the Lexus dealer. Ever since then, there is a noticeable feel (clunk?) when I shift into Drive. I seem to notice is most when I reverse out of my driveway and shift into drive. I can hear it and feel it.

I even notice the "feel" when the car is at a complete stop and I shift back and forth between neutral and drive - guess I get a little bored when I have to sit at stoplights for too long! :whistles:

When I drive my roomie's car (2003 Toyota Highlander) there is nothing noticeable when shifting into Drive. The shifts are smooth like buttah. :(

Any ideas? Dealer screw up?

DG

[DobieG]

First off, Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! :)

I searched the internet for some info for the minor problem I'm having and found several sites recommending that the car be warmed up prior to shifting. So today I started the car and it idled at around 1,750 rpm. Approx 2 minutes later it had dropped to around 800 rpm. When I shifted into drive, after reversing out from the garage, it shifted smoothly with no "lurching" motion or clunking sound.

Do many people have to do this, or should I not have to warm the car up first? Having had all manuals transmissions, prior to this ES300, I'm not used to waiting while it warms up.

Also, should the idle be at 1,750 after I first start the car? It seems high, but it did drop after a coupla minutes.

Thanks for the help!

DG

[Lexusfreak]

My transmission shifts a tad harsh when I first put it into gear about 30 - 45 seconds after start up, as the car warms you can no longer notice it anymore. The idle seems a bit high to me on your car......mine is a couple hundred RPM's lower than 1750 right after starting up. I don't think it's anything serious however.

[amf1932]

Your transmission is acting completely normal. The higher RPM when cold will differ depending upon the ambient temperature. The colder it is the higher the RPM will be. You don't have to wait until the engine drops to normal idle speed before shifting into gear. ;)

[SKperformance]

Glad you did a search to find the info

It is normal and fine to idle high when cold (trying to recharge the battery warm the engine for emmisions/sensors and get oil pressure to max for exteneded engine life.

It also sounds like you don;t use your parking brake if on a incline causing stress on the tranny .

[DobieG]

Thanks for the advice...

I'm not going to worry about it too much. I'll be going in for an oil change soon so I'll mention it to the dealer.

One other question, though. Is it common for the RPMs to drop when shifting from Park to Reverse? For the past couple days I was letting the car warm up, allowing the RPMs to drop, while in Park then shifting to Reverse. Today, however, I didn't allow a warm up period and noticed that when I shifted from Park to Reverse the RPMs immediately dropped from 1750 to 1000. Normal?

Thanks, again, for all the help!

DG

[Lexusfreak]

The RPM's usually drop when the car is in gear.....in your case I don't think the car was warmed up long enough so that's probobly why the large drop in RPM's.

[DobieG]

The RPM's usually drop when the car is in gear.....in your case I don't think the car was warmed up long enough so that's probobly why the large drop in RPM's.

That's makes sense. I think I'll stick with warming it up whenever possible.

Thanks for all the help.

I'm really loving this car more and more every single day! I never thought I would be as happy as I was with my Maxima, but this Lexus is really starting to change my mind! :)