Transmission

[one30boy]

when i start up the car and put it in gear such as R or D the car would suddenly jerk really hard, i would be on a flat road also but when driving the transmission would shift smoothly does anyone know what is wrong with it

[DobieG]

Mine does the same thing. I find that if I let the engine warm up (let the RPMs drop to around 800) it shifts into drive MUCH smoother.

What year is your car? I have a '99.

DG

[one30boy]

mines a 99 as well

[eman_be_lexin]

I also have the same problem with my '97

[SKperformance]

no one reads older threads?

let it warm up and there is no harsh shifting

all Toyotas do this when put into gear cold

[kingkong5]

My mechanic told me it was because I needed more transmission fluid. I think before I owned the car, the previous owner may have used random transmission fluid instead of the Lexus approved kind. Supposedly this causes harsh shifting (but like these other posts, I only notice it when cold, and coming out of park, it shifts smoothly between the other gears while running)

Is your TF level low?

[Lex3486]

Check y'alls "dogbone" motor mounts. Lexus has motor-mount deficiency; they can't make one that lasts. Also check your tranny fluid. Otherwise, could just be somethin ya gotta live with. Mine's a 93 and it does the same thing occasionally, but not always, and it shifts rough sometimes but not always and I've had my tranny completely rebuilt with a new differential so...it may just be something that we all have to live with.

[SKperformance]

I rebuild the motor mounts with ureathane and they last under lots of stress with very little additional vibration but it will almost never go bad for years and years unlike the suspended mount inside the oem mount made to reduce the vibrations