Transmission Problem?

[chippmom]

My husband and I just bought a 1996 ES 300 for our 18 year old son. It looks beautiful, inside and out it ooks nearly new, but it does have 171,000 miles. When we test drove it, we didn't detect any problems. But after a few days of owning it, the RPMs would go way up in low gear and hesitate going into a higher gear - my son would give it more gas and finally it will go faster. It often sticks between 20-35 mph with the RPM indicator going way up. We had our mechanic look at it and he couldn't find anything engine-related that would cause this. He feels it's slipping right past second gear, going from 1st to 3rd. He suggested we take it to a transmission specialist. We did find out from the previous owner who traded it into a dealership and we bought it wholesale, that he did nothing to the car other than oil changes and a few other minor things. Evidently, he didn't have the timing belt changed, no tune ups (although our mechanic said it had to have something done tune-up wise), etc. Our mechanic did say all the hoses are original. We definitely have some maintenance issues to deal with, but I just wondered if anyone had some insight into the transmission issue.

Thanks!

[chadmg7]

Does it do this when it's cold (or when the car is first started), or all the time? It's normal for the RPM to be a bit higher when the engine is cold.

Regarding the timing belt, I believe it should have been changed at 90,000 miles. It is my understanding that if it breaks, it can cause substantial engine damage. I would have that changed soon if it has never been replaced.

[chippmom]

Does it do this when it's cold (or when the car is first started), or all the time? It's normal for the RPM to be a bit higher when the engine is cold.

Regarding the timing belt, I believe it should have been changed at 90,000 miles. It is my understanding that if it breaks, it can cause substantial engine damage. I would have that changed soon if it has never been replaced.

According to my son, it does it all the time, although he doesn't drive much distance - 2 miles to school and back, 3-4 miles to and from his girlfriend's house. When my husband drove it, he didn't see the problem.... but our mechanic says it's slipping from 1st to 3rd gear. I'm taking it into a highly recommended transmission place tomorrow, so I'll post his findings. I'm definitely going to get the timing belt changed - I can't believe it hasn't been changed! Our mechanic said the bolts don't look like they've ever been removed, so he's assuming it hasn't been changed.

[Toysrme]

It's slipping.

Start by checking the fluid level & flushing the fluid. Fluid is cheap. Adjustthe TV (kick-down) cable if the '98 has one. (I forget if it did or not). THEN take it to a transmission place if it's not any better. I don't care how reputable the shop is. They're gonna see a slipping transmission & regardless of the cause, or how bad it is, talk you into rebuilding it anyway.

Because unless you take the transmission apart... You can't see the clutches! & that normally means more apart than just dropping the pan! Tho you can see all the black aprticles from clutch wear in transmission fluid.

That being said... Obviously I can't diagnose it on the itnernet, but it's a pretty big shot in the dark it can be solved. It's been like this for awhile, so he's most likely worn down the 1-2-3 clutches completely, nessecitating a rebuild, or replacement. When a transmission starts slipping, you park it & don't move it until you can atleast check fluid level & flush the fluid. (And check the fluid pressure is a good idea too, but not something most people have a gauge for.)

Most of the time... It's just fluid left in there too long, with too much crap in it, a low fluid level, or a combination of both. If you catch it immediately, you can fix it before you completely wear anything & you still can get a good service life out of the transmission.

Smack your son in the head for wasting mom's money by being an idiot :chairshot: & tell him by that driving a slipping transmission even a few miles, you destroy the clutch that's slipping completely.

[chippmom]

It's slipping.

Start by checking the fluid level & flushing the fluid. Fluid is cheap. Adjustthe TV (kick-down) cable if the '98 has one. (I forget if it did or not). THEN take it to a transmission place if it's not any better. I don't care how reputable the shop is. They're gonna see a slipping transmission & regardless of the cause, or how bad it is, talk you into rebuilding it anyway.

Because unless you take the transmission apart... You can't see the clutches! & that normally means more apart than just dropping the pan! Tho you can see all the black aprticles from clutch wear in transmission fluid.

That being said... Obviously I can't diagnose it on the itnernet, but it's a pretty big shot in the dark it can be solved. It's been like this for awhile, so he's most likely worn down the 1-2-3 clutches completely, nessecitating a rebuild, or replacement. When a transmission starts slipping, you park it & don't move it until you can atleast check fluid level & flush the fluid. (And check the fluid pressure is a good idea too, but not something most people have a gauge for.)

Most of the time... It's just fluid left in there too long, with too much crap in it, a low fluid level, or a combination of both. If you catch it immediately, you can fix it before you completely wear anything & you still can get a good service life out of the transmission.

Smack your son in the head for wasting mom's money by being an idiot :chairshot: & tell him by that driving a slipping transmission even a few miles, you destroy the clutch that's slipping completely.

Thanks for the great advice. The car is a 96 not a 98. Anyway, the fluid was changed in October of 2005 by the previous owner - we have all the receipts. He also did it another time, a year or two before that. So I would assume the fluid is okay, but can we check it just by pulling out the dipstick? In my son's defense, we only bought the car two weeks ago, so my son hasn't been driving it much like this. And he didn't know what was going on with it, and that's why we took it to our mechanic just last Friday. The mechanic did check the cable and he said it was fine.

[Toysrme]

To check the fluid level Run the engine until it hits oeprating temp, Shift to all gears & back to park.

Then check the dipstick. You want a bright pretty red that doesn't smell... Like burning transmission fluid. (You'll know it when you smell it, or don't smell it.)

The best thing is to just drain all the fluid out of the pan & take the pan off. That way you can see what all kind of mess is going on with the fluid, buuut. Not exactly a project *every* mom wants to do. ;)

[Archi]

Hi all!

I've been reading these forums for a few weeks now and I really like the info found here.

I have a 92 ES300 bought on eBay for $900...(DON'T LAUGH!!)

3VZ-FE/A540e approx 175k....damn odometer LED is out(and needles, of course...good thing I know where to fix these thanks to LOC.)

Anywho...

I've got my engine and trans out and the trans is currently disassembled.

1) Which rebuild kit to buy?

IPT has a couple priced about twice as much as I can get one locally from Dacco. How much difference is there among kits? What should I ask or look for in a kit?

2) What else should I do while I'm in there? Oil pump or torque converter replacement? Upgrades?(valve body...etc) Should I crack open the differential too? I'm not looking for a muscle car, but I thought about maybe doing NOS later on.

3) ENGINE--- The engine runs fine, but a compression check showed about 220psi on each piston.(kinda high, no?) Since I have it out, I thought about getting the block/heads resurfaced...port&polished...etc....new rings and gaskets/seals. I know the o-ring in the oil filter adapter is shot and I think the rear main is probably leaking also. Any advice on if this is worth it at this time or not?

Any other suggestions? I'm going to add an inline filter for the trans as well since it has been suggested many times here. Does the ES have a factory cooler? It seems as though the lines run to something near the radiator/condenser, but I haven't really looked at that yet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. **Looks @ Toys** :)

VIVA LA ES300!!!

~Archi

P.S.-- Sorry to hijack your thread, chippmom.

[chippmom]

Hi all!

I've been reading these forums for a few weeks now and I really like the info found here.

I have a 92 ES300 bought on eBay for $900...(DON'T LAUGH!!)

3VZ-FE/A540e approx 175k....damn odometer LED is out(and needles, of course...good thing I know where to fix these thanks to LOC.)

Anywho...

I've got my engine and trans out and the trans is currently disassembled.

1) Which rebuild kit to buy?

IPT has a couple priced about twice as much as I can get one locally from Dacco. How much difference is there among kits? What should I ask or look for in a kit?

2) What else should I do while I'm in there? Oil pump or torque converter replacement? Upgrades?(valve body...etc) Should I crack open the differential too? I'm not looking for a muscle car, but I thought about maybe doing NOS later on.

3) ENGINE--- The engine runs fine, but a compression check showed about 220psi on each piston.(kinda high, no?) Since I have it out, I thought about getting the block/heads resurfaced...port&polished...etc....new rings and gaskets/seals. I know the o-ring in the oil filter adapter is shot and I think the rear main is probably leaking also. Any advice on if this is worth it at this time or not?

Any other suggestions? I'm going to add an inline filter for the trans as well since it has been suggested many times here. Does the ES have a factory cooler? It seems as though the lines run to something near the radiator/condenser, but I haven't really looked at that yet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. **Looks @ Toys** :)

VIVA LA ES300!!!

~Archi

P.S.-- Sorry to hijack your thread, chippmom.

No problem! I'm taking the car in today and I'll post the results here. Just in case anyone else is curious! Good luck with your project! wow, $900, and we thought we got a good deal at $3995 for a 96 ES 300 with 171K miles! Although our car is beautiful - an older guy drove it and was meticulous. Our mechanic did say it was driven with care. Hopefully we won't have to spend a lot of money on the transmission.! :cries:

[jragosta]

No problem! I'm taking the car in today and I'll post the results here. Just in case anyone else is curious! Good luck with your project! wow, $900, and we thought we got a good deal at $3995 for a 96 ES 300 with 171K miles! Although our car is beautiful - an older guy drove it and was meticulous. Our mechanic did say it was driven with care. Hopefully we won't have to spend a lot of money on the transmission.! :cries:

Before you take it in, check the fluid level. Low fluid level will cause slippage and is very inexpensive to fix.

With your car's age, a transmission shop will almost certainly recommend expensive repairs. Even if low fluid is involved, they can certainly find something else that needs work. But if adding fluid makes 90% of the problem go away, you may decide it's not worth it. You'll only know that if you check the fluid before going in.

[Toysrme]

1) Which rebuild kit to buy?

IPT is the premiere builder of Toyota transmission in the performance world. They are one of only a few. They are the highest regarded, are the only company to successfully build an A54X transmission to hold 350bhp+.

(Tony Leung's '94 Camry is holding 392whp - that's 501bhp)

If my transmission were slipping right now, I would buy IPT's blue plate special kit. If you're realy looking to add some performance, that's the way to go.

2) What else should I do while I'm in there? Oil pump or torque converter replacement? Upgrades?(valve body...etc) Should I crack open the differential too? I'm not looking for a muscle car, but I thought about maybe doing NOS later on.

Mod the valve body. Shift springs, Accumulator springs, drilll the correct passages that feed them ever so slightly bigger. I modified mine, but it's probably going to take me another round or two, or three to get it ironed out.

AFA the oil pump, if you're gonna build a race transmission you should consider a high output pump.

The torque convertor. Yes! Adding a thousand rpm to it's stall (2500 to 3500) will pick up about 2 tenths in the 1/4 mile. I would suggest... Figuring out what powerband you want to end up with before you pick a torque convertor. That way you can maximize the affect you will have with the TC.

You can have the differential rebuilt with an LSD in it if you want. It'll be relatively expencive. I have a secrit lower cost way of doing it, but it's never been verrified to actually work. ;) It really depends on the power you want. If you're drag racing an LSD will help alot... Until you make enough power to really spin both wheels. At which point it's really not helping you a whole heck of a lot.

Sean has an n2o kit for sale still.

3) ENGINE--- The engine runs fine, but a compression check showed about 220psi on each piston.(kinda high, no?) Since I have it out, I thought about getting the block/heads resurfaced...port&polished...etc....new rings and gaskets/seals. I know the o-ring in the oil filter adapter is shot and I think the rear main is probably leaking also. Any advice on if this is worth it at this time or not?

220 is impossible. It would require a compression bump from stock 9.6:1 (which I've found numorous times to be 185-190psi depending on much you torque your heads down.) to the 10.0:1+ range. You've most likely got oil in your cylinders, giving you an extra 20-30psi of compression.

Ported, Polished with a good 3-angle valve job. Work on the bowl, cut down the short side radious, unshroud the valves.

Replace the o-ring, or clean all of it off & use some Ultra Black RTV. I used that when I made my oil-filter relocator. (You can find that thread).

Any other suggestions? I'm going to add an inline filter for the trans as well since it has been suggested many times here. Does the ES have a factory cooler? It seems as though the lines run to something near the radiator/condenser, but I haven't really looked at that yet.

It does. It is an aluminum pipe that runs from the passanger side to the driver's side, makes a 90* turn & comes back. It has little fins on it. I added another cooler I got off ebay, but have yet to do an in-line filter.

Don't forget to build a y-pipe! Kill the cat if you have one & don't have emessions. If you do... eBay a high-flow one & have it welded in with the y-pipe. I was kinda ehhhh when sean told me forever ago how bad the stock cat is even tho it is 2.5". His was clogged. I got rid of mine & it was in good shape. It does make a small difference once you start getting past 5000rpm.

[Lexusfreak]

To check the fluid level Run the engine until it hits oeprating temp, Shift to all gears & back to park.

Then check the dipstick. You want a bright pretty red that doesn't smell... Like burning transmission fluid. (You'll know it when you smell it, or don't smell it.)

The best thing is to just drain all the fluid out of the pan & take the pan off. That way you can see what all kind of mess is going on with the fluid, buuut. Not exactly a project *every* mom wants to do. ;)

I agree,

see how the tranny starts shifting when the car has reached normal operating temp. But I would also suggest doing what toys has suggested.....

If you decide to change all 100% of the fluid (as opposed to just a drain & fill which only replaces about 1/3 of the fluid) I would also have the tranny filter mesh screen cleaned (dosen't need replacement) a new tranny pan gasket (preventitive maintenance) & a new tranny plug washer installed. Use a top quality ATF fluid (I beleive the 96 ES requires Dexron III?....it will say in the owners manual....if you don't have one, contact Lexus head office directly & they will mail you one for FREE!). Good Luck! B)

[Toysrme]

Dexron-III.

You can get 4 quart jugs of Super-Tech Dexron-III for like $5 at walmart. it's good stuff to flush with & change often! ;)

[chippmom]

Dexron-III.

You can get 4 quart jugs of Super-Tech Dexron-III for like $5 at walmart. it's good stuff to flush with & change often! ;)

Hey, everyone - I took it to the transmission place today..... he drove the car and said it was okay, just a little slow in shifting. Then he did his test with his hand-held machine and no codes came up. He suggested we make sure it's not engine-related. He said a sluggish engine can make the acceleration slow. I found that when I drove it over to the shop, it was fine. It was only acting up when I first started the engine and initially took off. The tranny guy said to bring it over one evening and then he'll drive it in the morning when it's cold to emulate what we're experiencing to make sure it's not engine-related, instead of tranny related. The car does have maintenance needs - it needs a tune up and the timing belt has never been changed and all the hoses are original. I went and got the oil changed on the way home - put synthetic oil in because I heard it's better for high-mileage vehicles. They checked the tranny fluid and he said it was okay, not sure what that meant. When my husband gets home from work, I think we'll check it out. Thanks for all your input. I'm going to make this forum a regular stop.

[Archi]

Sounds like you have a pretty straight trans guy there, chippmom.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks, Toys.

I knew you'd steer me in the right direction.

I'm kinda on a tight budget and I don't really wanna drag or anything...I just want it to go when I get on it.

I suppose I'll spring for the blue plate since I want this thing to be as bullet-proof as possible and I don't really feel like tearing this thing apart more often than I need to.

I searched for valve body mods, but couldn't find anything...Could you be more specific? I'm assuming you have to buy different springs....?....Which passages to drill?

AFA the cooler...Do you mean in addition to the factory cooler or did you chuck the old one in favor of the new one?

The y-pipe is a definate....I just forgot to mention it. There are plenty of really good exhaust shops around here.

Thanks much again, Toys....I may give you a shout on AIM sometime.

BTW, my car was $900 for a reason...The guy hit a deer and it was minus a hood and had a busted windshield... $250 for a hood and $125 for a bronze windshield and it actually looked like a car!

A local upholstery shop quoted $1000 to completley redo the seats, carpet, and headliner.

All door panels, dash and other stuff is in great shape which leads me to believe it was once a garage baby.

My uncle and I are going to do the spray.... What color do you think would look good.(It was once emerald :) )

All in all, it's a straight car that's a dream to drive. I'll probably wind up spending more $$ fixing it than I would have just shopping for a good one, but I see it as saving a good car from the junk pile...Plus, I love doing stuff like this and it's better than a car payment.

[Toysrme]

Damn widely varrying Tn emessions! You live 1 state too far north. LoL! Too bad really... Now that it's out you can replace so much crap it's not funny! Including throwing the EGR in the land-fill!

Man so much you can do right now it's stupid silly... The least of which is let me or sean try to fab a working rear manifold small enough to fit a small ihi turbo back there in that tiny hole! :P j/k

While you have the engine out & have easy access & won't make a mess... Flush that powersteering fluid. (Do the brake fluid soon too. The plastic get's old & makes it look nasty, but it's probably crappy & full of water anyway)

If you're gonna do a new, custom torque convertor & stay N/A on stock, or mild cams. I would suggest 3200-3500rpm stall.

New generic bosch splice in o2 sensors. This is a great time to do the rear one! LoL!

You *really* need to look all along the back of the rear head & valve cover for any signs of leaking.

The coolant passages are all white & chalky on the aluminum parts. Previous owner wasn't changing coolant enough. I'd flush the block (Be prepaired to pee your pants when you watch brown/ornage come out. Remember... It's like a 300lb iron block LoL!), and keep tabs on the radiator.

Pull the resonator out. (Do it from under the car)

Stock Airbox+CAI+Resonator

[Archi]

I had already replaced the rear o2 sensor (super splice/shrink tube job by me :) ), plugs/wires/distrib and valve cover gaskets...oh and the timing belt/water pump, though I didn't get a new tensioner or idlers, which I'll do now.

Yes, the cooling system was neglected....I'll be getting a new radiator/hoses while I'm @ it.

Resonator has been gone. :)

Thanks again!!!

~Archi