1993 Es 300 Won't Go In Reverse

[CeeElle]

I need some guidance with this one..

I've got a friend with a 1993 Lexus ES 300 with a transmission that's got no reverse. He knows nothing about cars beyond how to fill the gas tank, so i told him i'd ask around...

The car has the 6-cylinder engine and about 150K miles on the odometer. The car drives fine in all forward gears, although there is a bit of slippage when first getting underway, and has plenty of power.

BUT it has little to no power when the transmission is in reverse. He's been told by his mechanic that he needs a new or rebuilt tranny and to fork over $3,000.

Forgetting that $3K for a tranny seems absurd... does anyone have any thoughts on what might be wrong with the car? What's the best cure? I've always driven manuals, so i know little about troubleshooting automatics.

If the car does need a transmission, a couple of questions:

1. How difficult a job is it, and what related components must also be replaced? How hard is it to get the tranny out of the car? Can it be done by a competent shadetree mechanic, or does it require putting the car up on a hydraulic lift?

2. Must the tranny be replaced with one from Lexus, or will one from a '93 Camry work? (I've heard the Camry and ES 300 were mechanically the same, but I know nothing about Lexuses... or is it Lexi?)

3. What's a ballpark figure for a rebuilt tranny? How about pulling one from a salvage yard?

Thanks, everyone!

[Joey's Lexicon]

Have a dealership replace the transmission. It might be more money but they stand behind their work. That is important because the transmissions in the ES 300's have challenges. After 150K most who are in the know agree the transmissons are toast in the ES 300 and need to be replaced for the most part. Use only a genuine Lexus transmission in your car if it needs to be replaced, even if you are told otherwise.

Best of luck,

J. Lexicon

[jragosta]

Forgetting that $3K for a tranny seems absurd... does anyone have any thoughts on what might be wrong with the car? What's the best cure? I've always driven manuals, so i know little about troubleshooting automatics.

You're right-that does sound like a lot for a transmission - particularly when the car's 10 years old.

I agree with the previous poster - in a sense. If you need a new transmission, I wouldn't cut corners since you'll probably want it to last _another_ 150,000 miles.

Still, given that kind of expense, it might be worth a trip to your local budget transmission shop. Perhaps there are some adjustments that can be made to make the current transmission work a little better for a while. If they have a relatively inexpensive repair to recommend, it's worth considering (particularly if you can get a money back guarantee) After all, even if they mess it up, you haven't lost anything but their charge. You're going to replace the transmission, anway.

If you can find a good one in a salvage yard for a low enough price, it might also be worth considering - since most reputable salvage yards will provide a guarantee. Again, it would have to be _very_ low for me to take this option.

I'd say the chances are slim. I've only owned a Lexus for a week, so I'm not an expert on those, but my experience with other cars is that once the transmission gets that bad, it's probably shot.

Good luck.

[ellieoh]

A lexus delarship told me that our transmission was toast at 100k miles, I now have 200k miles on the same tranny! I change the trans oil as per the service manual. Spending $3000 on a replacement transmision is OK, however many salvage yards sell ES300 servicable transmissions for much less and will warranty them. I would find a transmission shop by recommadation and see what they find.

David

[yaupoman]

I am surprised to hear that the tranny will die after 100 to 150k. Can anyone add to that. I had a 94 Camry XLE V6 that had 170k mi on it and it ran fine before someone totaled it. I also have a Camry SE V6 that has 125k mi on it and it's still going strong. I believe the Lexus and the Camry V6 have the same engine.

[SKperformance]

my only question is if you already know that your tranny is bad from a previous mechanic

why are you asking ?

just because tehy said it needs replacing

doesn't mean it si dead just means it is on its way out the door

i see nothign wrong with a dealer saying it needs to be repaired

since it obviously does and did

you just got lucky in your amount of milage before it died