Tranny Not Shifting From 2nd

[shufiend]

I have 2 rx300's. Both of them need to warm up considerably @15min in 30 degree weather before they will

shift from 2nd on up. Is there anything the dealer can do? I looked in the manual and it says the car is driveable

after 10 seconds, a little longer in cold weather. NOT 15minutes. Any suggestions?

[cduluk]

what year?

AWD or 2wd?

My guess is 99 or 00 with AWD? :(

[jgr7]

Hows your transmission fluid, has it ever been changed?

[shufiend]

Sorry both cars are 99 with AWD.

One car has a new tranny just one month old. Its seems a feature

of the car not relating to tranny fluid age.

[pauljcl]

Sorry both cars are 99 with AWD.

One car has a new tranny just one month old. Its seems a feature

of the car not relating to tranny fluid age.

I have a '99 RX300 AWD. I recently drove it to - and left it in - Michigan. Very cold weather (17-20F) and the transmission will take about two/three minutes of driving before shifting to third, then another while (until the motor temp. gauge shows above "C", very near the first mark) until it shifts into overdrive. IMO, bad design of the transmission. Practically, as you don't really want to 'race' a cold motor above 3000 RPM, it restricts your speed for the first five minutes, couple of miles, or so.

[cduluk]

I have an 03 Rx300 with AWD. When it's cold the computer prevents upshifting so more revs in the lower gears heat the engine up to driving temp faster. I'd say this would be true for the first few minutes or so, but not 10.

You're driving a 99 Rx with AWD, a car known for transmission failure. Check the fluid, for correct level and color. Low levels of fluid could prevent gear slipping and god only knows what. If the fluid is dirty this could also cause the issue and be a sin the internal gears are shaved down. The fluid should be a nice red/maroon color and shouldn't smell burned.

I would do a drain and fill of the fluid. Hopefully you've caught it in time before you need a total transmission replacement.

[BuzzingLexus]

I have a 99 RX and live in Vermont. It was -6 degrees this week. My RX takes about 3-5 minutes to get into 3rd and overdrive. I talked with Lexus folks about this years ago and they said basically that's normal for an RX and there's nothing they can do about it. The RX has been such a good car for me, I just live with it. 15 minutes seems excessive though. Sorry I can help more.