Over Drive Off Light Comes On

[Yogaman]

I have a 90 LS 400 with 250,00 miles on it. I was told by the dealer's mechanic that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt because it is sluggish from 0 to 25 miles per hour. This is a $2,500 to $4,000 job! It performed normally at highway speeds but sometimes would stutter. My brother recommended that I have the transmission flushed and put some Lucas Trans Fix in it. The local Lube place he took me to stated that they couldn't do a trans flush on a Lexus, so me and my brother just put one quart of Lucas Trans Fix in it. I saw a significant improvement in acceleration right away, but it is not perfect. We are going to remove the transmission pan, drain the fluid and add two quarts of Lucas when it gets warmer (its cold in Chicago). In the meantime the overdrive off light continuously flashes. I have no idea why this occures. Has anyone had similar problems? Any advice?

[VBdenny]

I suspect that your overdrive isn't locking and releasing properly which causes a shutter to occur. SInce these are elctronically controlled transmissions, it may be electrical. With only 250,000 you shouldn't be having transmission problems unless the car was always driven in Chicago traffic without ever changing the fluid. It seems logical that if there was a major problem, you would get a service light.There is probably some code stored, check with VMF and see if he knows. He seems to have a good handle on such things.

[pachocco1]

Here is a guess...a bad solenoid? there are four or so, each with a distinct function during shifting.

again just a guess.

here is a link with some tsb's. see if you are in it.

TSB link

[SKperformance]

the o/d light flashes for the t/c not being engaged usually because of low fluid or a blockage in the valve body

you can do an engine flush rather easily on any lexus

even without the machines to "purge"

go to walmart they have machines to do it very easily

lexus uses valvoline now and it works great.

don't even bother just droppping the pan and refilling it .

it is better to drop the pan

clean the filter or buy a new one then replacing the gasket

then go to walmart and have the system flushed

if you are really enthusiastic then clean the filter one more time to remove any left over debris

[tansupplyman]

Assuming you are referring to this type Valvoline:

Tks.

DuraBlend ATF is a premium synthetic blend Automatic Transmission Fluid engineered to meet manufacturer's warranty requirements for General Motors DEXRON® III and Ford MERCON® and MERCON® V specifications. It is formulated to provide performance benefits over conventional type ATF fluids.

Better flow properties for smooth shifting performance

Superior high- and low-temperature protection for extreme operating conditions

Enhanced anti-shudder protection

Compatible with conventional ATF fluids

Recommended for use in GM, Ford, Mazda, Toyota