J.B

wwest I am a little confused with your front/rear differential ratios: You say that the older RX300 have a 3.12/2.98 ratio, which equates to a 95/5 front/rear. I calculate that this gear ration should equate to a 52/48 front/rear ration (where a 3.02/3.02 would provide a 50/50 ratio). You also say that the RX330 have a 3.48/2.92 ratio, which equates to a 98/2 front/rear. I calculate that this gear ratio should equate to a 58/42 front/rear (where a 3.20/3.20 would provide a 50/50 ratio). The last fun we had in a snow covered iced parking lot demonstrated that all four tires were throwing similar rooster tail of snow, suggesting similar torque applied to all four wheells. Thanks JB

My old ’89 4WD Subaru had a LOCKable center diff, which was dangerous to use over dry pavement. It was a FrontWD or 4WD. I always believed that my ’99 RX300 had a “ALL THE TIME” AWD compared to a PART TIME AWD. I almost purchased a Nissan Murano, but when I found out what it really is: FWD until front looses traction, then AWD! This means that the car must loose traction before the AWD system engages. I don’t want that! What I understood is the early RX300s (’99 ’00) were mechanical AWD: center diff splits torque 50/50 front/rear, ALL THE TIME; when one end looses traction, the other gets more. Simple! The more recent RX300s have too much electronics for my liking. I used to drive a ’92 Nissan 240SX with rear LSDiff. Lots of fun in winter! No fun with the RX300! I was hoping that the RX300 would also have a rear LSDiff, but not mine. Nothing ever felt as solid as my old ’89 Subaru. But this RX300, with Bridgestone Dueler DM-Z2 is pretty rock-solid in snow and on ice. And we got plenty of both this year. I wish that a mechanics from Lexus could clarify a bunch of “beliefs”! FWIW, I drive a G20t with winter tires in winter and high performance summer tires in summer. Since my first set of Blizzaks in ‘93, I never drove a winter without them. Be safe in snow JB

Here in WinterLand, I drive on Bridgestone Dueler DM-Z2 (truck Blizzaks) and they are the best winter tires I ever used (truck and car)! During summer, I drive on Michelin Xterrains and they provide a great highway ride. Over the last 15 years, I purchased over 8 sets of tires from the same tire dealership: I get free rotation (every 5000 M) and season change on two cars. I always change all four tires, this is very important for AWD cars. I tend to run on tires with their psi on the high side: it will wear out the center thread faster, regardless of rotation. Cheap price for better control. Good luck JB

I have a '99 RX300 and tow a tent trailer during the summer. I replace all fluids after camping season is over. As far as I know, the transmission and xfer case share the same casing, but each have a drain plug. I drain the transmission and the xfer case in the same drain pan, measure it and add the same quantity of Type-IV Toyota tranny fluid. I know that I don't completely drain it because some will stay in the torque converter. The fluid looks very burgundy every spring and very browny before I change it every fall. I replace both drain gaskets and fillup the fluid through the dip stick tube. I also drain both differentials at least every two years. Good luck JB

Mek & Glenn As far as I know, the xfer case shares the transmission fluid with the transmission. There is a plug to empty that side of the transmission casing, but they share the same transmission fluid: fill up through the dip stick tube. Make sure not to overfill! Front and rear differentials have one drain plug at the bottom and one fillup at the top. You cannot overfill those (with good synth gear oil only). Also, I counted 6 gaskets to replace (two transmisison case, two central & two rear diffs). Since I tow a tent trailer during the summer, I have been draining all the above fluids before every winter. Good luck. JB

Error codes: I am reading my shop manual and it says: P0330: Knock sensor 2 circuit malfunction (left bank ) P0171: System too Lean (Fuel Trim) (could be caused when the car runs out of fuel) Gray colored transmission fluid does not sound good. Don't forget to replace the pan gasket. JB

When you say "I drained and replaced the transmission fluid; the problem still remained.", did you "drop the pan and replaced what drained out of the pan" or did you do a complete flush and replaced the fluid? Just dropping the pan (as per Lexus' instructions) only replace what is in the pan, not what is in the torque converter/cooler. Did you use the Toyota T-IV transmission fluid or any other type? Apparently, Toyota (Lexus) transmissions will self-destruct in contact of anything but Toyota's T-IV fluid. Personnaly, I would still drop the pan to see if there is any metal filings on the magnet and/or debris in the pan. Hope is nothing major! Good luck

How difficult would it be to swap the engine from a SupraTurbo??? Isn't the IS300's engine just an evolution of the old 3.0L6 of the Supra? There must be hundreds of mods for the old Supra. Wouldn't any fit the IS300? Good luck

I would do two things: I would check the transmission fluid level and color/quality. Look for either a brownish color or bubbles. I would also check the air filter, look for a rag or something in the air box that could restrict air passage. If any of the rustproof material made its way into the filter material, that would explain the lack of performance. If it is the case, don't clean the filter, just change it. Good luck

Since the Lexus dealer makes the bump the cause of the engine problems, why is your insurer not picking the tab? It may results in higher premiums later on but it should offset the cost of replacing the engine. Good luck

To be nervous a little is OK... But don't sell the car for that?! Any good "ICE STUDLESS" winter tire is great in winter (mind you that the Michelin Alpin is not so great in deep snow). You just can't start as fast, trun as fast and stop as quick. That's all! Take your time, whatch for the others because in winter, EVERYBODY IS DANGEROUS. My wife and I (moslty my wife) have been driving a Nissan 240SX to/from work since 1996. RWD and very low, we got stuck once during a storm when even 4WD were getting stuck! 3 sets of Blizzaks later, we are still swearing these are the best winter tires, EVER. We can tell stories where we were able to drive around mooses, able to change lane with a collision happening 20 feet in front of us doing 45 MPH in a snow storm, being able to stop over a sheet of black ice 30 feet from a 6 cars pileup, etc, etc, etc... Winter driving is no fun but it can be as safe as you will make it. Be prepared, specially with the new baby. Good luck

I purchased my RX300 used and requested all records from the previous dealer. The rear rotors were changed under waranty after three years of usage for the previous owner! However, they were probably warped as well! Go to a quiet location and try a few emergency stop from 40-50 MPH. Please do this in a well controlled area away from children/ditch/trafic/power poles. The performance of the rear brakes may decrease with time if they are not well maintained/lubricated. Sliders and pins need seasonal lubrication. Rust may be an incication of reduced performance. Try to do some brake maintenance before spending too much money for new parts. Personnaly, I always do all my front/rear brake maintenance in Oct. and rear brakes in Apr. Good luck

Here in Canada, "all seasons" tires often means "no seasons": not good in heavy rain, noisy and very bad in the snow. I've always got two sets of wheels for every car I had in the last 15 years. I had 4WD, RWD and FWD and now have a RX300 and a G20. For the G20, I have summer Potenza and winter Blizzak. Even with Michelin Cross-Terrains on the RX300, I will get a set of Blizzak next month. You should get a winter tire as narrow as possible: it does not float as much as a wide tire. I also have a set of folded traction grip bars in each car, a jug of cat litter in the trunk and I never added additionnal weight over the axle because it lowers the rear suspension (bad over the snow!). Keep in mind that good winter tires can keep you off a ditch or away from a "close encounter with a truck bumper". Good luck

I just wonder why you are so much concerned by the "appearance" of your vehicle instead of the visibility of your vehicle??? DRL based on the "Signal Light full on" is very stupid and only some US car manufacturers, which are so NOT in touch with reality (only profit), can do that. I also agree that M-B and Jaguar have their turn signal light too close to their headlights (not just DRL). Lexus did a good job by providing DRL from High Beams (at least on my '99) and a good distance from the turn signal. What is most important: incoming cars can see you or incoming cars can recognize you? Good luck :chairshot:

Did you check the CD changer in the glove box? Thats where mine is in my '99. A cassette slot in the dash and a 6 disks changer in the dash. Good luck