tmastres

I can certainly see the height issue, I'm only 6'1" and I have to have the seat all the way back. At 6'7" you're basically in a "clown car" situation. Then again these RX's are built for smaller folks , thats why you can't get your hands around in engine bay and you knock your head on the tailgate if you're over 5"10" :D. I have to disagree with the seats though, I'm at 220 with a pretty broad back and average waist 34", I find the seats to be pretty cushy and I've done several 500+ milers with no complaints. I can't believe anyone finds them hard Is it possible your's are worn out? They're definitely not sport seats as they don't really hold you in so I'm not sure why they would be so uncomfy.

I finally caught up with this post. Eerie, kind of, as I just replaced my remaining 3 coils a few weeks ago and I have an 00 with 108k on it. Sounds like you 've got the problem fixed but I'd suggest biting the bullet and replacing the last 3 as well. Sure the front ones are easy to do but the trhee that went bad on me all went at completely random times and places. Since you'll probably be hesitant to drive it on 5 cyl. now why risk it. I figured I'd rather do mine in my garage with all my tools than in some random parking lot or worse, the side of the road. Just my 2¢.

The misfires are a known issue with 99 and 00 rx's, I've heard the original coils were prone to failure after a while. I recently replaced all of mine with the new 90080-19016 coils. While not common, coil failure happens often enough to warrant replacement with the new model.

Wow those guys were really going at it in that thread, it was difficult to tell what the truth actually was. I find it strange that there would be no oil in the filter. Perhaps not a great concern but definitely strange. I've done dozens of OC's on my RX with at least a half-dozen different filters and I've never had a dry filter when I unscrewed it. I use to get somewhat dry filters when I had a Dodge Dakota and the filter was installed so that the open end sloped towards the block and would drain naturally but not with the level design of the RX.

I wouldn't call it "common" but it occurs often enough to have several thread on this and the "other" Lexus forum. I look at it like this, if you have over 90k on your RX and have never encountered it then don't worry about it. IF it happens once, then just go ahead and replace them all because its just a matter of time. I've heard that there was a problem with the original model coils 90919-02234 and that they would sometimes fail for whatever reason. These were the models I've pulled out of my RX. As I understand it the new part (ones I used)are the 90080-19016. I have no idea what got changed but there you have it. I hope you never have to replace yours but its really not all that hard (though you're right its not exactly cheap!) The annoying aspect, of course, is where you are when they go out.

That year was prone to sludge as well as relatively mysterious transmission failures. I'd look for an 01 or newer. Do a search on this forum and you'll find more than you can read on those topics.

Not a bad idea at all. What you likely would have found though is that Lexus dealers tend to be pretty uniform in their parts prices unless they're trying to clear parts out. I didn't try Sewell but ironically I did try Park Place (both in Texas). I've bought from Park Place before and they were the same price as I paid locally. Well, sort of locally. I would have saved a bit by not paying CA tax but I wanted the parts ASAP. I also called a couple of other SoCal Lexus dealers and found the same price there as well. Thats when I tried the Toyota option. Again I didn't try Carson Toyota but I did check at the GrandDaddy of all Toyota dealers Longo and they we're very similar. What surprised me was my local Toyota dealers price and their (no warranty) caveat. Iron Toad was about $12 cheaper per coil but to get faster shipping it would have eaten most of the savings. I also found several non-toyota replacements for the coil but I wasnt willing to risk it as I really don't want to do this again.

Ok, after my third coil failure in 18 mos. I decided to go ahead and replace the remaining 3 coils with the new 90080-19016 version. The three that I needed were numbers 1 and 3 in the back and number 6 in the front. Well obviously number 6 was a breeze but numbers 1 and 3 were a !Removed!. I was able to get them replaced without removing any other parts. It did take about an hour and a half but it was definitely do-able. I have large (but not really large) hands and I'd say that anyone with any bigger hands than me would be SOL, Its very tight back there. Now for the rant. Since these are Toyota parts (it says Toyota right on the label) I called the nearest Toyota dealer to me which is a scant 4 miles form my house. The price was $106 ea. with the emphasized caveat that if I were to put these Toyota parts into Lexus (Gasp!) there would be no warranty on the parts. OK this is absurd, but what can I do. I call the nearest Lexus dealer which is 32 miles away and I'm told that the same part is only $90. Yes, folks thats right $16 dollars LESS at the Lexus dealer. Besides that the Lexus parts dept is open 7 days a week and offers free junk food, soda, comfy chairs and a 52" plasma screen for the kids while mom and dad scope out new Lexus's. OK some I'm getting a bit off topic but I really resent the fact that Lexus and Toyota pretend to be different companies. I can see if there was a Lexus dealership in town with the Toyota dealer but this is just too much.

I currently have an RX 300. I'm not that enamored with the newer 330/350 design so I'm currently looking at the new Acura MDX as well as the Audi Q7. I really like the new styling of the MDX (I hated the old MDX styling) and its a proven platform with a great AWD system. I like the Q7 as well but its a bit more $$$$$ and its also only its first model year so I'd have to wait at least one more year until the 3rd model year before I'd even actually walk into a Audi showroom. By then gas might be so expensive I go back to a car.

Do you really need the 60k Service?/ I skipped mine and waited until the 90k (timing belt, water pump etc..) What will they do for the 60k. just food for thought.

Hey now, I take umbrage to the above statement (said with a grin :D ) I've posted some fairly detailed antenna replacement instructions here over the years. Of course not as detailed as yours, then again, these may be the most detailed instructions ever posted here . Anyhow it never hurts to have all the details so thanks for adding to the knowledge base and welcome.

So can we say that a softer driving style and not frequent fluid changes are a possible remedy for early RX trannys?

Pyroil makes a spray called "belt dressing" it comes in a small spray can and is made to stop squeaky belts. I've had the same problem form time to time (although it usually goes away once its dry), fortunately it rarely rains in SoCal so I dont have to deal with it that often. I've also successfully used a bar of soap but the spray works better.

Great ending for sure, one question though, did you use synth oil for changes or dino?

I get around 18-19 in mixed driving of any sort but on the highway I used to be able to get 24.5 if I concentrated. I have a well worn route of 200mi. form here in Santa Barbara to North San Diego county. When I first go the RX I could get the 24.5 to 25 if I kept it below 65, now with about 110k mi on it the best I can do is about 23.5 or so. Most of the time on pure highway driving I get about 22-23 at 70-75mph. Thats because theres just no way you can drive that slow (60-65) on SoCal roads. The min speed is 70 or you end up with people continuously glued to your !Removed! no matter what lane you're in. I certainly haven't found any "torque efficiency" at driving over 70 (maybe its there but I haven't noticed it) What I do find is more rolling and wind resistance and less mpg.

Well Good Luck! You probably wont need it though. If you've got the replacement shaft/cable you should be fine. Please post if you have any trouble.

Hey there, cyls 2,4,6 are in front and 1,3,5 are in the back. If I were you I'd clear the codes and then as soon as you get the CEL shut it off and read the codes again. I'd do this because if its a singe coil or plug gone bad you'll get that code as well as a bunch of others caused by the engine trying to run on five (or fewer) cylinders and over a few miles and causing other problems. The first code is generally the legitimate one and the others should(might) clear up once the true offender is repaired. Judging by your list, IMO its most likely a problem with #4, my guess is bad coil. I'm no pro though, just looks a lot like what I've seen from my own experiences. Let us know wahat it was. Thanks

Does anyone know how one bad coil (#3 in this case) can ruin all 6 sparkplugs? To my knowledge ( and I'm not a professional mechanic) this would be very difficult to do in these vehicles. I've had three coils go out on me now and I've never replaced a spark plug because of it. In each of the times I've replaced a coil never once did I change the plug. I suppose if you drove it extensively with a coil out (5 cylinders) there's the possibility of doing some damage but 5-10 miles or so I'd say probably not. Also, changing one of these coils, (provided its #2,4 or 6) is easier and takes less time than an oil change. Seriously all it entails is unbolting the old coil, un-clipping the coil leads, pulling out the coil, replacing it with a new one and re-clipping and re-bolting it in place. The 2,4,6 plugs/coils are right there in front. Now the back three, man-o-man thats a different story-

I started off using the mid-grade and now only use the 87. I haven't noticed the slightest bit of difference. Using premium fuel will only be noticed in a performance vehicle and even then it may only be noticed if you run a timed course. I've put the 91 in for several tanks to see if the mileage improved and it did not. I can maybe get 23 or so on the highway with the 87 but I'd need to drive 60-65 mph to get 24 or over and that'll get you shot here in SoCal.

Ahhhhhhhhhh! You *BLEEP*s cursed me!!!!! OK not really but thats the first thing I thought this evening when I got into my RX, started it up and I felt the distinctive, lope-a-dope of a vehicle trying its best to run on five cylinders. Luckily (or unluckily) I've been though this before and I was prepared. Code reader, spare coil, tools. I had it changed out in 10 minutes. Of course I definitely was lucky that it was number 4, dead center in front. If it had been an odd number I'd have been screwed to tune of an hour and a half minimum. Anyhow, just had to rant, oh the irony!!!!!!!

Been there, Done That :) Glad to hear you got it fixed. I've had 2 coils go out on my 00 so now I keep a spare in the back at all times. I don't know about you but with mine there was no warning whatsoever. Just poof and there you are running on 5 cylinders

This comes up on the board now and again. I replaced my antenna-shaft/cable assemble a while back and it really was pretty straight forward. "body shops" usually do body repair but most any mechanic or "auto repair" shop should be able to handle it easily. I'm not trying to be a wise guy, I just want to make sure you end up at the right place to get your ride fixed. I paid about $70 for an OEM Lexus mast/cable but I found out later that this place sells them as well for less antennamastsrus.com/Lexus/RX%20300/RX%20300%201999-2003.htm I've never used them, so be sure to check them out first though. Just a starting point. The job took me about an 60-90 minutes to complete with most of that being the removal/replacement of all the passenger rear interior panels to allow access to the antenna/motor assembly. A good honest shop should charge an hour plus parts and you should get out for under $200.

That seems odd to me. I have a 00 RX and my 6 disc changer is full of home-burned cds right now. All I can tell you is that I used I tunes to burn the discs and they work perfectly.

I think that pretty much says it all right there!! :D LMAO!

Sounds like you're covered Chris. Great post Lenore, thats great info to have. Just curious though, when did you buy the vehicle and what brand/grade of oil were you using? Thanks!