tmastres

Serious question, does that apply to transmission service too? I don't believe mine mentions any type of transmission service anywhere. Don't want to open that can of worms again and while I don't disagree with your reccomendation I'd say that you needn't treat the owners manual as "Gospel" especially if you're already out of warranty. I agree that sometimes dealers will try to stick you but your owners manual was written when your car was made, a lot could have changed since then and a lot of things get discoverd about a vehicle line as it goes through its service life.

I believe with the RX 300 engines there won't be any valve damage. There are types of engines that it will damage the valves (such as my Dad's old Passat which snapped a belt at about 93,000 miles and bent the valves all to hell) but even if no damage occurs you'll still be stuck wherever it might break. I had mine done at about 92-93k, the whole service that included the belt replacement, water pump and a trans flush ran about $800 at my trusted local shop (not Lexus). No I realize nobody wants to just toss $800 out the window, but for me it was well worht the peace of mind. Hell, I spend more money than that on softball bats in a year and a heck of a lot more on wine, so it wasn't a real major expense. Personally my RX has been very reliable so if you amortize that cost over the vehicle life it isnt very much at all. Just MHO.

Well? What are they recommending?? The "official" list is in your owners manual. the biggst thing I remember from the 90k is the timing belt (and of course, then the water pump). The res of the stuffis dependent on when and what you've had done previosly or what you do yourself.

Go inside the RX300/330 forum and search for "antenna". I've posted extensively on the removal of the antenna (as have several others).

I'm pasting something in from a previously similar post that I replied to. A good idea is to use the search function of this site. You'll usually find that someone has dealt with thes ame issue you may be having. In this case I've done the antenna mast replacement (as have several others). There should be links to those posts in this paste but if they dont work simply search for "antenna" and you'll find all you need to know. Good Luck (paste) If your antenna has stopped extending and retracting, its possible the nylon cable that drives it has broken. Take a listen when you turn the radio on/off and see if you hear the antenna motor running. If you hear the motor but the antenna doesnt move its likely the cable has broken. If you dont hear the motor it may be that the motor has died. My experiene has been that its usually the cable that fails. Unfortunately , the replacement diagram from the manual doesnt mention that IF the cable has broken there will be a broken off piece of cable still left in the antenna motor assembly. This will need to be removed before you insert the new shaft/cable. I've had the fortune to do this a few years ago and I posted my notes here: Post #7 on thelink is my account of replacing the antenna http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=antenna

Ahh Yes, Monarch! Whatever happened to that guy anyhow, I havent seen a post form him in over a year , maybe longer :D Not that I'm complaining

Do you recall the size or # designation of the bolts you used by chance?? Thanks!

Hmm lets see you removed the throttle body, removed the ACIS actuator bracket and removed the PCV hose. THEN accessing the spark plugs wasnt very hard!!

I'd have to agree, I made this same post over there, just so I could get the widest variety of responses and while I certainly appreciate the various opinions I got aout a half-dozen recommendations for various other products. I ended up more confused than when I began. In any case, the Seafoam and oil are coming out this weekend after about 100 miles of all types of driving, Well see if I notice anything interesting. Thanks for all the info.

Ok folks I know Seafoam has been discussed in this forum (and others) before and I've pored through most of what was said and I still can't seem to get a clear answer to the question of whether or not Seafoam should be put in with your oil. I did the seafom deal this past weekend including putting half a bottle into the gas tank (about 9-10 gal of gas in it) and half into the crank case. After talking with a few peopl eI trust both on this board and off I got the distinct impression that this wasn't such a good idea. now I've put about 30 miles on my RX since I did this and will probably put another 30 on by the time I can get the oil out (if I need to) so thats where I'm at. Some of the things written make sense and some dont (just to me) so I'm calling on the collective wisdom here to see I can come to a consensus on whether to dump the oil very soon or leave it in for another 2k or so of the normal OCI. Some of the concerns raised were dilution of the oil, bits of sludge being loosened and then redeposited (if the oil isnt changed very soon), and the lubricatioal properties of the oil being lessened causing more than normal wear (again if it isnt changed soon). Now 8oz added to 128+ oz of oil doesnt seem like its going to dilute it all that severely and checking the oil both hot and cold it doesnt seem particularly thinner than normal (to the touch) and I'd think the oil filter would catch a lot of the particulate that was loosened (dont think simple hot oil going through the filter would be enough to get back into solution). Of course the feel of the oil doesnt tell the whole story and it may well be compromised lubricationally, guess it would need an oil analysis to tell for sure. Also there was a theory that the Seafoam would simply boil away eventually, sounds plausible but I don't know A lot of folks simply say they wouldnt do it, kinda of an instinctual gut feeling thing, dont mess with the oil, sounds logical and I trust these opinions but why then would Seafoam say its OK and certainly there should be a trail of cautionary tales ot there form those who did? So thats why I'm asking: What do you think about putting Seafom in the crankcase and why??

Hmmm, WellI can see perhaps not leaving it in for extended periods of time but if you change the oil immediately, how its it supposed to do anything? I'll sure be careful though, thanks for the heads-up

I'll vote for the bad gas theory on this one. At the very most I'd say that 91 gas might improve top-end performance, but that 87 would not make the car run crappy. I run 87 in mine all the time and it runs fine at 104k mi.. Its all in yer head.....

If the RX transmission is so bad, why don't Toyota Highlander owners have the same complaint? It's the SAME engine and drivetrain. Search the Highlander forums and you'll find few, if any, transmission complaints. Its already been posted that Consumers Reports shows no transmission issues either. If anyone were to highlight a problem with the RX unit it would be CR. The only other comment is that if, and when, transmission service is performed you MUST use the Toyota Type IV transmission fluid. I know one thing. I just bought a 2001 RX 300 with 58K. I checked CR and their glowing review was a key ingredient to my purchase. After seeing these post I am sorry for going with the Lexus. I fully expected to get 250K from this luxary vehicle. kp Well dont get too upset, I've mentioned before (probaby in theis actual very long thread) its the 99/00's that have been reporting higher than normal (my opinion) failure rates. The 01-03 had changes made to the transaxle that seem to have minimized the problem. Yes , of course there have been a few failures of 01-03's but then again there are always going to be a few failures of anything produced en-masse especially complex machinery. What I need to see before I say problem is a repeated pattern of the same part failing. Iv'e seen it on this and other forums with the 99 and almost enough with the 00 but very few with the 01-03's and not enough to say the design flaw wasn't corrected. At this point in time there should be plenty enough miles on 01-03 vehicles to have uncoverd an endemic flaw.

Unfortunately without a true oil pressure guage you're left with the idiot light that simply warns of very-low or lack of oil pressure, too late gnerally to do anythingn about it. any ime you check the oil it should be warm and on a level surface. I'd say the stick shoudnt be dry when its cold certainly but it could easily be at the low line and still be fine when warm. How does the car run now?

But hey, isn't that the same seafoam that you can pour right into the crankcase as an oil treatment? Maybe a different produt we're talking about but I thought the one that was being discussed could be used in the oil, gas or directly through the vacuum lines as you've described doing. Just curious, Thanks!

In your case ToxDoc, you're stuck fighting the "inherent design flaw" fight that many others have waged due to failed transmissions. In Redrx's case the fight he should take is that he took it in with an indicator light on and they didn't find the problem (incompetence) and shortly thereafter the part failed. Sort of "automotive malpractice". Sure you can give Lexus a bit more time but I'd file a small claims case for the amount of a replacement transmission, very easy to do and it may perk their ears up to your problem. If not I'd say you've got a good case in small claims court. In the reports of failure past on this forum I dont remember anyone mentioning that the AT Temp light came on at any time before or during the trans failure. I may be wrong and I hope those that have had the experience will tell me if thats so. In any case your failure may be different and you may be able to get it resolved differently due to incompetent service techs.

I've run into the same problem. Unfortunately many/most of the accessory and body parts arent the same as a toyota eqivalent and even if you find ones that are the same part theres an entirely separate Toyota number for it. Iv'e never seen a cross reference chart or site (I'd love to if you find one). In your case the was no Highlander in 99 so I'm not sure there were parts to cross reference and evne though the RX is based a lot onthe Camry I'd suspect the parts are similar but not identical enough to use instead of. Could be wrong but its an awful lot of work to find out. On a more positive note I've found that the parts arent that much different in price form Lexus to Toyota dealers (varies depending on what it is of course and you can get some decent prices if you order online), I've found ParkPlace Lexus in Texas to be a great source of genuine parts at decent prices, if yo search the forum there are some other places too. good Luck

Ah Yes , I remember it well! Wish I had thought to take some photos when I did it but I'm glad you did, hope it all works out.

If the idle is very rough you may have experienced coil failure, that usually triggers a CEl. Search the forum for "coil failure" and see if any of the symptoms are similar. I never noticed the CEL on when I was having the rough idle due to the IACV.

I cant second that sentiment enough. If you read through the archives thoroughly there arent nearly as many 01-03 transmission problems as there seem to be in the 99/00 years, and at this point the mileage differential between years isnt a significant factor any longer. I'd personally feel perfectly fine in buying this vehicle at a higher price than its being offered to you.

Thats a grreat idea, I never thought there'd be a difference in running with it unplugged. I don know the answer to your question (probably moot by now anyway) but I'm glad you posetd with that idea. I've had 2 coils go bad on me (75k , 90k) so now I pack a spare in the car at all times but I'd like to know if you did run on five cyl. with the coil disconnected and how it worked , thanks

Search this forum for IACV and see if the symptoms described in those posts are similar to yours. If it is, its an easy fix.

I believe your heart is in the right place here but what you're saying is you believe what a magazine tells you other people are saying rather than believeing the people who tell you directly on this forum In this instance, happy people are irrelevant, you don't need to know that XX% of owners are happy, what you need to know is that there have been YYYY number of failures of a certain part or parts. There may well be 100,000 perfectly happy RX300 owners out there but what is important is to know if/that there are 1000 reports of transmission failures, and that after xx date there are only 25 (or however many) failures . By homogonizing the data CR minimizes the seriousness of those failure. IMHO forums like this one are far more valuable then CR for making car buying decisions.

Well ALL rules have exceptions and IMHO the 1MZFE of the 99/00 would be one for this rule. An engine as prone to sludge as this one should never be run on dino oil.

Lexus Sludge Heres the Link FYI http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=185&did=1261