Hi everyone,
I have a 99 LX470 with 120k miles. I took it to a Lexus mechanic for service. When I got it back, I would hear a binding/grinding sound coming from the rear differential when I turned. After trying to convince me it was normal, the mechanic finally looked at it and determined that they hadn't used LSD fluid in the differential (4 weeks and 1000 miles elapsed).
From the moment I got it back, I could hear and feel a "thunk" from the rear of the car when I let off the brake or accelerate. There is also always a lot of backlash in the driveline when i transition from coasting to acceleration. I hear a thunk and feel a shock throughout the car. Sometimes I also hear the same thunk while braking when the transmission shifts from 2nd to 1st. Everything looks and feels tight under the car. If I lock the center differential, the backlash goes away.
Mechanic claims the backlash is normal and the thunk is the driveshaft which is also normal. It wasn't doing it before he messed with it, though.
Any ideas? I'm thinking there's something wrong with the clutches. Any help appreciated.
