goonie12

Your friend is correct in that you burned your clutch. I would imagine that you only surface scorched it though. The vibration your feeling is the pressure plate hopping on the clutch plate as it re-engages. When you burn or scorch the surface of your clutch, what happens is it glazes the surface of the clutch on some areas. This reduces the friction or grip between the pressure plate and the clutch plate. It should only be temperary depending on how bad you burned the clutch and how you drive. So, let me get this straight, you have a 2002 with less than 5000 miles on it???? If that is so, then you might mention the clutch incident. the car is out of factory warrenty, but the mileage wouldn't indicate wear on the clutch. Also, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it, 5000 miles on aclutch means you have plenty of life left on the clutch anyway. Once the clutch wears thru the burn marks you won't know it ever happened. By the way, when I park on a steep hill, I like to use the hand brake. I lock the brake up, push the clutch in and start the car, then I press real easy on the gas and as I release the clutch, I "feel" the car move forward as I release the hand brake. It eliminates the need to rev the car up and use the clutch to stop the car from rolling backwards, which can lead to that "jump to the gas pedal" feeling and over revving the motor by accident. Just a tip. Thanks buddy! Oh no, the car has 73K miles on it. I just mentioned 5000 miles service as I checked Edmunds and Lexus recommends a basic service along with the oil change every 5000 miles. I took the car in to the dealer today and mentioned the clutch issue. He said that it could cost $2800 because they might have to replace the flywheel. I was like. WHAAAT?!!? How does the flywheel figure into this? I think he was BSing me. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth if they are just being dishonest. Or was he right?

Hi, I bought a 2002 IS300 (manual 5-speed) in March this year. It is in excellent condition and was well cared for by it's previous owners. I love the car. It handles beautifully. Yesterday, I was parked on a hill and I am not very good at uphill starts. As I shifted into first to move up, I messed up by not releasing the clutch fully. I revved really high. and then started rolling. I saw black smoke coming out from under the hood and could smell an acrid burning smell strongly. The smoke kept coming out for about 10 seconds and then stopped. My friend who was there said that I had burnt the clutch. It drives ok now but I sense a slight change in the clutch action. I feel a slight vibration in the action as I shift into first. I feel that the action has changed a little and I need to let the clutch out a little sooner to move forward. Sorry for the long setup. I have 2 questions. 1) What happened and what do I need to do? 2) I am going to a Lexus dealer tomorrow for an oil change and a 5000 mile inspection. Do they check the clutch at these inspections or do I need to mention it to them? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I'm on the verge of buying a 2002 IS300 and took it for a test drive a couple of days ago. I noticed a muffled thunk or click when I started from a dead stop ( at a traffic light or stop sign or whenever I started the car from a standstill) after putting the car into 1st gear. I'm not sure if I heard it between the higher gears. The current owner never noticed it. I took the car in for a pre- purchase inspection at the same auto shop that has been looking after the car for the past 2/3 years. When I pointed it out to the mechanic on a test drive he noticed it and first explained it as having to do with the fact that it is a rear-wheel drive and the long travel of the drive shaft causes this etc. When I persisted with my questions about whether this was normal, he kept saying that it didn't bother him and that it is expected. He didn't seem to have ever noticed this problem on any car before. I was surprised as he has worked on Lexus and Toyotas for 18 years and when I mentioned this, he said that it didn't register in his mind as a problem and so he never really noticed it. When he put the car up on the lift, stood under it and gently rocked the rear wheels back and forth we could see the long metal axle (?) or rod that connects to the parts before they go on to the rear wheel had some play and made a slight clicking noise. From looking around on different Lexus forums and on here, I understand that this could be due to the play in the universal joint. I asked him if he could expect this in a brand new IS300 and he didn't seem sure. I am more than a little concerned as this the first car that I am going to spend over $15000. (the asking price is $16300); concerned enough to consider getting a second opinion if the current owner will allow it. Have any of you noticed or are aware of this problem or even if it is a problem at all? It just seems to me that a car of the quality of a Lexus should not have click and pops like this. I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance! The car: 2002 IS300 5 speed manual transmission 70K miles Otherwise excellent overall condition Current owner seems to have maintained it very well Sorry for the length of this post. I posted this same message in a reply to an old thread and I apologize if that is against the forum policy.

Hi, I'm on the verge of buying a 2002 IS300 and took it for a test drive a couple of days ago. I noticed a muffled thunk or click when I started from a dead stop ( at a traffic light or stop sign or whenever I started the car from a standstill) after putting the car into 1st gear. I'm not sure if I heard it between the higher gears. The current owner never noticed it. I took the car in for a pre- purchase inspection at the same auto shop that has been looking after the car for the past 2/3 years. When I pointed it out to the mechanic on a test drive he noticed it and first explained it as having to do with the fact that it is a rear-wheel drive and the long travel of the drive shaft causes this etc. When I persisted with my questions about whether this was normal, he kept saying that it didn't bother him and that it is expected. He didn't seem to have ever noticed this problem on any car before. I was surprised as he has worked on Lexus and Toyotas for 18 years and when I mentioned this, he said that it didn't register in his mind as a problem and so he never really noticed it. When he put the car up on the lift, stood under it and gently rocked the rear wheels back and forth we could see the long metal axle (?) or rod that connects to the parts before they go on to the rear wheel had some play and made a slight clicking noise. From looking around on different Lexus forums and on here, I understand that this could be due to the play in the universal joint. I asked him if he could expect this in a brand new IS300 and he didn't seem sure. I am more than a little concerned as this the first car that I am going to spend over $15000. (the asking price is $16300); concerned enough to consider getting a second opinion if the current owner will allow it. Have any of you noticed or are aware of this problem or even if it is a problem at all? It just seems to me that a car of the quality of a Lexus should not have click and pops like this. I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance! The car: 2002 IS300 5 speed manual transmission 70K miles Otherwise excellent overall condition Current owner seems to have maintained it very well