wwest

Apparently the stearing controls, computer's POWER drivers, are somewhat subject to overheating with continuous and strenuous (lots of stearing deviations/inputs??) use. Your owners manual indicates that should that happen the system will continue to operate but in a degraded/derated manner. Apparently, to that end, in an effort to belay or delay overheating, as long as no stearing wheel origined stearing commands are present the power drivers remain at "idle", no "torqueing" current whatsoever to hold the front wheels in "place". Apparently in commiting to this design aspect they forgot or overlooked the possibility that outside forces might be in play forcing the front wheels offcenter or out of "set". So I would suspect that now that the engineers have experienced the REAL WORLD of automotive engineering the cooling capability is being "beefed" up along with the ability for the power drivers to maintain "centre-point" torque. Thus an entire change out of the module rather than a simple firmware upgrade.

Transmission fluid, the proper type, will have a definite pickish tone, colour. And, IMMHO, failure of the front transmission/transaxle seal would be highly unusual. I have heard rumors that if the engine is overfilled with lubricating oil Toyota engine's rear main seals are very prone to failure shortly thereafter.

Good, and thanks.

The airflow mixing vane servomotor inside the A/C plenum under the dash has a cable attached which extends through the firewall to a water control valve mounted in the engine compartment on the top center of the firewall. If you move the temperature control from max cold to max hot you should be able to see this cable move the valve in the engine compartment from fully closed to fully open. Someone may have somehow jiggled the cable off of the control valve.

As of 2004 the RX330 uses DBW, e-throttle, to prevent the engine RPM from rising, regardless of accelerator pedal position, while the transaxle is changing gears. With the advent of the RX300 Lexus began using a few new techiniques to improve FE in the range of 9.8% Those techniques involved quicker, earlier upshifts, use of the O/D lockup clutch in lower gear ratios, and lastly, shifting into neutral as you coast down to a stop and then only shifting into 1st after coming to a full stop. Given that all this often resulted in the transaxle being in the wrong gear when/if the driver suddenly decided to go from coastdown to acceleration, or from low speed cruising to accleration, the likely result was a doubling of wear rate of the transacxle's clutches.

So, now the 3.0L V6, the bored 3.5L V6, and the 3.5L V6 w/DFI are all in production simultaneously... Will the RX400h and the AWD GS get the DFI engine in the fall, do you suppose?

".....tasted...."??? YUK..!!

Miles to empty is not a closely predictable computation so many manufacturers don't include it. Miles to empty is highly dependent on how you drive those "final" miles. The computation can only be done based on your previous driving "history".

In 2001 there were lots of Jeeps where ever we went in Germany and surrounding countries.

When I first purchased my 1992 LS400 in late 91 only the 90 set was available which I bought. Lexus was kind enough to sent me the 92 set when it got into print. I don't think there are very many differences between 90 and 91 and the 1990 set has a lot more detail than any of the later repair manuals. So hang on to them regardless, I still have mine. I only owned a 1990 LS400 briefly, Bill Gates traded it for a 94, but I don't remember any significant differences.

How sure are you that the batetry needs to be replaced. Lots of things can result in a fully discharged battery that simply needs to be recharged. If the alternator has failed, for instance, you may find yourself out the cost of a new battery for no good reason. The best thing to do is to restart the vehicle via jumper cables and then see if the charging system will recharge the battery. And by the way its SPRINGTIME! This is the most common time of year for corroded or slightly loose battery terminals to "show" themselves. I would remove the battery connections, clean and burnish the battery posts and connections, reconnect, and then see if the battery and charging system works correctly.

Damn, I would have thought the Germans would have had enough sense to disable the traction control on the RX300. You will note that just as it stalls the RX300's front wheels come to a camplete stop and the rear wheels starting driving, kicking snow. That's a clear indication that the traction control sensed front wheelspin/slippage and applied braking to the front to reapportion the engine torque predominantly to the rear. Of course what happens next is entirely predictable, if the front wheels alone cannot move the car forward then certainly the rear wheels alone cannot. It likely didn't help matters that the engine was dethrottled as soon as the rear wheels stated to slip so seriously. I'm not saying the RX300 would have done very much better, but the test would have been more fair if the viscous clutch had been used alone. But then again fairness would dictate that testing should be done "as shipped". The good news is that with the advent of the RX350 the viscous clutch is back in use. Now if the design engineers have rewritten the firmware specifications such that traction control delays the onset of activation or moderates the level of front wheel braking so the both front and rear begin to DRIVE with roughly equal torque levels. Was that the ML representing MB?? If so it looks as if rear torque biasing wins the day insofar as the use of braking to apportion engine torque is concerned.

Let me guess... You recently bought the car used and unbeknownst to you the CEL bulb had been removed or disconnected...

I don't think we can be so sure about the engine issue. The new AWD GS300 uses the old V6 while the regular GS, GS350, gets the DFI engine. At the moment the GS has three engine possibilities, the GS300, GS350, GS430, and the GS450h. I would bet that within a year that will be narrowed to GS350 with an AWD option, the GS430, and the GS450h. And shortly after that I'm betting the public will weed out the GS430. Why would anyone pass up the GS450h for the GS430? And were they to do an LS450h I would probably be hounding them for a quick delivery. Can you imagine, dream about, an RX with the GS450h hydrid system and GS300 AWD combination? Nah, that'll probably be a GX450h.

I can't comment on the lease deal since I bought mine, but when you say it has no nav it leads me to bellive that it is the 2WD model... did they say it was the AWD? I would go for the AWD due to the better traction/performance. And if you have never owned a car with nav you don't know what you are missing... I 'll never own anther car w/o it. Otherwise, you will not be disapointed with a Lexus. You can buy a portable touch-screen GPS/Nav system for a lot less than the cost of a TRAPPED one in a Lexus. And IMMHO the AWD system in the RX series is nothing to write home to mom about. Obviously, with regards to the RX, the Lexus engineers are still trying to figure out how to build a decent AWD system. They might want to take lessons from Honda regarding SH-AWD. Or even, god forbid, have a look at the one in the GS300.

No, but the entire VC assembly, cannister, can be purchased for $1100.00. But I can't be sure the viscous fluid is a problem, in and of itsself. It is possibly a source of the heat that eventually compromises the ATF, but that is part of the VC design. Self heating of the VC is what results in tighter, increased coupling of engine torque to the rear wheels.

I can't be so sure, the word is the RX350 gets a third seat this fall. Can they do that with the current chassis? And they should revise the "engine" soon to make use of the DFI engine.

I left the Jeep "fold" back in 2000 when it was becoming obvious that Chrysler would be "cheapening" the brand. Gave up my 92 Jeep Cherokee Limited for a new AWD RX300. Traded up to the 2001 AWD RX300 about a year later. Haven't looked back since. It's beginning to look as if my next purchase will be an RX400h. The 92 Jeep is still doing stellar duty out on a cattle and wheat ranch in north central MT where its true AWD and 4WD capabilities can truly be of benefit. But beware, if you expect the ranch type work as the Jeep is fully capable of, from the RX, it ain't gonna happen.

For more years than I care to remember, count, I have always disconnected my A/C compressor clutch during the winter months. Granted most of those car were fords, highest mileage of any one being in the range of only 275,000. But then even my 1992 LS400, at 100,000 plus, has survived 14 winters with the A/C disconnected and no problems and no apparent ones. But those all used freon.... Not by any means advising against running the A/C to help lubricate the seals, etc, just against using it as an integral part of the HVAC during the winter months.

Just after I walked away from posting the above a new thought occurred to me. The ATF in the diff't case has a separate drain plug, must be drianed separately from the transaxle itself..... Could that possibly mean that the ATF within the diff'l cannot very freely circulate with/into the main transaxle case? If so then it becomes even more probable that the fluid "trapped" in the diff'l is being overheated via the nearby/adjacent PTO case and then slowly over a long period remixes with the bulk of the ATF. The ATF in the "main" transaxle case is being continuously circulated through the external ATF cooler in my AWD RX300.

I have grown suspicious of late that the ATF problem might be related to the VC, viscous clutch. The viscous clutch was dropped from the design of the RX330 and remained that way for the entire RX330 production run. Now I see that the new RX350 again has the VC incorporated within the PTO. When the VC was dropped for the RX330 series the F/R final drive ratios were also revised, giving more engine torque bias toward the front. Now with the RX350 the RX300 final drive ratios are back in use again. Some of you have noted, I'm sure, that the PTO has numerous heat disapating vanes/fins incorporated externally on the case. The way the VC operates is that differing front and rear driveline rotational rates result in "churning" the viscous fluid which heats it fairly rapidly. The fluid is formulated such that its volume would expand dramatically with temperature. But since it is hermetically sealed within the VC cannister instead of expanding the fluid pressure increases dramatically. That results in an increased coupling coefficient between the two sets of clutch plates causing more of the engine torque to be routed toward the rear. With the rear driveline "overdriven" (versus) the front, the increased coupling coefficient has a more dramatic affect on torque distribution to the rear than it would otherwise. But what if the heat generated by the VC could not be wicked away by the cooling fins as rapidly as necessary to keep the PTO's 90 weight from over-heating and then passing that heat on to the ATF in the adjacent diff'l case? Somewhere after about 1999 Toyota adopted the transaxle shift procedures proposed by Sierra Research to improve fleet average fuel economy by 9.8%. I have no doubt whatsoever that the adoption of those technique lead directly to the later adoption of DBW to protect the "drive train". What if, between the two, the heat contribution from the VC, and the additional clutch use/wear due to the additional shifts required to get the 9.8%, the result was "inadvertent", unforeseeable, premature transaxle failures in our AWD RX300s? Has anyone yet seen, looked over, the PTO case in the new RX350? Additional cooling vanes, maybe? Or did the adoption of DBW in the RX330 solve the ATF "problem" and leaving out the VC turned out to be needless?

The RX400h and HH have several custom setup parameters which owners should be aware. The A/C compressor can be disabled indefinitely so it does not operate automatically in normal automatic mode or in defrost/defog/demist mode. With these settings the A/C can be turned off manually and will remain off indefinitely until it is manually turned back on. Once turned on it will operate continuously just as it otherwise would. As shipped the A/C will also operate automatically with the defrost/defog/demist function with no indication to the driver of same. Operation of the A/C during the winter months is needless except for the remote possibility of it being able to dehumidify the incoming airflow to a level which prevents windshield fogging. Since most occasions of windshield fogging is the result of system "upset" (loading a couple of cold, wet, and sweaty snow-skiiers with their soaked clothing, etc.) or in many cases the result of A/C operation being discontinued due to declining OAT. Intermittent use of the A/C only during defrost/defog/demist mode is a catch 22 of itself. In the rare case wherein the incoming air's dewpoint is such that the A/C can provide a reasonable level of dehumidification when the normal operation mode is resumed the A/C operation will stop. That will result in all of the previously condensed moisture remaining on the evaporator vanes to evaporate into the incoming airstream often resulting ain a reoccurance of windshiedl fogging. Another new feature is that the dealer can change a custom setting wherein the system will not automatically switch from footwell, heating mode, to dash/panel outflow, cooling mode(***). The cabin temperature control only responds to air temperature or thye sun's radiant heating effects. The human comfort equation is much more complex than can be rsolved by just those two parameters. The effects of radiant heating (or lack thereof) from the exterior and interior "landscape" surrounding your body also play a very great part in establishing human comfort. On a cold dark night with the landscape covered with snow the system, driven only by its measurement of interior, cabin air temperature, will almost always shift, first, into mixed footwell/dash outlet mode, and then into full cooling mode, dash airflow outflow mode, once the cabin temperature closely approximates your manual temperature setpoint. As many of you have already no doubt noticed, that can be quite discomforting to you and your passengers. But there is yet another important aspect of this feature, heating/cooling mode parameter setting. In full cooling mode, which the system would otherwise almost always default into as the cabin temperature reaches your setpoint, no warming airflow reaches the interior surface of the windshield. It can become extremely dangerous to allow the windshield interior surface temperature to decline due to the onrushing COLD outside airflow during wintertime operations. Keeping the system in footwell, heating mode will result in a significant level of airflow being continuously routed to the windshield thereby keeping it well above the dewpoint of the cabin atmosphere. You may note that in your owners manual is a new (as of 04?) note of caution. Since the A/C will shut down automatically if the outside temperature should decline to or below the freezing level the newer Denso climate control systems will automatically switch a portion the system outflow to the interior surface of the windshield just as the A/C is disable. A bit of shutting the barn door after the horse has galloped off down the road, that is. Or actually it can be very much worse. When the A/C is disabled in thsi manner any previously condensed moisture remaining on the evaporator vanes, 10,000 square inches thereof, will begin to evaporator into the incoming airstream. Absent your having had the dealer make the parameter change from the factory default the windshield interior surface may very well have already been chilled to well below the dewpoint of the super-saturated airstream now routed, automatically, in its direction. But never fear, there is yet another parameter that the dealer can set for you that will help to defog/demist the windshield. The dealer can set a custom parameter which will cause the blower speed to automatically increase when you select the defrost/defog/demist mode. Now if we could just get them to recognize that the airflow heating level to the windshield should also go up simultaneously................. *** I would be very interested in the results if anyone choses to have this parameter set to prevent an automatic switch to cooling mode. I assume one can still manually switch to cooling mode. My question is does it operate in the same way as the A/C disable custom parameter? If I manually switch to cooling mode will it thereafter automatically switch back and forth as it otherwise would until I manually turn cooling off?

I am very interested........... Do you know if it has the memory feature??? Which my car needs... Thanks Mark The 2004 d/s mirror just arived, it is black, and the connector has 14 wires. You started out by saying that only the mirror was broken, are you aware that the mirror is removable/replaceable from the rest of the assembly? Do you know how to remove my broken mirror and replace it using the glass part from your Mirror??? Thanks Mark Not at this exact moment but I do have the Lexus shop manuals for the RX330 so I can look. I'll do that on Monday. Okay, I have separated the mirror from the assembly and it does have two connections, one for heating and one for autodim. If you want to call me I can walk you through the procedure to remove your broken one.

Not out to make a fortune and I try not to "tinker" beyond my own inate intelligent level and/or knowledge.

Were I to buy an RX400h.... I might buy a small single wheel, swivel wheel trailer onto which I would mount one of the new inverter style gensets so the hybrid batteries could be continually recharged via a small highly efficient method. Overcome the need to "fire up" the HUGE 3.3L ICE simply to provide ~5000 watts of battery charge capability. Mill the heads of the 3.3L to increase the compression ratio to ~13:1 and install a custom ground intake camshaft to provide an Atkinson cycle mode. ICE output HP would decrease substantially but would I care? Find a method of simulating front wheelspin/slip each time the accelerator pedal is depressed or further depressed so the MGR, rear motor, would provide its maximum level of torque. Use the same method anytime the accelerator pedal is returned to idle, fully released, position so the primary source of coastdown braking would be via regenerative braking at the rear.