wwest

Back in 91 when I was car shopping at Lexus I lucked out, sorta. One of the cars I test drove, an LS, had all-season radial tires. By pure happenstance the next inline LS I drove had a set of "summer only" tires. The LS is extremely quiet otherwise so the tire noise difference was VERY noticeable. I ended up buying the one with all-seasons but the dealer was kind enough to swap in the summer only tires from the QUIETER LS. Since that time I have ALWAYS shopped ONLY for summer tires, PERIOD. Even my '01 AWD RX300 has nice comfortably riding, and QUIET, summer only Bridgestone Turanzas which are kept on all year around. I always resort to tire chains, REAR tire chains, QUICKLY, at times of need for more traction.

Since the japanese implemention of fog lights is not only USELESS, but detrimental to your forward vision at the times, restrictive times, that they can be, by design, be turned on, why do you even care...?? Your Lexus fog lights will operate ONLY when the low beams are also on and therefore you may not be able to see, other than the detrimental(***) effects, that they are actually illuminated. Fog light assemblies, lens, reflectors, etc, are specifically designed to provide a "close in", low and wide, beam pattern. As you may have noticed with your dome light on at night, or the instrument panel TOO bright, your eyes adjust to "filter out" some of that close in lighting and therefore fog lights when combined with low beams are somewhat detrimental to good forward vision at night.

I don't think we'll see a 7 seater RX before the Lexus HSD version of the RAV4 becomes available. And when the 7 seat RX does become available the only avaialbe body size will be equivalent to the HH with a third seat optional. Maybe just wishfull thinking but with gas prices still headed north a Lexus HSD ~2.3L I4 version of the RAV4 would be HOT...!! Where do I send my deposit..??

"check the brakes.." Absent a specific owner complaint it would take an idiot to expend the shop labor time to inspect the brakes at only 5,000 miles. Considering the expertise (McD "flipper" graduates) the dealer uses for these FREE ROUTINE maintainance tasks you should consider yourself lucky the wheels/tires weren't rotated and then one fell off as you drove away.

Dealer tricks....INDEED...!!!The more important one is that you have now been CONNED into believing you need to have your car serviced every 5,000 miles even though the factory says otherwise. According to Porsche the oil/filter change for my '01 911/996 is at 15,000 miles. FREE 5,000 mile service...?? Were I the service manager I would wipe the oil filter clean and call it a GOOD day. Always, ALWAYS, look a gift horse in the mouth...!!

Fog light lens and reflectors are specifically designed to provide a LOW and WIDE, "close in", forward light pattern. They will generally do more to negate a portion of your forward vision rather than be of help in the situation you describe. If it's the fog light "pattern" that's being reflected from the deer's eyes you are already TOO close to stop.

...

The wiring modification to allow the fog lights to be turned on without headlights is fairly simple for the early LS and the RX300.

Oh, lets not forget that your RX400h engine is already derated via factory "tuning" (de-tuning..??) and therefore NEVER reaches its full potential for HP/torque to begin with. That may mean the engine never breathes heavy enough to take advantage of ANY free-flow aftermarket intake air filter.

Okay, first of all, and I think all would agree, the only advantage for any "free-flow" intake air filter occurs ONLY at WOT and fairly high engine RPM, LOADED engine RPM. Otherwise the throttle plate itself is the major obstruction to HIGH VOLUME intake airflow. So. If a free-flow intake air filter is so desireable why hasn't someone designed an intake bypass that opens an intake path around the filter with WOT...?? You would then have the advantages, long engine life, of the OEM filter but still have that extra 5-10 HP (whatever, at least the THRILL of the intake noise/sounds) with WOT. I rather doubt that street use of any vehicle would allow enough WOT, filter bypass, to compromise the engine life.

Your transmission cannot have a "true" OD absent the engagement of the lockup clutch to take the torque converter "out" of the drivetrain. In 93 the LU was only used in OD so the slipping is not due to that. "the RPM drops..." That would seemingly indicate that the engine is "loaded" beyond its capability to produce enough torque to accelerate. I would first check/inspect the fuel supply, pump, pressure, etc. "1 to 2,..." Check the ATF level/condition.

So, you're out to impress oncoming drivers, drivers who you will undoubtedly never know or meet. May I ask why..??

If you drive aggressively anyway then yes, the PWR mode will yeild improved FE.

Or you could subscribe to techinfo.toyota.com

For me, using Amsoil would be like adding another UNKNOWN to the overall transaxle failure equation. And I don't doubt that any resulting failures, in the normal sense, would be so far out in mileage as to not be worthy of note. But this is not the "normal" sense/case, there is already something wrong with these transaxles.....

It usually feels stiff about every quarter turn of the steering wheel. If I didn't know any better, I would think the tires were severely low on air pressure. If feels a little stiffer when turning to the right versus the left. It doesn't matter if I'm moving or sitting still. Would a CV joint cause this even when not moving? Worse in tight, TIGHT, slow turns..??? If so, CV..

Sounds as if you're describing a failed or failing CV joint. Is the problem worse the tighter you turn...? Otherwise it may be a bad rack and pinion.

It is not a poor design but a very poor maintenance spec on that transaxle. Telling people they don't need fluid chenges until 100k is ridiculous. T-IV fluid is simply not robust enough to go past 30-50,000 miles before it starts breaking down and causing accelerated wear on the clutches and TC. If you simply did one complete fluid exchange at 30,000 to get all the break-in debris out of the unit and then simple drains every 30k you most likely will get full service life out of the transaxle. That is the schedule I use for mine and it is at 140,000 and still shifts like new. Shame on Toyota for that service schedule or not developing a synthetic ATF that will go the distance with a real filtration system versus a screen. When mine failed the tranny fluid had been changed three times, every 30k miles. So your implication of poor maintenance doesnt fly. It has more to do with a bad design and the type of driving you do. My wife has a terrible commute going through city streets no more than 50 mph and less. The tranny is constantly searching for overdrive (by design) and I would consider city driving as severe condition when it comes to this crappy design with a cooler that is mounted in the wheel well with no access to good air flow. I agree totally that the fluid is substandard, and plan a change to AMsoil when I get my hands on some. I have already added a transmission filter (PH8) size andthat adds about 3/4 qts to the total capacity. I have 50k miles on my second/third tranny with no issues. I change the fluid every 10k miles. As for filtration none of the Japanese trannys have it. The burnt smell in my fluid at 30k miles tells me that the fluid is not keeping cool, another of my future projects is to add a fan or move the stupid cooler to the front of the radiator area so it gets some air. As it is now the air flow is blocked by the windshield washer bottle. I have probably spent more time maintaining this car than most people do and the failure of the tranny is my most irritating thing, and then Lexus of Roseville screwed it up when I took it in for the repair. I have a friend that has the exact same car same year and AWD and their tranny went 176k before the failure with minimum maintenance. However her commute was all highway with speeds above 50 mph the whole distance. I attribute the longevity to the lack of the tranny constantly in overdrive and not searching. I have instructed my wife to turn overdrive off while commuting to stop this rediculous design. Toyota in their search for fuel economy did a bad job by design. This is also basically a Camry tranny stuck in a vehicle that weights a whole lot more and add AWD and the load on it is tremendous. Lexus Sucks big time for not doing a recall or fix. At least Honda/Accura did on their MDX and Oddessy. I am going to monitor the tranny temp soon when I get my Scanguage and see what it really is doing. I will post with results. I'm not altogether sure that additional ATF cooling capability is a solution. It is my belief that the ATF overheating is somewhat localized, specifically the ATF gear type oil pump is overheating, and by the time the heated volume remixes with the "mass" in the sump the overall average is within the norm. Does anyone know if a thermostat is involved in controlling the flow to the external cooling system..?? And I have not enough information to make such a judgment call, viscosity, etc, I would NEVER substitute a third party ATF brand/type for whatever the manufacturer recommends. I was just saying the filter being very large added some fluid, not intentially. West I am going to monitor the tranny temp when I get my Scan guage. As for the third party AMSOIL, it has been used by many with great success. The only other fluid is the Mobil 3309 which I believe they are the manufacturer of the Toyota Type IV from what I understand. Same fluid. Just because the manufacturer is the same doesn't mean the same formulation/"recipe" is used. I'm willing to bet that if I went to Mobil with a big enough order and a surety bond they would "manufacture" oil for me any damn way I wanted.

Welcome to LOC.....do you have any maintenance history on the car? IE: when was the last major tune up, tranny flush etc? What is your current mileage? Check the fuel pump/pressure.....

Search: egr pipe That would be more effective if there wasnt a 3-letter limitation in the searchbox! Anyways. For my 91, I was quoted the following: EGR pipe 25601-50010---$132.66 Gasket 25634-50010---$4.07 Gasket 25628-50010---$0.91 ..from this site: http://parts.irontoad.com/l_ord.htm So the pipe and two gaskets, one where it attaches to the intake manifold and one where it attaches to the exhaust pipe. From my labor and personal experience attempting the fix, it is a very intensive repair. Lexus usually drops the transmission to get to the pipe, yet some have done it themselves. I personally cannot see how it is possible without dropping the transmission. Thats why the cost from lexus is so high, its 8 or so hours of labor, plus parts. For the vibration, if its simply a vibration, without the engine running rough or acting strangely, I would look into motor/transmission mounts first. As for the acceleration, due to gearing it is fairly slow off the line, but the torque really hits as the rpms get higher, hence the delay. If it is an abnormal slowness for you, check the catalytic converters. If they are clogged, that would cause poor low-end power. It was exceedingly easy to replace the EGR pipe on our '95 LS400 without dropping the engine or transmission.

Search: egr pipe I had the same problem with the egr pipe, all I did was break the pipe off, and took the ends that bolt onto the intake manifold & right exhaust manifold & had them capped off at a muffler shop threw them back on & runs fine I used a bench vise to bend them over and a then hammer to beat the ends shut.

Why not put the MY and mileage in the post so we might be able to make a more educated guess...?? Lots of miles, >125,000, might mean the lockup clutch has gone TU. But yes, the O2 sensor might be "in play" here. Your engine, with an O2 "fault" may not be able to provide the low RPM torque level REQUIRED to run in OD. Code 63 is "pointing" to ONLY the POSSIBILITY that the #2 solenoid has/is failing. The diagnostic has discovered that the torque converter is still operating, not locked, even with the solenoid energized and that might be the solenoid or it might be a slipping lock up clutch. I would fix the O2 problem indication first, and I do not mean change the O2 sensor, although in the end that might be the core problem.

It doesn't make it louder does it? The last thing I want is for this great car to be loud! Did you take off the second air filter as NeoN suggested? Rey Other than LOUDER is there another "advantage" to one of these aftermarket "free-flow" engine intake filters..??

It is not a poor design but a very poor maintenance spec on that transaxle. Telling people they don't need fluid chenges until 100k is ridiculous. T-IV fluid is simply not robust enough to go past 30-50,000 miles before it starts breaking down and causing accelerated wear on the clutches and TC. If you simply did one complete fluid exchange at 30,000 to get all the break-in debris out of the unit and then simple drains every 30k you most likely will get full service life out of the transaxle. That is the schedule I use for mine and it is at 140,000 and still shifts like new. Shame on Toyota for that service schedule or not developing a synthetic ATF that will go the distance with a real filtration system versus a screen. When mine failed the tranny fluid had been changed three times, every 30k miles. So your implication of poor maintenance doesnt fly. It has more to do with a bad design and the type of driving you do. My wife has a terrible commute going through city streets no more than 50 mph and less. The tranny is constantly searching for overdrive (by design) and I would consider city driving as severe condition when it comes to this crappy design with a cooler that is mounted in the wheel well with no access to good air flow. I agree totally that the fluid is substandard, and plan a change to AMsoil when I get my hands on some. I have already added a transmission filter (PH8) size andthat adds about 3/4 qts to the total capacity. I have 50k miles on my second/third tranny with no issues. I change the fluid every 10k miles. As for filtration none of the Japanese trannys have it. The burnt smell in my fluid at 30k miles tells me that the fluid is not keeping cool, another of my future projects is to add a fan or move the stupid cooler to the front of the radiator area so it gets some air. As it is now the air flow is blocked by the windshield washer bottle. I have probably spent more time maintaining this car than most people do and the failure of the tranny is my most irritating thing, and then Lexus of Roseville screwed it up when I took it in for the repair. I have a friend that has the exact same car same year and AWD and their tranny went 176k before the failure with minimum maintenance. However her commute was all highway with speeds above 50 mph the whole distance. I attribute the longevity to the lack of the tranny constantly in overdrive and not searching. I have instructed my wife to turn overdrive off while commuting to stop this rediculous design. Toyota in their search for fuel economy did a bad job by design. This is also basically a Camry tranny stuck in a vehicle that weights a whole lot more and add AWD and the load on it is tremendous. Lexus Sucks big time for not doing a recall or fix. At least Honda/Accura did on their MDX and Oddessy. I am going to monitor the tranny temp soon when I get my Scanguage and see what it really is doing. I will post with results. I'm not altogether sure that additional ATF cooling capability is a solution. It is my belief that the ATF overheating is somewhat localized, specifically the ATF gear type oil pump is overheating, and by the time the heated volume remixes with the "mass" in the sump the overall average is within the norm. Does anyone know if a thermostat is involved in controlling the flow to the external cooling system..?? And I have not enough information to make such a judgment call, viscosity, etc, I would NEVER substitute a third party ATF brand/type for whatever the manufacturer recommends.

The most common reason for a blinking A/C light would be because the A/C compressor is not turning at a rate cognizant with the engine RPM. That could be the result of a loose or worn drive belt, a slipping A/C compressor clutch, or even an A/C compressor clutch that isn't engaging at all due to a failed relay or blown fuse. Now that you're "armed", aftermarket, NEVER dealer for A/C work.