wwest

Put the original rack back...??

Tune-ups went the way of the do-do bird. At 97k, even changing the spark plugs might be a waste of time. Check the specific gravity and Ph of the antifreeze and the transmission fluid for a burned odor or look.

bradzap.......of Michigan. You might want to make sure you get an RX300 of a late enough MY that has some of the needed/desireable, in your COLD winter area, C-best setup options. The Lexus automatic climate control system has some VERY serious design flaws. Flaws which were pointed out to them as early as 93 or before but which they chose to ignore until the 01 RX300 hit the market. And even today they are still experimenting with further improvements. With the 01 RX300 you can have the dealer set c-best options such that the A/C compressor does not automatically operate in the system's fully automatic mode. The dealer can also set the system such that the A/C does not automatically operate in defrost/defog/demist mode. On the 04 RX and later MY another important c-best option has been added. The system can be "set" such that the cabin warms toward and/or to the temperature setpoint the system remains in the footwell airflow outlet mode. This can be extremely important since it is only in the footwell more taht the interior surface of the windshield is kept reasonably warmed. If you allow the system to operate normally, switching to mixed or dash airflow outlets as the cabin temperature acclimates to your setpoint, ABSOLUTELY no system airflow will reach the windshield and therefore it becomes highly likely that it's surface temperature will decline to the atmospheric dewpoint and it will begin to fog over. But, even ignoring the hazardous nature of the flawed climate control system. it's pretty discomforting to the front seat passengers to sit in an onrush of cool dry airflow when the radiant temperatures of the outside surrounding landscape is low enough to be chilling to the human metabolism.

And if you buy into the above you are some one who needs to stay away from RXes entirely. The Letter I got from Lexus says nothing about oil changes or lack thereof being responsible for the gelling problem but it does say that a design change was made for subsequently manufactured engines to prevent the gelling problem. Neither Toyota nor Lexus has ever indicated that anything more than the factory recommended 7500 miles oil change interval need be used. The dealers though, are an entirely different issue, they want ALL of your money they can get, they'd be very glad to promote oil changes every 1000 miles if they thought it would "fly". But regretably I must somewhat agree with the transmission fluid change out issue, but more like a 40,000 mile interval and then only if the fluid looks and/or smells slightly burned. As far as I can determine (numerous letters/ inquiries/responses to/from customer_satisfaction_inquiries@Lexus.com) Lexus is still standing by their recommendation that the factory installed transmssion fluid is good for the life of the vehicle. At this point I very strongly suspect that the short, 40k miles, transmission fluid life some of us are experiencing has to do with the primary component of the AWD system, the virtually useless VC, Viscous clutch/coupling. The amount of heat the VC generates is a function of how much or how often the front wheels turn at a different rate than the rear, tire chains on the front and not the rear just as Toyota and Lexus both mistakenly recommend, for instance. But then the proper procedure, tire chains ONLY on the rear might still result in the VC causing over-heating of the transmission fluid.

The LS400 has NEVER had positraction nor an LSD. The early ones had Trac as an option but all that would do is apply the brakes to both rear wheels simultaneously to prevent wheelspin and it would also instantly dethrottle the engine at the first instant of wheelspin.

If you have an 01 or later you could probably have someone remove the useless VC, which I strongly suspect is generating the extra heat which is then frying the transmission. In the 01 and after the Trac system intervenes with wheelspin long before the VC can react and "stiffen" even if it were properly designed to do so. The front and rear final drive ratios are different, 2.92 vs ~3.12 resulting in the spider gears within the center differential continously spinning against the VC action. VC is therefore continually heating the transmission fluid.

Lexus of Memphis quoted me $800, but it was the PS pump leaking slightly at the pressure relief spring end and they wanted to replace the pump.

If you look under your car near the stearing gear you will notice a gas charged shock absorber mounted horizontally. It may be that, like all shocks, the valving in this one has failed and is having the effect you describe. I removed mine right after I bought the car new in 91 so I would get more road "feel".

On ebay you can buy complete street light assemblies with clear lens, for about $25/pair. I put amber leds in the front and red leds in the rear. Be aware that most Ebay vendors are not aware that the same assembly fits both front and rear, at least on my 01 RX300. Leds generate very little heat for the amount of light you get, and require a lot less current flow, therefore contacts last a whole lot longer. I have neevr experienced water inside any of my Lexus street/parking lights though.

First of all.... OIL does NOT wear out! Neither engine lubricating oil nor transmission hydraulic fluid. The primary reason you change your engine lubricating oil is because it becomes contaminated by the by-products of combustion. Before changing my engine oil I run the car to the point where it is up to temperature. That allows the oil to pick up and hold in suspension most of the particles that have settled into the sump. Engine oil can, and often is, recycled many times and reused. Most dealers, even Lexus, buy recycled engine oil in bulk in order to cut costs. Transmission oil is more in the nature of hydraulic fluid than it is for lubrication. Transmission fluid is formulated specifically to allow particles to settle out of the oil and into the sump, as it would be detrimental to the long term reliability for it to hold then in suspension. For the person who had a filter clogged with metalic particlles my guess would be that you are looking at more problems soon down the road. The primary source of debris of this type is the result of wearing of the clutches and bands, material very much like that of your brake pads. I can't even estimate how many miles I have driven since 1961 without ever having changed or flushed transmission fluid absent work on the transmissions. Work that was mostly overhauls at 100K plus.

MY 01 AWD RX300 hasn't "failed" but I have become very suspicious of the fact that at 38K the fluid looks slightly burned and has a burned odor about it. I have started to wonder if the VC, Viscous clutch, is at the heart of the long term (58k is the earliest I have heard about) failure problem. Lexus has no documented recommedation for scheduled fluid changes for the life of the vehicle. Mine has the tow package, extra fluid cooling heat exhanger, and the hitch was removed the week I purchased it. The extra heat contribution of the VC was not accounted for in the design phase? Or maybe the transmission has just started, not quite there yet, to shift back down into a higher torque gear just as the engine ramps up as a result of sudden WOT? I have the definite sense that the transmission in my 01 shifts into neutral, or a higher gear than would otherwise be normal, during coastdown and just before coming to a full stop. My previous experience is that normally just as I come to a stop the transmission would shift into first gear, and thus be prepared for sudden acceleration if I wish. Is this perhaps why the newer e-throttle vehicles delay reacting to WOT, 2-3 second hesitation, to give the transmission enough time to shift into the appropreate low gear and enough time for the transmission bands and clutch to fully engage/seat?

"b" is a puzzle since the Lexus HIDs do not "level" above about 15MPH.

Pre-reading the owners manual. Generally I go to the Lexus dealer and ask to borrow one, make myself comfortable with a Latte in the lounge....... 267 pages later... At other brand dealers I often just order the owners manual, usually about $20. If, on reading the owners manual, I decide to go forward with a possible purchase then I often buy the shop manuals. I have also learned, lately, that if you can obtain a complete list of the C-best options those can be very helpful. Don't know what BMW calls "theirs" but they are much more comprehensive, all encompassing, than Lexus. Before spending ~$40,000+ I like to know just what I'm buying.

Yes, off of Ebay.com

"Disconnect the battery........" NO! NEVER! NOT! With the battery disconnected with the engine running the alternator voltage output may be so excessive that some of the electronic components may vaporize...REALLY. The battery "load" charged or not, is a part of the design parameters of the alternator battery charging control circuitry. Additionally, checking the battery voltage, within a certain range, is somewhat meaningless. The charging circuits are designed to provide a different battery voltage charge level as a function of prevalent ambiant temperature. Battery charging voltage will typcially be higher, ~2 volts, during cold weather than in summer. Anytime you suspect battery problems the very first thing to do is remove the connections from the battery posts, clean and burnish, w/wire brush, the posts and the connection surfaces, reinstall and carefully tighten.

Without knowing what the engine output is sans any intake filter at all, and with an OEM filter, these comparisons seem meaningless. "BHP Gains..." Without a baseline, dyno measurement as delivered, OEM filter and all, how can these numbers be considered valid?? Porsche engines are dynoed at the factory and if the output doesn't fall within +/- 10% then the engine is torn down.

"Never had any problems......" Did you learn that by "listening" to the engine ECU?? I don't know of any other way to tell if the intake sensors are providing misinformation to the engine ECU. The downstream oxygen sensor is correcting the mixture via "burn" information. Look at all the folks that are selling simple and inexpensive "chip" add-ons to increase HP. All their mod does is lie to the engine ECU during WOT operations about the temperature of the incoming airflow. A continuous "lie" would be adjusted out automatically due to the mixture correction feedback from the downstream oxygen sensor.

I'll bet K&N has a huge vacuum to provide continuous high velocity airflow to "vacuum" excess oil from their filters before they package them. And don't forget, it the oil that traps the particles, the particles that the filter's pores are too large to catch, that might otherwise do damage to your engine. Too much oil, or not enough.... All for about a 3 to 5% engine performance improvement, and that only at WOT and max, top end, engine RPM. But then you do get lots of engine intake ROAR, thrown in for FREE!

If you like replacing and/or cleaning the oil residue from the downstream intake sensor, airflow velocity sensor, the "hot wire" mass airflow sensor, and the intake airflow temperature sensor each and every time you re-oil the K&N, then by all means, GO FOR IT!

Flush the brake system but be sure the bleed valves at the ABS pumpmotor assembly and the accumulators are opened along with the ones at the calipers. If you notice its the tenth application of the brake after a start that turns the trac light on.

The IAT sensor, behind the little "window" above your right knee, is open, the climate control ECU therefore thinks the cabin is COLD and needs to be warmed. Setting the temperature to max cool or max hot overrides all sensor inputs.

Strange.... I know of at least three LS400s, two 92s and a 95, all with over 100k miles, that have never had anything but DIY maintenance, NON-SEVERE schedule, oil & filters, and are still running like a Lexus. Most DIY'ers are more skilled, and absolutely more conscientous (their own car ) than the McD university gratuate gofers that Lexus uses for routine maintenance procedures.

Much more likely some Lexus gofer, graduate from McD university, drained the transmission fluid and then forgot to add some back in.

Print the page and take it with you to the dealer... http://www.airsept.com/eed.html

The are as many as three sensors in the intake path for most Lexus vehicles. 1. A thermistor to measure the temperature of the incoming airflow. 2. An airflow velocity sensor. 3 A "hot wire" type mass air flow sensor to sense the volume of fresh air and compensate for the humidity component, RH. The velocity sensor is probably the most sensitive to contamination from oil wicking off the K&N, it is very small, thin, and light weight to insure that it can detect even the lowest inflow velocities. So even a slight oil film will throw off the velocity readings. Over time the thermistor will also become coated and now its response time to inflow temperature change will be extended. The "hot wire" MAFS is the least likely to become contaminated since it is always operated at a fairly high temperature, it typcally glows red due to being electrically heated. If I were going to use anything like this I would first put it inline with the high velocity flow of a home vacuum cleaner to be sure all of the oil easily wicked away has alread done that before I install it. OEM filters are about 90% efficient at max RPM and WOT. These aftermarket filters claim to be 200% more efficient than the OEM versions. 200% of what? Since I only have 10% loss of efficiency in the intake airflow they must mean they're overcoming that 10% loss. All of it? Not likely. So let's give them 5% With the OEM filter I get 300HP and with K&N I get 315HP! Gee. And a screwed up intake fuel ratio mapping system.