monarch

Pull out the transmission oil dipstick. The type of fluid to use is engraved on the lower 1/3rd of the dipstick, If the dipstick says "Dexron" then buy Toyota Automatic Transmission fluid from the Toyota dealer. If the dipstick says "Type T" then buy Toyota Type T-IV fluid from the Toyota dealer

What would really help is a photo or two. Like many others, I'm waiting patiently (2 years and counting) for someone to post a photo(s) of how they removed the solenoid. There's so much that can go wrong when attempting removal and so much at stake (a $2,000 steering rack) that I'm not willing to chance it until I see a photo showing exactly what needs to be done to remove the solenoid.

Your car didn't squeek in reverse when you're car was newer and before the factory original brake system parts had ever been touched. Therefore, fixing the squeek will likely involve tracking down what other parts besides the pads in the system need to be restored to factory original condition or adjustment specs.

Auto parts store thermostat = 195 degrees = accelerated wear of your motor, it's gaskets and various components under the hood. Toyota OEM thermostat = 180 degrees.

If you want to convince alot of people here that your low mileage 2002 RX300 engine is dirty inside and that an oil additive like Auto-Rx can clean it up then you're welcome to post photos of your engine with the valve cover removed before and after the $75.00 Auto-Rx treatment. Meanwhile, did you see what mek88 (Post #17) wrote today in another thread ? He wrote: "Mine is a 99 RX300 AWD @ 136K-miles with original engine & original tranny. I always use mobil-1-5w30 every 5K, and toyota type-IV-ATF every-15K." 136,000 troublefree miles without using engine or transmission additives.

Depends on the automotive knowledge level of the buyer you find. A knowledgeable buyer might think the "new" engine is a negative for two reasons: 1. The sludge is proof the owner(s) of your car didn't change the oil at least every 6 months of 5,000 miles without fail. So if oil changes were neglected, that raises a red flag that other required preventive maintenance services were delayed / neglected as well. 2. Your "new" engine really isn't new. It's a rebuilt engine. Rebuild by an American rebuilder which likely means it doesn't have the full reliability or durability potential of the factory original engine. On the other hand, a naive buyer may think your "new" engine is truly factory new from Japan and makes the vehicle worth a couple extra thousand dollars.

The transmission shifting is controlled electronically via electronic shift control solenoids and various sensors like the coolant temperature sensor. The transmission electronics also store trouble codes. Therefore you need to have a Toyota / Lexus dealer or Toyota / Lexus specialty shop read the trouble codes and tell you what's wrong. Probably just a minor sensor issue or might be a bad solenoid.

Look at the claims the Auto-Rx company makes for their product if you use it in an automatic transmission: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/auto-rx.jpg *Prevent or delay costly transmission repairs *Dramatically increase the life of your transmission *Reduce or stop transmission oil seal leaks (unless seals are torn or damaged) *Prolong the life of your transmission fluid by keeping it cleaner for longer periods of time *Decrease the temperatures at which your transmission runs *Get more miles to the gallon

There are hundreds of owners of 1997 on up Toyota / Lexus 1MZ-FE V6 owners who have topped the 300,000 mile mark without using special motor oils or oil additives. Here's an example of one such owner: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/320.jpg "I bought my Camry in February 1999...it currently has 320,000 miles on it....in spite of that many miles in a fairly short period of time (6 years) the car continues to run like a top....."

The Asian automaker engineers specifically advise against using oil and gasoline additives. They know, as I do, what Toyota engines are capable of WITHOUT using additives: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/add.jpg

Auto-Rx is a mail order product just like the products you see advertized on TV at 2:00 am in the morning. Here's what the insides of a 17 year old Corolla engine look like that received regular oil changes: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/cor.jpg There's a 99% chance the motor in your young RX300 motor is just as clean. Like I said, if you are truly, genuinely concerned about the cleaniliness of your engine then for $80 a mechanic can take off one of the valve covers so you can see for yourself.

Search the forum archives. Out of 1000+ members with the '97-'02 1MZ-FE engine, only a handful have had engine sludge problems and all of them (or the former owners) failed to change the oil at least every 6 months or 5000 miles. In other words, additives and special oils are not needed to keep the 1MZ-FE engine clean inside. If you want real peace of mind, pay a mechanic $80 to remove one of your valve covers so you can see for yourself how clean your engine is inside and why there's nothing that needs to be cleaned up. Same thing with your transmission. Have a shop remove the transmission oil pan so you can see for yourself for yourself just how clean your transmission is inside and why there's nothing that needs to be cleaned up.

I agree with you that out where you are, in the Midwest, people drive relatively calmly and courteously, but the opposite is true in California. Especially on the Los Angeles freeways. LA is the biggest market in the USA for Japanese luxury cars.

The drivetrain of the LS400 is just like any other Toyota with an average life expectancy of 150,000 - 250,000 miles if driven hurriedly and gets just an average level of preventive maintenance. 500,000 miles or more is possible if the car is driven calmly and receives extra frequent preventive maintenance using genuine Toyota / Lexus parts, filter and fluids. These figures assume the car has been purchased brand new. Nearly all the used LS400's on the market have already have seen enough aggressive driving and spotty preventive maintenance to shave a few hundred thousand miles off their ultimate drivetrain life potential.

Toyota has an ongoing TSB that applies to all models and all model years that recommends running the AC compressor a minimum of 30 seconds once a month trhoughout the year (and preferably 5 minutes or more once a week) This is necessary to keep the compressor properly lubricated and to prevent the system seals from deteriorating. Owners who don't follow these rules risk premature compressor failure and loss of refrigerant due to leaks. I followed the rules and have been rewarded with 469,000 miles of troublefree AC system performance (on my '92 Toyota pickup)

Since the engine will run briefly with starting fluid, the ignition system is probably fine. To verify whether or not gasoline is reaching the engine compartment, an old trick is to loosen the metal fuel line connection at the cold start injector very slightly and then crank the engine with the starter for a second or two to see if fuel leaks / sprays out into the engine compartment. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand just in case of an emergency,Alternatively, you could drain the old, stale gas (a drain plug should be at the bottom of thetank) and then unscrew and pull out the fuel pump assembly to check for a clogged fuel pump pre-filter. This pre filter is called a filter "sock" and it filters fuel before it enters the fuel pump.

5W-30 is the thinnest oil Toyota recommends in the USA / Canada. Toyota also sternly warns against extending oil changes even if using synthetic oil. Why? One reason may be Toyota knows emissions will go up and fuel economy will go down if oil changes are extended. Here's what Valvoline's website says: http://tinyurl.com/rgguv "there are still many benefits to changing your oil every 3,000 miles. For starters, the emission of dangerous pollutants like hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide increase as oil ages. In other words, old oil increases air pollution. Further, cars that have been subjected to extended drain intervals may continue to emit higher levels of pollution even after they adopt a more conservative maintenance schedule. Fuel consumption also increases as oil gets old, and vehicles may continue to burn higher quantities of fuel even after the oil is changed."

My 15 & 17 year old Toyotas came from the factory with Toyota Red Long Life Coolant. Toyota begin using this new coolant in it's new cars in 1987 - many years before silicate free, hybrid organic acid antifreezes were available in auto parts stores. In fact, nothing identical to Toyota antifreeze is even available today in auto parts stores. Here are photos of my 17 year old Toyota taken in the summer of 2005: (car was mfgr'd in Dec. 1988) http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/89hous.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/rad89.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/89.jpg Here's a typical Toyota cooling system after 15 years of being filled with mainly auto part store antifreeze: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/camry.jpg

Far from being a fragile engine, the 3VZ-E V6 has proven itself capable of withstanding this kind of torture:L http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/toys.jpg

The cooling system hoses of my 15 year old Toyota pickup with 469,000 miles are still in good condition. So are the hoses on my 17 year old Toyota Corolla with 248,000 miles. I don't think high mileage causes advanced hose deterioration assuming the engine is never allowed to run hot for extended periods. The proven ways to prevent a Toyota engine from ever running hot as the years and miles pile up are: 1. Keep the inside the the radiator clean by using 50% Toyota Long Life antifreeze and 50% distilled water. 2. Keep the outside of the radiator clean by removing it every 5-10 years and cleaning out the bugs and dust using a garden hose and some detergent if necessary. Clean the AC condenser at the same time and in the same way. 3. Replace the cooling system thermostat every 5-10 years using a genuine Toyota thermostat and thermostat gasket. 4. Keep the engine tuned up properly using genuine Toyota parts (spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, ignition coils, etc.) 5. Replace / clean emission system componets as necessary to keep engine running at peak efficiency.

Camlex, the cooling system consists of numerous coolant hoses and some are buried underneath the dashboard. Owners tend to think the most important hoses to replace the largest, most visible hoses = the radiator hoses. But long time Toyota mechanics and vintage Toyota enthusiasts like myself have found the radiator hoses are actually the most durable hoses of the cooling system and last a minimum of 20 years and more usually 25+ years because the grade of rubber Toyota uses is far superior to what's available in an auto parts store. The hoses so keep an eye on after 15-25 years are the smaller hoses like the heater hoses. The hoses most prone to developing leaks are even smaller hoses - like those associated with the throttle body. The bottom line is the average Toyota owner need not be concerned about hoses until the car is at least 15 years old or unless there is an unexplained slow loss of coolant. If the latter the leak is likely to be no more than a tiny seepage leak from a small throttle body type hose. Auto parts store hoses are a double downgrade for two reasons: their made of inferior rubber and rubber that is not metric in size for a perfect fit. With regard to Evans Coolant, this is another heavily advertized aftermarket product just like Redline Water. On a Toyota pickup formun a 24 year old owner tried it and his cylinder head gasket failed within weeks. Needless to say after that $1000.00 repair he went back to Toyota Long Life Coolant and distilled water.

Only the LS400 & SC400 have a steering rack solenoid & filter screen

Thank you very much Tom. Hope I can return the favor someday.

Old and middle aged people know how to take advantage of young people, both physically (Catholic priests) entertainment wise (selling them drugs and 2 Fast, 2 Furious type movies) and economically (specialty lube and additive salesmen). However, they have little or no luck taking advantage of big businesses (they have no luck selling additives, specialty lubes and specialty filters to FedEx, UPS or other courier or delivery businesses or the automakers themselves). Practical case in point: If water wetter type products really worked WITHOUT significant adverse side effects then a prime candidate market for the products would be the recreational vehicle and trailer towing market. But my parents and / or I have been subscribed to Motorhome and Trailer Life magazines for the past 30 years and in all that time Water Wetter type products have never gained a good reputation or loyal following in that prime candidate market.

Here's a complete list of TSB's for 2005 & 2006 models:http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Lexus/index-issue.html