Lexusfreak

I would let it idle to operating temperature first, then rev it between 1500 & 2000 RPM for 30 seconds or so a couple of times.......let the oil drain out longer than usual to get all the bad stuff out, you should be fine after that.

I will be using Mobil 1 5W 30 along with the Mobil 1 Oil filter M1-102. Change every 3,000 miles.

Thanks straightening this up gents! I agree with you 99 that I'm not a fan of how the car shifts when cold, but glad at least that there is no cause for concern if thats the way it's suppose to be. I assume a good service manager at a Lexus dealer will know about this as well (more than likely he/she has had that question asked more than once by customers) should I ask next time I bring the car in for service?

Thanks everyone! :D

Hi everyone, I have yet another transmission concern I've noticed over the last couple of days & just wanted to run it by you to see if this is normal or if I should take it to the dealership to have it looked at.......sorry if I'm getting on some nerves here with asking so many questions (quite a few about the maintenance of the tranny as well) but please bare with me. I'm still learning about the ES as I go here. Here goes... - When the car is cold & has been sitting over night outside (I work nights & can't park it in doors) the temp is between 0 c (32 f) & - 18 c (0 f). I would start it in the morning & let it idle for about a minute to a minute and a half, I start to drive under VERY light load, I find the RPM's extremely high when it shifts from 2nd - 3rd gear (fairly high when shifting between 1 & 2 also but a lot more noticable on the 2 - 3 gear change. I am doing between 16 MPH (25 kph) & 30 MPH (50 KPH) but the tach is about 3,100 RPM during this time & as I said I am accelerating very slowly to get up to this speed & it takes a good 20 - 25 seconds for it to shift to a higher gear to bring the rpm's down to a more normal level (I am aware that because the vehicle is cold it usually rev's higher while warming up). My question to everyone is, does anybody think this is a little excessive & should take this long before it shifts into a higher gear? or is this just perfectly normal operation of the transmission? Could it be that something is not quite right with the transmissions computer & needs some sort of an adjustment or recalibration? & do you think it's serious? Once the vehicle has reached "operating temperature" all seems fine & normal. I don't recall my 01' Maxima taking this much time when doing the exact same thing I described. I plan in the next couple of weeks to do a complete transmission flush, but I think I will hold off for the time being to see if I should have this problem looked at by my Lexus dealer under warranty. Any answers, advice or suggestions would be helpful, thanks everyone!

Excellent! Thanks skp :D

How often should one get their fuel injectors flushed on their ES (or is it even necessary at all)? I'm not sure exactly what gas the previous owner used before I bought it but I only use Sunoco Ultra 94 gasoline. - Also, does anybody recommend using a "synthetic" fuel system cleaner such as Valvoline Syn Power ever so often? Opinions on both issues are appreciated, thanks!

My 01' needs the Toyota T IV tranny fluid, since you & I have the same generation, just double check the owners manual for the fluid type. It has been stressed by many to NOT go with using synthetic (Mobil 1 ATF in my case) and to use only the Toyota T IV because using anything else can mess up the way the transmission will shift & could contribute to the tranny failing. Varify with your local Lexus dealer as well.

I plan to do just that skp, I will drop the pan to change the gasket & clean the filter as well as use the flush machine to do 100% fluid change. Which brings me to my next question....... Does anyone know what the exact capacity of T IV fluid I need? I've been told that it is 8.25 litres & when doing a complete 100% fluid change, I need 12 litres as I need to use about 3.5 litres or so for "cleaning" the old stuff out of the tranny & torque converter......am I far off?

The hesitation usually happens when I'm going let's say 20 -25mph & I need a little more oomph & I press the pedal about a quarter of the way down (no where near to the floor I want to point out) then she hesitates & kind of "bangs" into gear. Not so much so that it sounds like the tranny just fell out onto the road, but enough that you ease up on the accelator pedal. I also contacted several Lexus dealers in the Toronto area & they tell me the 01' ES does not need a transmission change.....it's a mesh screen that just needs to be cleaned every now & then & just re-installed......they just said to make sure I suse the Toyota T IV fluid when doing a complete fluid change. When I do this, I will probobly put a new gasket on at least as well, what do you think?

Anybody with a 97 - 01 ES have any shifting problems as described with the pinned heading of the 02 & 03 but with the 4 speed automatic? I've have noticed almost the same shifting issues (hesitation) with my 01' Any suggestions? I'm planning to do a complete flush with the T IV toyota fluid soon....I wonder if that might help?

Thanks to all for your responses! especially steviej, skp & sw! I appreciate your honesty.....I will go for it as a matter of fact :D The oil filter location I totally understand.......however, if I put the car up on ramps at the front end, won't that drain most of the oil from the filter back down in the crankcase when the oil is draining? or does the toyota filters have a valve that closes? Just courious is all... I agree with skp as well.......Like I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, I have used synthetic in the past with my other vehicles with a lot higher milage & never experanced an oil leak at all.......I hope I have the same luck with my Lexus and because of the build quality of the car, I see no reason why I shouldn't have......not to mention oil leaks are covered (gaskets and the like) untill 120,000 miles & mentions nothing about not being able to switch to synthetics from conventional oil. Thanks again everybody!

I am noticing this kind of thing in my 01' ES with the 4 speed automatic......any idea what it might be? Will a professional flush (100% fluid change) help at all? The car only has 43,000 miles on it......although I don't think it's serious, I'd like to know what the cause is. Thanks!

Thanks SW! :D I appreciate your honest opinion.....That's pretty much how I felt as well......I didn't think 43,000 miles is that much either so I don't think I should have any problems switching to synthetic.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to toss this out to everyone as I think this should generate some intresting feedback... I went to my Lexus dealer today to pick up some maintenance items & some Lexus gear. I got into a conversation with one of the "salesmen" there about maintaining the ES. He asked me how many kilometers I had on my car.......73,000kms (43,000 miles) and he said that because of the milage on the car he would NOT recommend that I start using synthetic oil (Mobil 1 5W 30) and that I stick with using conventional oil simply because if I go to synthetic, there is a big risk that I will start having serious oil leaks as the more refined "thinner" oil will seep through the seals & gaskets creating big problems for me. Now I have all service records with this car & nothing but 5W 30 has been used for oil changes (conventional) & I have used synthetic oil in many cars with a lot higher milage than what is on my ES...without any sort of oil leakes whatsoever. Personally I think he has no clue as to what he is talking about....also the car has a Lexus extended warranty so if anything should happen & I have all service up to date, they will have to fix any problems I may have. Any thoughts & opinions on this anybody? Again, this guy was a salesmen, not an S.A.E. expert & according to him, he's seen this problem quite a bit on diffferent Lexus vehicles.

Very good questions. However what I can't understand for the life of me is how anybody can put that kind of cash down on a vehicle (not to mention the type of vehicle it is!) and neglect it that way! Blows my mind there was a lady (no gender descrimination intended) that was in the Nissan dealer the day I picked up my new Maxima 3 years ago (she had a 2000) with 50,000kms (30,000 miles) & her engine blew cause she never changed the oil since the day she bought it! The engine was going to cost her close to $14,000 to replace! How difficult is it to go into a oil change establishment every few months & spend less than $30 for an oil change! People like this should take public transportation as far as I'm concerned. <_<

Thanks for the advice skp, I will do that. I'll also try my best to be at this weekends meets but might not be able to attend because of other things on the go. I will keep my eyes & ears open for upcoming meets however in the future...good thing is I'm about 5 minutes from the Woodbine & Steeles area. B) Brenden

I have 73,000kms on my 01' ES (45,000 miles) & I purchased an extended "Lexus" preowned warranty also. That means they had to go over the car with a "fine tooth comb"......I have all service records for the car & the previous owner was pretty good at regular oil changes. On the work order however, they did a oil & filter change with an "oil cleaner" & an "ultra supreme" (whatever that is) for an additional total of $18.00 on top of the oil change. I figure that it was just the Lexus dealer "covering their butts" cause they know about this condition & wanted to deliver the car in peak condition so if there is any engine problems, the blame will be on me down the road if I do not religiously change the oil & filter? I'm not worried anyways, as I will use synthetic & change it every 3,000 miles plus use the Mobil 1 oil filters to boot. :D

What exactly has been the cause of this condition? IE: lack of regular oil changes?, neglect? How often did this owner change the oil? Please explain. Thanks.

:D Hi skp, I just picked up my 01' ES yesterday & WOW! what a ride. I'd be intrested in attending the Canadian Lexus meets if possible. Is there anything closer to the central part of Toronto? Please keep me informed on all details. Thanks & can't wait to post pics on here soon. Quick question: Where would you recommend one go to get a professional tint job done on my car? I've heard Tint King & Tint Master are pretty good. Thanks!

Auto wreckers I'd suggest if you want factory......failing that, I don't think you can get "factory Lexus" springs other than your Lexus dealer.

Agreed skp :D

WOW! That's a sharp looking Avalon, the guy spared no expense. :o

This maybe true monarch, but there are many K & N users that have had no problems whatsoever also (inlcuding Lexus owners). I have used the filter on my Buick Riviera & 01' Nissan Maxima without incident & actually this is the only forum I've been apart of that quite a few owners reported problems using the K & N filter. If the company was having such massive problems with their product, I don't think they would still be in business because of lawsuits & the like. Just my opinion. We always have the option of returning to the original paper filter should any issues cause concern.

I e-mailed K & N regarding some concerns about using their air filter and problems with possible sensors being damaged due to the oiled element, here is the reply I got back from K & N...I'd be intrested in any comments. At this time, K&N is unaware of any evidence that K&N air filter oil from a K&N air filter can damage or cause the malfunction of a MAF sensor, regardless of the make of the vehicle involved. K&N takes seriously any claim that one of its products is incompatible with its designated application or can damage or cause the malfunction of any automotive component. Such claims are thoroughly investigated and, when appropriate, testing is undertaken to determine their merit. In the case of MAF sensors, ongoing tests have shown that contamination from K&N air filter oil has not caused any failures or malfunctions of the MAF sensors in the test vehicles. K&N is aware that MAF sensors can become contaminated for a variety of reasons, unrelated to a K&N air filter (such as backfiring, blowby, leaking airbox or leaking intake duct) and that various methods have been used by some service departments and repair shops to clean a dirty or contaminated MAF sensor, such as spraying with an appropriate cleaner. K&N has not completed any tests as to the efficacy of such a process and, therefore, does not officially endorse or recommend any cleaning process. However, if given the choice of either replacing a MAF sensor or cleaning it, K&N recommends that the consumer ask his or her automotive dealer to attempt cleaning, before replacement. It should be noted that the presence of contamination does not mean the contamination was the cause of the MAF sensor failure. Sensors can fail for electrical or mechanical reasons, unrelated to any visible contamination. Sincerely, Martin Jackson K&N Engineering 1455 Citrus Avenue Riverside, CA 92507 Phone: 800/858-3333 ext. 4518 Fax: 909/684-9060