FZ6 Dude

I really like it! In my opinion it is clean and not too over the top. Do you by chance have a list of what modifications you have done?

Thanks. I will check it out. How long should I give the PB Blaster to soak in? Also, in your opinion, would cam bolts from a local parts store?

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get under the car since my post, but will have time this weekend. Lenore- I was not able to look at the diagram as it did not show on my browser, but imagine that once I look for the biggest bolts connected to arms under the rear, it should be pretty obvious... hoping! I will go ahead and spray them with the PB and try to loosen myself in a few days.

Thanks

Hello,

I took my wife's 2006 RX330 in this past weekend for a tire rotation, balance, and alignment check as I do every 5K. This time they told me that the rear cam bolts were seized from rust and they could not remove them. They tried to spray them with a lubricating penetrant, but still could not loosen them. I asked if they tried to heat them up, but they said this could increase the chances of them breaking so no. They quoted me around $240 to cutoff the old bolts and replace them with new cam bolts. The other option was waiting a couple of days to see if the lubricant was able to free the bolts at all. I opted for the latter.

Does anyone have a diagram of the rear suspension that would point out the cam bolts? (I know, I should have asked to see them)

Also, is this an easy fix that can be done by a somewhat competent DIY'er? I handle most other things like oil changes and brakes.

My other thought is, the previous alignment done, 3 or 4 months ago, took a lot longer than normal. What are the odds that these guys cross threaded both bolts while performing the alignment adjustment and now can seem to get them off. (This is also why I want to see a diagram or picture so that I know what to look for, other than the obvious rusted bolt)

Has anyone else encountered such a thing with their cam bolts? Any no, I haven't been driving in saltwater or been in any significant snow over the last couple of months which may have caused the sudden seizure of both bolts....

Thanks

I brought my wife's 2006 RX 330 in for the power tailgate not opening in colder weather (TSB 001305), and they said they could not duplicate it, therefore would not fix anything.

I also have condensation in both front headlights (TSB 00307)

Does Lexus fix the TSB's for free, or what is their practice? I am above the 50K standard warranty, but do have an extended warranty from an outside provider.

Also, has anyone had water on the carpet after washing or raining along with a water stain on the headliner by the drivers side tailgate hinge???

I never tried taking it to the dealer as the problem seemed to have corrected itself. This past weekend when it was cooler outside 40-50F) 99% of the time I tried to open the tailgate with the remote, it only opened an inch or so, and then closed right away. Is it possible that the struts are bad, and not a control unit? Has anyone else experienced this with their struts? Could my struts still be bad, or on their way out and not allowing the door to open, even if the door stays open/up by itself normally? Bottom line is, how does one know if their struts are bad, or if it is somehting else?

Thanks

Got it! It was a matter of trial and error to find that "sweet spot" and tighten it into place. Thanks all for your help!

Thanks. That would be very helpful! The main reason that I think it is the AFS sensor is that it came on the very first time I turned on the car after having temporarily removed the arm. Also, I can adjust the arm location on the sensor slightly, and get it to go off, but not before I can tighten the nut down.

I imagine like anything else, calibrating it is probably a simple set of steps, that only Lexus is knowledgeable too, but if they put it in the repair manual, that would be awesome to know for us that like to do things ourselves.

Yes, its definetly the AFS switch. I cant understand how the contacts could get thrown off inside the switch from me simply removing the bolt from the unit, and then reattaching it, but I guess somehow it could be possible. I have not tried to turn the switch off and back on, but I guess that is an option too. I will try both of these, and if anyone else has experienced this too, please let me know what worked for you.

Thanks

Hmm... you shouldn't be getting an error light flashing unless the sensor is "damaged" or shorting out, etc. Normally you should be able to move that swinging "arm" through its entire range without a problem.

Did the sensor get opened up or anything? If the interior workings of the switch are damaged that might cause the error lights to come on.

And you're talking about the "auto-leveling" switch, right? AFS is the system that turns the headlights left and right when you go around corners, while the auto-lleveling system moves the lights up and down. I'm guessing the car has the AFS light blinking for the auto-leveling system errors too.

In any event, the only way to fix the problem is to either replace or repair that switch. If you simply unplug the switch, the error light will still blink (removing the switch will make the car think it's damaged). I would remove the switch from the car and open it up (there are screws you can remove, it opens up very easily) and make sure all the contacts inside are normal. There may also be dirt inside that you can clean. The switch is actually not very complicated, and one you've got it open I'm sure you'll be able to get it working again.

And the position of the arm shouldn't make the error lights come on. So don't worry about calibration ;)

Hello Folks,

So, I made the unfortunate mistake of removing the nut off of the AFS sensor by the rear right tire, and now my light is blinking. (2006 RX330 AWD) I tried to get under the car and adjust exactly where the arm attached to the unit (not the other threaded end) while my wife stared at the light, but had mixed luck. If I hit that sweet spot just right, the light would go off, but then as I tightened it down, it would move ever so slightly, and go right back on.

Does anyone know if there is a special way to adjust these, or to just tighten the linkage down, and then "reset" the sensor from that point? I have a state inspection coming up, and the last thing I need is to have some guy fail me for a blinking light that he has no idea what it means.

Thanks in advance,

Dennis

OK, can I get a sanity check here?

I am here in Virginia and getting ready to do a transmission, transfer, and rear differential fluid drain and fill this weekend at 65K Miles for the first time on my 2006 RX330 AWD.

Here is what I am thinking. Drain the transmission using 10MM wrench- measure fluid output, replace new through dipstick ~4.5 qts or so. Then pull transmission return line from radiator, start car, purge remainging old ATF ~ 2qts or so, shut off car when clean fluid is extracted. Top off transmission, run shifter through all gears, done. Is this about right? So should I grab 7 qts of Toyota T-IV fluid, or better to get 8?

Also, was going to replace transfer case and rear differential fluid too. I believe they each take a quart of gear oil, either 75W-80, 75W-90, or 80W-90, and it appears that folks like Royal purple the best. Are there drain and fill plugs on each of these units? With an AWD, do I also have a front differential, or is that built into the transmission?

Am I missing anthing here?

Thanks

OK, can I get a sanity check here?

I am here in Virginia and getting ready to do a transmission, transfer, and rear differential fluid drain and fill this weekend at 65K Miles for the first time on my 2006 RX330 AWD.

Here is what I am thinking. Drain the transmission using 10MM wrench- measure fluid output, replace new through dipstick ~4.5 qts or so. Then pull transmission return line from radiator, start car, purge remainging old ATF ~ 2qts or so, shut off car when clean fluid is extracted. Top off transmission, run shifter through all gears, done. Is this about right? So should I grab 7 qts of Toyota T-IV fluid, or better to get 8?

Also, was going to replace transfer case and rear differential fluid too. I believe they each take a quart of gear oil, either 75W-80, 7fW-90, or 80W-90, and it appears that folks like Royal purple the best. Are there drain and fill plugs on each of these units? With an AWD, do I also have a front differential, or is that built into the transmission?

Am I missing anthing here?

Thanks,

Dennis

Recently the sunglass holder on my wif'e 06 RX330 will not stay closed. Usually I am able to slam it closed, but lately it doesn't want to stay shut. Has anyone else had this problem? I believe that it must be some sort of srping that has gotten weak, yet that seems a little strange since we rarely use this.

Thanks

The reason I replaced both the water pump and timing belt was because the cost for those two items was $450. I had additional maintenance performed at the time, which raised the cost to around $750.

That price is realistic. The OP's was not. He must look like he has money, I swear, the service writers are worse than salesman for sizing their customers up in the driveway and taking them for ALL they can get. I worked in automotive all my life and there is no way I could have paid those prices, and I think I made pretty decent money. I can buy all of the parts and supplies (original equipment) that they are going to use on the $1900. job for less than $300. There is a huge amount of profit built into that job, even for a Lexus dealer.

I should have dressed down... lol Probably wouldn't have mattered. I was marked the second I walked in.

If you are going to replace the timing belt, it only makes sense to replace the water pump at the same time. The technician has already done all of the labor to get to the belt, why not have them replace the water pump at the same time? It is a no brainer IMO. You will save a lot of money, especially if you are going the dealer route, to only pay for the tear down once.

Good Luck.

I had same problem: easy solution - took a prybar (long crowbar would work too), put it in the hole and bent it back into shape (think picture of Atlas moving the world on a long enough fulcrum). If you scratch it, tape off the surrounding area, get a can of flat black spray paint......voila! good as new.

Amen to that fix!

There should be no direct relationship between changing out your battery and the appearance of the Check Engine and the VSC lights. I've replaced or disconnected the battery on my RX300 multiple times over the 10 years of ownership and never experienced the symptoms you are describing. As to troubleshooting, any Toyota dealer should easily run the diagnostics for you since the drive train is pure Toyota. Likely they can do it for less. Some of the chain auto parts stores will pull the OBDII codes but these are generic and may not point you directly at the source of the problem. There are also proprietary Toyota/Lexus codes which the OBDII scanner will NOT be able to read. Another option is a good (keyword) independent shop specializing in Toyota/Lexus service. Their hourly rates are typically no more than 2/3 to 3/4 what the dealer will charge. In most cases, any shop will comp the diagnostic charge provided you let them perform the corrective service. Most dealers will charge you the better part of an hour's labor to run the diagnostics and provide you a printout of the findings.

Lotsa luck.

Thanks for the info, I just booked it into the local Toyota dealership ($40 for 1/2 hour diagnostic run). I'll post back the results.

What about just holding down the Trip reset button while you srate up your vehicle for several seconds to see if this clears it?

Its worth a try?

I think the only difference is that the older ones have the second plug for the front diff and the newer ones only have one plug in the tranny.

Are you talking about the lines for the transmission pan drop and filter change?

With my car having 45K and hopefully the better transmission as it is a 2006, would a pan drop and filter change be overkill this early on?

Is there a DIY for the fluid drain and fill?

2006 RX330 AWD

Can someone please post a sticky on how to do a transmission and differential fluid chamge on a 2006 AWD RX 330?

Thanks.

bump

I recently put on Michelins LTX / MS and I like them. I've driven in heavy rain at highway speeds and felt very secure with them. My wife just drove for 45 minutes in this snow storm we're having in New Jersy right now and she said they were great. I wish I had the chance to try them in the snow and probably will tomorrow morning. Anyway, thats my 2 cents about the LTX / MS.

I just bought the Alenzas on Thursday night and drove through 12-14"+ snow easily this weekend. Let me tell you, the combination of those tires and the AWD system that the RX330 has is silly! I have never had a vehicle perform so well in the snow, and I have had several 4WDs in the past.

If memory serves me, the applications for the Mobil-1 ATF seem to be word for word for whats writen on the AMS OIL bottle, same do's and don'ts, I would be inerested in using this ATF(Mobil-1) as I use the same brand of engine oil...

Is there an exact DIY for the transmission fluid change out there?

btw I have a 2006 RX330 AWD.

Thanks!

Can someone please post a sticky on how to do a transmission and differential fluid chamge on a 2006 AWD RX 330?

Thanks.

Ok $5 Paypal cash to whomever is the first to post the correct answer (Hope that's allowed) because I desperately need the answer soon....I replaced my 2000 RX drivers seat with a seat from a 2001. everything went well, except that the seatbelt warning light continues to blink while I'm driving. So if anyone also did this, or has the wiring diagrams for both the 2000 and 2001 and can tell me what wires to jumper or eliminate.....I do not want to compromise the safety features that are on the 2000, but suspect there is an additional feature on the 2001's that I need to bypass.....By the way all power/heated seats/side air bag....

It could be a grounding issue. Sorry, I don't have a wire diagram. Good Luck, no paypal required (if my thoughts happen to help.)

I have a 2000 RX300 and after a very heavy rain, both the driver side and passenger side floor hane a half inch of water. I am not sure where the leak is at and why it is both areas.

I thought it would be the seal on the car door, so I made sure any place that was loose, I glued down with gorilla glue, but it did not help.

Can I fix this myself or do I need to take it to a shop?

Thanks, any help is appreciated.

Hollin

There is a very good chance that it is your A/C compressor drian that is clogged causing water to drain into your vehicle. I believe that it is a very easy fix that involves blowing compressed air into the drain tube. Check other posts on a DIY.

Good Luck.

I installed the Vaistech iPod adaptor this past weekend on my 2005 and thanks to Lexuslvr the install went without any problems.

Now I'd like to route the iPod cable to the center console between the seats. For a clean look, I'd like to fish the cable under the carpet from the bottom of the dashboard up into the center console. This requires removing the lower plastic panel under the shifter. I couldn't see any caps that would indicate a screw or other fastener so I'm assuming it just has clips. Given the location of the panel and the likely cost to replace it if I damage it, I'd rather get advice from someone that knows how this panel is removed. Thanks!

Where did you prurchase the unit from?

Do you have to choose which "emulation" mode you will be using?