Ehucman

Hi everyone, i hear a clunk when the car is downshifting from 3 to 2-nd gear for some reason. Its not loud its just noticeable and a little annoying. So my question is has anyone experienced this before, is it just the nature of the tranny, or something needs to be done. Txs

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

does it happen every time, or only on "acceleration" downshifts, ie, when downshifting because more acceleration is needed???

if the latter is true, motor mounts would be my first guess, if its every single time it downshifts, could be something in the transmission valve body causing a harsh shift...

Ehucman

It only happens when coming to a stop, when the car is slowing down on its own. I dont hear it when i am braking and coming to a stop fast. it happens at around 40 km/h travel speed. One clunk and thats it. It feels like the transmission doesn't like to downshift into second gear my guess is.

Ehucman

It only happens when coming to a stop, when the car is slowing down on its own. I dont hear it when i am braking and coming to a stop fast. it happens at around 40 km/h travel speed. One clunk and thats it. It feels like the transmission doesn't like to downshift into second gear my guess is.

onepointon

You say its not loud, if that is so check this.

If you drop the front under engine cover, the one that is ~45 degrees from the ground, you will see 2 10mm bolts holding a metal trans cooler line to the body (lower radiator support) of the vehicle. Take these out and put something between them to insulate the metal from the radiator support. See if that changes it. I unfortunately do not have any pictures. I have seen a few vehicles have this problem and that was the cause.

Ehucman

So what you re saying, its like metal rubbing against something? I will definitely try to find those bolts location. However today i discovered a new problem, perhaps worse one):
While accelerating from coming to a complete stop, i noticed a hard shift from 2-nd to 3-rd gear, i could feel the tranny jerk, it happened before like once or twice a week but today it kept happening every time i took off from a traffic light. And then it stopped all the sudden.. Freaked me out big time.... So i took all the fuses out that said ECU on it.. I think there were 3 in total. Hoping it would reflash the computer, and after driving for 15 min. It was smooth. Not one jump.. But i will find out tomorrow morning if it still persists. I dont know what that could be, i dont feel like spending $200 at lexus, just so they can say its normal....
I use 89 octane gas...
If any of you have experienced this issue with your 2004 RX 330... And perhaps have solved the problem...Please share what the solution was.. Regards

Ehucman

So what you re saying, its like metal rubbing against something? I will definitely try to find those bolts location. However today i discovered a new problem, perhaps worse one): While accelerating from coming to a complete stop, i noticed a hard shift from 2-nd to 3-rd gear, i could feel the tranny jerk, it happened before like once or twice a week but today it kept happening every time i took off from a traffic light. And then it stopped all the sudden.. Freaked me out big time.... So i took all the fuses out that said ECU on it.. I think there were 3 in total. Hoping it would reflash the computer, and after driving for 15 min. It was smooth. Not one jump.. But i will find out tomorrow morning if it still persists. I dont know what that could be, i dont feel like spending $200 at lexus, just so they can say its normal.... I use 89 octane gas... If any of you have experienced this issue with your 2004 RX 330... And perhaps have solved the problem...Please share what the solution was.. Regards

onepointon

Its a change in transmission line pressure that causes a noise in those lines, because it is solid mounted to the body you hear it sometimes. Like I said though, it may not be your issue, its hard to diagnose over the internet.

As far as the harsh shifting, it was very common on the 04 and 05 RX and ES. Lexus had a shift enhancement software that was released a while back. If your car doesn't have it installed it may help. If it has the updated software it more than likely is 'normal'. I have test driven with many customers with this issue and had to tell them there was nothing we can do, unfortunately.

Ehucman

Ok. Thanks a lot. You seem knowledgeable about these cars. I was worried that the problem was with only my car. I was hoping that someone would give me the answer I was looking for. I might have to take my car to Lexus to check if there is a software available but a lot of people say that they spent $200 for nothing At the dealership.. But I guess that is the only way to find out If it was installed Previously.
Do you or anyone else know anything about transmission fluid level, my car is cold but when I checked, the oil level shows above hot.. It shows the same level as when the engine is warm.
I am a little worried that there's too much oil?

Ehucman

Ok. Thanks a lot. You seem knowledgeable about these cars. I was worried that the problem was with only my car. I was hoping that someone would give me the answer I was looking for. I might have to take my car to Lexus to check if there is a software available but a lot of people say that they spent $200 for nothing At the dealership.. But I guess that is the only way to find out If it was installed Previously.
Do you or anyone else know anything about transmission fluid level, my car is cold but when I checked, the oil level shows above hot.. It shows the same level as when the engine is warm.
I am a little worried that there's too much oil?