Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Don't know about that filter but I switched to Full Synth as soon as I got the car with 170k miles. I repaired all leaks before hand and I haven't had any new oil leaks, knock on wood, up until now (210k).

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

Ditto on the syn oil. It is all I use, never had any leaks after using.

lostape45

I'm sorry guys, I have an 01 ES with 155K and I want to do a drain and fill on my trans. I am just confused on exactly what you do. So I see the 10mm bolt on the trans pan underneath the car, and I know you drain from that, but where do you put the new fluid in? Is it through the dipstick or am I not seeing the trans fluid resevoir cap. Any tips appreciated, thanks.

And to add to the synthetic oil, I switched over at about 140k and had a few minor leaks for about 2-3k at first but after that there havent been any issues.

hypervish

Yes, you add the new fluid through the transmission dipstick.

lostape45

Thanks, appreciate it

lostape45

Another question, is there a seal on the bolt on the trans pan I need to replace?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

It has a fairly thick washer, so you should be okay reusing it. I had a leak once from reusing it about 3 times in a row, so I replaced it.

Make sure you check your fluid level before draining. And measure how much of it comes out.

ckwasi92

So, update on my transmission. It actually does still seem to have a slight second or two delay switching from Park to Drive or Reverse. Sometimes I think I'm hearing a slight whine at lower speeds but I'm not sure it's from the tranny. The guy who test drove it said it seemed to shift fine, but there was a leak. I called back the next day and inquired about that, and apparently the leak must have been from the pan gasket which was replaced, and the magnets supposedly did not have an alarming amount of metal shavings. I know if they found something they could make money on they would've told me, but I wanted to call and make sure, since I forgot to ask. I'm gonna try to do another drain and fill or have it done again soon. Praying this thing lasts!!

Mythotical

That delay may just be low line pressure. Line pressure can be tweaked a little by adjusting the kickdown cable which is the second cable on your throttle body. There is a post about it somewhere in CL... Here it is!

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...-shifting.html

ckwasi92

It's funny you mentioned that post, because I did read it a while back and considered checking that out. I did mention the "something called a kickdown" (I'm obviously not very mechanically savvy) to the guy at AAMCO and he just dismissed that and implied either the mounts or the tranny itself may be going bad. Mind you, this is before the pan was taken off and apparently minimal metal shavings observed, though. So they ruled it most likely mounts. I'm bringing the car to an independent mechanic tomorrow, for the timing belt, water pump and "a couple seals" so I'll ask if he could check the kickdown cable and maybe drain and fill while he's at it if he won't charge me too much extra. $300 for the timing belt kit (parts and labor) so I'm betting a simple drain and fill wouldn't be a stretch. I'm still hesitant to do anything but add PSF or coolant to this car. It's my first car and I don't know **** about cars except for what I've mostly learned here! Thanks for your help fellas.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

These cars are nearly bulletproof, unless badly neglected. If you revive the transmission, there is not much else to worry about. Worst case scenario, swap the tranny with a used unit.

Mythotical

So you know the cap on your power steering reservoir reads "use Dextron II or III" Regular PSF kills Toyota, Lexus, and Nissan power steering systems all the time! If you have added PSF, don't panic. Just drain and fill it a few times with the correct ATF. I use a small hose to siphon the fluid out when I run into this on customer cars, and it happens all the time. Did the AAMCO guy look for a build up of clutch material sludge in the pan? A little metal is nothing to be concerned about, but clutch friction material is.

ckwasi92

Yeah, I knew about the steering fluid being wrong. I guess the previous owner was using regular PSF, so that's thoroughly through the entire system already, and I haven't flushed it yet, so I'd been using Lucas PSF (supposedly compatible with all PS systems)... I've been told that if I mix ATF with residual PSF from a simple drain of the system, it could gunk up and make things worse. It had/has a leak too, so I started using Lucas stop leak and it kind of seems to be slowing. The previous owner said he replaced all power steering hoses but not the pump. I'm not surprised if using PSF is killing it. Hopefully just the pump and not anything else. I know I'll need that eventually. Not sure about the sludge from the tranny, but it seems to be working fine. I've driven almost 300 miles in the last two days, mostly freeway/highway with no issues. Timing belt / water pump job went fine. The mechanic says the old one didn't even look too worn. Go figure. But my radiator is leaking now too. I knew I had a coolant leak but I was hoping it was just a hose. Oh well. $170-200 more, that sucks but whatever. I'm trying to get it all done little by little. My suspension is so shot I'm scared driving over storm drains. Haha! It's getting me around though. This car has been used and abused (yet sort of maintained minor maintenance wise) and it just keeps on chugging!! I hope...