jitb

I was looking at a ls as a 2nd car, and i was gonna get it, i just want to know what im getting into before i commit. I have been told the car wont move until its warmed up, and after that it moves. Also mentioned that it maybe transmission related.

is the ls tranny electronic? any info or links would be appreciated.. so i know what to check and diagnose for this problem when i go check it out..

Do.Man

i dont think you should go for that deal..just look for another one.

willhickey

iTrader: (1)

are you good at wrenching? if so then get it. you could pick up a used tranny for cheap like 300 so by the time your done buying a case of t4 60.00 and a filter 15 itll still be under 400 plush the purchase of the car. as long as the tranny is good it should last you a very long time.

JimsGX

How many miles on the car?

kg19989

Find another... that slow moving/heat up thing could be the tip of the iceberg.

jitb

yea my plan was the worst case scenario was to replace the transmission. And i would be able to do that myself.

and the car has about 140k or something on it. Well the car was actually gonna be for a set of my wheels. And some cash....id prefer just money, but its a hell of a deal. Even if it has to sit for awhile in the garage..

I just thought this was a ls400 common problem... it sounds like its something that can be repaired without the whole transmission being replaced..

willhickey

iTrader: (1)

if thats the case just let it warm up... thats just me though my old ladies lumina does the same thing , god i hate that car. but also check the fluid . if its brown or smells burnt replace it and the filter. you wouldnt believe how many people add dex3 to these transmissions when in fact it takes toyota t4 . I find it amusing that the sc400 and the sc300 have the same transmission numbers on the case just appears to be different tail shafts but one takes dex 3 and one takes t4. What im saying is transmissions are hydraulic systems and if the fluid isnt just right it will act erratically. It could also be overfull and foaming which COULD cause this. wish you luck but yeah i would buy it.

avalon42

iTrader: (1)

Nope. If you can swap the whole transmission I would.

jitb

whats the problem thats causing this?

avalon42

iTrader: (1)

If its not the fluid, my bet would be on the valve body. Best way to check out is to look for fine metal shavings in the fluid. Once that happens, the transmission is toast and not worth the rebuild. Cheaper to buy and install a used one.

willhickey

iTrader: (1)

but the plus if it aint broke yet you can still drive it ! you said its good once its warmed up right? thats exactly what my sc did it did that for maybe 5k tho.... so you got a while to get your parts gathered up

jitb

is the valve body difficult to replace on the ls ive replaced one before. but obviously never on a ls.