Tuggy

Hi guys. I'm a newbie to this forum, but decided to make a new thread because I have had no luck finding the exact problem my finances RX is having while searching. There is a whine coming from what sounds like the transmission when cruising a very light throttle. I first noticed this last week on the interstate around 80 mph. If I let off the gas, the noise goes away. It also stops if I put the shifter in neutral. Now that I've noticed the noise it's not specific to highway speeds. The car has 65k miles and I am not sure of the service history on the transmission. Any ideas? I've had the wheel bearings go out on my truck before, but this doesn't sound like the same problem. Thanks for the help

The car does have the shift hesitation like others have mentioned. Not sure if that provides any insight

Rainbird

Has the transmission ever been serviced? If you don't know I would register at the Lexus Owner's website. The complete Lexus service history of your vehicle will be there as well as any warranty work or recalls. You will need the VIN to complete the registration.
https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

Tuggy

I just searched the VIN, and it doesn't look like the transmission has ever been serviced

Rainbird

Changing the fluid in the transmission would be the first thing to do. It's also possible that a wheel bearing is the problem.

ceads9

My 08 400h makes a sound like that. Lexus in KC drove it and said not problems noticed. I had an Expedition that did it for 75k and never a one problem other than that small pain in the butt noise. It seems like the drivers area is the loudest At least on mine. I hear it around 70-80 . Mine has 65 k

Tuggy

Ok just finished a drain and fill on the transmission using Toyota type IV ATF. I didn't realize that it was AWD until i got under it. I pulled the line on the cooler and was able to get about 9 quarts through. Took the car for a spin and the noise is still there. I notice it most upwards of 40 mph and its right at the point of acceleration/deceleration on the petal if that makes sense. I really don't feel like this is a wheel bearing issue because it stops when you press/depress the gas pedal or put it in neutral. Is this really a normal noise for this car? Seem like we just noticed it recently. The car shifts fine it's just more of an annoyance at this point. Thanks for the help

RX330inFL

Being that you have an AWD RX changes things just a bit. You have a front transfer case and a rear differential both needing gear oil. Those may need some attention as well. Perhaps the whine is coming from the transfer case. May be normal. I have FWD so I cannot speak for that, however, I have driven plenty of 4WD and AWD vehicles in my lifetime.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ial-fluid.html

skagen7

Hey, Tuggy,
I just joined the forum myself. I have a 2005 RX330 that does the same thing at 40mph. I have had the vehicle a few months and the first thing I did before driving was to have the 90k services done. Afterward, my wife noticed a sound so I had the timing belt adjusted. The noise decreased but didn't disappear. So, I took it back to my reputable technician whom I used for the 90K services. They lifted the truck up and let me hear exactly where the sound is coming from. It is the transfer case. My technician has never seen the problem here in Memphis, but that's because we don't have any use for AWD; however, he has seen the problem on 2WD trucks. Long story short, I concur with RX330inFL. The estimated repair is $1100 ($500 for a used part and $600 in labor).
cb

Tuggy

We actually took it to a small Lexus repair shop and the guy is telling me that the seal on the driveshaft is leaking which caused the fluid to drain out of the front transfer case producing the whine. He is quoting me $489 to replace the seal and refill with fluid. He mentioned that this will probably fix it, but cannot guarantee that it will. Does that sound reasonable to you guys? Or do you think that it is beyond repair? I would hate to spend the $489 to find out that we need a new transfer case

RX330inFL

No gear oil will definitely cause the whine. Was there any gear oil left in the transfer case or was it dry?

As you have no idea as to how long the condition has been like this I would at least be asking how much they would charge for the new transfer case and base your decision on that as you would lose the $500 if just fixing the leak does not solve the problem.

For my money I would have the transfer case filled while still leaking, assuming the leak is not all that bad, drive it around for a few hours to see how it is while filled. If the noise has gone away and there seems to be no other issues then I would just have them fix the seal and refill. If you still hear the noise then the transfer case should be replaced.

hypervish

+1, fill it up with gear oil first and see if the noise is gone. If it is, then have it sealed.

Tuggy

Oh man, wish I would've thought of that yesterday. I had to make a game time decision so we are having the seal replaced and the transfer case refilled. Should get it back today so I update. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is the fix. The mechanic quoted $4100 for a new transfer case which seems outrageous.

Tuggy

Ok, I finally got a chance to drive the car after the repairs. Some good news is that the repair was half the price he originally quoted, so we ended up getting out of there for about $260. The mechanic told me he was able to get around 8 oz of fluid out of the transfer case and there were no metal shavings in it.

The whine is basically gone around 40 mph where it was noticeable before, but is still quite loud at highway speeds. I realize that AWD transmissions are a little noisier than 2wd, but this doesn't sound right. Where do you guys think we go from here? He quoted a new transfer case at $4100.00.

RX330inFL

The transfer case holds 1QT, so that means it was about 1/4 full. No metal shavings is a good sign, however, it does not mean that there was not heat damage to the parts from running without the proper fluid level. Did your mechanic say anything about the condition of the gear oil he took out?

I cannot say whether or not the sound you are hearing is normal. It is probably your new normal. Cannot hurt to continue to drive it this way as long as the leak has been fixed. You cannot do any additional damage and it may be fine for years to come. After awhile you might try a different gear oil than that used by your shop. Many will use a 75W-90 or 80W-90 while the Owner's Manual states for you to run straight SAE 90W. Even the Toyota brand the dealerships use is 75W-85.

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do...6U/pdf/6-3.pdf

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...2005/4373.html

If it gets any louder or you have other related troubles then you can consider swapping it out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/04-05-06-07-Sienna-Highlander-Transfer-Case-19K-OEM-LKQ-/310826916530?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ARX330%7CYear%3A2005&hash=item485eba5ab2&vxp=mtr
BTW, check your wheel bearings as well when you have the time. Known weakness for the AWD RX.

Tuggy

I've been doing some more digging on this since RX330's last post. I searched for the whine noise for the highlander and it brought up a lot of info with people having the same issue as me. Then stumbled onto a Rav4 forum where there are tons of people with the same issue. From what I could gather, all of these vehicles use the same awd transmission (U151F). There is a TSB for a transaxle whine noise on the rav4.

http://www.autos.ca/rav4-TSB.pdf

Does anyone know if this would carry over to a RX330? Our vehicle is out of warranty, so I don't even know if this is an option.