happy_owner

Hi -- here's a question for the forum. Has anyone else out there had difficulty with their RX300 not upshifting from 2nd to 3rd etc. at the appropriate time and r.p.m.'s, especially when the vehicle has been idle for a few hours, or (in cold weather) long enough for the vehicle to have become cold? Apparently, two other vehicles sold in this area have had the same problem, fixed by replacing the "body valve". This fix did not correct the problem in our vehicle, and I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same problem, and if so, how was it corrected?

ZoomSport

Well, the problem you're experiencing is a common one.... Not only in the RX, but in the GS too. Not so sure about all the other Lexus cars though. My brother, (BabyGS3), owns a 99 GS 300 and his car did the same thing. It would rev all the way up to weird RPM's and not really accelerate at all, or shift out of that certain gear. We found out that by resetting the system, it fixes that revving and shifting problem. The thing that my brother did was that he disconnected his battery. I'm just about ready to do that too, because I'm almost finished with my breaking in perion. I just got my 01 RX300 about 2 and a half weeks ago. I'll fill you in on more info when I talk to my brother later on. Another thing you might try is warming up the engine before using it. It's not really required, but they say it's a good habit. I warm my RX up for at least 2 minutes, or until the engine temp. shows some increase if it starts off cold. I also own a 94 MB C280, and that car does that same thing you described if you don't warm it up first.

Harrier

I've had my RX for almost three years now, and it's been doing exactly what you described ever since the first winter that I had the car. It's never really bothered me. I think the reason for this is because, like ZoomSport said, the engine is cold and it wants to warm up fast (logic being that in the cold, you'll want to warm your car up fast, too) so that the automatic climate control can kick in a lot sooner. Once the engine heats up to the Maximum heated level, the transmission is back to normal. Lexus never even put out a TSB for this activity, nor did I ever think it to be abnormal.

One time, I took my GS out when it was extremely cold out (around nine degrees fahrenheit or so). I put the transmission into manual mode, and to my surprise, the car would not downshift! Instead, it made this beeping sound that the IS makes when you've hit 2nd gear. I looked at the gear indicator and it was still at 5! I guess Lexus doesn't want you to mess up your engine, so they put in some dummy-proofing for their cars.

happy_owner

Well, the message that I posted yesterday was the first time I'd heard about this forum, and I'm so delighted to receive these responses. My sincere thanks to you both.

Now, a couple of further questions / conditions. As you've both indicated, the situation regarding upshifting is fine once the engine and transmission have warmed up -- however, we live in central Alberta, Canada, where the winter temperatures go to -20 or -30 C quite regularly, and the vehicle doesn't really warm up substantially until it's driven (just sitting idling will warm it, but not like driving in terms of speed of heating). I've never ever had a vehicle that behaves in this way, and I've driven quite a number of them over the years. Also, when I had a different RX300 as a "loaner" from my dealer, that vehicle did NOT have the upshift problem that this vehicle has.

So -- my questions: 1) Does it do the vehicle any harm to drive it when it's not upshifting properly? We don't push it -- that is, we don't let the rpm's go above about 3.5 or so, rather we drive it gently till it has begun to shift appropriately. Any experience with damage to the motor or transmission by this situation?
2) You mentioned that Lexus had not put out a TSB -- what is that, please? And 3) (final for today!) when my dealer says he wants to put out a (???? -- something that means 'question to other dealers on this subject and its fixes') -- have you any knowledge of this action, and do any of you have any opinions on it? Thanks again, appreciate your information.

91Maxima

I think a lot of cars (if not all) have some different techniques used by the engine while it is still warming up. In my maxima it will not go into 4th gear (overdrive) until the car has warmed up. This is so that the engine can warm up faster (it's at higher RPM's). If it only does that when it is cold, then I don't think you have anything to worry about.

PJ

Harrier

Hey happy,

Wow, I guess you do have some sort of situation - being in constant cold weather all the time.

Here are my comments and suggestions (feel free to go down the list until something works for you):

1. A TSB is a technical service bulletin. You can find out more about TSBs in the Lexus Q&A section up above. Alldata.com is nice enough to compile all of the TSBs put out for all car manufacturers in the US since the 1960's. You should check out this link to look up any TSBs.

2. Wait for your dealer's response. You mentioned that they were looking into the problem. Have them call you within three business days. If they don't respond, call them and ask again.

3. If dealer can't give you a good answer, call the one place that will - Lexus Customer Service. They are the end-all for any customer concerns and questions. They can be reached at 1.800.25.LEXUS (5.3987) Canadian customers call the same line as US customers.

4. Ask if there was a campaign for any such problem. What's a campaign? Again, please refer to the Lexus Q&A section.

5. Like Maxima said: don't worry about it. It's just the car's way of warming itself up. I usually let it rev as high as it wants to. It isn't long before the transmission returns to normal shifting. Remember, the RX is designed to make paradigm shifts.

ZoomSport

How long have you had your RX happy_owner? And what model year is it? I've had my 01 RX for about 3 weeks now. Well, regarding your question about harm done when not upshifting properly..... short term effects... no. But in the long run, everything adds up. Really warming up your car (especially in cold weather) can give your engine a substantially longer life. It's just like taking care of a baby.... baby steps.... slowly, but surely. Even though the car dealers and Lexus says that it's not required or recommended that you warm up your engine, it is best. With my brother's GS, it stopped not upshifting after we disconnected the battery to reset the system, and gave it substantial warmup time before each use. If incase you're driving the car and it doesn't upshift, let it downshift by releasing the gas pedal and letting it shift back down. Then slowly bring it back up. With my RX, before I reset it, and before the 1st 1000 miles, I did that, and it's working perfectly fine now. Probably the reason why the loaner RX wasn't doing that upshift thing is because it's been broken in and is already used to everything. Remember, just like a baby.... the first few months (for a baby) are the most critical... just like the break-in period of a new car.