Ugggh... lube shop transmission problems
11-10-13, 12:30 AM
#1
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Ugggh... lube shop transmission problems
Hey Gang,
New 2008 Rx350 owner. Love the car and after driving (and repairing) some euro cars, probably won't buy anythig but lexus or toyota again.
At any rate, when I purchased the car my pre-purchase insepction mechanic recomended that the transmission should be flushed and the fluid replaced as it was pretty dark. Seemed reasonable as it has 99k miles on it and will tow my boat with it. So I took it to oil can henry's as it is close to the house... and now I am wishing that I did not.
As soon as I started the car the TCS off light and the check engine light came on. WTF? I tried turning the traction control off and on with the button and nothing helped. The hook up the diagnostic machine and cleared the memmory.... it came right back.
Now after reading through some of the threads here I have read "don't flush the tranny" and " don't use anything but the toyota fluid".
The "mechanics" at oil can henry's suggested that they might have gotten the sensor wet when they hosed off and ATF drips from the engine. I should "let it dry" and then the will reset the code and see if it comes back on.
Which sounds pretty much like BS to me. Any advice? Should I get it drained and re-filled with toyota fluid>? Is it possible that the messed something up? I love newer cars, but all these sensors and systems and what not can be a big PIA. I mean really...changing the tranny fluid and now the car is throwing codes?
Again, any help is greatly appreciated!!
New 2008 Rx350 owner. Love the car and after driving (and repairing) some euro cars, probably won't buy anythig but lexus or toyota again.
At any rate, when I purchased the car my pre-purchase insepction mechanic recomended that the transmission should be flushed and the fluid replaced as it was pretty dark. Seemed reasonable as it has 99k miles on it and will tow my boat with it. So I took it to oil can henry's as it is close to the house... and now I am wishing that I did not.
As soon as I started the car the TCS off light and the check engine light came on. WTF? I tried turning the traction control off and on with the button and nothing helped. The hook up the diagnostic machine and cleared the memmory.... it came right back.
Now after reading through some of the threads here I have read "don't flush the tranny" and " don't use anything but the toyota fluid".
The "mechanics" at oil can henry's suggested that they might have gotten the sensor wet when they hosed off and ATF drips from the engine. I should "let it dry" and then the will reset the code and see if it comes back on.
Which sounds pretty much like BS to me. Any advice? Should I get it drained and re-filled with toyota fluid>? Is it possible that the messed something up? I love newer cars, but all these sensors and systems and what not can be a big PIA. I mean really...changing the tranny fluid and now the car is throwing codes?
Again, any help is greatly appreciated!!
11-10-13, 06:38 AM
#3
Welcome to Club Lexus, pdxmonkey.
Well, this will definitely be a learning experience so let us start.
The 2008 Lexus RX350 uses a Toyota WS transmission fluid and it is pretty much a sealed system. The Toyota WS is stated to be good for a "lifetime" rating, but we know how that goes. After 100K is was due for replacement. The first question is, what did the shop use as a transmission fluid? There are not a bunch of Toyota WS rated fluids out there.
http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do.../sec_06-01.pdf
Next, since this is a sealed system they do not have a traditional fill port for the transmission. They probably tried to use the dip stick tube to add fluid to the vehicle. Current models of the RX do not even have a dip stick for the transmission fluid. As a result, they could have dripped fluid on to any of the sensors in that area of the engine. Common problem for amateurs. Dripping oil or any fluid on a hot O2 sensor, for example, is a good way to damage them. Why did they feel the need to hose down the vehicle? Because they screwed up and dripped fluid and made a mess of things.
You do not mention what error codes are being thrown. Did the shop tell you what codes they were? Knowing what error codes are being thrown would let us know more about the problem you are now experiencing. The light combination which comes on the dash does not really tell you anything.
The shop will probably try to drag this out, keep resetting the error code, say it is not something they did, etc. I would start collecting information on exactly what was done, fluids used, error codes, etc. You may possibly have a bigger problem on your hands and may need to seek legal remedies in the near future.
Finally, if you have to use a quick lube shop or similar for your RX350, let me make the recommendation that you seek out a Toyota Express Lube shop. They will hopefully have a better idea of what they are doing.
Well, this will definitely be a learning experience so let us start.
The 2008 Lexus RX350 uses a Toyota WS transmission fluid and it is pretty much a sealed system. The Toyota WS is stated to be good for a "lifetime" rating, but we know how that goes. After 100K is was due for replacement. The first question is, what did the shop use as a transmission fluid? There are not a bunch of Toyota WS rated fluids out there.
http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do.../sec_06-01.pdf
Next, since this is a sealed system they do not have a traditional fill port for the transmission. They probably tried to use the dip stick tube to add fluid to the vehicle. Current models of the RX do not even have a dip stick for the transmission fluid. As a result, they could have dripped fluid on to any of the sensors in that area of the engine. Common problem for amateurs. Dripping oil or any fluid on a hot O2 sensor, for example, is a good way to damage them. Why did they feel the need to hose down the vehicle? Because they screwed up and dripped fluid and made a mess of things.
You do not mention what error codes are being thrown. Did the shop tell you what codes they were? Knowing what error codes are being thrown would let us know more about the problem you are now experiencing. The light combination which comes on the dash does not really tell you anything.
The shop will probably try to drag this out, keep resetting the error code, say it is not something they did, etc. I would start collecting information on exactly what was done, fluids used, error codes, etc. You may possibly have a bigger problem on your hands and may need to seek legal remedies in the near future.
Finally, if you have to use a quick lube shop or similar for your RX350, let me make the recommendation that you seek out a Toyota Express Lube shop. They will hopefully have a better idea of what they are doing.
11-10-13, 08:30 AM
#4
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Good advice by RX330inFL above. I'll just bet "Oil Can Henry" changed out the Toyota World Standard Transmission fluid with a Type IV fluid. If so, you need to get this changed back to WS fluid immediately.
11-10-13, 01:24 PM
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They definately flushed it as they had some kind of pump attachment that they were using. They wheeled it over to the car. Unfortuantely I wasn't paying much attention as I was tired, and didn't want to hear all of their up sell crap so just leaned the seat back and took a nap.
The only code that the sensor showed was something about the o2 sensor. I can't remember the specifics, but i looked at the sensor this morning (the one on the top of the exhaust) and there doesn't seem to be any kind of discoloration or anything that would imply that oil was dripped on it.
The invoice says they used TMAXATF CAstrol Synthetic tranny fluid.
THe lights on the dash include: check engine light, TSC OFF light is flashing and in the bottom right there is a symbol like a car skidding. I suppose I am going to need to call down there and talk to the managar about all this crap. Sighhhh. Anything to make a buck, even if you don't know what your doing
Thanks for the welcome to the forum! I'll post some pictures of my RX once I get the wheels powdercoated.
The only code that the sensor showed was something about the o2 sensor. I can't remember the specifics, but i looked at the sensor this morning (the one on the top of the exhaust) and there doesn't seem to be any kind of discoloration or anything that would imply that oil was dripped on it.
The invoice says they used TMAXATF CAstrol Synthetic tranny fluid.
THe lights on the dash include: check engine light, TSC OFF light is flashing and in the bottom right there is a symbol like a car skidding. I suppose I am going to need to call down there and talk to the managar about all this crap. Sighhhh. Anything to make a buck, even if you don't know what your doing
Thanks for the welcome to the forum! I'll post some pictures of my RX once I get the wheels powdercoated.
11-10-13, 02:35 PM
#6
As mentioned previous, the lights on the dash really do not tell us much. They come on in the weirdest combinations for the weirdest reasons. The fact that they mentioned the O2 sensor indicates to me that they got sloppy and dripped fluid possibly on to the front O2 sensor. Color of the sensor does not tell you anything either. By having the error code(s) we could say more. FWIW, I have been around a long time and this is not something new. Since O2 sensors came into use sloppy shops/mechanics have been ruining them in this manner. Would say it is the #2 reason for failure beyond just getting old and wearing out. The concern in your case is that you have 99K miles on your RX350 and the Service Manager is going to give you a song and dance about it just wore out on you. Since you did not have the lights on when you came to the shop and they came on immediately after they were done while you were still at the shop is your proof of poor workmanship and not an O2 sensor ready to fail.
As for the Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic, a somewhat new product and hopefully what they chose to use out of the Castrol product list, while it does not specifically state that it is compatible with Toyota WS, their literatures does state "Toyota / Lexus -- All applications that require automatic transmission fluid." I guess that is the best we will see in print at the moment. Still, I would like to see more details on this product.
http://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/Fu...PXE-99DQ2U.pdf
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=260526_0_0_
As for the Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic, a somewhat new product and hopefully what they chose to use out of the Castrol product list, while it does not specifically state that it is compatible with Toyota WS, their literatures does state "Toyota / Lexus -- All applications that require automatic transmission fluid." I guess that is the best we will see in print at the moment. Still, I would like to see more details on this product.
http://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/Fu...PXE-99DQ2U.pdf
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=260526_0_0_
11-10-13, 04:05 PM
#7
They used a fluid exchange machine like the BG PF5
http://www.bgprod.com/products/transmission.html
However, it is doubtful they have the right amount in there and did it at the right fluid mixture. It is a lot more involved than most people think. I would personally stick to WS fluid.
http://www.bgprod.com/products/transmission.html
However, it is doubtful they have the right amount in there and did it at the right fluid mixture. It is a lot more involved than most people think. I would personally stick to WS fluid.
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