iluvny

Thanks for the info RX330inFL !. No, that oil has never been checked or changed, so will do.

Btw, something else I didn't mention. Occasionally, when accelerating from a stop, on dry pavement, the tranny slips a little and I get that yellow , loss of traction icon in the dash. Like when slipping on ice/snow.

Could this also be related to the transfer case oil?

RX330inFL

Make sure all your tires are at the proper pressure. The light could be something as simple as low tire pressure. Not enough to trip that indicator but enough to cause slippage in some circumstances. Noticed it once while on a highway entrance ramp and it turned out I had a tire going flat. Best to look for simple explanations first. With the cold weather you have up there in NY you need to regularly check tire pressures as the temps fluctuate. Something you may already be doing, however, did not see it mentioned so am throwing it out for the list of things for you to check for that one item.

The transfer case being low on fluid is not going to do anything about the transmission shifts. So, this is not a panacea for all what ails your RX. However, if there is a problem in the driveline it may show up in the front transfer case gear oil much like a slipping transmission might show up in the ATF fluid when you drain and fill.

Have you had a Lexus service writer do a test drive in your vehicle to get their opinion? This might be one of those items where a hands-on diagnostic might be better than trying to diagnose over the internet.

iluvny

Oh yes, I always check tire pressure. It's not the tires that are slipping, but the transmission that's "acting" like they were.

The Lexus dealer is a bit far away, so I wanted to post here before I went to see them. That way I could find out if others have had a similar experience.

Carver

Did you have the pulley recall done? Mine actually failed and the sound it made as it was in the process of failing was very similar to that noise. I could also feel a slight vibration as the car would decelerate.

RX330inFL

Was the 2004 RX part of that recall? I know mine wasn't.

iluvny

They checked it, I believe, and it wasn't necessary for our car. as I recall. However, I'll double check..

I also get a slight vibration/shake as the car comes to a complete stop. Not as decelerating, however.

Carver

I don't know if his car is covered or not but the sound is very similar, certainly worth checking out. On my car the sound and vibration were from the pulley in the process of coming off. It damaged the belt housing (which was probably the only thing holding it on ), the good news was Lexus went ahead and replaced the timing belt as a part of the warranty repair process.

Carver

That's when I got the noise and vibration. I should have been clearer.

iluvny

Thanks for the info. I should also point out that this only happens when the car is in forward gear.

Not in reverse, but also does it in neutral.

lexus114

sometimes clearing the ecm cures the quirks

iluvny

I'm sorry, but what's the ecm, electronic control module? If so, where is it and what do you clean ? Thanks

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

unplug the battery for ~30 minutes and reconnect. - that "resets" the computer and will "learn" your driving style again

iluvny

Thanks kickin8, I read his post as "clean" not clear. I got it now and will give that a shot.

Edit: Cleared the ecu and no change.

iluvny

Update : It turns out that the symptom also is there when coming to a stop with the gearshift in neutral.

So, I'm thinking now that it's not the tranny but the ABS. So I take it to the dealer yesterday and the service manager drove it shortly and felt the same way.. Although he claimed that he never heard of this kind of thing before. (I hadn't mentioned it) However, they wanted $136.00 to diagnose it and I politely declined.

Spoke with my neighbor later on and their 1999 RX300 has exactly the same symptom. So this can't be that rare.

Edit: Next thing I'm going to check are the front wheel abs/speed sensors.

iluvny

Update: I cleaned both front wheel abs/speed sensors and they were filthy. Thought I had the problem solved but No Joy.

When pulling the ABS/Trac control fuse the car brakes normally so there is a problem there. Thanks to RXPhil in this thread : "Click Here" Thankfully not the transmission.