Netwrkr

Had car in for service, up on a lift and I asked the mechanics to check out a sound coming from the rear end of the RX330. He said he would start the car, put it in gear and spin the tires to listen to the rear differential. To his surprise the front wheels were spinning at speed, but the rear driveshaft was only turning about 1 revolution per second and barely turning the rear wheels. Rather than have him run up a large labor charge while he got educated on how these AWD units work, I thought I would check some forums in search of enlightenment. We do think a wheel bearing is the likely cause of the noise, but the no power to the rear wheels when all 4 are off the ground is a question to be resolved first. Any ideas?

kiwi

if i understand it correctly, the power takes the path of last resistance.

if you jacked up the rear, the power would go there. those wheels would spin while the fronts stayed stationary

you dont have a problem.

murphysf

so to confirm the 2000 RX300 AWD does not have VSC.

If the above is true is the following an accurate description of the 2000 RX300 AWD system?:

RX300 features an integrated transfer case and a viscous center differential that provides a 50/50 front-to-rear power split. The system requires no activation by the driver. If slippage occurs at the front or the rear, the viscous center differential automatically and transparently directs power to the wheels with the most traction.

If not how would one best describe the AWD system for a 2000 RX300?

wz4rfv

That description is accurate. If you jack up just the rear of the car the front will try to drive off as the best the car can do is send half of the torque to the rear wheels, not all of it (meaning the rear wheels cannot be driven faster than the fronts). Jack up one SIDE of the vehicle. Both wheels on that side should spin equally although the traction control might go crazy...

Bob