I got a trans flush and filter change at the dealership and the next morning when cold my car started to make a whinning noise that would increase with speed and change with RPM's, I took my car two times to the Lexus dealership so they could take a look at it, the car even spent the night there so they could listen to it while cold and the answer was two times the same: Alternator but nothing to worry about... I knew for a fact that the root of the noise was related to the transmission so I bought me a mechanic's stethoscope and no surprise the noise comes from the trans dipstick tube. Took my car to a transmission shop and they told me that they have to tore the transmission apart to get to the pump and that it will cost almost 4 grand. The car is in great shape, it's an 03 with a hair over 100.000 miles, 5 months ago I spent almost a grand in timing belt and water pump and I really don't want to get rid of it but there's no way I'm spending that kind of money in a car that old. I told the trans shop to change the filter and fluid hoping that the filter installed by Lexus could be faulty, incorrectly seated, etc...

So my options now are:

Pray that it was a faulty or incorrectly installed filter starving the pump

Spend 4 grand in a rebuild (not gonna happen)

Sell an otherwise perfect car with low miles for pennies.

I sold a newer BMW because I wanted a more trouble free and cheaper to maintain luxury car... I'm stumped.

What would you suggest I do if it ends up needing a rebuild? Call the service manager at the dealership? Suck it up? Sell the car?

p.s. The car shifts just fine, no slipping, no lag, no hard shifts, just the noise.

Thanks.

 

Go for a 15 minutes drive, then check the transmission fluid level with the engine running. Report back.

 

Car is currently in the trans shop, I checked several times and it was between the marks :/

 

Maybe they put the filter in wrong for example if you leave out the O-ring or install two of them (because you forgot to remove the old one) then you won't have proper oil pressure. You're convinced the transmission is making noise but sound travels would not hurt to remove the alternator belt and start the engine.
Was the engine running when you checked?

 

Yes, the car was running, it was hot and the car wasn't driven on the highway, just city driving, I shifted from P to L and back before doing it. I'm just hoping it's the filter restricting the flow.

 

 

I know that the alternator has a very small humming but it's charging and I'm 100% positive that the other noise is coming from the transmission. The shop will change the filter and gasket (again) and do a drain and fill and visual inspection with the pan removed, this is a transmission shop so I guess they'll know what they are doing. I went with a shop only because the Lexus dealership pretty much said "everything in the transmission looks fine, our job was fine, your noise is the alternator" and gave me a $1300 quote to change it. I sent an email to the service manager at the Lexus dealership explaining the situation but haven't heard of him.

 

Update on the transmission, I have the car again with me, they changed the filter and trans fluid (again) and while the noise is lower it is still there. The tech told me that they foung brass trimmings on the top of the filter screen... Other than the noise the car shifts fine, no delays, no bumps, jerks, etc. No clunk or other weird noises, "just" the pump noise.

My options are:

- Spend 4 grand to rebuild it.
- Drive it until it dies (if it does at all), then buy a used trans for $600, get it installed by a side tech
- Sell the car, take the loss and call it a day.

What would you do?

 

If it was my car I'd drop the pan and inspect, then install a new filter (genuine not aftermarket) fill with Royal Purple ATF or Amsoil. Then drive, if the tranny dies it dies.

 

I would do the same - new OE filter (unless the shop sourced one, which is unlikely unless you gave it to them), and quality fluid. 3309 (the original TIV), top things like he mentioned, etc. I would also add a bottle of Lubegard Red. The ester oil tech in it is legitimate and it can help a lot in older systems or protect new ones.

Brass shaving mean thrust bearing or washer wear; only place to really find brass in the transmission. A certain degree of it is normal. However, it would be found in the bottom of the pan, and not against the bottom of the filter (it doesn't float), and certainly never on the top of the filter (it can't migrate backwards against flow through the torque converter and pump!). So something isn't quite accurate here, either in its appearance or location, or in the relaying of the information. Transmission shops love to sell transmission jobs. I'd get an accurate analysis from someone who doesn't have skin in the game - which is one of the reasons I do my own work, including transmission rebuilds if/when necessary.

Worst case, drive it until it fails and then for $1200 to $1500 you can put in a used one and be confident it will last - these are very reliable units and widely available cheaply. This is not a common situation.