Okay so here's the symptom. I would accelerate slowly and this would only happen from first to second. The car would shift very hard and cause a jerking effect. 2nd to third 3rd to fourth and fourth to fifth is okay. Only happens from first to second. Is the tranny dying or do I need to do a transmission service on it? Please help thank you.

 

Oh and some info on my car. I have an 02 gs 300. It has 73k miles on it. One owner and it was never abused. The guy was a lawyer and he didn't beat the car up. There's also a clunking noise when I accellerate. When I stop real fast I can hear the clunk and when I accelerate real fast I can hear it. Any ideas?

 

Start by having the mounts examined.

Salim

 

did he ever change his tranny oil? check if it's black or super dark brown....

 

He changed it at 45k. Dark brown is the color of the tranny fluid. what mounts should i check?

 

start with drain/refill of trans. I'd do that a few times and see.

 

how much does a drain/refill run? Should i do it once..twice...three times??

 

if you do it yourself it's about $8 a pop. about 2 quarts per drain refill. real easy. just like changing the oil, you refill through trans dipstick tube.

I'd do it, drive it for a day, and repeat. I'd say at least 3 times if fluid is nasty. if the fluid is the problem it will feel better every time.

 

The transmission fluid should not be brown. If it is then it's pretty much worn out. I had issues with the transmission slipping when my fluid turned dark red, but not to the point of brown. New fluid is a bright cherry red color. I did just one drain and refill and the transmission is smooth and does not slip anymore.

 

I guess i will do it this upcoming weekend. Can i still run for another week without hurting anything?

 

Sorry to jack your thread but I want to ask this and didn't want to start a new thread MAYBE this can help you too timphan85.

Can I take my GS300 to the Toyota dealership and have the Tranny Fluid flushed? They do it for 150 at the local dealership where I get my Matrix serviced as opposed to Lexus which does it for like 289! But I am assuming they use the same tranny fluid.

Is there anything in particular I should tell them to use so they don't mess my tranny up or do they use the same tranny fluid on all cars?

I'd do it my self but a pure tranny flush gets all that stuff better and saves me a lot of time.

 

Should be fine if you're just cruising slow. I held off changing mine for about a month when it was slipping.

Cpone, you should be able to take it to the Toyota dealer. They use the same T-IV fluid as the Lexus. I actually bought my transmission fluid at Toyota because it was cheaper than at Lexus.

 

okay what about the clunking noise now>? It only happens when im at a dead stop and accelerate hard or brake hard i can hear it.

 

The engine and the transmission are connected to the body through rubber mounts. This allows some give. The rubber mounts can soften or seperate over time after being subjected to more than normal moving force(s).

Once the mounts break, you get this clunk/thud sound when max force/torque is applied. As the gears move up, tha mount of torque is reduced.

This was the basis of my diagnosis.

You will have to crawl under or have the car on lift and use susbstantial leverage to move the trasnmission and engine block to see the movement. Sometimes the rubber is torn and a mere visual would confirm.

Try the search on mounts .. I think you should get plenty hits on transmission mounts.

Salim

 

Get up to normal cruising speed (freeway is better).

Once you're up there, let go of the accelerator and instantly give it gas again. Do you feel a thump?