Hi all, I'm new to the site but have owned my gs300 2004 from new with out any real problems, had a code pop up telling me Shift Solinoid C, done a bit of research which is saying the solinoid's are on the bottom of the gearbox, how involved is this to get at them, is it simply taking off the bottom pan assumed full of fluid? Any help please 😁

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...placement.html
You're welcome

 

Done this replacement job before and I would rank this to be between easy to medium difficulty. I remember the only thing I struggled with was to get the exhaust pipe bracket out of the way, you need to move it slightly out of the way to get to the one bolt to remove the pan. Solenoid C is the second solenoid on the driver side if you count from the rear to front of the car. You may want to replace the transmission filter while you're under there. Good luck!

 

Yes noticed the exhaust bracket yesterday when looking around, think the rusted bolt will be a pig, is there a gasket to the pan other blogs suggest just silicon?

 

Yes noticed the exhaust bracket yesterday when looking around, think the rusted bolt will be a pig, is there a gasket to the pan other blogs suggest just silicon?

 

If you can't move the rusted bolt, you could bend the bracket out of the way with a pry bar just enough to fit a socket or wrench in there to remove the last bolt. That's what I ended up doing to get to the last bolt. I have seen people use gasket maker to put the pan back, but the filter kit I got from Rockauto comes with a pre-made gasket for the pan so I just use that instead of messing with silicone. If you decide to replace the filter, then make sure you have a catch pan ready when you remove the old filter. Even if you drained the fluid before hand, quite a lot fluid will come out once the filter is removed.

 

That's great 👍 thanks for the info, job for next weekend

 

Just a tip - automatic transmissions never seem to empty. No matter how long you let it drain, there are nooks and crannies that will hold fluid (not to mention the torque converter and fluid cooler), just waiting to drip on you, even after 100 years (or so).

That said, drain the pan with the drain plug, and let it sit, dripping for as long as you can. Have a big area of cardboard or wide drip pan underneath to catch the rest once you take the pan down. You'll need a good scraper to clean the pan and transmission sealing surfaces.

Good luck!

 

Thank you, yes others have said how messy it is 🤔 😁

 

I have ordered the filter and gasket from Rockauto's, there premium ATP part with shipping was a lot cheeper than in the UK! 😁

 

Oh shoot, didn't realize you were in the UK. I guess what I said about the location of the solenoid C is inaccurate in your case. For your car, it would be on the passenger side.

 

You mean my steering wheel is on the correct side and yours is on the wrong side... Said Mick Dudee 👍 🤣🤣🤣 thanks clarifying that's very helpful, have found this on YouTube
Most of the problems with the solenoid seam to be open coil circuit caused by the plug becoming detached, hopefully a little solder will do the trick.