I'm glad you brought that up because mine has been behaving the same now. It'll be pretty smooth when cold and then begin shuddering once warmed up after 10-15 mins of driving. This issue first started a few months ago when the weather was warmer and now temps are much chillier so perhaps that explains why the behavior changed. Fortunately, it's not shuddering as badly as before after doing 2 fluid changes but still has plenty of room for improvement.

 

Can you decode your vin and check when the car was manufactured?

EDIT: just realized not all manufacturers put the manufacture date in the vin. It’s probably in the door jam area.

 

Hi there I'm new here and I HAVE experienced the shudder while turning at higher than normal speeds myself. Tbh I'm not sure if I'm running my gs300 (2006) with less than normal atf fluid capacity. I tried removing the overfill drain plug but just wouldn't budge. I decided to just add 2 1/2 quarts of atf (lexus aws atf that is) and call it a day. This was the second time I drained and filled. First was with filter. Can someone help me? I noticed this morning on a cold start when I put it on drive it just wouldn't go. It reved and no movement. I tried reversing and nothing. I then put it in park and waited a bit. After a minute or two I put it back to drive and it moved slowly but surely picked up speed. Shifting it off seems to shift too soon (low rpms) could it be that I didnt add the right amount of fluid to the pan or maybe my transmission is going out. I really hope not but I will do another drain and fill because last drain was pretty dark tbh. Any help is much appreciated. Stay bleesed!

 

Did you strip the head on the allen bolt for the dip stick tube? Or is it just not budging? Did you use a allen socks on a breaker bar? Tapping on the head with a hammer lightly helps loosen the tension a bit also. But I would follow the procedure allow the transmission fluid to rise to operating temp and then open the drain plug and bleed off the excess. These cars are very sensitive to fluid levels, so if I were you I wouldnt drive the car until you fix the level or you will cook the clutches in the transmission.

 

Agreed. Plus if it's stripped beyond saving, probably best just replacing the whole pan.

 

And what do you mean by "turning at higher than normal speeds"? Were you getting a shudder cornering at high speeds?

 

Sorry for the late reply I'm new here so I haven't been on for a couple of days. No and yes. It didn't strip at first. I actually twisted the allen head I used at first, no kid! I then tried using a socket hex key 5mm to be exact and stripped it after a couple of tries. I decided to add 2.5 quarts again because even after the first drain and fill the fluid came out dark brown color. So take note that this was my 2nd drain and fill. The first was with filter aswell. I decided since I had already changed the filter I would just drain and fill. After the last drain and fill which was on the 18th I believe car drove better than the last time. Not getting those shudders anymore but it's still not shifting how it should. There's times where it shifts at proper rpms and timing and there's times where it shifts way too soon. Maybe the fluid needs to mix in well a lil more like our brother said up there and drain and fill a couple more times? What u guys think. I am considering replacing the pan or maybe welding to the drain plug and replacing it after? What u guys think...

 

Yes will do for my next drain and fill maybe my tranny can still be saved

 

It would shudder when I would turn right on an intersection going faster than one should. In other words were u feel like car lean when turning and thus traction control should kick in

 

My 08 GS350 AWD does this aswell, when it breaks traction (traction light flashes) in one of the 4 wheels. Its compensating for the loss in traction, this is a normal thing with the awd system.

 

I dont think you need a new fluid pan, you just need to remove the stuck allen bolt. Most likely the dealer will sell you a new plug, breather/dip stick, aswell as a gasket. To remove the stuck bolt, I would first try channel locks, and maybe tap on the head slightly with a hammer. If the channel locks do not work then you can weld a nut to the bolt itself and easily remove it.

Then follow the procedure to drain off the extra fluid you poured in

 

Yeah I don't think that's related to the transmission. This shudder usually only occurs on light acceleration. What you're probably feeling is the traction control kicking in. Does the orange TC light flash on the dash while this is happening?

 

Change out all the fluid and report back.. this is a common AWD issue

 

Hey everyone. I just got my car back after having my mechanic swap the pan and filter. He ended up changing about 5.5qts on the job (this may be too much so if someone knows, please let me know), but I also had him add something called instant shudder fixx by lubegard (recommended in another CL post). It’s supposed to fix any fluid issues the torque converter may have and does not negatively impact the fluid. Do your own research on it. Did my own and decided to go for it. I got the car back today and put it through its paces. No shudder at all so far. I will update in a week or so. If you have questions, ask away.

 

awesome let us know