Some newbie ISF transmission questions.....
12-17-10, 11:39 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Co
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Some newbie ISF transmission questions.....
Hello everyone!
Picked up a 08 USB ISF with 27k miles on it about a month ago. So far I'm really loving the car. Huge step up in pretty much every way from my old 01 Cobra Vert.
This is also my first time with an F1 style transmission and I'm a little nervous that I'm messing it up.
When I drive the car in normal automatic mode everything is fine. The automatic shifts smoothly and all appears well.
When I switch to the paddle shift mode I've noticed that on occassion there is a little lag between when I tap the paddle to shift up and when the car actually shifts. Seems like almost a second elapses between pulling the paddle and the car actually shifting. I will tap the paddle, the dash indicator will reflect the gear change but the engine RPM's don't adjust for that second or so.
The last few nights there has also been a noticeable smell coming from the rear of the car after using the paddle shift mode. At first I thought this smell may be the new rear pads that I just had put on last week through the Lexus service bulletin but now I'm worried that there is something wrong with the transmission.
I don't feel like I'm running the car very hard at all, shifting between 4-5k RPMS, nothing close to red line. Like I said, this is my first car that is not a traditional manual and I want to make sure I'm not messing up this transmission.
What is the long term reliability of the ISF transmission and how often should it be checked out? I've read all these horror stories about huge costly repairs to F1 style transmissions (AM Vantage, Gallardo, GTR etc) and want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a quick $4k+ repair bill.
Any thoughts or opinions you all have on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Picked up a 08 USB ISF with 27k miles on it about a month ago. So far I'm really loving the car. Huge step up in pretty much every way from my old 01 Cobra Vert.
This is also my first time with an F1 style transmission and I'm a little nervous that I'm messing it up.
When I drive the car in normal automatic mode everything is fine. The automatic shifts smoothly and all appears well.
When I switch to the paddle shift mode I've noticed that on occassion there is a little lag between when I tap the paddle to shift up and when the car actually shifts. Seems like almost a second elapses between pulling the paddle and the car actually shifting. I will tap the paddle, the dash indicator will reflect the gear change but the engine RPM's don't adjust for that second or so.
The last few nights there has also been a noticeable smell coming from the rear of the car after using the paddle shift mode. At first I thought this smell may be the new rear pads that I just had put on last week through the Lexus service bulletin but now I'm worried that there is something wrong with the transmission.
I don't feel like I'm running the car very hard at all, shifting between 4-5k RPMS, nothing close to red line. Like I said, this is my first car that is not a traditional manual and I want to make sure I'm not messing up this transmission.
What is the long term reliability of the ISF transmission and how often should it be checked out? I've read all these horror stories about huge costly repairs to F1 style transmissions (AM Vantage, Gallardo, GTR etc) and want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a quick $4k+ repair bill.
Any thoughts or opinions you all have on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
12-17-10, 11:52 PM
#2
Pole Position
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: ca
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
the paddle shifter can be used in manual or auto mode. in AUTO mode, shifting seems slower whereas in MANUAL mode shifting response is immediate. if ou were in MANUAL mode and there is still some lag, then it is possible that there is a tranny issue.
12-18-10, 12:01 AM
#4
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Co
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have the car in manual mode, shifter down to D and then notched to the left. It was pretty cold tonight coming home and the car had been sitting for about 10 hours but the car had warmed up before I switched over from automatic to manual mode.
It doesn't cause damage to the transmission to switch between manual and automatic mode while actually driving does it? I didn't see anything about it in the manual and during my test drive the dealer said you can switch at will and when it's in manual to "just hold the pedal down and flow through the gears."
If it were a transmission issue, wouldn't the problem be present at all times though? In both automatic and manual modes?
LOL. Yes I'm sure.
It's not all the time that I notice this happening. Maybe I'm just not letting the car warm up enough.
It doesn't cause damage to the transmission to switch between manual and automatic mode while actually driving does it? I didn't see anything about it in the manual and during my test drive the dealer said you can switch at will and when it's in manual to "just hold the pedal down and flow through the gears."
If it were a transmission issue, wouldn't the problem be present at all times though? In both automatic and manual modes?
It's not all the time that I notice this happening. Maybe I'm just not letting the car warm up enough.
12-18-10, 08:28 AM
#6
Pole Position
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: ca
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have the car in manual mode, shifter down to D and then notched to the left. It was pretty cold tonight coming home and the car had been sitting for about 10 hours but the car had warmed up before I switched over from automatic to manual mode.
It doesn't cause damage to the transmission to switch between manual and automatic mode while actually driving does it? I didn't see anything about it in the manual and during my test drive the dealer said you can switch at will and when it's in manual to "just hold the pedal down and flow through the gears."
If it were a transmission issue, wouldn't the problem be present at all times though? In both automatic and manual modes?
LOL. Yes I'm sure.
It's not all the time that I notice this happening. Maybe I'm just not letting the car warm up enough.
It doesn't cause damage to the transmission to switch between manual and automatic mode while actually driving does it? I didn't see anything about it in the manual and during my test drive the dealer said you can switch at will and when it's in manual to "just hold the pedal down and flow through the gears."
If it were a transmission issue, wouldn't the problem be present at all times though? In both automatic and manual modes?
LOL. Yes I'm sure.
It's not all the time that I notice this happening. Maybe I'm just not letting the car warm up enough.
If your transmission temperature gauge is showing 3 bars and your shifting is still sluggish in MANUAL mode, then there is likely something wrong with the tranny. Do you know the previous owner? was it a track car?
12-18-10, 09:24 AM
#7
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Co
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did not know the previous owner personally but I was told it was not a track car. I have all the service records and it appears to have been a well maintained car. I just had the car checked out at Kuni Lexus here in Colorado last week when I took it for the rear brake TSB and everything checked out fine but I'm honestly not sure exactly how extensive their "check" was.
I'm thinking my problem is that the transmission had not warmed up. I honestly did not pay attention to the transmission temperature gauge. It was about 20 degrees last night as I made my way home and I only had the car running for about 10-15 minutes when I noticed this odd behavior.
It's supposed to be about the same tonight so I will pay closer attention tonight and see if it happens again and under what conditions.
I'm thinking my problem is that the transmission had not warmed up. I honestly did not pay attention to the transmission temperature gauge. It was about 20 degrees last night as I made my way home and I only had the car running for about 10-15 minutes when I noticed this odd behavior.
It's supposed to be about the same tonight so I will pay closer attention tonight and see if it happens again and under what conditions.
Trending Topics
12-18-10, 09:26 AM
#8
I have somewhat of the same issue as well.
2008 ISF, 100% stock.
Sports mode on, shifter in M mode, traction control off via long press. Flooring it from a standstill and upshifting perfectly at the beep, the car just does not feel fast. Honestly, it feels faster in D mode than shifting in M mode.
Difficult to describe, the shifting speed in M mode is immediate, but acceleration wise feels slow. Whereas in D (auto mode) you can hear a slight pause between gearshifts, but acceleration wise, it doesn't feel slow.
Oil and trans temp are fully warmed during those times as well, 20+min of driving around before going full throttle.
It could be the Hankook Ventus V12 tires though, a LOT of tire squirm under hard acceleration and cornering.
2008 ISF, 100% stock.
Sports mode on, shifter in M mode, traction control off via long press. Flooring it from a standstill and upshifting perfectly at the beep, the car just does not feel fast. Honestly, it feels faster in D mode than shifting in M mode.
Difficult to describe, the shifting speed in M mode is immediate, but acceleration wise feels slow. Whereas in D (auto mode) you can hear a slight pause between gearshifts, but acceleration wise, it doesn't feel slow.
Oil and trans temp are fully warmed during those times as well, 20+min of driving around before going full throttle.
It could be the Hankook Ventus V12 tires though, a LOT of tire squirm under hard acceleration and cornering.
Last edited by itsmike177; 12-18-10 at 09:30 AM.
12-18-10, 09:43 AM
#9
Pole Position
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: ca
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have somewhat of the same issue as well.
2008 ISF, 100% stock.
Sports mode on, shifter in M mode, traction control off via long press. Flooring it from a standstill and upshifting perfectly at the beep, the car just does not feel fast. Honestly, it feels faster in D mode than shifting in M mode.
Difficult to describe, the shifting speed in M mode is immediate, but acceleration wise feels slow. Whereas in D (auto mode) you can hear a slight pause between gearshifts, but acceleration wise, it doesn't feel slow.
Oil and trans temp are fully warmed during those times as well, 20+min of driving around before going full throttle.
It could be the Hankook Ventus V12 tires though, a LOT of tire squirm under hard acceleration and cornering.
2008 ISF, 100% stock.
Sports mode on, shifter in M mode, traction control off via long press. Flooring it from a standstill and upshifting perfectly at the beep, the car just does not feel fast. Honestly, it feels faster in D mode than shifting in M mode.
Difficult to describe, the shifting speed in M mode is immediate, but acceleration wise feels slow. Whereas in D (auto mode) you can hear a slight pause between gearshifts, but acceleration wise, it doesn't feel slow.
Oil and trans temp are fully warmed during those times as well, 20+min of driving around before going full throttle.
It could be the Hankook Ventus V12 tires though, a LOT of tire squirm under hard acceleration and cornering.
12-18-10, 10:10 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Under an IS F since 2008
Posts: 13,446
Received 1,058 Likes
on
586 Posts
Welcome to the Club!!
Make sure you are fully warmed up before using manual shift.
Also, use "Sport Mode" for best results when in manual shift.
"Sport Mode" will also make Auto shift a whole lot more fun to drive..
Joe Z
Make sure you are fully warmed up before using manual shift.
Also, use "Sport Mode" for best results when in manual shift.
"Sport Mode" will also make Auto shift a whole lot more fun to drive..
Joe Z
12-18-10, 04:01 PM
#11
I'm definitely thinking it wasn't warmed up. I definitely notice when my car hasn't hit whatever temp enables the fast shifts...it is totally awkward and takes a full second to actually shift. I live in AZ and haven't ever beeing really cold weather with the F, but even 45 or 50 degrees will slow it down for a minute or two while everything comes up to temp.
12-18-10, 08:33 PM
#12
Rookie
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ga
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What is the approximate throttle percentage that you're at when you have this sluggish shift in M mode? I've experienced the same thing but only when TP is about 50% or less. I do not have any technical data to substantiate my claims (I'm sure I could find some) but it makes sense that the speed at which the trans. shifts in M mode strongly correlates with TP.
12-18-10, 11:32 PM
#13
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Co
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I didn't switch over the manual mode at all during the drive home tonight but I was in manual mode on the way to work and had no problems at all with the shifts, everything felt great.
There was still a slight smell coming from the rear of the car after I arrived at work but I think that is the new brake pads. At least I hope it is.
When I had the sluggish shifting last night I was not at full throttle. I actually don't think I've had the car at full throttle since picking it up.
There was still a slight smell coming from the rear of the car after I arrived at work but I think that is the new brake pads. At least I hope it is.
When I had the sluggish shifting last night I was not at full throttle. I actually don't think I've had the car at full throttle since picking it up.
12-19-10, 01:09 PM
#15
besides it being warmed up, it has something to do with what RPM you shift at/throttle position. If I change gears manually at 2-3k rpm during part throttle, it is slow and sluggish and smooth. If I'm flooring it and shift at 5K, it shifts quick and hard.