tsx2isF

So i just dropped off my car at Riverside Lexus with Erick SA. He definitely knew what he was talking about and mentioned the exact steps that Lobuxracer wrote up in this thread. He knows the forum talks about him and was even agreed that "lifetime" fluid is a stupid thing that lexus did. He has one guy that works on the F model cars.

Yes i understand my car might not need it being at 75k miles, but for $450 im willing to pay thats for pieace of mind for the next 8yrs and another 75k miles. The car will be tracked at least once a month from Sept-feb since temps here in Socal will be cooler now.

isfvss

So rather than read this whole post how do you check the gearbox level??

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

You can't check it per se. You can adjust it if it is too high.

isfvss

So is there a filler plug you fill up to ?? or do you drain the box dry and add X amount of oil. OK read the whole thread all good thanks people.

nks979

Recently had the 3.4 quarts atf change, is it normal for the car to hold gears longer than normal when going downhill and coasting off the gas? It happens in sport mode only but I can't remember it doing this prior to the fluid swap, wondering if the tech could have filled it incorrectly. Also what should we do with the fluid on an older car that has never had a flush/refill, at 102k miles now and the car has never had one aside from the recent service however I've seen plenty of people saying that doing a flush and refill on a transmission that hasn't had regular ones is worse than just leaving it.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

The level is low. Read this thread and decide what you want to do with your swap idea. All the arguments pro and con are here.

ZDCATC

For those of you without a scanner, you may have to connect the two pins in the diagram below (or at least I had to on my 2008). Connecting 4 and 14 entered some other diagnostic mode. 4 and 13 did the trick for checking fluid temperature.

mahcah

iTrader: (3)

Are most of you having the transmission serviced with the draining only (3.9 quarts)? I think my dealer is doing the draining only. They are charging me about $182.00.

socal3

iTrader: (2)

holy crap I think this is why my Pindicator isn't showing eather to high or low trans fluid. Would this affect the vsc light and traction control light also??

ZDCATC

All sorts of stuff will flash when you enter these diagnostic modes. Also, your car might idle funny.

Heres a video of connecting pins 4 and 14. I don't know what this does. I'm assuming this method works for other Lexus models. The procedure on this forum looks right, except for this one detail. Heres a pic of the wrong pin combo for the IS F:



Here is how to verify if the ATF temp is correct for checking the level for an IS F: Make sure you connect pins 4 and 13. Here's a pic:



Sorry I couldn't figure out how to put the video directly in my post.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

The procedure came from the New Car Features manual including the pin 4 to pin 14 shorting. It is from Lexus. The pin 4 to pin 13, not 14, is in the Factory Service Manual. I have not done this with a shorting wire, so I can't comment about which pins are which from experience, but you can't get this wrong with Techstream.

ZDCATC

I would follow any guide that you pay for or you know is legit.

That being said, I did as much online research as I could before I attempted a drain/fill myself. I printed out the guide on this forum and gave it a try. I almost freaked out when my car wouldn't detect the ATF temp by connecting 4 and 14 (I don't have a scanner). Fortunately, I remembered seeing another guide online (nothing official. not paid for. use-at-your-own-risk kind of stuff). I referred to that guide and tried 4 and 13 like it said and voila. Maybe my car is just different than other IS Fs idk. Maybe someone else who had trouble getting into temp detection mode can chime in?

If anyone decides to try this procedure and you don't have a scanner, make sure you can enter temp detection mode BEFORE you start the drain/fill. Otherwise whats the point of having newer fluid without verifying it's at the correct level? Here's a peek at the guide I used. Use this at your own risk. It worked for me but may not work for you. I only tried it because 4 and 14 didn't work for me and I didn't know what else to try.



I only bring this issue up because maybe it will help someone else out there who has trouble getting into temp detection mode. I don't want people out there saying F it (pardon the pun) when they can't get it to work and just drive around with the wrong amount of ATF.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I paid for both. I have a subscription to TIS. The New Car Features is posted on TIS as is the factory service manual. The New Car Features has the wrong information printed in it. The factory service manual has it right. I just submitted an error report to Lexus through TIS. Your post is correct.

Zelfiris

So another update here. The ATF was only flushed and refilled from the pan (mechanic wouldn't do the two other section and does not have techstream). This was last year.

This week when I'm making a left turn from stop to go at intersections, my gears would hang every time. Using auto.

I suspect the ATF is low again?

mikersoft

iTrader: (1)

Could be.. It seems these transmissions can mysteriously make fluid slowly disappear over time. I topped mine off last spring and it was definitely a noticeable improvement.. However, lately I've started noticing the same low fluid symptoms.. I plan to check my level again in the spring..

-Mike