Guedzou

As a precaution, I contacted my insurance agent who took my car with a tow truck and took it to the LEXUS garage. I spoke with the workshop manager and he will try to look at this today. To answer the various questions, the engine oil level is ok and the oil has a nice normal color, there is no mayonnaise inside the oil filler cap.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Unless your warranty is different across the pond you have none, so don't let them sell you a transmission if the heat exchanger ruptured.....

In short when this happens:
When running the transmission internal pressure is higher than the coolant system. Oil from the trans is pushed into coolant system.
When off and the engine was at operating temp, the coolant system has 16 PSI (sorry wrong units) and the trans has zero. Cooant is forced into transmission through the crack in the heat exchanger until the pressures equalize.

Will this kill the trans? Yes, it could.

But, drop the pan and fluid. Start engine for 5 seconds and 1/4 of the torque converter (TC) fluid volume is dumped.
Install pan, fill with 3 quarts, start it to suck up the fluid filling the TC. Run it through the gears on the lift and dump the pans fluid again. Fill w 3 quarts.
Start it for 5 sec. Turn it off. Dump pan fluid, Clean pan, install new filter, install pan, fill w 3 quarts, start it. Fill remainder.

You just replaced and removed 90% of the fluid and contamination! Drive it for 15 minutes. Repeat and this trans lives a long life.

Done it many times.

Piston1047

Yeah, I noticed this later. Meant to go back and correct it. Thanks. I suppose this is to warm the fluid, while the air exchanger cools it?

Guedzou

For information, this morning the tow truck man started the car to put it on his truck and he restarted to put it down to the LEXUS garage parking. During this last maneuver he had to accelerate hard enough for the car to move, as if the parking brake was engaged. Could it be a lack of pressure in the transmission? I hope my explanation is pretty clear ...

sleepstate

iTrader: (3)

It helps preheat the transmission fluid during initial driving, since the coolant comes up to temp faster.
And it has the opposite effect later once the transmission is hotter (although much less effective this way, hence the external cooler)

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

It stabilizes the temperature, just like all oil/coolant heat exchangers do. That's why the oil "cooler" we have from the factory isn't just a cooler, but it is also a heater when the oil is cold.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes, this could very well be lack of pressure in the transmission. The transmission depends on pressure to operate. If the pressure is low from a leak, it will not work properly at all.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

If the trans pushed its fluid into the engines coolant system (it runs at much higher pressure than coolant system), the tow truck driver just burned the clutches in trans by doing that little maneuver.

Send him a $5,000 invoice for new IS-F transmission.

Guedzou

Bad news : The LEXUS workshop manager just called me, the coolant is contaminated with transmission fluid (radiator dead). He called a gearbox specialist who told him that the gearbox was probably dead because the coolant is attacking the clutch discs.

The workshop manager advises me initially to replace the radiator and to drain twice the transmission, but without guarantie of success.

What is your opinion?

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Of course they are going to say that.
As stated, put a new radiator in and Flush flush flush and drive it.

It could easily live a long happy life unless this has been going on for months????? Perhaps answer some of the questions up above?

The reservoir being tainted like that looks like this has been in play for a while. That said, until the wrecker driver pinned it to load it on the truck, it sounds as if it was shifting OK.

Bottom line is you could dump $6k on a trans now and get 80k mi on rebuild or flush it and still get 50kmi on existing trans. Keep that statement in mind, " called a guy who said it is probably dead".... wtf? Spot on work there. lol

JM2C from working at a major trans shop rebuilding trannies... Your results may vary...

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

That is exactly what I would do, and I would say the same thing - no guarantees of success, but it's the most economical approach. Also, even if this does work, the service life of your transmission is now suspect, so you need to be prepared to replace the transmission when it fails for the last time.

Guedzou

I have just received the quotation for the replacement of the radiator, the flushing of the gearbox and coolant: 1730 € / 2123 $ (8h of labour).

isfvss

I said it was a split tank in your radiator, the price is way to much for a radiator and gearbox flush, I hope no damage is done .

Guedzou

Hi,

Bad news, the gearbox is dead! Change twice the oil was not enough. The gearbox skids and all the torque doesn't go to the wheels.

I have 2 solutions today : either refurbish the gearbox or buy a second hand.

I found tranny of 2010 or 2011 ISF, would that fit perfectly on my 2008 ISF?

mattytubs

I'm really sorry to hear that your gearbox is gone. Yes, the transmissions were never changed on the ISF, so those years would work.