UPDATE POST #8

First off I have a 2002, LS430 with about 57,000 miles on it. About a few weeks ago, I noticed a kind of loud whirring noise when I turned the engine on. Then I noticed it makes a build-up whirring noise when I accelerate. If I tap on the gas lightly, I can't really hear anything, but once I get past around 2k rpms, the whirring noise starts to build up and gets a little louder when I accelerate. It doesn't scream, but it is noticeable to me. Passengers in my car say they don't hear a thing, am I just being paranoid? The car is perfectly fine when in idle/park/at a complete stop. It only makes the noise when I accelerate. Anyone have any experiences with this? I'd appreciate any help, thanks guys.

 

UPDATE: So I just went for a midnight drive, and the startup was completely normal and the whirring noise was non existent. I'm sure when I start the car in the morning it will be there again. I'm thinking it has something to do with one of the belts or something with temperature? I'm just throwing out ideas.

 

Noises can be hard to diagnose without hearing them in person. Check the serpentine belt for cracks or degradation and looseness. Wheel bearings can make similar noises. Have you had the timing belt / water pump service done? I know you only have 57k but she is overdue age wise if you have not performed this service. This applies more to you becaus of your local tropical climate. Salt water in the air and high humidity take a harder tole on rubber and bearings.

Make sure to replace the tensioners if you do need this service. Aisin kit TK021. If the noise is a tensioner wearing out this can be very dangerous. If it fails it will shred the timing belt and you could loose the engine. Mostly likely this is not the problem but it is good to be vigilant with factory maintenance. Also, if the coolant is original you are way overdue to change this as well.

Edit: Dont know how I posted the wrong TB kit. Deleted. Thanks Tom for catching that.

 

I will check the serpentine belt for any signs of wear. I believe the timing belt/water pump is still original, so I will have to get to that ASAP. As you said I will replace the tensioners as well when changing the TB/WP. I don't think its the wheel bearing considering I haven't noticed any other signs indicating the wheel bearing is going out. The coolant is definitely overdue as well.. The kit you linked is compatible for an 02 LS430? Thanks for the feedback man, really appreciate it. I am trying to do everything myself so I save money instead of going to the dealership. I'll update once I find out anything. Cheers!

 

This is the correct timing belt kit with belt tensioner.

 

UPDATE:

So I went to a Lexus specialist to figure out the problem (whirring noise on cold start-up and acceleration). After about a day, they called me and told me there was some debris build up that was blocking the transmission filter, in turn blocking the flow of the transmission fluid. They flushed everything out and replaced the filter. The sound is now gone, and my Lexus sounds great! After doing some research, it is only bad if there are metal debris clogging the filter/in the pan? I am worried that this problem will arise again and maybe take a turn for the worse. Any thoughts on this?

 

Glad it was a easy fix. What was the condition of the transmission fluid prior to this flush-drain service? Checking the fluid color every 15K is a good practice to head off problems. Bright red to cherry is good, when it is burgundy or darker the fluid is due for maintenance.

 

Everything seemed fine until this past week. The whirring noise started to appear again. I just dropped my car off at the shop today and they will do a flush-drain service again. But the head mechanic is worried that because the problem reappeared so quickly (4 months), the transmission may be going bad. He said the debris is probably from the transmission itself and I might have to replace the whole transmission (4-5 thousand dollars). It hit me pretty hard. So for the time being, I am just getting a flush and refill (they will clear the debris from the filter) so the sound goes away. I will take the car elsewhere for a second opinion but the shop I took it to is the only Lexus specialist on the island unless I take it to the dealership... Has anyone ever heard of the transmission failing in these cars? Mine is an 02 with 60k miles. I am definitely hoping that I won't have to change the transmission.. If anyone has any experience or thoughts on this, I would like to hear it. Thanks again for the help guys..

 

Are you sure its a flush/refill or a drain/fill? Members in the past have reported issues with a flush. I've personally had flushes done on my 01 ls430 (Owned for about 60k miles,180k-240k, flushed at 180k) and 06 gs430 (recently with 120k) with no issues.

 

According to the head mechanic, he said it was a full flush and refill. He said last time I was there (4 months ago) they put in 12 new quarts of tranny fluid.

 

I may have to come and hear this noise. do you have a spare room?

 

Take it to another mechanic or best a Lexus dealership. The Lexus dealership will charge usually $99 to diagnose and apply to the repair. Our transmissions are "rock crushers" and almost never fail. As any other big repair you need other opinions. This is not a mom and pop repair shop diagnosis. Good luck. PS. I would not rush out to get your timing belt and water pump replaced. Take care of this first and once resolved, read up on timing belt replacements. Regardless of the age, your timing belt is the least of your problems.

 

Yeah, trying to figure out which transmission shop I should take it to, or I might just take it to the dealership. The shop I took it to is probably the best place on the island as far as Lexus shops go, but I for sure want to get a second opinion. I just got it back and its running smooth right now, going to add an additive that thickens up the viscosity of the trans fluid so maybe that will buy me some time until I figure out what exactly is wrong with it. I'm thinking I might need a rebuild or a new transmission in general, but we'll see once I get it properly diagnosed. Holding off on the TB/WP as well as other parts I bought for the car (wheels/coils/tires/taillights/etc..) just in case I end up selling it, hopefully not. I will try and keep this thread updated as I go. Thanks for the help so far guys

 

I would get a second opinion. The old "Sorry we have to replace the transmission trick" is a classic way to charge you thousands of dollars unnecessarily. You may go through all of this and still have the problem!

If the noise occurs when you first start it up - especially when cold - it is normal for the car to be louder than normal. Mostly due to the higher idle speed needed for the car to run and the fact that various components such as the belt will be cold and not very flexible. At temperatures below -20C here in Canada I get all sorts of strange noises in all of my cars that go away when they warm up.

If this is not it, I would try and isolate when the noise occurs. Do you get the noise when the car is stopped with the engine running? If it occurs at certain vehicle speeds, it is probably something with the tires or wheel bearings. If it occurs at certain RPMs, it could be something in the engine, but more likely with a belt, pulley, or tensioner or exhaust. If it occurs in the same spot in a particular gear but not other gears, then it could be transmission related. As others have stated I would be very careful in condemning the transmission as they are very reliable and used in multiple Toyota / Lexus models. Also, do you have any problems with it shifting - for example slipping, not engaging or very delayed shifts? If not, then I would look elsewhere.

This car is known to have wheel bearings that wear out prematurely and y-pipes that crack. These can all give droning noises. Tires can also give strange noises - especially over washboard surfaces.

 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a filter per-say on this car. There is a "strainer", but I this is not normally designed to be replaced as a maintenance item. I haven't examined this part physically, but I would be surprised to hear how this could get blocked. Again, someone correct me if they have observed something to the contrary.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-03-LS430-...5UNsnC&vxp=mtr

I would check to see what they replaced (should be PN 35330-30070) so you know they're not yanking your chain.