Hi all,

My LS460 is not shifting right. There is some hesitation of acceleration sometimes. I've brought the car in the dealership a couple of times for this issue and they have flashed the ECU with some new firmware upgrade...but the problem is still there. Since this is an intermitten problem, meaning 99% of the time it's fine, the dealer couldn't duplicate the issue so didn't do much.

I'm thinking about flushing out and replacing the tranny fluid..hopefully that will help. I'm going for Amsoil synthetic ATF..

Anyone has some instruction on how to replace/flush the tranny fluid? THanks.

 

i thought the tranny is sealed? fluid supposedly not touch for 100k miles. i don't know what after that though

 

I wouldn't fool with that myself, it is a sealed transmission. If you really think that is the problem, I would insist that the dealer do it.

 

Yes...so is my 2008 tundra 5.7L...but they didn't fill it up to the correct level.

 

its sealed but there is a drain plug in the back left corner of the pan as your looking at it from the front and there is a fill plug on the driver side up to the top. The trans has an overflow so when its full it starts to pour out like a differential would.

 

Yes but if it's anything like the tundra, fluid have to be at spec temp (for correct level since hot fluid expands). Techstream is used to monitor correct engine temp (which I have). By pass valve will have to be jammed open, etc..
It's not simple as drain and fill like the good old days.

 

this is the latest tsib


A/T - World Standard Automatic Transmission Fluid











L-SB-0001-11

January 6, 2011

World Standard Automatic Transmission Fluid
Service Category
Drivetrain
Section
Automatic Transmission/Transaxle
Market
USA







Applicability

TSIB SUPERSESSION NOTICE

The information contained in this TSIB supersedes TSIB No. TC008-07.



^

Applicability has been updated to include 2009 - 2011 model year Lexus vehicles.


TSIB No. TC008-07 is Obsolete and any printed versions should be discarded. Be sure to review the entire content of this service bulletin before proceeding.

Introduction

World Standard (WS) Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) was introduced to reduce maintenance costs and increase the mileage between scheduled maintenance checks. Here are some important tips when working with ATF-WS in Lexus vehicles requiring its use.







Warranty Information







Required Tools & Equipment







Important Information

 

Thanks Vancouver. Yeah the tundra has sealed tranny and uses ws-ATF too. Amsoil synthetic ATF is ws rated.
Anyways, do you have that full PDF of how to refill/drain/check fluid level? Thanks

 

Here we go

 

Thx Vancouver. That's very close to the tundra's procedure.

 

I read a thread discussing this issue on a Saudi forum.

Apparently the dealership in Saudi Arabia replaces the transmission fluid every 50,000 miles and the differential gear oil every 20,000 miles as part of the regular maintenance schedule they follow.

One participant described that the process of draining/filling something like this:
- Remove the drain and overflow plugs until all of the fluid is out.
- Re-install the drain plug.
- Remove the fill plug and use a "special feeder" (tube or something I forgot what it was) to fill the fluid until the fluid starts to come out of the overflow plug.
- Re-install the overflow plug.
- Switch the car on and wait for few minutes (I think 5 minutes).
- Shift the gear in a certain order (p to n to d then n then r then p, not sure about the order).
- Switch off the car.
- Remove the overflow plug and let it drain to empty.
- Re-install the overflow plug.

The above procedure isn't 100% how he described it but it was something like that. Now I don't know how accurate he was or if it was necessary to be done every 50k miles.

Lexus doesn't say what should be done post 100k miles. That remains a question to be answered. Maybe a member who's done a regular maintenance job at a dealership can chime in.

 

Lexus doesn't say what should be done post 100k miles. That remains a question to be answered.

JF, Vancouver's post *7 (first line in the attached image) answers it. As long as there is no problem with the transmission, the fluid will never need changing.

 

That's kind of like saying oil doesn't need to be changed...Call me old school but I don't buy it. The lifetime no change thing is more less of a marketing scheme to show that a car doesn't need maintenance.

My Tundra said the same thing. but when I change the tranny fluid and the differential fluid, it's look dark brown ...nasty ... fresh fluid is pinkist/reddish clear.

But unless you keep your car more than 5 years, you don't need to mess with it.

 

OK, you're old school! There, I said it.

Seeing you have a pickup truck and from Texas reminds me of the joke -

A Texan wanted to brag about how big of a ranch he owned to an Oakie. "I can be in my truck all day and never reach the end of my property" he boasted.

"You know" said the Oakie, "I once owned a truck like that."

 

What year is your LS and what's the mileage if I may ask? I have an 08 with 52,000 miles that has just started having this very issue. I noticed that the problem started when I resumed to normal highway speeds from having been stuck in stop and go traffic for approximately 35 minutes and 3 miles. While cruising, if I feather the fuel for a slight increase in speed the car barely responds... giving the feeling of a dead gas pedal.

It feels like a software issue, for the transmission doesn't downshift when necessary... or stumbles between two gears as if it doesn't know where it should be. This feels very much like some adaptive transmission logic confusion, a problem I used to have with an 06 BMW 760 whenever I'd take long highway trips and suddenly get into stop and go. The only difference there is that BMW has a logic reset sequency involving a couple of depresses of the gas pedal when turning to the key power position.

Anyway, let me know your year and mileage and especially whether you've had the problem resolved (and how).

Thanks,

Nick