Hey guys, just wondering if anyone had this problem before or has any idea bout it. It started yestreday, when I was doing my daily drive to work, I made a stop at a red light then all of a sudden as I press on the gas, from 1st to 2nd gear it was fine, but from 2nd to 3rd i felt this jerk as if it went into a lower gear and went right back up. Strange, i have never had this problem beofre, usally the shift are very smooth and you don't even feel a thing. My car is '01 GS300 with about 10k on it. Thanks in adavance

 

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone had this problem before or has any idea bout it. It started yestreday, when I was doing my daily drive to work, I made a stop at a red light then all of a sudden as I press on the gas, from 1st to 2nd gear it was fine, but from 2nd to 3rd i felt this jerk as if it went into a lower gear and went right back up. Strange, i have never had this problem beofre, usally the shift are very smooth and you don't even feel a thing. My car is '01 GS300 with about 10k on it. Thanks in adavance

 

Check your transmission fluid--is it black, brown, red? Remotely, but it could the sign of a failing transmission. Check the fluid and it might need to be changed. Do you drive your car hard?

 

Also, seeing that your car is still under that powertrain warranty , I'd just take it in to the dealer. However, take a look at your ATF and see what color it is to get you an idea of what's going one. Good luck.

 

No I don't drive my car hard at all, but since it is in Hawaii, do you think the weather has any effect on the transmission fluid?

 

I'm not sure about the weather affecting your transmission--it's a pretty much sealed up unit. However, it might be your engine's control system, but that's out of my league--and that's where I'd recommend that you take it into the dealer to check out as your car is under the manufacturer warranty.

Have you even taken a look at your ATF fluid? It's a very easy check of the dipstick--pull it out and check the color and level of it.

 

Another thing, did that 2-3 jerking shift occur just once, does it do it occasionally, or is it pretty much there all the time? If it was just a one time deal, I wouldn't worry about it--but for the others, definitely take it in. Lastly, have you tried this--stop on a slight incline hill (about a 10 degree slope hill--no more, no less) and drive up the hill with a light throttle and hold the light throttle as you accelerate. If it has a jerky 2-3 shift, then you've probably got an issue w/ your transmission, and it'll need to be looked at by the dealer.

Let us know what happens.

 

I was browsing some TSB's on this website, and I have more info on a related known issue of the 2001 GS300 and IS300. Read the attached TSB on it. Take it in to your dealer to get either a new ECM (engine control module) or more likely, a recalibrated ECM--best of all, it's covered under your warranty. Your jerky 2-3 shift could be related to it. Best of luck to you.

 

Hey thanks for the replies 98lexGS400, I'm taking my car into the dealership tomorrow. I checked out the fluid it looked pretty good. Another member on here sugessted I reset my ECU but I don't know if I should. Well, I will keep you guys updated on the situation. Thanks again.

 

Hey there, did you find anything out about your transmission from the dealer? I'm just curious. . .

BTW, I recently had DaveGS4 (moderator) change my screen name to SeattleGS400 from 98lexGS400, to better reflect my surroundings and my 99 black GS400 that I have as a replacement for my previous 98 (didnt' like the original Cinnabar color as much as I would like to admit).

 

Okay so I got the car back today, and the dealership said it was an error code of sort they found when they plugged it into the computer. They had to recalibrate my ECM. i don't know what the code is cause I don't have the paper with me. They said to test drive for the next 200 miles and let them know. Well thanks for your inpiuts guys. Hopefully, the problem will be gone.

 

Recalibration probably just means they pulled the fuse or battery terminal like many of us do.

 

The dealer reprogrammed your car's ECM to improve the software code to ensure smoother shifts--much like the software updates you get when you update your versions of Windows software or any other software for that matter. They probably had a bug in the original 2001 code and they corrected it with a newer, better code--hence the "recalibration".

Another term "resetting" (i.e. unplugging a battery or fuse for a bit) is not the same thing--while it resets things to default and the computer has to relearn your driving style, it nonetheless would be using the original buggy code. Your "recalibration"rewrote the computer code, and so your ride should be much smoother.

You probably have a sticker on the top of the insde of your hood to denote this recalibration. Anyways, glad it's worked out for you. . . so far

 

The dealership made it like such a big deal that they reseted the ECU, it was kinda funny. I could have done it at home and not have to leave my car at the dealership for 2 days. But well I also had them looked at my rear break they were squeaking abit. After I got it back they said my rotors were dirty and they deglazed it, but it still squeak. Also my AC is letting out this weird funky smell when I turn it on, it last for a couple of minutes and goes away. The dealership also said they flushed out the whole system but yet it still smells. Anyone got any ideas on how to solve these problems? Thanks.