Hi all,
So I am helping fix a friends car and he has issue where he can’t go in reverse. It’s a 2002 Lexus RX300 AWD so the U140F transmission I think. I did an OBD read and got all these codes;
P0100
P0101 x2
P0110
P0136 x2
P0325
P0330
P0442 x2
P0500
P0770
P0765 x2
yes a lot of codes (some of the code came up twice that’s why there is a x2). At the moment I am working on P0770 and P0765. I’ve search all over the web and can’t seem to find shift solenoid E.
Could some point it to me on the diagram and what’s the part number for that solenoid and recommended parts.
Is there anything I can test or clean before I replace the solenoids?
Could the speed sensor be causing the car to not go in reverse?

 

Hello,

How did the issue first begin?
What condition was the fluid in?
Did you take picture of the Magnets and Residue on the Pan?

The Reverse gear is not actuated with the Solenoid, but rather with the actual Gear Shifter, which is attached to a Mechanical valve, so there is a good chance that issues with your Reverse gear run deeper than electrical malfunctions. Other than that, Solenoids usually don't die simultaneously, and if they do, there is likely a reason for it. Testing them can be tricky as I happened to learn recently, here is a thread about it, so be aware that it may not be that simple.

Below is the Diagram showing the location of all the Solenoids.

P0765 - Shift Solenoid D Malfunction, Solenoid S4 on the Diagram.
P0770 - Shift Solenoid E Malfunction, Solenoid DSL, or Lockup Solenoid.

Solenoid S4 is responsible for Overdrive operation, Solenoid DSL is responsible for Torque Converter Lockup. If I am being brutally honest, it doesn't seem like the car was well taken care of, so there is a chance that this is a result of poor maintenance, and a set of new solenoids likely won't bring it back, but it's really hard to tell anything without actually seeing the car in person, so don't take my word as a verdict.



Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Thanks for the very helpful information

The issue started all a sudden last Tuesday. I help drove it to my friends house then took it to my house to work on.
The oil was dark when I drained it. I measured the old oil to be over 5 quarts and I think this engine needs 4.1 quarts of oil.

Yeah it’s not very well taken care of. The engine oil level was way over the min at cold temp. See picture below, blue mark is indication of oil level at cold. I am wondering if it being over filled might have damaged the engine?

See pictures for how the pan looks like with magnet. Looks like there is a lot of metal residue and I think a piece of the solenoid E bracket broke off.

Blue mark is oil level at cold temp

Left of magnet is broken bracket

 

I am assuming you mean Transmission Fluid by Engine Oil. It depends on how you measured it, as Transmission Fluid level can only be checked with the engine Running, and only after slowly shifting through all the gears. Cold measurements don't tend to be all that precise, so it is always recommended to drive the car until the Transmission is fully warm before taking any measurements.

That doesn't look .. promising frankly. It is not a very good sign when you see actual chunks of the transmission falling out of it as it really doesn't happen without a very good cause for it. Now it's the question of whether it's even worth moving forward if the transmission is in fact toast, considering the overall condition of the car.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

The symptoms described are typical of transmission requiring an overhaul and not just a sensor replacement. If you are advanced DIYer with facilities, I would suggest replacing the transmission and if not have a shop do it for you.

You can let a shop diagnose and confirm, but since the pan has already been dropped, they may worst case the diagnosis too.

Salim

 

Thanks for all the replies.
I been putting off on fixing the RX300 because from all my readings I came to the conclusion that the engine needs to be replaced.

I’ll ask my friend to see what he wants to do.

As for now what can I do to get the reverse to work?