went for oil change at lexus dealership. $60 for oil change amd $50 since I took the Castrol syntec 0w30 ($6.99 a Qt at Autozone) that is recommended here. Then they said the tranny fluid was bad. I am at 55k miles (03 RX 300). Charged 215 with tax for transmission flush. Had to do at the dealership for resale value (these services will be on the carfax). Doing it myself (never done that before) might have saved me 100 bucks in total I guess and I would have been a lot happier that I worked on my car. Wish someone from here is in twincities to watch over and/or guide for the first time.

 

I`d help ya if I was in your area. But the trans fluid change is easier than the oil change. Hardest part, is to not over fill the trans.

 

It must have had a partially clogged screen ''cause it was making a funny whining noise and had poor shifts cold from the faulty magnetic sensor , but now it is OK now it occasionally has a labored last shift. Also this transmission was purchased and installed used several months ago and was handled thru a transmission shop by the people I had purchased it from.
Also ever since we installed transmission it has had what i thought was a 4x4 problem...because when we took off from a dig it felt like it was slipping. I changed the rear end fluid and put a positract additive and it seemed to improve ,but when the shop had it they unplugged the Abs unit and said it was bad .That apparent slippage was the pump engaging and locking the wheels momentarily on acceleration with no application of the brakes or pressure be applied to the brake pedal . Now, of course, the ABS lamp is on and no more problem .The Light was not on when it did that funny pump dance ., although it did seem to get worse when the vehicle heated up . I guess that I am concerned about the Transmission mostly because I am afraid that it will fail in the near future and be out of guarantee. Does that pump engagement result from a potential axle problem caused by the shop that installed transmission (or a brake sensor or ring which they could have affected )...it only occurred after trans was installed. Coincidental ? that the pump should fail after Trans swap

 

I used my Mityvac oil evacuator and it sucked out 3.7 quarts of ATF fluid
from my 2001 RX300 this morning. I even poured the ATF from the
evacuator into a 4-qurt measuring cup to make sure that it was 3.7 quart.
I figured all I needed to do was pour 3.7 quarts of new ATF and everything
should be fine.

However, I didnt' know what the ATF level was, before I started.... The last
ATF change was done by the local Lexus dealer 30,000 miles ago.

After I poured 3.7 quarts of new Toyota Type 4 ATF into my RX300, I waited
a minute. The level was between the COLD marks on the dipstick, with the
engine idling. I then drove about 15 miles(roundtrip) to the grocery store
and came back an hour later. With the engine still idling, I checked the level
again. This time it was just below the lowest HOT mark. However, this was
the reading on the back side of the diptick. The front of the dipstick showed
a well above the HOT mark. It was just above the words Type IV.

The difference between the front and the back of the dipstick was a little
more than one inch. Which side should I use to judge the ATF level???
The dipstick would only go into the tube one way, with the front facing me...

Any advice appreciated!

 

sounds to me like you have a dirty sensor on one of your wheel hubs. try cleaning them,hook up tour antilock system again,and i bet your problem will be solved. UNLESS,the shop damaged one of the sensors. do a search on here,tells you how to clean them.
Ryan

 

its usually the lower reading on the stick that is correct,especially since you put back in 3.7 qts. The lower reading would then be correct.

 

thanks! that's what I was guessing... I let the engine idle for about
2 minutes and then both sides of the dipstick came out with the same
reading... guess it take a while for the ATF to settle down after a long drive.

 

Wait a minute....

ATF in the transfer case?

Shouldn't AWD RX300's transfer case be filled with GL-5 gear oil?

 

the front differential takes around 1/2 quart of trans.fluid.That being said,with the transmission and front differential oil change,it takes around 4.25-4.5 qts.(trans fluid) Transfer case,and rear differential takes 1qt each of gear oil.

 

We have beaten "what to call THIS THING" many many times in this forum. It won't be confusing if one fills with the type of fluid that was drained out, no matter what you called the container.

Repeat it once more here.

1) For AWD, Rear Differential uses gear oil. No confusion.
2) Front Differential, by logic, performs the same function and uses the same type of oil.
3) Transfer case shares ATF with transmission. As seen in the picture.

 

In the step 10, you drained almost 2qt of AT fluid thru the cooler line, are you adding new AT fluid at the same time thru the dip stick hole?

 

It is a little difficult to fill and drain at the same time even with another helper. I overfilled about 1 quart before pumping through cooler line, then put in the difference later.

 

My mother has a 99 Rx300 w/ nearly 120,000 miles. The ATF was changed once at 60k. I dont think the gasket or filter was changed. How important is it to have these two items changed?

Also, whats the difference b/w DIfferential Oil & Torque Sensing LSD Oil? The service manual says to replace both at 120k. thanks

 

Hi guys,

I just bought 10L of Type IV and planned to two drain/fill to get a better clean out of the system.

The problem I have now is that the 10mm plug on the front differential is kinda stripped from me using my 10mm hex bit.
I was wondering if anybody have the part number for that as I tried to tell the parts ppl at toyota and they had no clue.

 

Some additional information I was able to find:

The part numbers for the filter O-ring are: 90080-30077, 90301-31010

Pan gasket part numbers are: 35168-21010 or 35168-21011 (don't know the difference).

The filter/strainer itself: one used in this DIY is 35330-06010 (metal/plastic). The one that is fully metallic is 35330-21011.

The strainer that in the 1st picture of this DIY looks very much like the strainer used in RX330, part 35330-08010, which is intended for a U150 transmission (RX300's is U140E / U140F). I am guessing since the holes match they use this part interchangeably with 35330-06010, that's why you may not be able to get the full-metal part identical to the one that came originally with the transmission.

All of these can be found at a Toyota dealer, as the same transmission is used in Highlander 2002 and up - this is generally cheaper than buying them from a Lexus dealership.