Taureau

Parked 2001 Rx300 with 112,000 in level parking lot when ready to leave had problems getting transmission into reverse. It was like it was in neutral. Placed it in drive and then in reverse a couple of times before it finally went into reverse and then drove home. Hadn't had any problems since but worried that it might be something. Anyone had that experience before? Any suggestions as to what it might be and more importantly what can I do, if anything?

salimshah

what is the condition of the transmission fluid?

Salim

Taureau

Salimshah: The transmission oil seems to be clean. I've got nearly 112,000 miles on the automobile and it has always been a very good car without any real problems.

I'd hate to get rid of it now. I use it mostly for running around town and always near home.

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

What color is the fluid? How often did you service the transmission?

Taureau

The transmission fluid is reddish clear and within the range as marked on the stick. I have never serviced the transmission on my Lexus.

hypervish

Yikes re; maint.! The first thing I'd do is drop the pan, and clean the filter to prolong the life of the transmission.

In the mean time, I'd start searching for a reputable shop who specializes in transmission work. So when the time comes, you know where to go.

Surprised it even lasted 112k miles without any servicing. Here on CL, most owners change ATF every 15k miles.

When you say it wouldn't go into reverse... Did the shifter physically move into reverse and the engine just reeved without movement?

Taureau

That is correct, the shifter was moved to the reverse position but failed to engage. It was like I had placed it in neutral and gunned the engine. After two or three times of shifting it from that position to drive and back again, it finally engaged and I was able to reverse out of my parking spot. I then shifted it into drive and drove off.

I'm 65 years old and have owned numerous automobiles throughout my lifetime and I've never had any of those automobile transmission fluid changed or even had any type of maintenance done to them. And, believe me, I've never had transmission problems until now. I had always been told from years ago to not fool with it other than checking the fluid levels.

Thanks for the information, I'll do what you're recommending-- dropping the pan, clean the filter and replenish with fresh fluid. Can you think of anything else that I might do, or is there something else that may have caused it from engaging the reverse gear?

kalali

Some newer cars "claim" they come with "lifetime" transmission fluid, especially the ones with manual gearbox. For example, in my BMW user/maintenance manual there is no provisions mentioned for replacing the gear box oil/fluid. That said, I think you should consider yourself lucky getting away with no transmission maintenance on older cars. The RX transmission is particularly a weak component in the driveline and requires special attention and much more frequent fluid changes, e.g., 15K miles, etc. After you replace the fluid, drive the car on an incline, facing down the slope. Then put it in reverse and see if the gear change is smooth and the car goes backwards up the incline without any drama. This will put an extra load on the reverse gear(s) and will be a good test to assess the extent of the damage, if any.

P.S. The filter is a metal mesh type and is not designed to be replaced each time you do a fluid change. In your case though it would be a good idea to take it out and at least visually inspect its condition.

hypervish

Without putting it into park, I assume?

Because if put into park, the parking pawl will engage. And, it's normal for there to be some resistance/jerk on an incline in that scenario.

kalali

Good point. With the bakes applied, of course there will be some resistance when moving the gear lever from P to R and some extra force will be needed. But once the R is selected and gas is applied, the car should begin to move with no jerking or shudder. This was an advice a friend of mine (a BMW master mechanic) gave me years ago when I was looking to buy a used car for my wife. The other transmission related tip he gave me was to manually shift through the gears, up and down, and see if the gear engagements are smooth.