BlueCrabby

I had the RX300 lifted up at a shop last month. All four wheels were off the ground. They were
doing work on the rear diff to track down a noise.(which was repaired)

The mechanic showed me that the front driver's side wheel was not spinning. (while the
front passenger side wheel was spinning) The engine was running, of course. Then
he opened the door and pushed the gas pedal about 1/4 of the way(bringing the engine
to about 2000 rpm) and that's when the front driver's side started spinning.

I've been driving the RX and not noticing any noise or other issue at all...

He said that the CV joint or something needed replacing. I kind of forgot about it and
just remembered it yesterday. Does the mechanic's diagnosis sound about right?
It's an independent shop and he wanted $700 for the job.(parts + labor) I called a
Toyota dealer and a Lexus dealer and they said something like that was about $1200(Toyota)
or $2700(Lexus)

Thanks!

fastnoypi

awd or fwd? its a torsen front diff regardless. With the engine turned off, and one wheel rotated, the other wheel should spin the opposite direction. The power will go to the side with the least resistance.

Othic

A caliper being locked up is a more susceptible cause. Do you see hot spots on the rotor?

BlueCrabby

the rotors look nice and smooth all around.... with the engine off, I can spin that wheel freely.

BlueCrabby

it's a 2001 RX300 AWD.

I'll try spinning the wheel next time and see if the opposite whee spins.

like I said, the front driver side wheel only starts spinning once the engine revs above 2000rpm,
while the front passenger side wheel spins even at engine idle speed with foot off gas pedal.
(the RX300 was lifted up in the air with all 4 wheels off the ground)

I guess I should take it to another shop or dealer and get a 2nd opinion?

Thanks!

maxSteel

In your post you wrote that there was a noise and now it's fixed.

So what actual normal driving problem are you trying to solve now?

BlueCrabby

sorry, I should have made that clear. My rear differential was worn out and making noises.
the rear differential assembly was completely replaced and it works fine now.

the "problem" with the front driver side wheel not spinning is not related. (after the new
rear diff was installed, the problem was still there)

can the two possibly be related?
'
thanks!

maxSteel

I don't know how the Lexus AWD works exactly. While the front and rear differentials are coupled I don't see how one end could affect the left/right distribution in the other.

I saw this post which warns against running it with four wheels off the ground:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...html#post51111

To me it sounds like a real problem was solved and the car is working fine.
I would declare victory and drive home.

salimshah

Back in '99 there was lot of mudslinging/pissing_contest on the x-over and how they performed off road. At that time it was really ML vs RX AWD models.

With no traction (wheel to ground), on all 4, none of the vehicles could move.
With 1 wheel to ground, ML could move and RX would spin on remaining there. Only exception were the RX FWD with traction control + VSC (was an option then) AND one of the front tires could grab on. ML made greased ramps to show their superiority.

I dont know how many readers remember wwest. He had a lengthy triad on RX power train. All based on good facts but he overstated his viewpoint and restrictions were put on his postings.

Lexus engineers went back to the drawing board and made improvements.

Bottom line is all first gen drive systems are not the same.

Traction control and VSC do things behind the scene. Check your gauges (verify they work during self test).

CV joint is purely mechanical coupling. Raise the wheel of the suspect side. Set trans to "N" and spin the wheel slowly and see if you can spot a rip in boots .. there are two cv joints on each shaft. Then spin as fast as you can safely. Under no load, the joint will go through the most flex (wheel hanging down). Wheel should spin smoothly. Put the transmission in Park. Spin the wheel back and forth. Other than the give in the transmission the cv-joint should not have a play. Drive the RX in tight "8" and should not hear any clanks.



Salim

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Can't see how a CV joint would cause this? In any event, the AWD RX300 is basically a FWD car which has a transfer case and rear axle drive setup added for about 25% power to the rear wheels/75% power to the front wheels. I believe the 2001 abandoned the the Torsen limited slip rear differential for an electronic VSC on all 4 wheels (via the braking system). Your symptoms point to the front differential or the VSC. I would definitely get a second opinion.

Australian

Sounds pretty normal if not under load same thing happens with the rear on live transaxle cars making you question things but issues would be in driving if a real problem.