Wife has a 2005 RX 330, 150k miles. Few days ago my wife tells me she hears a high pitched wine every time the car accelerates. So I drove the car for 10min and yes, consistent high pitched wine at all rpms and during start; can also hear this wine when I rev the car slightly in neutral/park. I take a look at the engine bay after driving the car and found:

0) I hooked up a code reader and found no pending/stored codes
1) The power steer reservoir is completely empty
2) There is a caked pink dried residue on the coolant reservoir
3) Near the coolant reservoir there is a hose that has a large coating dusting of white powder
4) The engine bay was unusually hot, even 1-2hrs after driving the car

So I suspect there's a coolant leak somewhere. I call the Lexus dealership; Anywhere from $1-2k to repair/replace power steering pump/system. Tech could not give me a quote re: the coolant reservoir, said it could be anything from replacing the reservoir, hose, and/or water pump. Tech wants $150 for diagnostic test.

Based on my description, any idea what needs to be done to resolve the coolant issue and what kind of costs am I looking at? Another $1-2k?

Edmunds values the car at around $4500. I figure the repairs may be $3-4k. Is it worth to repair the car? Or is it time for a new vehicle?

 

It's probably just me, but I would not be taking a 2005 (anything) to a dealer for repair. Maybe you have some contacts that get their cars fixed at a good local garage. Hopefully you can find a great independent garage without the massive overhead of a Lexus dealer.
Heck I don't even get 2016 serviced at the dealer.

 

If the car is in good shape other than this issue, I would definitely get it repaired ! But not at the dealer, I would bring it to a good independent garage who would fix it for half that money, guarantee!

 

Do you have power steering fluid to put in?
Do you have coolant that you can put in?
How much coolant was in the reservoir? Did you check under the radiator cap after the car cooled down to see how much coolant is inside? Does the coolant in there look unusual or have an oily layer on top?

The hose you describe is the upper hose going back to the radiator. It is possible that the area closest to the coolant reservoir has no powder because of coolant overflow from the reservoir.

The above are helpful to know before you consider driving the car again. I agree with the other comments that you should get it to an independent for evaluation. And it might be fewer things than you imagine as needing repair.

 

My coolant reservoir has had the pink residue on it since I bought my car eight and a half years ago. I think the reservoir is slightly porous and some coolant seeps through over time. I clean it off occasionally and live with it without worry.
Why do you think you have a coolant leak, have you checked the radiator and the reservoir as stated above? If it is low, top it off and monitor. Is the engine running hot as indicated by the temperature gauge?

The whining is likely your power steering pump due to low fluid level. Get some Dexron compatible ATF and refill the system. Bleed the system by starting the engine and turning steering wheel from stop to stop several times. Top off as necessary and monitor. Also are you missing the power steering reservoir cap? If so get a new one or cover it with something to prevent dirt from getting in.

On a car that old/mileage I would see how bad any leak is and balance the cost of repair vs. the inconvenience having to routinely check/top off fluid levels.

 

Ok, so tonight I had a chance to look at the car again. The power steering pump was completely empty. So I added ~0.5 QT Dexon 3 AFT and refilled/bleed the power steering system as suggested. Now the noise is gone, which is great, but still unsure where the leak is.

So I then proceed to look at the coolant reservoir. The coolant reservoir is also pretty much empty. I filled with distilled water and a little bit of Prestone coolant. I then remove the radiator cap. This is what I found. Does the coolant fluid look "milky" to you? It does not look bright clear red.

 

Coolant change is probably $ 80-$110 at the Toyota dealership. Just get it done there for a piece of mind

 

now that you have topped up power steering, and also the coolant, take it for a drive and monitor the engine temperature.

Look at all the hoses from the PS pump and around the steering rack for PS fluid leaks. Put some newspaper on the floor under the PS rack and see if any leaks are visible after it has sat for a few hrs.

 

After you get this sorted out I'd have a chat with whomever is doing the 5k mile oil change services on the car. I can't imagine both of those fluids going from full to empty since the last service.

 

Has the coolant ever been changed in this car? If so, how long ago? If not, it is possible that what you see is heavily used coolant that has gone past it's useful life (especially if only (non-distilled) water was added in the past when coolant seemed low) and so now needs replacement, which doesn't have to be done by a dealer. Removal of the old coolant by a professional is a better way to see if it is milky (although you could try drawing some out into a clear container and looking).
And for your immediate peace of mind, being watchful of the temperature after the car has been running for a while is a good indicator of a head gasket problem.

Btw, we replaced the steering rack on our '05 330 a while back. It had a small leak (or seepage) and we decided to do it pre-emptively for something around $700 (maybe 800 if my memory is off) at a fantastic independent shop.

 

So much for my trusted indy. I'm kind of ticked why he didn't check the fluids when doing the oil change, or noticed it at least. It should be pretty obvious during the oil change said fluids are low/discolored... which makes me wonder what other items he didn't check.

When I took of the engine bay over on the left side of the RX (the one covering the power steering pump) I noticed the plastic screws were completely warped and melted. Literally had to pry the cover off, and when doing so those screws broke off (no big deal). The dealership did major service at 120k so I suspect all of this stuff happened within the past 30k miles.

 

When was the last time your indy had the car? If there is leakage of engine gases into the coolant, it could have happened after the indy last had it. Same with the power steering leak.

As for the 120k service, did they change coolant? If they did, then your coolant looks suspicious from the picture because 30k doesn't wear out Toyota red coolant that qickly.

 

I'll try and find out more info tonight what services were done at 120k major service. Indy had the car 5k miles ago for oil change, and recently just had the car 2 days ago for another oil change, and wanted us to come back to replace a few filters (A/C/ cabin?). He didn't think the high pitched noise was anything (this was before I popped the hood and topped off the PS fluid) and never mentioned anything about the low coolant/low PS/dried coolant on the hose.

 

If the indy didn't pay attention to you or your wife pointing out the high pitched noise, that says time to go to another place.

Btw, the cabin filter is very easily done without the need for a pro. I don't know what A/C filter means. The air filter for the engine needs to be changed at regular intervals. 30k is probably time.

 

Lexus Master Tech here, both issues are pretty common among older RX330s.

Your power steering fluid is probably leaking out of the passenger side of the power steering rack. Just replacing the boot will not fix the issue. Either the rack needs to be replaced with an aftermarket unit it'll be around $700-$900 if done at an aftermarket shop, or have a Lexus dealer install the updated parts ( ~$950 at my dealer). Keep in mind thought that this only fixes the passenger side seal, and does not fix any other leaks. If the rack is leaking, or even seeping anywhere else, I would recommend a full replacement.

The low coolant is likely due to 1 of 3 problems. Least expensive would be a leaking radiator, which runs around $500 to replace. Next would be the "coolant valley" as some techs call it, but the actual part is the thermostat housing. It is a part in the valley of the V6 engine that seals coolant, and causes coolant to flow into the thermostat and into the lower radiator hose. To fix this would run around $700-900, and finally if the water pump wasn't replaced with the timing belt which was due at 90,000 miles then the water pump could be leaking. To replace the water pump, timing belt, and seals runs around $1000.

I'm sure that someone will chime in that they got something listed above replaced for much less, but keep in mind that they are the exception, and not the rule, and I'm try to shoot a little high to give you a realistic expectation, and if you save a few hundred dollars, then good job.