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I've done as much research as i could on the subject and am stuck now. Car ran fine and one day it just rolled to a stop. No forward or reverse. Researched a bit and changed the tranny filter and shift solenoid 4 to no avail. Car still does not move. I did find larger chunks of metal in the oil pan which has lead me to believe it's a bigger problem than just line pressure and solenoids. Now my question is, would you replace the tranny with a used tranny and risk it happening again or remove this tranny and have that rebuilt? Anyone care to chime in with your experiences. Car has 230k miles and has had no issues except now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
What are your long term plan after the fix. It is an investment and you need to share [really think it out] about
a) street value after repair
b) How long you plan to keep it and how do you intend to part
majority of these transmissions blow up well after the non-transferable warranty period......and these 1st gens are almost all 20 years old. FWIW...the issues found in the valve bodies and other transmission components used in these 1st gens (U140) have been identified by a handful of aftermarket companies. Sonnax as an example. https://www.sonnax.com/units/209-u140f
If the OP plans to keep the car.. I would go the remanufactured transmission route and have the local Lexus/Toyota certified tech scan/test the PCM for any faults that may have caused the previous transmission to go bad. Here is a diagnostic article for the U140 that may or may not apply to symptoms leading to the transmission failure that maybe an interesting read https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resource...ic-information
Hi, I hope you're able to get your transmission issues resolved and get your RX back on the road soon! !
That said, your RX is the first I've seen with those wheels and such tires for an exciting and refreshing look on an RX300. I've watched this thread for like a week each day looking at your RX. It's a beautiful RX. Do you have anymore pics of your RX showcasing your setup to share. Thanks!
I replaced my transmission at 155,000 3years ago and no problems as yet. I am using Max Life synthetic trans fluid since the rebuild and put on a trans cooler for a cooler running trans.
My trans guy l put in hardened planetary gears that is the weak point on the first few years on the Lexus RX 300 trans.
You are at 230 K miles is the rest of the vehicle in good condition then it might be worth fixing the old trans, if it is only fair condition I would look for a 2005 or newer one.
These RX300's can go 300,000 to 400,000 miles if taken care of.
I replaced my transmission at 155,000 3years ago and no problems as yet. I am using Max Life synthetic trans fluid since the rebuild and put on a trans cooler for a cooler running trans.
My trans guy l put in hardened planetary gears that is the weak point on the first few years on the Lexus RX 300 trans.
You are at 230 K miles is the rest of the vehicle in good condition then it might be worth fixing the old trans, if it is only fair condition I would look for a 2005 or newer one.
These RX300's can go 300,000 to 400,000 miles if taken care of.
My RX300 is a 2001 model with 175,000 miles, I have driven Toyota's over 500,000 miles an 1986 Cressida using all synthetic oils and nothing wore out.
1991 Lexus LS 400 drove to 400,000 miles it's still on the road again all synthetic fluids, Nothing ever wore out
And other old Camrys up to 350,000 miles each used them for long haul sales work. I never lost a trans till the 2001 RX 300 due to the people before me only changed the trans oil one time at 120,000 miles.
I change my trans oil at 25,000 using Max Life synthetic fluid also used in my power steering..
You'll see that the U140 transmission isn't that reliable and most aftermarket companies that rebuild them upgrade certain components, like your trans guy did. There have been individuals in here that have changed their transmission fluid religiously and still had their transmission blew up. Mine blew recently and it's not worth fixing to me, imo. Just going to sell it as a mechanics special or something.
06-04-19, 01:55 PM
01 RX300 Transmission dead- rebuild or replace?
