ebat

Hi all, new to the board with a new/used 98 ES300. I am experiencing a somewhat difficult to describe issue when I'm driving at 40mph or 50mph and above. The problem I'm noticing is that when I get to those speeds and hold the accelerator steady I notice a twitchy or slight skipping feel coming from the car. It almost feels like there is a very subtle hiccup. I had a Lexus mechanic ride with me and he said he didn't notice it. We kept an eye on the rpm's and they weren't fluctuating. If I take my foot off the gas when this happens it stops and it also doesn't occur below 40mph. Overall shifting feels silky smooth and gets in to gear at the proper rpm's.

Car has 105k miles and all maintenance records performed at the dealer where I bought it. Other than this issue I'm absolutely loving this Lexus. Anyone have experience or ideas of what this problem might be? Thanks in advance.

draikonz

try doing a full flush on your transmission and put new fluids in...See if this twitchyness still occurs.

ebat

Thanks for the reply, draikonz.
I'm taking the car to my personal mechanic vs. the dealer this time to see what he thinks. Probably have the flush done at that time.

AdvanSC300

Hmmmm I don't believe the 98 ES300 takes Type T-IV fuild,so you may be ok by doing a flush with Dextron III fluid!!I would also recommend to do a fuel injection cleaning that also my help to get a smoother ride quality !!

ebat

Thanks for the reply, Advan.
Had the mechanic I've used for all my other cars drive it yesterday and he was able to experience the same thing I am. He thinks it might be the torque converter and suggested I take it to a transmission specialist. I'm headed back to the Lexus dealer on Monday so I'll see what happens then.

AdvanSC300

I think it could probably be the valve body or a shift solinoid if any thing,because Lexus/Toyota torque converters rearly have any problems!

ebat

I'll post back with the results on Monday, maybe someone will find it useful should they encounter a similar situation in the future.

cino135

after reading this thread, i too have a slight shudder when maintaining speeds of 40-50mph on my 97 es 3. i have had my CEL light off and on, ran the code with a shift solenoid problem. gonna do a tranny flush in the next week or so and (fingers crossed) hope that works. will keep up to date as soon as service is done. BTW, i often (every 2-3 weeks) use a pour in injector cleaner additive, but hopinbg this tranny flush will do the trick.

ebat

After test driving with the Lexus mechanic and leaving the car at the dealer I'm still having this issue. Lexus told me the sensastion I was feeling was the road and not the transmission. Turns out he seems to be right. I'm convinced it is mechanical so I took it to a transmission specialist. We rode for close to 45 minutes and he was able to feel the problem I'm having. Transmission guy doesn't think it is the transmission but a problem with the engine. Neither mechanic is able to pull any error codes but 2 of the 3 mechanics that have driven the car say that there is an issue, just not the one that might have to cover it under warranty.

I'll be heading back to the dealer again next week.

djdoughboy

Hello Ebat, I was about to tell you I dont think its your tranny, and then I saw your last post...

Is your CEL on? or has it come on? If so it might be an O2 sensor.

ebat

Thanks for the reply, dj and no it hasn't come on...yet. I wish it would so I could finally take it in and say "there it is"!

jzki1311

Hi I have just recently purchased a 96 es and i'm experiencing the same problems around 40-50 mph. I had shut off the over drive and the shudder had went away. I was just wondering if any one else had tried this as well. I was waiting on the updates from the tranny flush to see if it would cure the problem

cino135

got the tranny flushed, as well coolant flush. still experienced some slight shuddering, however the car is shifting smoother and havent seen the CEL light since then . was in my garage this weekend tinkering with a new sound set up in the trunk, and noticed when i rotated my wheels ( 3 weeks ago) that there are two different sets of tires on my car( this is i did know). and to my surprise ( didnt notice this when doing the rotation myself) that one set of tires are directional. so obviously now i have two tires operating in the wrong direction (both on front end too) was wondering will this cause a shudder, as i have noticed the alignnment out since the rotation , and a slight pull. or could this simply be a case of worn out motor mounts?? here in NC we havent had any kind of winter weather. i was gonna wait till end of winter to outfit her with some new wheels and rubbers, but i may do this sooner seeing as how i screwed up and didnt pay attention to the directional arrow posted on two of my tires

djdoughboy

YES this will cause a vibration at a certain speed... and this is definitely your problem. rotate the tires and put them in the correct direction and I garuntee your problem will be solved

ebat

I also wondered if my tires were the cause of the problem. The Lexus mechanic had said that he was feeling the road but the 2 other mechanics were convinced (as well as myself) that they were feeling something else. I'll probably be back at the dealer this weekend so I'll see what comes of that.