davlex

I have an issue with a car i just bought really cheap. engine seems to run fine. It does not drive in forward or reverse when i put it in gear. I dont hear any clicking or anything under the hood (not sure if i would hear it engage or not). When i put it in reverse i hear nothing and it doesnt drive. When i then put it in drive i hear a grinding for a second and it doesnt drive. any suggestions? i get the p0500 code, fluid looks good. told it might be just a sensor but i cant explain that grinding.

Oro

The 2000 and 2001 ES300 have the very cursed U140E four-speed transmission.

They have a known weakness with the thrust bearing at the planetary gears; they are known to shatter and disable the transmission. I would drop the pan and inspect the pan contents and filter for debris before I decided that was the cause. But given the known issues, that's the most likely scenario. The P0500 may be a result of that; the PCU is commanding a shift and then not seeing the expected output speed. Not sure how this circuit on that car works exactly, but that's a possibility from what I see as the meaning of the P0500 code on referencing it. I think even with an in/op vehicle speed sensor, the shifts would still occur as the sensor is part of a feedback loop and the shift command would still be sent from the PCU to the transmission.

davlex

Thx I'll check the pan.