wmj259

Hey all,
So I was able to find a replacement transmission. Car history report shows last emission done at 2008 with 25k miles. it seems like the owner did the emission waiver if they drive less than 5k miles a year. Looked inside car and found all original dealership documentation and manuals/booklets, even wheel lock number card.Turns out the car was junked after the owner passed, so I took out the engine transmission combined.

Engine looks clean, took off the valve covers and its golden stained from motor oil. Engine Oil dipstick still has clean fluid. The coolant reservoir had bright red coolant. I took the upper portion of the timing belt cover off and the belt looks almost brand new maybe. Hard to do a compression test by hand cranking the crankshaft pulley.
What should I do now? Transmission and engine fluid was drained by junkyard. I thinking about adding an extra external trans filter in line to the radiator. and opening up both pans (engine and trans) to see inside.

Tags: 2000 ES300 U140E

LeX2K

If you didn't find sludge under the valve cover I see no reason to open the pan. For the tranny use a high quality synthetic ATF and you're good to go the problem with the U140E is not heat but simply a bad design. I would replace the transmission filter with an OEM unit (the aftermarket I've seen are cheap and scary looking).

wmj259

Thanks for the advice! You mentioned bad design, are you referring to the O/D issue or on the planetary gears with wobbly pins? Should that be replaced with welded pin gear sets? Should the transmission be flushed also?

The replacement engine had the active vacuum front mount with vacuum line hoses, anyway to delete that? If not I can go back and pickup the mount off the subframe.

LeX2K

There are multiple design flaws the worst IMO is how quickly the fluid darkens meaning clutch material gets into the fluid I'm not a tranny expert so not sure why. When this happens the fluid doesn't do its job properly and you have a snowball effect. I would replace the fluid for sure I'm currently using Amsoil but have not run it long enough to know how good (or not) it is. How difficult is it to replace those parts?
Your car should have the active mount.

wmj259

I don't see the active mount version in my car currently, when I bought the car, i did notice loose hoses and what seemed to be a regulator (thing that attaches right below the battery platform)? But the front mount in my car is not a active mount

LeX2K

You have the same car as me so you should have the active mount.

wmj259

I will check again. What brand is the OEM trans filter?

LeX2K

Don't remember Filtran maybe?. I bought a filter kit (comes with gasket) previously the filter element looked very poor the neoprene gasket was good.

Oro

LeX2K

Bought it at the dealer could be wrong but I believe the question was who makes the filter for Toyota.
Agree with all of this except I would drop the pan the old fluid could have dried up in the filter and ruined it.

wmj259

I see there are hoses running the length of the subframe, but the mount itself is not active. Someone must have put a rigid mount in.

wmj259

Called the dealership for the trans filter and they quoted $90 for the transmission filter I found online for $40.
Would this be the correct part number: 35330-06010?
Strainer - Lexus (35330-06010)

Do exhaust and intake gaskets matter brandwise, ofcourse OEM is great, but they are special order, and won't get in a week.

LeX2K

In the future tell everyone what car you own not everyone is familiar with your ride or post history. That's the correct filter for a 2000 ES300 on gaskets get anything made in Japan such as Ishino/Stone, Victor Reinz, Mahle etc.

wmj259

So I got all the gaskets received, and was about to install the valve cover gaskets for both banks. Issue I'm having is that, the diy I found (Diy valve covers) lists that each bank has 8 bolts. This replacement engine and my current installed engine have 9 per bank.
I just called the dealer and even they stated there's 8 per bank.
Was this a design revision?

LeX2K

There are 9 per bank don't why the dealer told you 8. Look at this diagram is shows 18 total.
http://www.japan-parts.eu/lexus/us/2..._cylinder-head

edit - I see where the confusion is coming from the VVTi engine (like yours) has 9 per the 1998 and earlier are non VVTi and have 8 per.