kevan55tas

I took my 2007 RX 400h to Toyota for an oil change and they said there is a rattle coming from between the engine and transmission (which I've heard before).

The history:

Long story short, I bought this car with 183k miles this May from a dealership. (Some may think I'm crazy, but that's how much I loved the 2006 I used to have with very few issues. I owned it from 120k to 212k miles). This 2007 I just bought was a one-owner. The carfax looked good, but I checked Lexus' own history database (after I bought the vehicle) on their website which shows one last posting that wasn't on the carfax. The previous owner heard a knocking sound from the engine and the Lexus technician told them it was probably a broken rod! When I heard the sound myself after reading that my heart sank! I thought I just bought a car that needed expensive repairs! Although, the car seems to work just fine.

Fast-forward to the oil change visit. The Toyota technician told me that the engine in my 2007 looks new and has definitely been replaced. He said the noise is not coming from the engine, but probably from the damper between the transmission and the engine. He said this is sometimes misdiagnosed and a new engine is thrown in a vehicle that doesn't need a new engine! Crazy! So, I got an old car with a new engine😁, but will someday possibly need a somewhat expensive repair. He thought maybe $2500. Thankfully, the technician said not to have it replaced unless it totally breaks.

Has anyone had problems with their hybrid damper assembly?

Refer to video for noise.

Margate330

I don't know if the Hybrid uses the same transmission as the RX330 or RX350.

Here's all I have on the RX400h damper.
And, I have no idea where it's located, anyone know how to access it?


(Posted in fair use for commentary and discussion.)

kevan55tas

Thank you for the reply and diagram! The RX 400h has a totally different transmission than the RX 330 and RX 350. It has an eCVT transmission. The diagram you shared is one type of damper, but I think it may be another type of damper that is the problem, because the technician told me it has springs.


I believe this is what the issue is.

This looks like what is shown on the diagram you shared with me.

Margate330

Are you thinking the transmission needs to be pulled to fix it?

kevan55tas

The technician said the transmission has to be separated from the engine to replace the damper.