HELP!!!!



07 IS250 MT, 86K miles

I have this extremely loud rattling sound coming from what seems to be the clutch area at all times even when driving. The car goes into its gears with no issues but struggles to get moving when in 1st gear until I'm like halfway into the gear then all works fine. Seems like its the normal clutch slippage but I don't smell any clutch burn. It is also getting progressively worst to the point were I'm scared to drive it to work. Does this seem like a normal clutch/flywheel replacement time or is something else worse going on here. The car has 86k miles on it and it was purchased from a non-Lexus dealer so warranty is pretty much out of the door. Any ideas?

Thanks for the help all!

 

i would stop by at an transmission shop to have them check it out if i were you.

 

The rattling sound is common with the MT IS250. I replaced my clutch at 60k and it still exhibits this rattling noise especially in 1st gear. As long as you don't have your clutch engaging when the clutch pedal is almost at the top and you don't have that burned clutch smell it should be ok.

 

Thanks... but this one is really loud and it is affecting the way the car drives. the car struggles to take off in 1st or reverse so this is no where close to normal.

 

Sounds like your clutch is going since it's struggling in 1st gear. If the clutch is going, then you'll be able to tell pretty quick since it'll start slipping more and more until you don't get any engagement at all. Assuming that this is the original clutch then it may be time to replace it. Plus, who knows how the original owner drove it.

The loud rattling noise is a concern and it should be making that noise even if the clutch is worn.

 

that might be the flywheel.....

 

So I took the car into the dealership for their opinion on the matter and they say the water pump is causing the loud rattling noise. This isnt the first time that I have been told about the water pump so I know its time for that to go.

After driving the car a little further im starting to believe the clutch is in a good shape. What I thought was clutch slipping actually seems like a lack of power from the motor. I could be in neutral or have the clutch disengaged and give the car some gas and it seems weaker than normal. Told the dealership about this and they say it drives just fine (which I think is BS). So my next question is would the water pump needing to be replaced effect motor performance in the lower RPMs (usually 0- 2k). After that point the car pulls pretty decent.

Again thanks for all the input guys!