tomiv9

i've noticed lately when i'm in ECT PWR mode car seems to get stuck in 3rd gear sometimes. Happens if I gas it hard then let off quickly, it seems to stay stuck in third gear for a while before shifting. Is this normal? is it a sign of transmission problem? i dont remember it doing this before, but it's been a while since i drove in ECT PWR mode. It doesnt do this in regular mode. I have 09 250AWD with 70K miles. Thanks.

UCF3

Yeah, i believe it is normal. My old GS300 awd and the new GS350 AWD holds the gear in-place when it's unsure of accelerations or deceleration.

Push it down til it shifts or take it of ECT mode so that it shifts normally.

BTW does your IS come with XM radio?

getafewliv

Yeah, I think it is planning on you hitting the gas again and wanting that full power there. This is a trait the computer has learned from your driving habits.

If you don't like it, either take it out of power mode, or try resetting your ECU by disconnecting the battery for 15 min.

Mine used to do this quite often, but since last time my battery has been disconnected, it has stopped doing this.

tomiv9

Ok thanks. I know ECU learns your driving habits in regular mode, but was unaware it did this in ECT PWR mode too. I thought that was all pre-programmed. I'll try resetting my ECU.

knguyenk

Here is a post I found a few years ago learning about the ECT and what it did (CL member Kurtz obtained the information from Lexus). I've learned in that thread that the car is at it's fastest in D and ECT set to Normal in that same thread (28 pages about PWR mode and the S mode helps).

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ml#post5807368

Honestly, I'd only use ECT PWR for stop and go traffic or traffic that moves slow where holding the gears is in my favor. I personally just leave the ECT at Normal and drive it, it sorted itself out (ECU) pretty quickly and I like the way the car is behaving in terms of shifting and RPM holding.

BoyOhBoy

iTrader: (9)

Yeah, I run my car on power ect 24/7 because I had how hard I have to press on the pedal on normal to move.. Even if it's just an illusion or placebo effect, I prefer using it. And yes, that's normal, my car does it too.

tomiv9

I have a slow 250AWD and def like the responsive shifts of ECT PWR, though it does have it's draw backs. Interesting thread, I'm about half way thru. One interesting thing is the person who commented they drive the car in S mode, with 'gear limiter' set to 6 all the time. This supposedly prevents the ECU from learning your driving habits and changing shift patterns. I'll have to try that, as driving in traffic all the time it seems the ECU has learned to be less responsive. I'm also curious what driving in ECT PWR mode with S mode set to 6 does.