Koz1614

Hey all,

Ive been feeling something strange with my car and this morning confirmed it..

Noticed a few times on the highway it felt like a ‘skip’ in 6th gear...the first time it happened I thought maybe the car quickly went to 5th and back to 6th. I was still skeptical though because I keep the gear indicator as default.

I felt that same skip here and there again over the last two months..It’s been very random but I figured it would eventually “work itself out” like some car issues do..

This morning on my way to work absolutely confirms what I’ve been feeling. Car was in 6th gear around 55-60 mph and I felt 3 distinct ‘skips’. First time it was ever this noticeable and it happened 3 times. I have no idea if it was slipping?

My concern is that I am going to bring to the Lexus dealership and they will take for a quick test drive and not be able to replicate...

What do you guys think? Can they drill down on this issue further than just taking it for a test drive. I know these cars have a decent amount of technology...maybe they can learn something from the computer? I don’t know what to think other than something is definitely wrong at 6k miles....


Thanks

JNP1227

iTrader: (1)

I have a similar issue since I bought my car as well. Only happens in 6th gear when i am getting merging on the highway when the car is cold. Once its shifts into 6th the rpm will drop or "skip" down for a second then jump back up. Its been happening for 40k miles but thinking its nothing to worry about since manual shifting is fine once car is warmed up.

Sasnuke

Without actually seeing the condition myself, is it possible that you may be talking about the transmission going into lockup?
Torque converter lockup can occur partially or fully, depending on driving conditions.
From the drivers perspective, it will appear the vehicle had shifted into the highest gear, then when speed is relatively constant, the rpm needle may drop once or twice a few hundred rpm's (depending on driving conditions once again).
When manual shifting I don't believe it goes into lockup...I'd have to try it to confirm though...but I'm fairly certain it doesn't.

Koz1614

I just read this about bad torque converter symptoms and this describes exactly what I felt. Almost like I hit 3 quick bumps in the road this morning...

”Shuddering – If you start to feel shudders when driving about 30 to 45 MPH, this could mean that you have torque converter problems on your hand. It will often feel like running over rough road or bumps and you will definitely notice it when it happens. Shuddering comes and goes without warning, so once you feel it the first time you should get your transmission checked out as soon as possible. Don’t wait for it to happen again.”

Another interesting point is I always feel like my car drives different. Some days it feels like it has a ton of power other days it feels limp. I tried to convince myself it’s all in my head but I think this whole issue has something to do with that loss of power...scheduling a checkup for Friday

Sasnuke

If you can, drive the vehicle with a tech, and if possible, take out another IS to confirm it's different or the same.
Various degrees of lockup is normal...torque converter shudder is a harsh condition that you would easily feel, even if you don't know what it is exactly.
Personally I don't think the shudder is the issue here, cause it would be so violent that you would have taken the vehicle to the dealer already.

On the performance note, ambient temp plays a big part in that. As it's summer and stinking hot (at the moment) where I am, performance is definitely down...opposed to Fall when the temps cool off.

Koz1614

Yea but they must have a way to diagnose outside of a test drive. Because I think we’ve all been there driving with the tech and the car has ‘doctor office syndrome’ and does not want to show it’s symptoms. Again mine is so infrequent that I would not be confident that I could replicate it at all for the tech. But I am 110% she after my drive this morning that something is wrong

E46CT

Does it happen while in 6th or while shifting into or out of 6th? If while in 6th, lock it in 6th manually and go up and down the rev range. Video tape it.

Over the internet, it's hard to interpret what you're describing. Not sure if it's just the transmission hunting for the right gear. 6th is an awkward gear for the transmission to be at highway speed so the computer may fumble around trying to interpret what the driver is trying to do based on the input logic programmed by the engineers.