jra

I have a 2002 LS430 with over 230,000 miles that having transmission problems. The main problem is getting my car to reverse when cold, especially in damp, humid weather. After being told by a mechanic that I was referred to that I was going to need to replace the transmission, I got a second opinion. This mechanic is a highly recommended Lexus mechanic and he advised that I do a transmission drain and flush. Recently, I've read several posts warning about getting a transmission flush with a higher milage car like mine because it's only going to make things worse.

I had the transmission flush done in early October, and the reverse problem has not been resolved. Now I'm having the transmission slip as I am taking off in drive when the car is cold. Once I drive it around and the car is warmed up it's fine, but that first drive of the day I have the regular problem the transmission taking a few gentle revs driving out of the driveway before it catches. The mechanic that recommended and performed the transmission flush quoted me $2100.00 for a transmission replacement, with a transmission that has about 55,000 miles on it.

Is there anyone out there that may have some advice as far as moving forward with this problem.

Striker223

Drop the pan and inspect what is going on, pull codes if you have any and inspect the filter to see if it is plugged up. Ohm rest the solenoids to make sure they are working properly, if that fails or there are large metal bits then it's probably dead and needs to be rebuilt.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Variety of threads on this. The suggested for the Type IV fluid transmissions is an incremental drain over a period of a few weeks. Inspecting the pan and the fluid that comes out of it is also telling. A drain and refill routine to DIY is going to cost you about $70 in fluid and a couple crush washers. If the transmission responds like most unless terribly neglected (Black burnt fluid) then you have saved yourself some big $.

430SLOwner

If the fluid in a transmission looks beat it may be too late to change and may be better to leave it alone as the material in the poor looking transmission fluid may be what keeps the transmission from slipping. But, as you already had it done, no going back. And, as you have not much to lose, suggest you consider trying using a product made by Solder Seal (Gunk) called Trans Medic. Once bought a car the seller said had a bad transmission and the car would not move. And, it did not when I bought it. But, after a couple (normally would use only one 12 oz. container for a transmission not functioning properly) of bottles of Trans Medic automatic transmission treatment was able to drive it 80 miles to my destination. (The seller looked on in amazement when I drove it away.) The trans still worked a week or so later when it was driven to have the trans swapped as the car was for resale so did not want any problems with a buyer coming back if it were to fail. For a few dollars, it may be worth a shot. Had another car with a transmission not acting right, put a bottle of Trans Medic into the transmission and drove it for quite some time without issue before selling it with the disclosure that the transmission was bad. Some time later, ran into a friend of the guy who bought it who told me the buyer said I was an idiot for selling him the car too cheaply as there was nothing wrong with it. But, do not know if issues came back later as never heard anything more about it. Some others have had luck with it:

TominPT

I second Striker223's recommendation. Diagnose before attempting fixes.

Margate330

That's what I would do.

Groot430

Unbelievable !!
Transmission fluid gets a way harder time than engine oil .
Oh wait I bought a car that hasn't had its engine oil changed for 20,000 K's so I better not change it in case the new oil upsets things...Really , I mean really !!!
Just drop the right hand tranny hose off the radiator , start the car and fill a bottle till one litre has come out then stop the engine .
Put one litre of fresh Toyota type 4 down the dip stick tube if its a 5 speed or Life Time Toyota fluid in the side of the box with a squeegee type bottle and tube if its a 6 speed .
Keep doing this one litre at a time till the fluid coming out is as new looking as the new fluid going in .
Usually it will take about 8 litres to achieve this .
By doing it this way you are not harming anything as this is how the fluid circulates anyhow also this process will replace ALL the fluid in the torque converter which is where most of the tranny fluid lives .
Dropping the pan even a Ba-Zillion times will not achieve this .
It costs only the price of the oil and about an hour of time for two people .
I have done it on my own but much easier with two .
Oh one other thing make sure the car is warmed up by driving it for a few K's beforehand .

Margate330

I would prefer complete tranny fluid changes by every 30K max but thats just me.

Back in the day the shop I worked at was in an area with a lot of retirees who took
meticulous care of their vehicles and the shop would regularly send out coupons for
Transmission filter/fluid service and the customers would pour in(I'm showing my age lol).

Most did it every 15k or 30k miles and while they were in we usually did other stuff- brakes,
alignments, etc. I've probably did a hundred or so myself and they never asked what brand
tranny fluid we put in the car but they wanted to know what was in the pan & magnets
and whether it was good news or bad news.

Most of the time there was no need to alert the customer if they weren't standing
outside impatiently waiting to see but sometimes you drop a pan with metal chunks
or a handful of debris and nobody likes to give that kinda news lol

430SLOwner

If one looking to buy a car looks at a car with oil unchanged for 20,000 km, the person probably should not buy that car. Engines are made to operate with as little friction as possible. If one has a car which is past the time oil should have been changed, the oil must be changed immediately and always have its engine oil changed regularly with the proper oil in the future.
Transmissions use friction to operate.
Why dirty trans fluid may be problematic to change, see both videos:
Proper way to check level and change sealed transmission per Professor John D. Kelly at Weber State University If one wishes to check your 2004 to 06 LS 430 sealed transmission fluid level and WS Transmission Fluid Change
DYI Lexus Sealed WS Transmission Fluid Change without proper tools if willing to take a chance if one is certain that transmission has proper amount of fluid to begin with
DIY Draining trans off the radiator similar as described by Groot430 but refilling via dipstick (to refill sealed, see above)
Here is a guy who had luck driving and changing fluid to resolve 5 speed trans issues (guy goes off topic at about 4 min then back on topic at 6 min)

Groot430

The 20,000 K thing was a joke , just me being sarcastic !!
I do the tranny fluid at 100,000 K , my last LS was an LS400 about 15 years ago and I had it til 350,000 K's and the tranny was perrrfect and the guy that bought it from me took it out to nearly 600,000 K and the tranny was still perrrfect .
My wife's IS250 has just clocked over 320,000 K and has had the fluid replaced twice with that method and its still perrrfect .
About due again .
My LS430 was done at 183,000 when I bought it and from the condition of the oil it had probably been done , it was a bit brown and burnt but definitely not 183,000 K's old .
New fluid and its perrrfect again .

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

This transmission already had problems before the drain and fill. Reverse issues usually lead to a rebuild or replacement.

Groot430

Agreed but a tranny fluid replacement when done by one self is relatively cheap so worth a shot .
As an example a mate has a 1uzfe [ LS400 ] engine and auto in his F150 and the gearbox got so hot when towing a car trailer with the brakes partially on that the auto actually went on fire !!
A fluid change and 5 years later its still running mostly ok !!

jra

I appreciate everyones insight and input. How much should a basic transmission fluid drain and replacement cost if having it done at a reputable transmission shop?

Another question. If it comes down to needed to replace the transmission, would it be better to do a rebuild or replace with a transmission with lower miles? Thanks.

430SLOwner

should be able to get it done for about $100 or so, Toyota ATF T-IV or equivalent, no special equipment needed like with the sealed transmissions (nice to have a dipstick to check fluid level), and may be able to get a diagnosis at the same time, included

check around for both ways; get prices, guarantees etc. (may wish to have installer source at one quoted price for everything it so you do not have to pay additional labor if there is an issue with the unit) if you have an ace wrench associate who will turn bolts cheaply but wants you to supply unit/parts, you may wish to access risks accordingly
How to check your fluid:

430SLOwner

You may wish to check your transmission fluid level again on a level surface using the instructions from the video in the previous post (video is for a different Lexus and engine but should be similar for the 2001-03 LS 430 as both use dip sticks and different check levels are on dip stick due to fluid expanding when hot) If by the slim chance you were low to begin with and same amount taken out was put back in, you may still be low and adding to proper level may resolve?? It doesn't hurt to check and it is free to do so.