lex227

I own a1999 RX300 with 60,000 miles on it. I just learned today that the engine will have to be replaced because of oil leakage into the engine. There is a 7 week backlog on new engines because apparently this is happening to many RX 300. Do you know anything about this?

Forrest Morgan

Harrier

Forrest,

I checked out the TSB's put out for the 99 RX, and there was no mention of oil leakage problems with the engine. You may want to call Lexus customer service at 1.800.25.LEXUS to see if there's a campaign or even a recall regarding this problem. Good luck.

lex227

The problem shows up with the oil light coming on. I put seveal quarts of oil in it, then two weeks later the light comes on again and so on.

The oil is not leaking on the ground. There is no black smoke so the car is not "using" it. It apparently showing up as sludge in the engine. There have been regular oil changes so it is not a maintainance problem.

Anyone else seen a similar problem?

Francis

Thanks for the post. I’ve got 31k miles on my RX and so far no oil leak inside out. But I will take close look to the oil level all the time.

Do you realize any symptom like lack of power, smell of oil burn, blue / white smoke or overheat because of oil leak inside?

Do you do the maintenance by yourself or dealer ?

Francis 99’ RX

salimshah

Question is where did the oil go?

Was it low before? .. after fill should have been OK
Fall/leak to the ground? Tell tale signs..
Burn in the engine? Blue smoke + carbon deposit on rear bumper..
Leak in to coolant. Check radiator with engine cold.
Leak in to transmission? Unlikely but check trans fluid.

Salim.

amagee

Forrest,
Unbelievable! I had my car in to the dealers for these very same symptoms just 2 weeks ago--and like you, happen to have rolled over the 60K miles so warranty coverage is over. Anyway, the dealer says they could not find anything wrong. I know something is up, though as these symptoms are continuing. It is clearly burning oil "somewhere" and gives me nice bellow of blue smoke most days when I start it up in the morning. It's not got the acceleration it used to have, my oil light comes on when I brake, etc.

After seeing your post, we called Lexus as Harrier recommended. They claim they know nothing of this problem but agreed to contact our local dealer to assist with the issue. Of course, we've not heard back from anyone. I am quite frustrated and really not happy with Lexus at all.

So, what's your status on this issue? Any recommendations and insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

sleepybobcat

The local Lexus dealers have no info about the engine
failure issue... nor did the Leuxs 800#.

Since you only have 60,000 miles, why not buy an
extended warranty before anything is done?
I personally recommended GE Auto Warranty
http://www.geautowarranty.com


They are NOT cheap, but service is excellent. A '99
RX300 with 60k miles can get 3yr/36k additionl coverage for about $1450.

All claims are handled extremely fast. They always took the dealer/mechanic's word for all repairs. Most other
warranty companies will want to go over the repairs
over and over again.

I owned a '95 MB E320 4Matic wagon. At 68k miles,
it needed a new engine.(a rebuilt one) Labor and parts
came to $5900. I bought a GE warraty for $1700 and
had the engine replaced a month later. Later GE paid
close to $3000 for several other repairs. The mechanic
was really impressed because GE always sent him the
checks within 1 week.


Bob

amagee

Bob,
Thanks for the recommendation. I only have a year left on my lease with this car and given the cost of maintenance thus far, was hoping to avoid spending any more on this vehicle. Thought a better quality product was a given when buying a Lexus. Replacing the engine at 60k just doesn't meet that expectation.

You're right though. I may have to just eat the cost of the extended warranty in order to afford this car for another year!

I'm still hopeful that Lexus will step up to the plate on this one.

mrrogers

Forest, I had an experience with a GM car several years ago where sludge plugged up the oil return lines in the cylinder heads under the valve covers. Oil would enter the valve cover area, and never return to the oil pan. I had to remove the valve covers, and use a coat hanger or a piece of welding rod to unplug the oil return lines. I also replaced the valve seals as oil was leaking past the seals and into the combustion chamber where it was burned. I did not replace the valve guides, but I will leave that up to you. Hope this helps.

Joe

whitels

This is my fear that it will somehow show up on the RXs. I have seen this issue at Edmunds web site and more commonly with the Sienna owners who share the same engine as the RX.

The problem is the sludge developing and blocking the tiny oil routes within the engine. This causes oil starvation that leads to more friction and wear and finally wasting the engine.

Some people swear that they do the recommended oil change maintainance but inspite of it - the problem develops. Apparently, the design of the engine and the angle it is installed are the culprits.

Some say that most affected are stop and go city drivers who drive very short distances. In short, the water vapor developing in the engine does not evaporate soon enough with a just warming up engine. Or, put another way, the engine does not warm up enough to evaporate the water vapor. When water mixes with oil - it forms into a sludge.

Others say that synthetic oils are less likely to develop sludge. I don't know for sure. But what is scary is Toyota does not acknowledge this to be a problem and are making Sienna owners pay for engine replacements. Even under warranty, Toyota was quoted to have rejected claims because owners were not able to produce receipts pertaining to oil change.

Francis

Lex227 & amagee

Did your dealer repair or replace the engine ? Is it under warranty ? If not, how much did you pay ? This is sad