stackz

hey guys, new person on the board doing my research before buying a newer vehicle. Mainly here because my mom had a 91 LS400 which was a great car for her and served her for 385k before selling it finally. The entire time it only had minor problems like replacement of the a/c compressor and power steering pump a few times as well as the sunroof having to be replaced. I did all these repairs for her so I'm pretty familar with bulid quality and I liked it a lot.

anyway, as of current my fiance has an 04 kia optima (ugh) and I've got a 98 5.0 mountaineer. I'm looking at selling the mountie and trading the kia and using the money from the mountie for down payment as well as to lessen the negative equity she will be eating on the kia trade-in.

That aside....we have been looking into an RX for the new family traveler/tower. I registered and started searching around on here reading various things and notice transmission troubles. from what I can tell though, this mainly seems to be from a lack of routine fluid changes?? Also, I've seen problems with the IACV on earlier models. this doesnt bother me as I've run into this problem with my mountaineer and other ford products which normally have IACV woahs as well.

1st question: I've been reading and I'm thinking that ALL 99-03 RX models are 300 only, then in 03 the 300 was replaced by the 330 with an optional 350 as higher end model?? am I correct in this??

2nd question: I absolutely cant find any information on the 300 or 330 engine specs such as liter size, hp or tq figures, gas consumption, etc. I've been on car/driver, been searching specs, searching engine specs, etc. Hell, I've even been on wikipedia lol.

3rd question: I'm currently reading through search results right now on here in another window as to the towing capacity of these vehicles but my ADHD wont let finish it completely before I ask this question, lol.

I've been noticing the past 3 weeks while we were thinking about looking into these cars as we've seen them on the road. I've seen two distinct hitches on the backs. some look like class 3 and some look like the smaller class 2 hitches. which are factory and which are aftermarket?? also, I'm reading the towing capacity is 3600lbs?? is this for the fwd or awd or both models?? is it only for the 300 or 330 as well??

I tow a 22' grady white with my mountie around town and at the boat ramps and it does just fine but I'm wanting to go awd as I've had a few mishaps when there's algae on the ramp at low tide. Also, I've got a two-wheel car dolly as I buy used 87-93 mustang 5.0's, tow them to my place, and rebuild them turbocharge them, and resell them as a hobby.

My question is would you think a towpackage equipped rx300 or rx330 could pull both of these type tows. I have gone into the north carolina mountians in the past to pull a car back...

stackz

ok, think I answered my first question...

99-03 =300
03-07 =330
07+ =350

so all basically the same vehicle just they changed nominclature to denote newer models or something to that affect??

stackz

think I got the second question partially answered.

I4 with 140hp and v6 with 219hp and 238tq for the 300 model.

anyone have mileage #'s for the v6 with fwd and awd?? also, been reading that it has a timing belt instead of timing chain. is the engine interferance or non-interferance?? also, what size gas tank these things have??

oh yeah, any o2 sensor or cat problems longterm in these vehicles?? do they have 2 or 4 sensors??

stackz

1MF-ZE engine in 300 and 3MF-ZE engine in the 330. a quick wiki search actually gave me some info on them heh.

at least it has a forged crank in it. cast pistons though but they have valve reliefs so that doesnt answer much in the way of interferance versus non-interferance. though I'm kinda of confused. it stated it's a dohc engine but states it uses a single one-piece cam which would make me believe there is a single cam in both heads instead of two (one for intake and one for exhuast). oh well, guess I wouldnt be able to adjust the lobe separation to increase the torque at all for better towing.

thomas1

I would not recommend towing with the AWD RX300, you will have a transmission problem. The 99 ran from 99 to 03, The RX330 from 04 to 07, the RX350 08. The RX300 had 220hp and the 00-01 had sludge problems as well as tranny problems on the AWD. If you want a tow vehicle get a 4runner.

Lil4X

Welcome to CL, stackz!

First, let's take your questions in order - a little disclaimer here: the following is only MY OPINION only - and has nothing to do with actual performance you may experience. YMMV

1. The RX 300 was introduced in mid '98 in small quantities as a '99 model (Lexus has a habit of debuting their new RX's in the spring of the year). That model sold until March of 2003 when the RX 330 came on the scene as an '04 model. The RX 350 appeared in the spring of '06 as an '07 model and continues today. The RX 400h hybrid was introduced about the same time.
   
   
2. The RX 300 offered an I4 engine, but it was not imported to the US, as it was a bit too small to haul nearly 4000 lbs of automobile on our freeways. Here in the states, the 300 came with a 3-liter 220 hp, 222 ftlb V6 engine. The 330 introduced a slightly larger 3.3-liter 230 hp, 242 ftlb V6. It was a considerable improvement because the maximum grunt was produced nearly 1000 rpm lower in the rev band, and gave the feeling of a MUCH larger engine. Of course, that new fifth gear in the transmission helped.
   
   The RX 350 introduced a slightly larger powerplant, a 3.5-liter V6 that delivered 270 hp 251 ftlb, again through a 5-speed automatic. The 400h now produces 208 hp, 212 ftlb from a gasoline V6 tuned for superior economy and even lower emissions, but makes up for this power loss by combining the output of an electric motor producing 167 hp and 247 ftlbs at the front and on AWD models, a second motor developing 68 hp and 96 ftlbs drives the rear wheels - coupled to the front wheels only by the road. All of this sounds extremely impressive on paper, but while the RX 400h is the quicker of the RX's, all of the horsepower and torque figures are not additive. The power and torque curves of the electric and gas powerplants are designed to compliment one another. A DC electric motor develops max torque at stall, so it is ideal for a quick launch, but power tapers off rather quickly as the vehicle accelerates. Lexus wisely tuned the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to take up the load at somewhat higher speeds, working in concert with the electrics.
   
   For fuel consumption, I've found, having owned both a 300 and my current 330 that there's not a whole lot of difference between them in urban driving, but the 330 comes into its own on the highway where that tall 5th gear drops a 70 mph cruise to about 2000 rpm - the engine is really loafing at this speed and returns as much as 26-27 mpg (FWD) where my AWD 300 was giving me roughly 22-23 under similar conditions. The 350, I understand is a bit thirstier, but still produces admirable mileage for a mid-sized SUV. The mechanical bits required for AWD will cost a mile or two per gallon on the highway, but IMHO are WELL worth it in terms of stability when you need it. 99-2000 were banner years for AWD before electronics stepped in to help distribute wheel torque with selective braking. 330's continued this electro-mechanical nightmare until the 350's finally returned to the viscous coupling design used in the earlier models that worked so well.
   
   The 400h is easily the equal of my 330 on the highway and could probably be coaxed to squeeze a bit more out of each drop of fuel with a careful right foot. Where the hybrid shines in in urban driving where the electrics take over a good deal of the stop-and-go routine and the engine can shut down when stopped only starting again after the vehicle reaches an urban pace when necessary.
   
   
3. As to towing - your GW is a pretty good load for an RX - approaching the 3500 lb rating, as is dragging a car on a dolly. Others on this forum tow regularly and don't experience problems, so it may well be just my own bias. I towed boat trailers for many years, with small cars and motorhomes, and found that you can never have too big a tow vehicle. Running at 60mph into a downhill, winding road you can discover that trailer is driving YOU - and that's not a circumstance I wish to repeat. You might be happier with an old pickup for heavy towing duties, as towing of any sort will shorten the life of all but the largest dedicated tow vehicles.

As far as dragging a boat up a ramp, I learned a little secret years ago from a buddy who builds swamp buggies in Ft. Meyers: I used to tow a 5500 lb boat straight up a moss-covered ramp, and once even in pretty icy conditions. Had I been a betting man, I could have made a fortune from all of the ramp apes who were executing 150-ft burnouts trying to drag small bass boats up the same ramp. Several failed even at that task.

I backed my trailer down to the water . . . don't submerge the axles unless you like to replace wheel bearings ("bearing buddies" only guarantee you get some grease in the bearing race to accompany the water), set the handbrake, THEN put the transmission in PARK. Once you've powerwinched your boat onto the trailer, you are ready for your performance.

Put the transmission in low, hold the vehicle with the service brake, and release the emergency brake carefully. Get your left foot over to the brake pedal and while holding it down, use your right to very gently add power up to about 1500 rpm and s-l-o-w-l-y release the brake. Engine torque should hold you in place, if not get on the brake and add a bit of power and try again. Once you are balanced with engine power, just sit there - imperceptibly adding power as you watch your door frame and the ground beneath. As soon as you detect forward movement, stop adding power and let that torque converter do the work. You will begin with a slow creep and the last thing you want to do is to pour on the coal - you will break your tenuous grip on traction. Just let it crawl up the ramp slowly - you will find within a couple of car lengths you are moving at about a walking pace. That's fast enough, you're out of the water and headed for level ground - after all, that was the mission, wasn't it?

I usually let the vehicle idle for a few minutes to cool the transmission while I secure the boat to the trailer and answer a LOT of questions from the ramp apes. This technique works with RWD, AWD, and 4WD on vehicles large and small, and if your tongue weight is not too heavy it will work with FWD as well. A class 3 equalizing hitch is helpful to plant the front end if yours is a FWD vehicle, but it is not mandatory. You'd be amazed what you can do with a little judicious use of the throttle and torque converter, but first you have to accept the fact you won't be doing any showy burnouts for the assembled crowd.

stackz

so has anyone pulled a decent load with one of these?? the hp/tq rating is very comparible to my 98 mountaineer and it does fine towing a small car or my boat. Is there a way to disengage the awd if necessary?? also, is there and OD off button for overdrive??

anyone noticed if the trans or engine tends to run hotter if pulling or if it tends to downshift on hills on the highway often??

oh yeah, to those with higher mileage ones, how is the sunroof holding up and the power window buttons, etc?? how is the trim panels holding up and the lighting on the dash/stereo??

I've been reading that the D backlight in the cluster likes to go out and I'm curious if the sunroof will give me a problem like it did on my mom's LS400 or if the display for the climate controls or stereo will blank out after the LCD burns out lol.

stackz

also, I've noticed most of the hitches I've seen on the backs of these vehicles had a bend in them to go around the exhaust...how does this affect the performance of the hitch??

I'm just wondering if it weakens it any significant amount? I mean the bend looks to be a pretty beefy piece of steel and all but at the same time I can see how doing that would help the hitch itself flex possibly under load.

thomas1

If you do tow I would recommend adding an additional tranny cooler, The sunroof works fine. The hitch seems quite addequate. Just remember the engine is not the weak point, it is the transmission. It is basically a Camry tranny. And the RX weighs a lot. There is no way to disengage the AWD. It is there all of the time. There is a OD off switch. If you do casual flat land towing you might be OK..

stackz

ok, well why could you even get a towing package on the car if they put such a crappy transmission behind it?? didnt they think to beef it up a bit so they wouldnt have all kinds of powertrain warranty repairs to do??

bob2200

I don't think it has been mentioned. The towing package (including transmission cooler) was an option on FWD models and possibly on AWD models. The optional trailer hitch has a 2" receiver. The rated towing capacity (if I recall correctly) was 1,500 lb. w/o the towing package and 3,500 lb. with the towing package.

thomas1

Go to Lexus owners club and read the hundreds of posts of problems with this transmission. do you want to change your fluid every 15k miles, worry about it being black and burnt? Welcome to the real world of the Lexus RX300 if it is a AWD 99 or 2000. I love my car, but Lexus will not admit any design problem or back up the failures of their transmissions. I have the AWD with the tranny cooler and tow package. I am also on my third transmission. And I do not tow.

Lil4X

First of all a few transmission woes posted on a forum are statistically insignificant. You have to remember that there are a few owners who have had genuine problems, but they are a tiny minority. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. People who get good service from their RX seldom report it - you never see people post about the fact their transmission works great.

There are also a few people on automotive forums who simply repeat scandalous information for attention, whether they own the vehicle in question or not. You'll see this on a lot of car forums oriented toward the "boy racer" market. It is often a complexion-challenged kid who doesn't own one of the subject cars who complains about it loudly in general terms. It is difficult to derive a clear picture of the nature or extent of the reported problem.

Example: there are several reports of "bad" transmissions on Lexus and other car forums, but few are documented with the specific nature of the failure, the repairs made, or the service that unit was subjected to prior to failure. We have to be a little skeptical too of some dealerships that rather than make a simple repair, elect to change the transmission.

Finally LOC is a fine club, and we are happy to welcome their members here - but it seems to have attracted a slightly different demographic, a few of which have been former CL members. Many of these were rabble-rousers, some were self-styled experts, and a few simply chronic complainers. Quite a few of us are members of several forums and appreciate the relative objectivity and helpful community spirit found here.

salimshah

If you have followed my ramblings here, I am of the opinion that RX is not plagued with the transmission problem. Like all machines some parts tend to fail more often than others. If we were to form an opinion based on postings here in CL, this is how they will rank up [The reality is and will be different]. All this is just based on my mental telly, so please cut me some slack.

1. Check engine Light.
2. Drive light bulb in dash.
3. Pursuit of perfection ... noise level, clunks, bumps and thumps, Temp display, door lock actuator, window switches
4. Transmission
Distant 5. Starter.
Distant 6. AC
Distant 7. Engine Gel [this is the only Item Lexus is providing extended warranty]

I guess the pain ($4k) is high, that is why ppl affected by it scream the loudest.



Salim

thomas1

You are correct, the 4k burn hurt bad, and then when I found out that Honda backed their transmission on the Accura and Honda after failures, I was upset with Lexus. The Car is still a great car, and has performed well, except for the transmission which I had serviced every 30k miles before the failure. I personally have emails from over 50 owners with the failures from all over the Unitied States. They found me, I did not seek them. Lexus knows there was a problem and that is why they made changes to the VSC style drive to alleviate them. But what is frustrating they also now recommend under the table 15k fluid change to prolong the eventual failure.
I believe it has to do with cars driven in slow commutes where the tranny is constantly searching for overdrive. I have instructed my wife to try and turn OD off while in this traffic pattern. I have added an external oil filter. Next I want to relocate the transmission cooler to an area that provides real cooling.
Would I buy a Lexus again??? I dont know. Lexus of Roseville CA sucks, and Lexus of America (corporate) treated me very poorly. They have some great cars, but quite frankly my previous Hondas were more reliable. I only post the tranny problem to warn people and make there decision on what they find out. if a failure at 70k to 120k is OK then buy the car. If your commute is highway, by all means buy the car. I feel the transmission will last longer as long as it doesnt experience the constant stop and go like my wifes commute. Good luck by the way a 2002 or 2003 would probably be a much safer choice.