No way to drive In 2WD
12-09-11, 04:35 AM
#1
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No way to drive In 2WD
I have a 2000 Lexus RX300 1MZ-FE MCU15 engine
The snow button works but is OFF
The car is currently running 4WD, I discover it by jacking the vehicule one side.
NO WAY to turn it in 2WD.
The outside temp here is 32°C and the weather is sunny.
When I check the DTC, there is no fault. No DTC to acknoledge or to erase, everything is CORRECT
When I drive the car at the gear spead D, the gear changes at 5,500 rpm
that is too muh, as normally it should be around 2,000 or 2,500rpm
What is wrong with my car
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO Bring it back at 2WD
Regards
The snow button works but is OFF
The car is currently running 4WD, I discover it by jacking the vehicule one side.
NO WAY to turn it in 2WD.
The outside temp here is 32°C and the weather is sunny.
When I check the DTC, there is no fault. No DTC to acknoledge or to erase, everything is CORRECT
When I drive the car at the gear spead D, the gear changes at 5,500 rpm
that is too muh, as normally it should be around 2,000 or 2,500rpm
What is wrong with my car
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO Bring it back at 2WD
Regards
12-09-11, 07:29 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Welcome to the Club.
This is a good question.
This might seem confusing at first and I learned this when I was studying the vehicle prior to purchase, but there is no way to to get the 4WD to 2WD (it's actually called an AWD on the RX300). Unlike other vehicles that have a lever, shifter, switch that you can move it from 4WD to 2WD, this unfortunately doesn't exist for this vehicle.
On the gear changes, it depends on how you are driving it. Take a look at the videos below, specifically ones of mine saying highway or 1/4 mile driver's view (in the latter case I use the PWR button on and the over drive off and those changes come at 6000 rpm), but on the highway you should be able to see 5500 rpm on several. However, I think there's a few there where I am driving on the street and you will see the changes at lower rpms around the ones you mentioned.
http://www.youtube.com/user/lexmex1#g/u
The SNOW button merely puts the vehicle in second gear to start.
The PWR button delays shift points (hold revs longer), hence you see that in my track videos at the 6000 rpm change.
This is a good question.
This might seem confusing at first and I learned this when I was studying the vehicle prior to purchase, but there is no way to to get the 4WD to 2WD (it's actually called an AWD on the RX300). Unlike other vehicles that have a lever, shifter, switch that you can move it from 4WD to 2WD, this unfortunately doesn't exist for this vehicle.
On the gear changes, it depends on how you are driving it. Take a look at the videos below, specifically ones of mine saying highway or 1/4 mile driver's view (in the latter case I use the PWR button on and the over drive off and those changes come at 6000 rpm), but on the highway you should be able to see 5500 rpm on several. However, I think there's a few there where I am driving on the street and you will see the changes at lower rpms around the ones you mentioned.
http://www.youtube.com/user/lexmex1#g/u
The SNOW button merely puts the vehicle in second gear to start.
The PWR button delays shift points (hold revs longer), hence you see that in my track videos at the 6000 rpm change.
12-09-11, 08:23 AM
#3
Out of Warranty
Lexmex is our resident performance guru here and offers sound advice. I might add that you might want to "reset" your engine control module by disconnecting the battery (or pulling the fuel injection fuse) for about ten minutes or so. That's an old-school fix we used to use on the RX300 to "erase" the stored memory of your driving style. One of the functions of the ECM is that it "learns" your driving style over a period of time and makes small adjustments in throttle application and shift points to serve as defaults. Before you disconnect the electrical system, be sure to record all of your radio station settings because those will go away too when you interrupt the battery connection.
As to your shift points, once the engine is warm, they can be controlled by a slight lift of the throttle. The transmission logic will see that as a sign you are ready to "cruise" and upshift to provide more economical power. With a cold engine (at 32° that's probably a couple of miles at urban speeds) the shift points are set high to bring the cat converters up to operating temperature. When they're hot and doing their job, you should see the shift points fall to a more reasonable range.
As to your 2WD-4WD-AWD question, Lexmex is absolutely correct, you have a fluid connection to the rear wheels that allows them to join the front wheels in providing driving force anytime a difference in wheel speed is detected. It does cost you about 1 MPG as it saps a bit of power, but the peace of mind it offers is well worth that small sacrifice, particularly if you drive in slippery conditions. While not a true direct-linked 4WD, it's a pretty good compromise for spur of the moment transfer of power.
In a light spring snowstorm coming down the Snowqualmi Pass outside Seattle, the rear end of my 2000 RX300 started to come around on me when my cheap OEM tires lost their grip. It was only enough to fire up my adrenal glands because before we reached a 10° "crab angle", the coupling locked up, the rears dug in and helped provide tractive power without any drama whatsoever. I drove mechanical 4WD SUVs for several years previous and couldn't have shifted to 4H that quickly.
While not a real mud bogger or a rock hopper, your RX is a pretty capable soft-roader. I drove mine on Gulf Coast beaches, washed-out roads, fire roads and snow in the Rockies, even board roads in the oilfields of East Texas and Louisiana and never had a mis-step. That fluid coupling may not be "Trail-Rated", but for me it worked just fine.
Welcome to CL, kilog - we are a merry band of brothers here who are ready with help, cheap advice, and occasionally a bit of entertainment for all of us who own a Lexus or aspire to one day.
As to your shift points, once the engine is warm, they can be controlled by a slight lift of the throttle. The transmission logic will see that as a sign you are ready to "cruise" and upshift to provide more economical power. With a cold engine (at 32° that's probably a couple of miles at urban speeds) the shift points are set high to bring the cat converters up to operating temperature. When they're hot and doing their job, you should see the shift points fall to a more reasonable range.
As to your 2WD-4WD-AWD question, Lexmex is absolutely correct, you have a fluid connection to the rear wheels that allows them to join the front wheels in providing driving force anytime a difference in wheel speed is detected. It does cost you about 1 MPG as it saps a bit of power, but the peace of mind it offers is well worth that small sacrifice, particularly if you drive in slippery conditions. While not a true direct-linked 4WD, it's a pretty good compromise for spur of the moment transfer of power.
In a light spring snowstorm coming down the Snowqualmi Pass outside Seattle, the rear end of my 2000 RX300 started to come around on me when my cheap OEM tires lost their grip. It was only enough to fire up my adrenal glands because before we reached a 10° "crab angle", the coupling locked up, the rears dug in and helped provide tractive power without any drama whatsoever. I drove mechanical 4WD SUVs for several years previous and couldn't have shifted to 4H that quickly.
While not a real mud bogger or a rock hopper, your RX is a pretty capable soft-roader. I drove mine on Gulf Coast beaches, washed-out roads, fire roads and snow in the Rockies, even board roads in the oilfields of East Texas and Louisiana and never had a mis-step. That fluid coupling may not be "Trail-Rated", but for me it worked just fine.
Welcome to CL, kilog - we are a merry band of brothers here who are ready with help, cheap advice, and occasionally a bit of entertainment for all of us who own a Lexus or aspire to one day.
12-12-11, 08:52 AM
#4
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Lexmex is our resident performance guru here and offers sound advice. I might add that you might want to "reset" your engine control module by disconnecting the battery (or pulling the fuel injection fuse) for about ten minutes or so. That's an old-school fix we used to use on the RX300 to "erase" the stored memory of your driving style. One of the functions of the ECM is that it "learns" your driving style over a period of time and makes small adjustments in throttle application and shift points to serve as defaults. Before you disconnect the electrical system, be sure to record all of your radio station settings because those will go away too when you interrupt the battery connection.
As to your shift points, once the engine is warm, they can be controlled by a slight lift of the throttle. The transmission logic will see that as a sign you are ready to "cruise" and upshift to provide more economical power. With a cold engine (at 32° that's probably a couple of miles at urban speeds) the shift points are set high to bring the cat converters up to operating temperature. When they're hot and doing their job, you should see the shift points fall to a more reasonable range.
As to your 2WD-4WD-AWD question, Lexmex is absolutely correct, you have a fluid connection to the rear wheels that allows them to join the front wheels in providing driving force anytime a difference in wheel speed is detected. It does cost you about 1 MPG as it saps a bit of power, but the peace of mind it offers is well worth that small sacrifice, particularly if you drive in slippery conditions. While not a true direct-linked 4WD, it's a pretty good compromise for spur of the moment transfer of power.
In a light spring snowstorm coming down the Snowqualmi Pass outside Seattle, the rear end of my 2000 RX300 started to come around on me when my cheap OEM tires lost their grip. It was only enough to fire up my adrenal glands because before we reached a 10° "crab angle", the coupling locked up, the rears dug in and helped provide tractive power without any drama whatsoever. I drove mechanical 4WD SUVs for several years previous and couldn't have shifted to 4H that quickly.
While not a real mud bogger or a rock hopper, your RX is a pretty capable soft-roader. I drove mine on Gulf Coast beaches, washed-out roads, fire roads and snow in the Rockies, even board roads in the oilfields of East Texas and Louisiana and never had a mis-step. That fluid coupling may not be "Trail-Rated", but for me it worked just fine.
Welcome to CL, kilog - we are a merry band of brothers here who are ready with help, cheap advice, and occasionally a bit of entertainment for all of us who own a Lexus or aspire to one day.
As to your shift points, once the engine is warm, they can be controlled by a slight lift of the throttle. The transmission logic will see that as a sign you are ready to "cruise" and upshift to provide more economical power. With a cold engine (at 32° that's probably a couple of miles at urban speeds) the shift points are set high to bring the cat converters up to operating temperature. When they're hot and doing their job, you should see the shift points fall to a more reasonable range.
As to your 2WD-4WD-AWD question, Lexmex is absolutely correct, you have a fluid connection to the rear wheels that allows them to join the front wheels in providing driving force anytime a difference in wheel speed is detected. It does cost you about 1 MPG as it saps a bit of power, but the peace of mind it offers is well worth that small sacrifice, particularly if you drive in slippery conditions. While not a true direct-linked 4WD, it's a pretty good compromise for spur of the moment transfer of power.
In a light spring snowstorm coming down the Snowqualmi Pass outside Seattle, the rear end of my 2000 RX300 started to come around on me when my cheap OEM tires lost their grip. It was only enough to fire up my adrenal glands because before we reached a 10° "crab angle", the coupling locked up, the rears dug in and helped provide tractive power without any drama whatsoever. I drove mechanical 4WD SUVs for several years previous and couldn't have shifted to 4H that quickly.
While not a real mud bogger or a rock hopper, your RX is a pretty capable soft-roader. I drove mine on Gulf Coast beaches, washed-out roads, fire roads and snow in the Rockies, even board roads in the oilfields of East Texas and Louisiana and never had a mis-step. That fluid coupling may not be "Trail-Rated", but for me it worked just fine.
Welcome to CL, kilog - we are a merry band of brothers here who are ready with help, cheap advice, and occasionally a bit of entertainment for all of us who own a Lexus or aspire to one day.
Lexmex
and
Lil4X
your comments and advices was really welcome
and will help me to teach my Trans; how to behave
I will apply all those advices, and come back inside the forum with another title.
Cheers
12-12-11, 10:15 AM
#5
Moderator
It is good to know the capabilities and limitations and then stay within limits.
Without traction control option, you can be stranded if the you have no traction on one side. The power keeps going ti the wheel that has no traction and the side that has traction stays put. With traction control equipped models (it used to be an option in early models) as long as one of the driven wheels had firm grip, one could drive.
Salim
Without traction control option, you can be stranded if the you have no traction on one side. The power keeps going ti the wheel that has no traction and the side that has traction stays put. With traction control equipped models (it used to be an option in early models) as long as one of the driven wheels had firm grip, one could drive.
Salim
12-23-11, 09:18 PM
#6
When I had my 99 RX300 AWD, I took it along the beaches here on the east coast. Down a bunch of old dirt and muddy roads. Never got suck. Had to pull a friends vehicle out with mine once because his truck couldn't make it through some mud after I went through. People thought I was crazy bringing it off-road but were impressed on how well the RX kept up with the competition!
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