bcg02

I have a 03 AWD with 137k- previous owner appears to have taken good care of the car. All fluids were changed at 100k as part of the TB replacement , and I just changed them all last week when I got the car, just to be sure. The trans fluid was still a reddish color, and did not smell burned. It shifts better than any other car ive driven, and there was only a minor amount of wet dark material on the magnet when I drained it. No metal shavings or anything. I performed a drain and fill twice, with t-IV fluid. I did not drop the pan and mess with the filter, as there did not appear to be any residue or anything.

A couple questions:

Should I do a 3rd drain and fill, and replace the filter this time?

I have a 1500 lb jet boat that I will be using when it gets warm again (6 months). I plan on buying a hitch for my RX, and getting the towing wiring harness to connect to the factory plug.

Will the RX handle the towing no problem? I used synthetic mobil 1 in the transfer case and diff, and both fluids looked new with no sludge on the drain plugs. Anything else I should do to ensure reliability during boat towing?

bob2200

I think that most of the AWD models came with the towing-prep package and most of the FWD models did not. The easiest check is probably to look for the transmission cooler.

The rated towing capacity is, as I recall, about 1,000 lb. without towing-prep- package and 3,500 lb. with.

I'm a gambler, so I say go for towing if you don't have long, steep hills to climb or really high-speed driving under tow.

I like the looks of the factory towing attachment. I'd find one from a junked RX if I were you, rather than buying an aftermarket.

LA4Mead

It was pretty hard to find a FWD that didn't have factory "tow package" tranny cooler. That started in 1998 with the 99's. The models that did not have it available had the "performance package" with self-levelling air suspension. After Lexus replaced my first faulty transmission I added a redundant cooler behind the factoy "tow package" cooler, and a computer fan (space is tight) with a thermostat in the passenger fender. I occasionally tow a light motorcycle trailer with the RX, the temp guage never budges even in the summer, but it doesn't read the transmission directly. I keep things cool (brakes too) the RX isn't a truck. The manual calls for no overdrive, speed limited to 55. That's an admiriable goal Watch the extended idling with the a/c on on the launch ramp and in slow maneuvers and I would do it. Also, change the trans fluid as you described each spring before it gets hot. I drain the trans pan, the FWD differential (not sure for AWD), refill, then drain through the cooler line until I get clean fluid. That's about 12 quarts per fluid change. I watch for a coupon from the Toyota dealer (just scored a case at $4.60 per quart with a 25% coupon). Good luck.

hypervish

If you plan on towing the boat, definitely change the ATF. And, also change it more often when towing, just to be on the safe side.

bcg02

I have checked, and confirmed that there is a factory trans cooler. I will plan on doing one more drain and fill in the summer. I should be way below the towing capacity, and with keeping an eye on the trans fluid quality, I should be ok . Thanks for the advice!