Greetings! I've got a 2004 Rx330 AWD that I picked up from an auction that was supposedly driveable but had to have it towed. Engine is in great shape considering the 330k miles on it. It rolls foward fine in neutral but putting it into any gear moving forward it will go a for a few feet and then lock up like it's hung-up on something. Nothing immediately visible that I can see. It does go into reverse and will go a bit further in that direction but not much.

If I end up working on this myself, where would you start troubleshooting something like this? I haven't worked on any drivetrain related issues on cars but I'm mechanically inclined and have worked on a ton of other areas.

Thanks for any advice/direction!

 

What’s it do when you look from underneath?

For example, axles. See this thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...in-gear-2.html

 

Bad transmission? Common on this model especially at that mileage. To more or less confirm raise both wheels put the car in neutral to see if both spin freely but it sounds like they do.

 

I would also check and see if you get metal soup when you drain the transfer case or rear diff