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Driving under very light acceleration, car shudders for about a second or so. It seems like it's happening either before or after it up shifts (I don't know why I can't remember if it's before or after the shift). I don't believe I have ever had it happen during a downshift or during moderate acceleration. I don't believe it's cv axle related, because wouldn't it be occurring more often than just a specific time?
It helps to know your mileage and transmission service history (if any).
The car has 130,000 miles
I called the Lexus dealership where my sister services it. According to them, they only check the level and check to see if the fluid looks good......... But everything else has been done, differential fluid, brake fluid, etc. etc. I don't know if I believe them since don't they have to remove the wheel to access the fill plug?
Is a transmission drain and fill a good idea? I know sometimes more problems are created by new, clean fluid.
Fresh ATF is always a good idea. I would do a series of drain-and-fills as a first step.
I'm planning on doing a bunch of drain and fills. My plan was drain it, fill it, drive it and repeat once. Let my sister drive her car for a week and do the same process next weekend.
What fluid does it need? 2013 RX350 AWD. When I went to Advanced Auto Parts website it asked me which transmission I had. I'm a bit surprised the AWD version came with two transmissions. Also, how much fluid should I buy?
Can I drain and fill using ramps? I'm guessing the car has to be level to drain it to the right level. I have a quickjack 5000slx but it's a pain on same cars.
I did three successive drain-and-fills using Toyota WS ATF in late July 2021. Each one was done first thing in the morning with the engine cold, then the vehicle was driven 35 to 40 miles before the next morning. Measure how much old fluid drains out and add back the same amount of fresh fluid. In my case, 2.25 quarts drained out each time. After the third drain-and-fill, you have perhaps 85% to 90% fresh ATF in the system. Works for me.
Follow the cold drain and fill method described by RXinNC. That is the way I do it.
You have a few ATF choices. Toyota WS, or Idemitsu TLS LV or MAG ONE full synthetic low viscosity multi vehicle ATF. You can get Idemitsu at Amazon and it is a synthetic direct replacement for Toyota WS. https://www.idemitsulubricants.com/p...tf-type-tls-lv
I am running it in both my RX and HS250h. It shifts better than WS and is actually full synthetic unlike WS.
Your vehicle does not really have to be level, but you have to carefully measure the amount of fluid drained and replace that amount. Maybe try tilting it a little with a floor jack to drain more fluid.
A correct fluid level will be about 2 to 2.25 quarts. You can get buckets at Home Depot or Wal-Mart that have measurements written on the side. Note the drain plug is a 6mm Allen Wrench and inside the hole is an overflow plug of plastic that is also a 6mm Allen. Let the pan drain, then remove the overflow plug and another quart or so will drain.
The drive side front tire should be removed to get at the fill plug (24mm) the first time. There is a small flap covering it that has a 10mm bolt or 2 and some plastic plugs. You can fill it with a long funnell. There are pictures and more in the link below.
Follow the cold drain and fill method described by RXinNC. That is the way I do it.
You have a few ATF choices. Toyota WS, or Idemitsu TLS LV or MAG ONE full synthetic low viscosity multi vehicle ATF. You can get Idemitsu at Amazon and it is a synthetic direct replacement for Toyota WS. https://www.idemitsulubricants.com/p...tf-type-tls-lv
I am running it in both my RX and HS250h. It shifts better than WS and is actually full synthetic unlike WS.
Your vehicle does not really have to be level, but you have to carefully measure the amount of fluid drained and replace that amount. Maybe try tilting it a little with a floor jack to drain more fluid.
A correct fluid level will be about 2 to 2.25 quarts. You can get buckets at Home Depot or Wal-Mart that have measurements written on the side. Note the drain plug is a 6mm Allen Wrench and inside the hole is an overflow plug of plastic that is also a 6mm Allen. Let the pan drain, then remove the overflow plug and another quart or so will drain.
The drive side front tire should be removed to get at the fill plug (24mm) the first time. There is a small flap covering it that has a 10mm bolt or 2 and some plastic plugs. You can fill it with a long funnell. There are pictures and more in the link below.
Thanks so much for the information! I'm going to look at the link you sent me.
This is a silly question, I know the procedure is to replace the fluid drained, but what if it's on the low side? I've never changed the fluid on an automatic transmission before, but I assume it's similar to manual transmissions and differentials....just add fluid in the fill hole until it reaches the hole or trickles out a little bit.
Yes there is (if you are willing to waste ATF, which I am not). The red plastic 6mm hex "straw" that you unscrew after you have unscrewed and removed the 6mm hex drain plug is actually the tool used to set the level of ATF in the pan after refilling if you opt to do it that way (I do not). To my knowledge, my wife's 2015 RX350 has never leaked ATF so I simply use the measure-and-add method described above. Works for me.
Go read and study the various threads pertaining to ATF replacement in these vehicles. There are also videos on Youtube showing the process. You will learn the answers to most of your questions.
Do I believe the dealership who told you they check your ATF level and appearance? Absolutely not. They never bother to mess with it because most dealerships still claim it is "lifetime" fluid. There is no such animal as "lifetime" fluid of ANY type in ANY vehicle.
Yes, they never looked at your fluid. They assumed you had no idea what was involved and just lied about because Lexus said it was sealed for life - which it is not. The owners manual states that under severe conditions to do a fluid change at 60,000 miles. VW used a version of this transmission and had so many failures under warranty they sent out a notice to get the fluid changed at 40,000 miles!
This is a long story but it is how I decided that if on the initial drain you get less than 2 to 2 1/4 quarts of fluid then your ATF fluid is low.
I bought a used 2013 Sienna that has the same engine & transmission and 89,000 miles. I did not know the service history but the throttle response off the line was slow compared to the RX although it ran and shifted well.
I did a transmission drain and fill and only about a quart and a half came out. When I filled it back I added 4 ounces more and it shifted and accelerated better. On the second cold drain and fill I added a little more fluid and by the 4th drain and fill I put in 2 1/4 quarts which is what the RX takes. After that fill the Sienna had the same instant throttle response and shifting as the RX. It lead me to believe it had low fluid. It did not have any leaks. It may have been low from the factory or had a sloppy transmission service previously. It ran great for 20,000 miles when I traded it in for the 2016 Sienna that was a lot nicer. When I did a drain and fill on the 2016 Sienna I got 2 1/4 quarts!
Here is a link to the Yoda of Toyota - The Car Care Nut on youtube. He is a Toyota Master Tech who recently left the dealer and opened his own shop. This goes into detail on doing the insanely complicated temperature sensitive transmission fluid level check. He covers a few cars, but pay attention to the 6 speed automatic. It was used in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
Yes, they never looked at your fluid. They assumed you had no idea what was involved and just lied about because Lexus said it was sealed for life - which it is not. The owners manual states that under severe conditions to do a fluid change at 60,000 miles. VW used a version of this transmission and had so many failures under warranty they sent out a notice to get the fluid changed at 40,000 miles!
This is a long story but it is how I decided that if on the initial drain you get less than 2 to 2 1/4 quarts of fluid then your ATF fluid is low.
I bought a used 2013 Sienna that has the same engine & transmission and 89,000 miles. I did not know the service history but the throttle response off the line was slow compared to the RX although it ran and shifted well.
I did a transmission drain and fill and only about a quart and a half came out. When I filled it back I added 4 ounces more and it shifted and accelerated better. On the second cold drain and fill I added a little more fluid and by the 4th drain and fill I put in 2 1/4 quarts which is what the RX takes. After that fill the Sienna had the same instant throttle response and shifting as the RX. It lead me to believe it had low fluid. It did not have any leaks. It may have been low from the factory or had a sloppy transmission service previously. It ran great for 20,000 miles when I traded it in for the 2016 Sienna that was a lot nicer. When I did a drain and fill on the 2016 Sienna I got 2 1/4 quarts!
Here is a link to the Yoda of Toyota - The Car Care Nut on youtube. He is a Toyota Master Tech who recently left the dealer and opened his own shop. This goes into detail on doing the insanely complicated temperature sensitive transmission fluid level check. He covers a few cars, but pay attention to the 6 speed automatic. It was used in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRxSu4-4ojo&t=78s
Wow. Thank you so much for the video link. It's a pain in the you know what, but I definitely will be checking the transmission level just like this guy said. You guys have been so helpful. I'm pretty sure that this car will benefit from fresher tranny fluid.
Update:
I did a drain and fill early this morning (freezing my A$$ off). A little more than 2.25 quarts came out which makes sense since that oil was probably less than 40 degrees. I had the new oil sitting in the car so they'd be the same temperature in the morning. I overfilled it by almost a fourth of a quart, but I'm not that concerned.
Result-
It was only the first drain and fill and I only drove it for 25 miles, but I only felt it shudder twice and the shudders seemed to be half the intensity as before. If I wasn't paying close attention for shudders, I probably wouldn't have realized it in the shifting process. I'm less pessimistic now. Maybe this 140,000 mile oil was what was causing the shuddering. I've attached two pictures of the muddy oil that came out.
I'm planning on doing two more drain and fills. After the third drain and fill, I'm going to remove the pan and replace the filter. From what I've read, removing the pan gets rid of an extra half quart of oil. Then I will do the diagnostic method I saw in the video of the toyota master tech and get the oil to the right temperature and drain any excess oil.
I would do the three successive drain-and-fills, then see how the vehicle performs for a week or two. With mostly fresh ATF, you may not need to drop the pan.
11-08-22, 07:42 PM
Shudder (guessing transmission)
