2000 LX470 Transmission failure

[lumbergh]

Well this is my first post on the board and I have found a ton of useful info on here in the past, thanks to everyone's contributions!

My 2000 LX470 with 98k miles was running fine and all of the sudden out of the blue while driving down the road I feel some mild clunking and the vehicle feels like it slipped into neutral. I never had any noticable slippage or other warning signs until last night when this happened. It was towed to the Lexus dealership and they are recommending a remanufactured tranny for $4900 installed.

There might be some wiggle room on the quote but does anyone have any better ideas for me, (overhaul or replacement somewhere else). I am finally past the point of being ticked off about it and need to get it fixed. I will probably sell it soon, not that this will change how I fix it but I might upgrade to a newer model year or switch to a newer Landcruiser.

Any other ideas or alternatives??

 

[e9999]

Welcome!

bad news... not that it will make you feel better, but this is very unusual...

I would want more info as to what's wrong.

And if it's really really (not just by the dealer's word) gone, I'd look at a used one...

 

[SWUtah]

I think if you do a search you will find that there was a problem with the transmissions on 2000 model year. the info might help you with the dealer and lexus getting it fixed.

 

[hoser]

The A343F transmission has proven quite reliable. As said, there was a batch of them sometime in '00 and maybe even '01 that had some parts that were out of tolerance. If you want to save some money, throw in a used 98,99 or 02 transmission with known mileage for $1000-1500 plus labor. Sure, it's riskier than a rebuilt but so is buying a used car. People are going 250k+ miles on these trannies.

 

[lumbergh]

The reason I bought the LX was for the reliability and I realize it is pretty rare for this to happen, but that is what is frustrating, being in that 1%. I searched some of the older threads and it sure seems like the 2000 model year was the problem batch for these trannies.

For anyone that searches this thread in search of info:

The only difference prior to complete failure compared to other year models I've driven was that it felt like there was a slight delay before the transmission hooks up when pressing the gas from a roll . It is almost like there is a little slack in the torque converter when pressing on and off the gas. I drove a 99 and 03 and they both felt "tighter" in the drive train. Mine always had that slack feel. I bought it with 60k miles and have the service history. No known problems were indicated or repaired prior to the purchase. I have read about the slack feel before and heard it was common for the 2000 models but didn't realize that it could lead to failure.


The failure came on without any real warning. I was driving all day with no symptoms and then while driving about at about 45mph I heard a mild clunk, clunk, and then no gears, I was stuck on the side of the road. At first I though the transfer case slipped into neutral.

I may take it somewhere else for a second opinion but it gets expensive towing it around and the dealer provides a loaner RX350. I just wish it was cheaper to fix. I feel like at this point when I add up the servicing plus brake rotors plus this tranny, I should have bought a newer lower mileage ride. Based on everything I read it does seem like this is the exception to the rule though. Oh well...maybe a lesson learned.


Does anyone think it could be something other than a complete transmission failure? Could it be the transfer case or torque converter or something like that? I am not a mechanic so I only understand the basic parts and kind of overview of how the system works. In all gears it feels like the truck is in neutral with some very mild grinding but no absolutley no power to the wheels.

Thanks for any help, opinions, and comments.

 

[super50]

are you in a position to get a second opinion, maybe from an independent shop? I dont trust the Lexus dealers.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Could it also be torque converter failure? Do you know what part(s) failed?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I thought there was a TSB about this problem, which stemmed from an out of spec thrust washer or some such. You should be able to get Lexus to help you significantly on this one.

 

[mobi-arc]

Where in the country are you located?

 

[lumbergh]

I'm in Houston, TX. I talked with a recommended transmission shop and they said they don't see too many LX's but they can usual idenify the problem and fix it rather than just replace the entire unit and do it for a lot less. They said they have done quite a few RX trannies though.

I am thinking of going this way. They will tow it and diagnose it for free to try and get the business. Worst case is I end up paying another $125 to get it back to the dealer if it doesn't sound like a decent deal. What a pain...but I shouldn't complain too much as this is an unusual problem outside of the 2000 model years.


With gas prices where they are at I am also tempted to get a used RX (cringe) to drive daily and maybe a 99 or so landcruiser to have fun with.

Has anyone ever had a tranny overhaul instead of getting a reman from the dealer?

 

[SINCITY100]

.



If you do, in fact need to overhaul or replace your transmission, I`d opt for a Toyota reman unit .

Its hard to beat an OE reman trans.. They`re remanufactured to the highest quality standards and have a 1 year warranty.. IMO, they are actually "better than new" in many cases, as they will typically have the newer "upgraded" or "improved" parts already installed in them too .


An OE reman trans should run ya around $2300 + installation ( w/core exchange )



Good luck !

 

[twstrchasr]

The same thing happened to my 65K mile 2001 LC last summer so, you are not alone. Lucky thing for me was that I still had about 3 months left on my ext warranty, whew !! I think it was going to be about $3,500 + to fix\replace it. My problem was a "failed bearing". Sorry, man !!

 

[dclee]

I wonder if this might not be an "opportunity" to put in one of the "Extreme" trannies from Wholesale Automatic Transmission in Oz. I thought they were working on the A343F, maybe that one's ready to roll now?

 

[100 TD]

Although it would be good to get an extreme tranny from OZ, I think a junk yard tranny replacement would suffice since he is thinking of upgrading. If he is considering keeping the vehicle then by all means get one from Wholesale Automatic Transmissions .IIRC Christo used to be an agent for the OZ trannys but the transport costs and margins may not have been worth it so they now send them direct AFAIK.

 

[hoser]

Here is your North American distributor for Wholesale Automatics...

Pacesetter Products

 

[lumbergh]

Update:

Well I went ahead and had the dealer replace the tranny. It does shift better than before and seems a little tighter/smoother. I've been driving an RX350 loaner for the last week and I forgot how comfortable the LX is until I got back in it yesterday. It feels like I am driving a recliner comapred to the RX. It looked like the "extreme" tranny was not out yet for the 100 and would probably have been more than I wanted to spend for this vehicle anyway.

Thanks for the ideas and feedback.

 

[1loudLX]

RX's suck dont they? I had one for 10 days...I had a small party for myself when I got the LX back.


How much did you get set back in the end?

 

[2000 LX 470]

Update:

Well I went ahead and had the dealer replace the tranny. It does shift better than before and seems a little tighter/smoother. I've been driving an RX350 loaner for the last week and I forgot how comfortable the LX is until I got back in it yesterday. It feels like I am driving a recliner comapred to the RX. It looked like the "extreme" tranny was not out yet for the 100 and would probably have been more than I wanted to spend for this vehicle anyway.

Thanks for the ideas and feedback.

Bought mine from my boss with 129K on it, and he too had recently had to replace the transmission. Not sure where he had it done, but it was $4k-$5k as well. Bummer for you I know, but you've got a vehicle with a hell of a lot of life left in it....

 

[Jim_Chow]

RX's suck dont they? I had one for 10 days...I had a small party for myself when I got the LX back.


How much did you get set back in the end?

They're okay, but I notice the differences like the cheesy plastic around the gate shifter, no UV glass (side of my face feels like it's being roasted at 5pm during the summer w/ window rolled up), brakes aren't nearly as good as the LX's, rear/quarter visibility isn't as good. Acceleration is noticeably better to no surprise. OTOH, I rented a '05 4runner SR5 4WD (base model for $30K) w/ 4.0L V6 and felt it was superior in just about every way over the RX except it didn't have leather seats and JBL audio is kind of boomy. But for half the price of a LC/LX, it seemed like the car was 2/3 of the the LX/LC in build, ride, etc. Only disappointment was no clamshell rear door, I didn't like those funky climate control pivoting circular switches, and the torsion center diff I think is more hype than function...got it stuck when crossing the tiretracks of a large truck (dirt was reasonably hard pack except for the brim left on the sides of the tire tracks), had to lock the CDL to get it out. Overall, I felt it was a lot of value for $30K, much better than $40K for a RX and about the same fuel economy. There are complaints on the 4runner & GX forums of vibration in the drive train w/ CDL unlocked, apparently from the torsion diff.

 

[lumbergh]

How much did you get set back in the end?

After some negotiating, with help from this forum, it came down from $4900 to $3800. That still seemed a bit steep but it is a Lexus dealership. I went ahead and changed all the other fluids for another $500 as well while it was there. I have a feeling it was something small in the tranny that broke and probably could have easily been fixed for a lot less but I was getting kind of worn out dealing with it so I went ahead and had it replaced.

I also put some 295/75/r16 Nitto TG ATs on it and now I want a lift. I really like the new tires. It looks and feels great with the AHC in the high setting. There is no rubbing in the normal mode but it would feel and look much better with another 2 inches.