Lexus RX 300 funny new noise
Lexus RX 300,1999, 64000 mil,original owner.
The car has been making a buzzing noise [like a metal component with a very fine vibration] as I start to accelerate and continue driving. It is present when steering the wheel slightly to the left or when keeping it in neutral center position but seems to dissappear when I steer to the right or when I step on the break and slow down or stop.Acceleration does not seem to make it any worse or better.
It may be coming from the front of the car and may be the left side [although hard to say since I am already sitting and driving in the front left]
Any help is appreciated since In had a bad experience with the local mechanic I took this car x other stuff before.
Herman
The car has been making a buzzing noise [like a metal component with a very fine vibration] as I start to accelerate and continue driving. It is present when steering the wheel slightly to the left or when keeping it in neutral center position but seems to dissappear when I steer to the right or when I step on the break and slow down or stop.Acceleration does not seem to make it any worse or better.
It may be coming from the front of the car and may be the left side [although hard to say since I am already sitting and driving in the front left]
Any help is appreciated since In had a bad experience with the local mechanic I took this car x other stuff before.
Herman
0
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My Rx300, 2000, has over the years occasionally made a weird clicking sound after the engine is turned off. Last experience occurred when I came out of Lowes after two hours of shopping and found it making a variation of the sound. The battery was dead...it was jumped off and I got a new battery right away. Since then the clock resets almost every time it is cranked. Per information from messages on this site...I had the cables checked, where I got the battery. They cleaned the cables but the problem continues. They said that it is not their problem....what a coincident..? I have not noticed the sound again and I haven't had any problems starting the car. In one post they mentioned that the fuses might be the problem. Do you have any idea where the problem might be? If it is in the fuse system...how can I fix it myself ( I know nothing, but need to learn!)?
Like other cars, lots of your concern might be related to the care and records available from the prior owner, if it is being sold with a transferable warrantee from Lexus, if anything was "updated" under warrantee, and especially how it was used (i.e. a local grocery-runner or people pick-up that spends a lot of time idling, but has few miles likely will have seen much more wear than a distance commuter with more miles).
These are good cars that generally provide a fairly trouble-free experience, with a few exceptions. You will see those exceptions (complaints) listed as posts on the RX300 forums. Some owners have reported more trouble than others in a few key areas, like transmission. But Lexus knew about this, and many had their transmissions replaced with more modern units under warrantee.
But my suggestion is check your transmission fluid for a clear red color and non-burned smell. Does the vibration occur only at an idle in gear? What happens when you shift into neutral? Is there a noise or other symptom?
And try a different dealer.
Fluid is ruby red and doesn't smell burned.
As far as another dealer, that might be very good advice.
Within a year or so of initial sales this was changed to every 15,000 miles. But that resulted in such an owner outcry that this was revised to say the ATF condition should be inspected along with every oil change. But any dealer worth his salt, and many owners, would have installed NEW/PRISTINE ATF in an '01-'03 RX300 before reselling it.
Your RX does not downshift into 1st until you come to a COMPLETE stop. Due to the history of these vehicles at 78,000 I would fully expect you need new 1st range clutches.
Absent the firmware fix applied to the '01 and later RX300's the '99-'00 transaxles were failing prenmaturely in this mileage range, 80,000-100,000 miles. The fix involved "holding" the ATF line pressure at a higher level. That in turn resulted in localized heating, OVER-heating, of the ATF for which no cooling provisions had been made, and could not be retrofitted.
Most, if not actually ALL, of the vehicle's shipped of this era came with the extra ATF cooling as a part of the towing package but that proved to be of little help since it wasn't the "average" temperature of the ATF that was the problem.
Lexus (and Toyota) went to DBW to help alleviate this problem but the result of that was to put the passengers at risk in certain situations.
Thanks for the insight, I will certainly be armed with your comments next week.
The Lexus service shop should know this. You may be getting a "refurbished" control valve removed from some previous "service" and then cleaned in preparation for "cleaning" the next victims pockets.
If, sometime in the past, you have used, experimented with the use, of a K&N engine air filter, or the like, I wouldn't tell the Lexus folks.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Perhaps that's the wind noise you're experiencing, and it's worth looking at.