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RX300 VIBRATES WHEN COLD

I had some extensive (and expensive!) work done on my 2001 RX300 recently. I had a rebuilt transmission installed, and the timing belt replaced at the same time. A Toyota dealer did the work. Since then, there is a vibration in the front end that can be felt through the steering wheel and through my feet on the floor at speeds over 50 mph. After about 5 minutes on the road however, the vibration goes away. I rotated the tires, but that had no effect. I've never seen a vibration problem that goes away when the car warms up. Are there any Lexus or Toyota techs out there who have come across this?

Reply to
Steve K
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Noises and vibrations are difficult to diagnose without experiencing them first hand. Vibrations at higher speeds are generally caused by tire problems, and they can go away if there is moisture in the tires that melts as the tires warm up or if there is a flat spot in one or more of the tires. It is also possible that there is a problem in the transmission or a binding driveshaft or axle shaft that loosens up as it warms up.

Reply to
Ray O

The symptoms described were not uncommon 20 years ago using tires constructed with nylon cords, when the temperature was cold. Nylon tires flatspotted when parked, and the flat spot would disappear after the tires warmed up with driving.

Less likely today, as nylon is not used very much as a cord material, unless it is a very cxheap tire brand (steel and kevlar are much moere common now, especially in high performance tires.

What did your Toyota dealer say when you reported the vibration?

Reply to
Jay Somerset

It's especially diffuclt to know the cause when major work like that has been done. Given that the problem goes away after warm up my guess is the torque converter or transmission. How's the condition of the engine/tranny mounts? I would replace the tranny mounts with a tranny rebuild. A little googling shows the RX has a lot of transmission problems.

Which rebuild house did the tranny? Actually it should be done by a "remanufacturing" house. Maybe it's warranty time? It's probably a bad rebuild or poor workmanship.

Reply to
johngdole

Just out of curiosity - why did you have to replace transmission ? How many miles does your car have ? I am asking because I drive a similar car (2000 RX).

Reply to
techtrainer

The 2001 RX transmission was failure prone. Probably due to poor design or manufacturing as "planetary ring gear blew apart". Not that yours will fail early or in the same way, but have a read:

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Reply to
johngdole

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