help: toyota highlander/lexus rx300 (pre-03) trans wanted
 

wanted: AWD U140F transmission. no rebuilt ones please. the lower the mileage the better.

my uncle's transmission is dead and the dealership wants $9k to install a rebuilt one... not.

i was hoping someone might have a lead on one before i start calling every wrecker listed in the phone book.

thanks in advance.

its a rare enough car that i do suggest calling the wreckers, and even checking out ebay for wreckers in the states.

its not like an sports import where tranny's and motors are readily available.

i figured for an transmission that's been around almost 6 years (1998-2003 rx300 is the same thing), i thought they were plenty, but that isn't the case. i did an online search and the lowest mileage one i could find had over 70k mi on it for $900usd... that's 20k more than what is on his odometer right now :(

what the hell dealer quoted that? that's way wrong, my friend had it done at a dealership, it wasn't nearly that much, more like 3-4 grand I think.

there's no point in finding a low mile one, it might just blow up again. remanufactured should be fine :P

In my book a rebuilt one is better than a wrecker. Since you don't know what happened to the transmission with the previous owner or at the wrecker. Especially with some of the electronics being embedded in transmission these days.

been trolling clublexus forums and the rebuilt ones are failing too, regardless of whether it's from the dealer or private. just a shitty design :(

so far been getting rebuild quotes from private shops in the $3500 range and 3 days in the shop... sigh. he's seriously considering an $800 unknown condition one from a wrecker and just dumping it to a used car lot :o

^

whats wrong with toyota's design?


on the highlander and RX300

Not any one design fault. More like it is their first in house crack at a latitudinal transfer case in a very long time, since high torque is never a typical toyota application, it just didn't last long.

Practice makes perfect.. it just sucks to be the first generation buyers.

You buy a 2nd hand, you still have to get it coded.. it still won't be fun / cheap.

Last real reliable 4X4 from Toyota is the 90s 4Runner.. the things that came later anr just mediocre.

cant see shit but oh well
:)

oh sorry u have to register...

no worries


didnt know RX300 has tranny issue

They show 10 Highlanders at Import Auto in Abby. They deliver too.

Not the cheapest place in the world but they have a lot of newer stuff and you can find out where the car was hit, they have a warranty and they're removed properly.

http://www.importautorecyclers.com/a...?md=Highlander

OK just tried the link doesn't go straight to what I want you to see.

Click:
clear,
2002,
Toyota,
Highlander,
Limited (second one from bottom),
SELECT icon beside Transmission Assembly (make sure you hit "select" not Transmission/Transaxle)

That should get you to a list of 01-03's with pics.

there are 2 big issues with the rx300. one is the transmission, and the other is an engine oil lubrication issue resulting in a poor oil passage design in the v6 head. but the latter affected a lot of other toyota vehicles that shared that v6 engine (camry, highlander, etc.), but it was something that would happen if you skimped on your oil changes or way too many short trips.

as for the transmission, it seems to be happening more with the pre-01 models (on rx300). there are several issues, ranging from the design of the filter screen, to this....

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/atta...netarygear.jpg

aluminum planetary gear assembly (yes the RX the above came from was regularly dealer serviced until it grenaded itself). toyota changed to a steel assembly sometime around 2001... not sure if it's a solution.

:eek::eek::eek:

there is a pic i cannot find of the pan. the magnets look like giant metallic chia pets...

back when you were still under factory warranty, dealerships would just keep doing frequent trans fluid oil changes (shorter intervals than what owner's manual says), in hopes that it would not fail completely before the warranty expired. and if it did, they would only rebuild it, not replace with a brand new one.