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So, after some research I switched to Motorcraft XT-M5-QS. The spec is GL-4. It has very good reviews on several forums specifically for our gearbox. I also changed the transmission mount. The shifting is now a bit smoother, especially from 1st to 2nd. Not a huge difference, but I can feel an improvement.

Hello, Yet another manual transmission question: As you know, our six speed transmission is the Aisin J160/AZ6. According to the owner's manual the fluid is 75W-90 GL-4 or GL-5. Hoping to solve the problem with my first and second gears, which were very stiff on winter mornings, I replaced the fluid with a top-shelf product - Yacco BVX 1000 with GL-4 and GL-5 specifications. However, the hard cold shifting remained. I later found out in some discussions that GL-5 is not recommended for this transmission as it contains some extreme pressure additives that can potentially eat away at the brass synchros. I asked Yacco and the answer was that they use "soft" technology that is safe for synchronized transmissions. Do you think I should change the fluid again? There are good reviews for Amsoil MTTG 75W-90, which is GL-4 and the technical bulletin shows "1B" for the copper corrosion test ASTM D130. Is this the best option I can find in Europe? Thank you!

For genuine parts I recommend Amayama or PartsOuq. I beieve this is what you're looking for: https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/8710630371 It is best to enter your VIN and check the catalogue: https://www.amayama.com/en/catalogs/lexus?_s=h The one on Ebay looks the same, but judging by the price it is an aftermarket part with unknown quality.

OK, I visited another mechanic. He replaced the brake discs and pads (with TRW) and inspected the calipers. In his opinion they were fine and did not need any work. The noise was gone immediately. 400 miles later it has not returned, so I hope the problem is solved. And, as we all know, the lesson is: drive your car every day or it will rust away 😁

Yes, the lower one is the oil pressure light I am concerned about. The upper one is the oil level light.

The engine gives me no problems at all. It does not burn any oil. What is bugging me is that with other cars the light takes less than a second. We have tried 3 different filter brands, all OEM quality. The garage only works with certain brands, so I have to look for another mechanic too.

So...I changed the filter, but it did not help. Then I changed the oil and the filter one more time. The oil is Petro Canada Supreme Synthetic 5W-30. I thought lighter oil would help with the cold start. The filter is Hengst. Now it takes even more time for the light to go out - just short of 2 seconds. Here is a video with ambient temp around 10C: 220524_131538.mp4 Or maybe it is normal for this engine?

It is possible, coils do fail on this engine. I had mine replaced twice on cylinder 1. My car has 140k miles/230k km. Try switching the places of the coils to see if the misfire would move. If necessary, replace with OEM ones.

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/0447930231 This is the kit for the rear calipers. It is genuine Toyota, at least is labelled so. I suspect the quality is better than what our local garages have access to, which is Autofren, Frenkit or similar. It is a matter of quality, not price.

Thank you! Could the moderators move the thread to the Brakes sub-forum, please? I am located in Bulgaria. The refurbishing will be done professionally, but I would like to get the parts myself. I am replacing the disks with new ones anyway. I can get an OEM repair kit with the rubbers/o-rings, but without the pins and pistons. Can someone recommend quality pins sold on eBay or in the UK? I see Bigg Red are mentioned often, but cannot find the rear slider pins/bolts on their website.

So, the rear knuckle bushes were replaced (with Febest bushes), but the noise remains. There are corrosion spots on the inside of the rear discs. They are clean on the outside, but have become very grooved. The front rotors are OK on both sides. Now there is also a light pulsation on the brake pedal, along with the noise. But the steering wheel does not pull left or right when stopping. The shop now suspects that the rear calipers are corroded and not pressing the pads evenly, and suggested replacing them. Can it be the rear calipers? If I choose to rebuild them, is it enough to replace the seals and the o-rings, or better get the pistons and slides as well? I want to have everything ready before taking them apart.

@Jarson, here is how my engine sounds. Don't know if you can make a comparison. As @Mihanicossaid, the ticking noise maybe the valves needing adjustment. But that is done manually and is labour intensive, so it may not be worth it, if the engine runs OK.

If the valves were gone, the engine would stall or at least misfire and lose power. So drive it around hard and test it. From what I can hear in the videos, the engine sounds OK.

Does the noise change at all when you turn left/right at high speed? Have you checked the wheel bearings after all? They can definetely make a low-pitched growling sound.

Hi, I have a small but very annoying issue. My IS 200 has the external stock amp w/ 8 speakers. The sound is pretty good and balanced, except for some soft static crackling/hissing noise. The noise is coming from all speakers on all inputs - radio, cd and tape. It is present only when I start the engine and does not disappear when I turn the volume all the way down. It also does not get louder with the volume and does not change with the engine rpm or in any other way. It disappears when the engine is off or when I turn off the audio system. I have been to several car audio professionals and they have dismissed the problem as being very minor and very costly to locate and fix. So is this a common issue with our model? Is there an easy fix? Thank you and have a wonderful year!

Thanks! It is an aftermarket filter. It has not given me any problems until now, but I will change it for a genuine Toyota one and find out if that's the problem.

Hello, The car is IS 200 1G-FE. Oil and filter changed 1 year ago, but I've only done 2k miles so far. The oil is Ravenol VSI 5W-40, PAO-based full-synthetic. As the weather got colder (sometimes it drops to 0°C overnight ), I noticed the oil pressure light is slower to turn off in the mornings. It stays on for about 2 seconds after a cold start. The second time is OK, goes off as soon as the starter turns. The oil level is at the top mark and has always been there. The oil color is light brown. Is this normal for our model? Should I worry? Maybe change the filter and oil, just to be safe? Thank you!

I took the car to a garage. They found some corrosion spots on the rear rotors and, indeed, suggested to do some hard breaking to clear them out. Curiously, the thumping sound itself is coming from or is amplified by the rear knuckle bushes, which are worn out. The vibration from the uneven braking is making them shake and knock.

Thank you all for your advice. I am happy to report that after 500 miles the steering is back to normal. It feels effortless and pleasant again. I guess the joints really needed some time to “bed in” and in my case the garage did everything right.

It is a rhythmic noise with every turn of the wheels, like "thump-thump---thump---thump------thump", but not very loud. In fact, it is too soft to be recorded because of engine and road noise. Also not audible when the music is on.

Hello, I have an IS 200 Sport (2001) with relatively new brake discs and pads. No grooves on the front rotors, some on the rear ones, but no substantial wear yet. Lately there has been a slight thumping/thudding noise when braking while driving straight. I think it is coming from the front and is consistent with the wheels rotation. Apart from that, the braking is solid and the stopping is OK. There is noise only when pressing the brake pedal. No other noises from the brakes/suspension when driving over bumps or turning. I have had the car inspected and the lower ball joints replaced, but the issue appeared soon after that. Is this a fairly common problem in our model? Are the calipers to blame, do they require servicing? Thanks!

This. IMHO, at that mileage there can be various culprits for this behavior and I doubt an engine flush will solve the problem. The mechanic will check the spark plugs, coils, cylinder compression, valves condition and clearance, transmission, etc.

If necessary, I can get a hold of OEM ones. But I'll give these the benefit of the doubt for 500 km or so...The brand is TRW, recommended, delivered and installed by the repair shop. The shop is pretty reputable, too.

Thanks! If it does not improve, I will try alignment again and eventually OEM parts. By the way, I called a reputable alignment shop and they also told me the new joints needed time to soften.

Thanks, I'll drive it for a while and see what happens.