Clicking and Clanking when Changing Gears

[Eri2Fiddy]

Hi Guys! 

New to the forum, have been trying to find and answer to this across the web and every-other forum. 

I have a Lexus is250 SE-L Auto 2011 with around 76k on the clock. 

When i put it into drive and the gears change from 1 to 2 and or 1 to Rev i hear a clank or loud mechanical click coming from the right hand side of the car. Anyone else experience this? One garage said it might be a broken / cracked drive shaft other places say if there is no engine light on and it drives fine ignore it? TBH its done it since i brought it from a friend a bout a year ago, he said he never noticed it, it has really gotten louder either I have just noticed it more i think.  

Any advice would be much appreciated? 

[steve2006]

Hi ERri and welcome to the LOC.

First things I would check are transmission and differential mountings also prop shaft rubber couplings.

[Eri2Fiddy]

Thanks @steve2006. 

 

Is there any history of for Lexus having specific issues with what you mentioned? 

My local garage said they would take it for a test drive then its just a guessing game which they even said could get expensive if we go looking for a problem. 

 

 

[Eri2Fiddy]

here is the whip! 

[Texas]

Might be worth having all 4 wheels off and doing a through brake ‘service’ ie cleaning all pins and contact points and have a good check of everything else in each corner, it can only be beneficial👍

[Linas.P]

3 hours ago, steve2006 said:

Hi ERri and welcome to the LOC.

First things I would check are transmission and differential mountings also prop shaft rubber couplings.

It would be good to hear the sound you have mentioned. But I would go with this theory as well. 

This is not known to be an issue, but most issue with Lexus IS250 are not known, because generally these cars don't have issues. If there is an issue, then it is usually related with some bad mechanic doing bad job on it. So in this case - maybe somebody removed prop-shaft for whatever reason and fitted it back improperly, or damaged it when removing/putting back on and overtime causing the prop-shaft bushings to wear out. 

 

[H3XME]

Won't be a driveshaft if it happens only in certain gears. I'm going to go with the gearbox. Do the simplest and cheapest thing that could fix it.. Have it flushed and put new good gearbox oil in.

[Linas.P]

It would throw solenoid errors well before it would start making noises. If it is "clacking" the way I imagine the sound, then it would be something mechanical... and mechanical can't be solved by flush. Imagine if you could just flush spun bearing with some new oil 😄 

Again without being able to hear the sound it is anyone's guess really.

[SeanR]

https://victrans.com/transmission-makes-clunking-noise/

 

U joints mentioned somewhere too.

[Eri2Fiddy]

Hey all! Appreciate all the help.

I took it for a long trip today and noticed that when I kept it locked in gear 2 with sports mode that the same noise happened without a gear change.

So might not be the transmission in this case.

I'll try record the sound and post it here.

[Eri2Fiddy]

2 hours ago, Linas.P said:

It would throw solenoid errors well before it would start making noises. If it is "clacking" the way I imagine the sound, then it would be something mechanical... and mechanical can't be solved by flush. Imagine if you could just flush spun bearing with some new oil 😄 

Again without being able to hear the sound it is anyone's guess really.

It's more of a mechical click than clunk for sure. 

[Eri2Fiddy]

On 8/24/2022 at 12:04 PM, Texas said:

Might be worth having all 4 wheels off and doing a through brake ‘service’ ie cleaning all pins and contact points and have a good check of everything else in each corner, it can only be beneficial👍

Yeah i had all 4 pads and disk replaced recently as they were squeaking crazy 

[Eri2Fiddy]

OK i think i have found the the problem - broken drive shaft -  this video show the same issue with the sound and set up: 

 

 

 

[Mr Vlad]

Well there you go. A broken drive shaft. I think you're the first on here with such a problem, a very very very rare problem. 

Let us know how you get on after a replacement drive shaft has been fitted. 

[Eri2Fiddy]

Hey guys, 

Local garage diagnosed an issue with the rear right driveshaft as expected. I am also gonna take it to Albin Motors for a 2nd opinion. 

But the issue is there are no aftermarket drive shafts, so its either used or new from Lexus for around £750 + VAT. 

Any recommendation on used parts or should i bite the bullet and go to Lexus? 

 

 

[Moleman]

10 minutes ago, Eri2Fiddy said:

Hey guys, 

Local garage diagnosed an issue with the rear right driveshaft as expected. I am also gonna take it to Albin Motors for a 2nd opinion. 

But the issue is there are no aftermarket drive shafts, so its either used or new from Lexus for around £750 + VAT. 

Any recommendation on used parts or should i bite the bullet and go to Lexus? 

 

 

How much do you want to keep the car? How long do you want to keep the car? Is this a one off repair or the first of many likely age related repairs going forwards?

The answers to the above will help decide.

If you want to keep and use the car for a serious period, go new. 

Experience on this site suggests the car has many good years of use ahead and you have been unlucky on this issue.

[Linas.P]

It must have been damaged caused maybe by pothole or incorrect install. I mean in theory it could have been one in a million defective driveshafts, but generally speaking such issue is unheard for these cars. 

What I am trying to say - yes Toyota parts are often very expensive, but they last forever as well, so at least you can be sure you won't need it done again any time soon. 

You can get it slightly cheaper (£467) from https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/4233030160 (just check the part numbers and whenever you need right of left one) in https://partsouq.com it is about the same price despite cheaper shipping (549.57$ ~£472.80). Now theoretically it may be stopped and import tax added on top of it, but it my experience that has never happened and it happens at best once in 10 times. Even then £341.58 +20% + 126.25 = £563.15 ... which in my estimation is a lot cheaper than £750 +VAT. 

[H3XME]

Since this is not a common fault, and likely caused by pothole or such like @Linas.P mentioned. I'd just get a used one for £33... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324991547545 it's roughly an hour's worth of work to change it for a garage, so it wouldn't cost you a lot. @Eri2Fiddy

[Texas]

I would go for used also as it is not a known to fail part you will have to be really unlucky to have another defective one. And even if you did 33 is a long way from 750+

[Eri2Fiddy]

Used it is then! 

Would you recommend this part, I found it earlier but was looking for a new part as this is a 06 model? I'm not sure what to be looking out for with used. 

33 minutes ago, H3XME said:

Since this is not a common fault, and likely caused by pothole or such like @Linas.P mentioned. I'd just get a used one for £33... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324991547545 it's roughly an hour's worth of work to change it for a garage, so it wouldn't cost you a lot. @Eri2Fiddy

I found this one in the USA for an 2012 F sport https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363858127437?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=9bUhBlQLScO&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=PJWuL5TnTVO&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY 

[H3XME]

6 minutes ago, Eri2Fiddy said:

Used it is then! 

Would you recommend this part, I found it earlier but was looking for a new part as this is a 06 model? I'm not sure what to be looking out for with used. 

I found this one in the USA for an 2012 F sport https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363858127437?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=9bUhBlQLScO&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=PJWuL5TnTVO&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY 

To be honest with you, there was no changes to the drive shafts across the years so I don't see any upside to buying used from US when you can buy a used from a pre-facelift UK car. It's cheaper, you won't have to pay any duties, you can return it easily should you need to and you don't have to wait weeks to get it. The driveshaft is in Walsall, around the corner from me. You can even drive up from Herefordshire if you really want to.

[Linas.P]

It does make sense to get used one - even if you have to change used one every year for 10 years (including fitting costs), it is still going to be just about the same as fitting new one once. 

The only other thing I remembered - check alignment and other suspension components on that side. Because even for pothole to brake driveshaft would be very unlikely. More likely would be that some link or arm is slightly bent causing driveshaft to wear prematurely. So just make sure wheel aligns, nothing is lose and nothing is bent on that corner. 

[Mr Vlad]

Look up lexus breakers Accrington. You could also try 247 spares. It's a network of car breakers. You tell it what you need and they contact you. 

[Spock66]

45 minutes ago, Eri2Fiddy said:

I'm not sure what to be looking out for with used.

Check the condition of the CV rubber boots for holes, splits etc.

[Eri2Fiddy]

So i got my new drive shaft fitted and the click has gone! So far so good. 

I got a used part for £33 and took it to Albin B Motors in Croydon, who was very good. He charged £209 for labour and threw in a lexus drive shaft nut for free.