Automatic Gearbox Click

[spacemonkey83]

Evening all,

New owner of a Lexus IS250 (automatic).

Ive only just noticed in the last few days a clicking noise when moving the transmission from Park - Neutral - Drive. Its both ways and only notice it when the window is down. Now I'm not sure if its always done this and ive just never heard it as the cabin is soundproofed or if theres a gearbox problem.

Being new to driving an automatic i had been rolling up to lights and slipping into neutral...i gather this may be a huge automatic fauz pas??

Lexus owners forum suggested it could be a parking pawl problem? only just had to google this...

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Cheers

[Nigel Worc's]

spacemonkey83 said:

Evening all,

New owner of a Lexus IS250 (automatic).

Ive only just noticed in the last few days a clicking noise when moving the transmission from Park - Neutral - Drive. Its both ways and only notice it when the window is down. Now I'm not sure if its always done this and ive just never heard it as the cabin is soundproofed or if theres a gearbox problem.

Being new to driving an automatic i had been rolling up to lights and slipping into neutral...i gather this may be a huge automatic fauz pas??

Lexus owners forum suggested it could be a parking pawl problem? only just had to google this...

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Cheers

Consult your handbook, or get info from a knowledgeable forum on your car, regarding how to treat it etc.

As for the "click", again, seek specialist, rather than general advice, these autoboxes are very different from each other.

[MarkwG]

Check the manual if possible, but, if it's anything like mine, going into neutral isn't required or even that good for the box. Mine will sit in D at the lights, handbrake on quite happily; if stopped for any reasonable length of time, I go into park. I believe N is only really there to transit between D & R.

[spacemonkey83]

should there be a "click", or should it be noiseless?

I'm getting the hang of leaving it in drive all the time now, think its force of habit to hit neutral

[Pothole]

spacemonkey83 said:

should there be a "click", or should it be noiseless?

I'm getting the hang of leaving it in drive all the time now, think its force of habit to hit neutral

Please also get the hang of using your parking brake, not your footbrake.

[Nigel Worc's]

MarkwG said:

Check the manual if possible, but, if it's anything like mine, going into neutral isn't required or even that good for the box. Mine will sit in D at the lights, handbrake on quite happily; if stopped for any reasonable length of time, I go into park. I believe N is only really there to transit between D & R.

That is why people need to check their specific boxes, do that with a ZF gearbox (BMW amongst others), and you'll start to overheat it.

N also serves to allow the vehicle to be moved without engine power, on torque converter boxes, also make specific conditions will apply (distance, speed, etc)

N is also to be used to allow the car to "settle" on the handbrake, before engaging Park, otherwise you leave the transmission under tension (again specific to ZF knowledge), which isn't desired for obvious mechanical reasons.

[Nigel Worc's]

Pothole said:

lease also get the hang of using your parking brake, not your footbrake.

Not on the BMW's I've had to date you don't, the handbrake isn't good enough most of the time, the handbrake on the E34 and E39 5 series models really doesn't do the marque any favours at all.

[MarkwG]

Nigel Worc's said:

Not on the BMW's I've had to date you don't, the handbrake isn't good enough most of the time, the handbrake on the E34 and E39 5 series models really doesn't do the marque any favours at all.

Mine holds it fine; lots of people never use theirs, then wonder why it doesn't work properly come MOT time...