2008 LEXUS RX400H gasoline

300
4-1. Maintenance and care
RX400h_U
NOTICE
■To protect your vehicle’s painted surfaces
Do not use organic cleaners such as benzene or gasoline.
■To protect your vehicle’s
Do not splash water on the electric components in the engine compartment. This
may cause malfunction of the electric components.
■If the windshield washer nozzle become blocked
Contact your Lexus dealer. Do not try to clear it with a pin or other object.
This may damage the nozzle.
■Cleaning the exterior lights
●Wash carefully. Do not use organic substances or scrub with a hard brush.
This may damage the surfaces of the lights.
●Do not apply wax on the surfaces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the lenses.
■When using an automatic car wash (vehicles with the rain-sensing windshield
wipers)
■To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms
When lifting the wiper arms away from the windshield, pull the driver side wiper
arm upward first, and repeat for the passenger side. When returning the wipers to
their original position, do so from the passenger side first.
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in AUTO, the wipers may
operate and the wiper blades may be dam-
aged.
Off

303
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
RX400h_U
NOTICE
■Cleaning detergents
Do not use organic substances such as benzene or gasoline, acidic or alkaline solu-
tions, dye, bleach or other detergent. Doing so may discolor the vehicle interior or
cause streaks or damage to painted surfaces.
■Preventing damage to leather surfaces
Observe the following precautions to avoid damage to and deterioration of leather
surfaces.
●Remove any dust or dirt on leather surfaces immediately.
●Do not expose the vehicle to direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Park
the vehicle in the shade, especially during summer.
●Do not place items made of vinyl, plastic, or that contain wax on the upholstery, as
they may stick to the leather surface if the vehicle interior heats up significantly.
■Water on the floor
Do not wash the vehicle floor with water.
Vehicle systems such as the audio system may be damaged if water comes into
contact with electrical components under the floor of the vehicle, and may also
cause the body to rust.
■Cleaning the inside of the rear window
Be careful not to scratch or damage the heater wires or antenna.

386
5-1. Essential information
RX400h_U
Event data recorder
In a crash or a near car crash eventThe SRS airbag sensor assembly contains the EDR. In a crash or a near
car crash event, this device may record some or all of the following infor-
mation:
● Gasoline engine speed
● Whether the brake pedal was applied or not
● Ve h i c l e s p e e d
● To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
● Position of the transmission shift lever
● Whether the driver and front passenger wore seat belts or not
● Driver's seat position
● SRS airbag deployment data
● SRS airbag system diagnostic data
● Front passenger’s occupant classification
The information above is intended to be used for the purpose of improv-
ing vehicle safety performance. Unlike general data recorders, the EDR
does not record sound data such as conversation between passengers.
Your vehicle has computers that monitor and control certain aspects of
your vehicle. These computers assist in driving and maintaining optimal
vehicle performance.
Besides storing data useful for troubleshooting, there is an event data
recorder (EDR) that records data in a crash or a near car crash event.

5
When trouble arises
421
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX400h_U
If the 12-volt battery is discharged
The following procedures may be used to start the hybrid system if the vehi-
cle’s battery is discharged.
You can call your Lexus dealer, or qualified repair shop.
If you have a set of jumper (or booster) cables and a second vehicle
with a 12-volt battery, you can jump start your Lexus following the steps
below.Remove the engine compartment cover.
(→ P. 3 1 7 )
Connecting the jumper cables.
If required, remove all vent plugs from the booster battery. Lay a
cloth over the open vents on the booster battery. (This helps reduce
the explosion hazard, personal injuries and burns.)
Positive (+) battery terminal on your vehicle
Positive (+) battery terminal on the second vehicle
Negative (-) battery terminal on the second vehicle
Connect the jumper cable to ground on your vehicle as shown in the
illustration. Start the hybrid system of the second vehicle. Increase the gas-
oline engine speed slightly and maintain at that level for
approximately 5 minutes to recharge the battery of your vehi-
cle.
Maintain the gasoline engine speed on the second vehicle and
start the vehicle’s hybrid system.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

424
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX400h_U
If your vehicle overheats
■Electric motor (traction motor) and inverter
If the message WATER TEMP is displayed on the multi-information
display.
■ Gasoline engine
If the needle of the engine coolant temperature gauge enters the
red zone, the gasoline engine has probably overheated.
Observe the following steps:
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the automatic air
conditioning system.
Check to see if steam is coming out from under the hood.
If you see steam: Stop the hybrid system. Carefully lift the hood after the
steam subsides and then restart the hybrid system.
If you do not see steam: Leave the hybrid system running and carefully lift the hood.
Check to see if the cooling fan is operating.
If the fan is operating: Wait until the temperature of the engine (shown on the
instrument cluste r) begins to fall and then stop the hybrid
system.
If the fan is not operating: Stop the hybrid system immediately and call your local
Lexus dealer.
After the hybrid system has
cooled down sufficiently, check
the engine coolant level and
inspect the radiator core (radia-
tor) for any leaks.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

432
6-1. Specifications
RX400h_U■
Gasoline engine number and electr ic motor (traction motor) num-
ber
The gasoline engine number and tr action motor number are stamped
as shown.
Gasoline engine number
Electric motor (traction motor)
number
Engine
Model3MZ-FE
Ty p e6-cylinder V type,
4-cycle, gasoline
Bore and stroke3.62 × 3.27 in.
(92 × 83 mm)
Displacement202.1 cu.in.
(3311 cm3)
Drive belt tensionAutomatic adjustment
Valve clearance (engine cold)
Intake:
0.006 
0.010 in. (0.15  0.25 mm)
Exhaust:
0.010 
0.014 in. (0.25  0.35 mm)

433
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
RX400h_U
Fuel
Front electric motor (traction motor)
Rear electric motor (traction motor with all wheel drive models)
Hybrid battery (traction battery)
Fuel typeUnleaded gasoline only
Octane rating91 (Research octane number 96) or higher
Fuel tank capacity17.2 gal. (65 L, 14.3 lmp.gal)
Ty p ePermanent magnet synchronous motor
Maximum output123 kW
Maximum torque33.9 kgf•m (333 N•m, 245 ft•lbf)
Ty p ePermanent magnet synchronous motor
Maximum output50 kW
Maximum torque13.2 kgf•m (130 N•m, 95 ft•lbf)
Ty p eNickel-Metal hybrid battery
Vo l t a g e9.6 V/m o du le
Capacity6.5 Ah (3HR)
Quantity30 modules
Overall voltage288 V

435
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
RX400h_U
Cooling system
Ignition system
Capacity
Gasoline engine
power control unit10.9 qt. (10.3 L, 9.0 Imp.qt.)
3.6 qt. (3.4 L, 3.0 Imp.qt.)
Coolant type
Use either of the following.• “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
• Similar high-quality ethylene glycol-based non-sili-cate, non-amine, non-nitrite, and non-borate cool-
ant with long-life organic acid technology
Do not use plain water alone.
Spark plug
Make
DENSO
NGK
Gap
SK20R11
IFR6A11
0.043 in. (1.1 mm)
NOTICE
■Iridium-tipped spark plugs
Use only iridium-tipped spark plugs. Do not adjust gap when tuning the gasoline
engine.