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That's the issue, the computer isn't throwing any codes at all. I'm relying on the diagnosis from the smoke test that Toyota did on it. Looks like I can get away with buying 2 cats and 4 o2 sensors for about #350 from Ebay. The b***h of the job will be doing it myself. I've seen that the bolts are tough to get loose as well as the 02 sensors. Anyone out there done this, any tips????

I got mine from Advanced Auto Parts. Don't remember the brand name but it was like $170, with a $70 core charge. Had it in for like 9 months with no issues so far. If I remeber correctly it was just one gasket on the resevoir that went bac causing the leak. May you can just replace the gasket as a simple fix.

Well this may not apply to you as my LS is a 94. But some useful info from what I remember when I re-sealed my tranny pan. On the 94 the dip-stick tube attaches to the pan in one piece. It is kind of a b**** to wiggle out from it's postion as it is curved and attached to the tranny fluid pan in one piece. Before you can remove the tube you have to loosen two (I think) brackets holding the tube in place. The one that attaches up near the top of the engine block is tough to get to as you have to come at it from underneath. I removed the entire bracket, but you don't have to. From what I remember, I think you can just loosen it and the tube can be removed. Afterward I remember thinking "damn" cause the bracket was a son of a to put back on. Other than that, it was cleaning the pan out once removed and proper placement of the gasket ( I used a cork gasket instead of the form in place gasket). You'll need someone to assist putting it back on however as it is as tricky to wiggle the tube back into place along with the proper seal of the pan without moving the gasket around. Use a little vaseline in spots to hold the gasket in place. Good luck.

Found the problems....according to the Toyota shop. I took it in for a diagonostics although I check the computer and there were no codes. I explained the shop my problem and they said I needed a smoke test done. Once it was done, they said I needed: 2 cats, 4 o2 sensors, distributor cap and rotor (2 caps), and PCV valve....all for the small price of $5k. I guess you know what I said to that. I started to check prices online for this stuff and have a couple of questions about the job: -Can I get away with using the cheaper ($100ish) cats? -Can I trust an aftermarket (cheaper) o2 sensor? -How difficult is it to replace the cats and o2 sensors? -Has anyone heard of shops "re-stacking" the cats and does this work? Looks like with aftermarket parts I could get away with everything for about $500 (1/10th) of the Toyota quote. I am not a "gear head", but have done minor jobs (valve cover gasket, pwr steering pump, CV joints, ect). Would changing the cats and 02 sensors fall in this category of difficulty? I've looked at the manual and it doesn't appear to be too difficult.......thanks in advance for any resonses

Save yourself alot of $$$$$$$$$$$. Remove the dash yourself (not hard, took me like 20 min) and remove the circut boards. Have the C212-16v/10uf(small board), C147-50v/10uf and C142-25v/4.7uf(big board) capacitors replaced. I got the capictors from an electonic supply store for like $5. I then took the boards to an electronic (TV, stereo) repair shop and had them replaced. The guy charged me like $50. $55 total to get my dash working like a charm.........

I think I may of found out what is causing it. I started the car and listened for a leak, after a moment I heard one. I then saw a line disconnected. I put my finger over it and there was suction. I think it is an EVAP line and according to the manual it says that plays into the hydrocarbons. That is probably why it's testing high in HC's. Back for the free emissions re-test tomorrow. Hope this did it......thanks everyone for the responses, will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks guys for your replies. After I failed the first test I ran fuel system cleaner through two tanks of gas. I also used a can of seafoam to burn everything out of the system. Last time I checked the codes I got nothing. I am going to check the egr pipe and see if that is leaking. Checking the injectors seems like a bigger job than I have time to diagnose. As far as the coil, if it was bad would those cylinders still function? Will let you know what I find out. Thanks again.

Alright, I tried burning them out, don't think that is the problem. I ran it at around 80mph for over an hour. Also was punching it alot (slowing to 40 then gunning it to 80). Then I had the emissions test. Worse than the first time. The mechanic at the shop said that the reason the hydrocarbons were so high was due to unburnt fuel. He said too much fuel was going through the system and not being burned????? Is there a way to adjust the fuel injectors? Does anyone have an idea?

Hey everybody, was wondering if you guys might be able to help me troubleshoot an emissions problem? My 94 LS has 120000 miles on it. I have to pass emissions to get it registered. I failed my first test, said that my HC (hydrocarbons I believe) were too high (114 and 75 is passing). Prior to this I had changed my valve cover gasket and when I put everything back together I accidentally pinched one of my spark plug wires under a plastic cover. This caused the wire to be exposed and it was shorting against other metal in the engine compartment. I noticed I had a problem when all of a sudden I had no power when I was driving. I found the short and fixed that issue. However, when it had no power I believe it was running only on 4 cylinders. I think this means that the bank that went down was having gas go through it but not being ignited. Would this unburnt gas travel down to my catalytic converters and clog them up? I've noticed that when I get out of the car and I put my legs to the ground, it feels warm from under the door area. I've also noticed a slightly burnt smell after I park it in the garage. Do you guys think I've ruined my catalytic converters? Is there a way to see if I did? Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated....

I don't know if this may be the case in your situation but something similar happened to me. I had replaced my driver's side valve cover gasket. When I was putting everything back together I crimped a spark plug wire under one of the plastic covers. I cut the wire coating exposing the wire. This caused a short between the wire and a metal bracket. I lost one bank of cylinders and had no power at all, car was in limp mode. Maybe check your wires to see if there is a short somewhere?????????????

K cool ill pick up some castrol high mileage, I've got 200k miles on it so.....yea the ps pump only whines on cold start than goes away, just annoying because a lexus should not make noises, lol. Mechanic couldn't figure it out, should I change the oil to atf fluid? Not sure what was in before. Maybe the ATF has never been changed in your car and that may be causing the whining. Try flushing the ATF, pretty easy job. I think that Lexus specifies Dextron II, which I got at NAPA for like $2.50 a qt. First remove the power steering pump resevoir cap, then the return hose that connects to the resevoir. Make sure the end of the hose goes into some type of bucket for the old ATF to go into. Then just start the car for 1-2 seconds and shut back off. When you turn the car on, it pumps old fluid out of the system into the bucket. Add some new ATF to the resevoir. Keep doing this process until you see new fluid coming out of the return hose, this will mean all the old fluid is out of the system. It will take a while and maybe 3-5 qts will come out into the bucket. I made it easier when I took off the return hose, I pulled it down through the engine compartment towards the floor, that way the fluid drains straight down into a bucket. I just did this and the old stuff that comes out is a brownish-red. The new stuff will be a bright red. If it still whines, then there is a power steering solenoid (or something like that) near the steering rack under the car on the drivers side that can be removed and cleaned. Good luck.

I bought my Lexus with about 100k miles. I started using synthetic oil when I got it. I then started to get leaks in several places. I did some searching on this site and found the leaks were possibly due to the synthetic oil. I switched back to reg oil (Castrol High Mileage along with the Castrol high mileage filter) and the majority of my leaks have disappeared. I don't think it is a coincidence.............

Not sure about your rpm issue, sorry, but I've used NGK spark plugs and wires. Seem to do the trick

I replaced mine about 3 months ago with an aftermarket one from Advanced Auto Parts. If I remember right, maybe only $100 or so after I returned the core. Only driven maybe 1000 miles in that time, but no problems so far. I made sure to flush out all the old fluid and replaced with new. Took me about half a day to replace after removing the serpentine belt and the pump itself. The tricky part is one of the 3 bolts that hold the resevoir in place. It is tucked under a plastic covering that makes it difficult to remove and replace. There also was a tricky second bolt on the pump, it is tucked all the way in back by the engine ( i was using a 98 manual for my 94 and it didn't show that bolt) If you at all a little mechanically inclined, I would do the job yourself and save alot of $$$$. Good luck.

It was just a thought but I guess because they are different cars it isn't the same. No other ideas here, however you probably want to look at the power steering leak. I just replaced my pump because the leak drips right onto the alternator and shorts it out. I ended up replacing the whole thing, but more than likely it is the gasket/seal under the reservoir where it attaches to the pump that is causing the leak. That is a fairly simple fix and only like a $3 part for the gasket. Only have to drain the reservoir, remove like 3 bolts and pull the resevoir off to replace the gasket. Sorry could help out more with the speedometer.