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ZFORCE

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  • Lexus Model
    GS300

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  1. Absolutely, it is the door lock actuator. The Lexus design makes you press the unlock key twice to unlock all doors (unless you are lucky enough to be able to reprogram yours for one press unlocks all doors). Therefore it cycles the driver's actuator twice every time you enter your car, in most cases (if you have passengers). The actuator motor wears out and there are 2 fixes. One is to replace the entire actuator assembly with a new unit...very expensive. The second, is if you are mechanically inclined or know someone that can do it for you, remove the actuator from the door, break it open at the glued seam and replace only the actuator motor. Then glue it back up and re install it. I did not discover this method, but did find a thread here on how to do it. I then went on ebay and bought 5 motors for less than $10.00 including shipping, and have since done this to both the driver's and passenger side motors. On a scale of difficulty from 1-10, I'd put it at about 8, not for the novice.
  2. 2nd gen GS DID have the HIDs as an option. You have them. I'd take it to a different mechanic. You might want to consider taking it to a Toyota dealer. I know it doesn't sound right, but the labor rates are different and so they will do the same repair for less than your local Lexus dealer. Personally, I'd say spend the extra, or you will end up paying much more if your "mechanic" screws up your HIDs. If you have a manual, just look in it for info on bulb type and replacement procedures. Good Luck
  3. I'm sure your problem lies in your rotors. Doing brakes is more than just replacing the pads. When a brake job is done completely, besides replacing the pads, you will pack the bearings and turn the rotors, to ensure they are true, if you haven't flushed your brake fluid you may want to do this also. I'm sure your rotors are worn. You can remove them and take them to your local auto parts store, and they will be able to tell you if they have enough metal left to have them turned. If you do, then have them turn them, use brake cleaner, liberally on the rotor when it's installed, on both sides, and your problems should be gone. You might as well pack the bearings once you have removed the rotors. Good luck
  4. I was plagued by this code and replaced the gas cap and the O ring. Still got the code. I found the cure!!! But I'm not sharing....just kidding! I will share on one condition, you share your results here for others! Go to Home Depot, Ace Hardware or Lowes. Buy some silicone lubricant, not the aerosal type, but the liquid type, or the stuff in a tube. It's used for plumbing O rings. Grease up that Oring and tighten down slowly, if you tighten fast, the cap clicks and will not tighten as much. Keep it greased and your problems are over! Please let us know if it works for you!
  5. I had the exact code, and it was NOT the O2 sensor, despite what everyone says. My 00 GS300 started with that code, and then gradually started backfiring. I ran a continuity check on the plugs and found 3 bad plugs. Replaced the plugs with the dual electrode NGKs and the code disappeared.
  6. Thank you for your response. Does anyone else want to address my questions?
  7. Basically, the real difference is that synthetic is a more durable and slippery lubricant. Dino oil is not=to synthetic at any mileage interval, they are different products that are used to perform the same function. Your question should be, Will Dino be as effective in lubricating your engine and if so, when do you need to change it? Yes it will be effective, and any SAE oil changed at 3000 miles (or even 6,000 miles) will be effective. Consumer reports did a study on motor oil and they found that any SAE oil will not break down before 3,000 miles. Consumer Reports ran oil in similar cars and changed the oil in one group at 3k and 6k in the other group. Both sets of engines were torn down and no appreciable difference in wear was noted at all! Actually you are probably even safe at 7,500 mile intervals. The oil companies are the ones that pushed 3,000 miles to the point that everyone seems to be snowballed into believing the propaganda. If you look at old automobile manuals, you will find that almost all manufacturers used to recommend 7,500 miles as the change interval. Link to the report http://www.moneybluebook.com/articles/cons...s.oilchange.php And as all research, there are those that say the testing was invalid / flawed etc, etc. The bottom line, change your oil regularly and consistently, and your engine will die from something else.
  8. i had the pioneer avic-d3....it was ok. but i came from eclipse before that and i prefer the eclipse models! pioneer is a good model for a decent price Does the Eclipse have the maps stored or does it use a DVD? I bought an AVIC, but returned it when I found it used ancient DVD technology. I couldn't believe that! My Garmin Nuvi 350 has stored maps of the entire US and is the size of a deck of cards. Of course that is a two edged sword as the display is just as small.
  9. call sewell lexus in dallas! talk to them merry christmas all I live in phoenix arizona so what? i live in memphis tn and bought a new master key from them 2 days ago online FOR dirt cheap!!!! here is the key u need to order from them (beat that price at your local dealer, i couldnt) http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/parts_detail.asp?id=68697 then have sewell cut your key like i did (proof of ownership required) and program your key and see if it works (not sure since u have no master) and IF NOT just go to dealer take it to local dealer if u so choose and have them reflash the ecu I don't have a key problem, but was curious so I went to your link to Sewell parts. I learned something new and now have a question. At that link it says you can activate your ignition immobilizer. I didn't know we had one of those. Now the question. Can you explain what and how to use the immobilizer?? I used to have a BMW 325 vert, and the alarm would trigger that ignition immobilizer, and it was a major inconvenience to undo it. I would hate to find this out on the Lexus by accident, which is why I would like to know about it. Thanks
  10. I have seen this issue often enough to wonder if anyone has come up with an inexpensive solution. We GS 300 owners have a check engine light issue that is triggered supposedly by either a loose gas cap, bad gas cap gasket or fuel in the charcoal canister. I have that issue. A few days after purchasing my car last Jan ('08), I got the check engine light. I went to Auto Zone, they read my code as being caused by a loose gas cap, bad gas cap gasket or fuel in the charcoal canister. I changed my fuel cap gasket, my fuel cap and reset the codes by disconnecting the battery. It worked for a couple of days. Reset it, it worked for a couple of weeks, came back...etc, etc. From everything I read, the cause is overfilling the fuel. When a person tops off the tank too much, it sends fuel down the vapor line going to the charcoal canister (which isn't supposed to happen.) When fuel goes into the canister, it activates the check engine light. So now the questions. Short of replacement, has anyone come up with a good fix for this issue? Seems like a bad design as the charcoal cannister is located above the axle (a major pain to remove to get to it) and seems to be too low. Does anyone know of a cheap swap with another vehicle that works? Maybe a toyota or any other vehicle??? The service manual shows the cannister and it seems way to complex with several hoses and electrical connections. Has anyone blown it out with compressed air?? Has any one taken one apart and dried it out?? Please post your experiences, solutions, replacement model/year canisters. THANKS!
  11. Recently, my 200 GS300 started backfiring, through the intake. It seems like it happens after I slow down and then try to accelerate quickly, especially from a stop. I doesn't do it all the time, but it is annoying. I bought the car at 91,000. Changed the timing belt immediately, and switched to synthetic oil. It ran great for 12,000 miles. But I did notice that the oil was a quart low between oil changes. I suspect that the engine is too worn for synthetic, so I have changed back to dino oil. It looks like the VVT (variable valve timing) solenoid is oil driven. I suspected that maybe the low oil was affecting the VVT solenoid. The problem is still there. Anyone had to change their VVT solenoid? Anyone with a similar issue? Ideas/suggestions/experiences with back firing? Thanks
  12. I bought mine last year and I thought I got a pretty good deal. It is a 2000 GS300 in excellent condition from the second owner that bought it Lexus Certified pre owned. It had 91,000 and she claimed she know nothing of the recommended Timing Belt replacement at 90K. I called Lexus, they wanted $1000-$1500 for the service. I used that as a bargaining point and got her down from $13k to $11250. I thought that was fair, and $18.00 for the belt at Autozone and a little labor and it had a new timing belt. The check engine light came on, the code read gas cap or gas cap gasket, changed both...still have the light. It seems the charcoal canister may have liquid fuel in it. I haven't gotten around to addressing it, and the threads I have found indicate this is common and another design flaw. The canister just isn't mounted high enough and gets fuel in it if you top it off too much. Apparently the fix is to R&R the charcoal canister and that seems to be around a $400-600 dollar part. It isn't affecting anything so it is low on my priority list (but I would like to clear the check engine light.) As it turns out, I looked at the PO's receipts and she took it in a couple of times for this same problem. Which explains why she quickly cleared the receipts out of the glove box after she sold the car to me. I went back immediately when I noticed she took them, and asked for them. Now I know why she tried to clear them out. My guess is She cleared the code and then it stays out for anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Unfortunately when you clear the code, it is gone from memory, so there is no way to see it with a code reader. So you should ask directly if this car has had this problem. I still love the car, but have been experiencing a back fire through the intake and suspect it is the MAF from what I've found so far. Car still drives great, just back fires on take off every once in a while. Trying to go easy on it till I trouble shoot that one. Sorry for the length, but you did ask!! Good luck with your purchase!
  13. Excellent DIY thread!!! http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...9839&page=3
  14. I know you posted awhile back, but this may help others, check this out: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...9839&page=3 This thread was awesome, I fixed my broken door lock actuator for $5 and have enough spare motors for the other three doors, if they should break! Took some time, but worth it. I love working on cars.
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