blake918 Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 Well...this morning during the drive to school, the check engine light came on. The car started running really rough almost sputtering, but still driveable. I quickly hung a u-turn to head for home! The check engine light comes on, and it will blink from time to time. What does the blinking mean(owner's manual-less owner here, but I ordered 1)? When I got home from school this afternoon, I took the car to the local AutoZone to get the codes read. They found these codes on my 1995 LS400 with 225k miles: P0302 P0304 P0306 P0308 I saw the little code reader read random cylinder misfire on just about all of the cylinders; I think that's why they gave me all of those codes. What are some causes of this? Plugs, wires, future timing belt failure?? I'm past due for a timing belt(approx. 120k since last timing belt); could this be a sign that the belt is on its way out? The car was running fine; then, all of a sudden things went haywire. I wasn't racing or anything...it was too early to be in a racey mood! I don't know any of the service history on the car other than a timing belt at approx. 100k-110k miles, new power steering pump @ 215k, and new brake pads and rotors @ 215k. I tried to call the Toyota dealership that the car was serviced at, but they want me to drive 45min. to them for the service history. Any suggestions would be great!
VMF Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 yeah this is misfire and its only on 1 side! check your rotor/cap and coil on the side where cylindes 2.4.6.8 are. timing belts dont die like this. if you would need to replace it you would hear whining from the bearings in timing belt pulleys or water pump at around 800 rpms. also when you gonna remove timing belt covers to get to rotors and caps you will be able to check condition and tension of the timing belt
blake918 Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 I wish it were bad gas! The car just seems to be acting too poorly for bad gas. The car hardly accelerates, and it sounds like its got a small exhaust leak(it really doesn't, but that's what it sounds like.). Infact, to get the car to AutoZone, I had to take the car out of 4th to get there. We've decided to park the LS and wait for the timing belt supplies to come in from Park Place Lexus(newlexusparts.com). After today's incident, we're going to change all of the ignition componets too: wires, rotors, plugs, etc. I guess we'll be doing the exact same job that VMF did to his car! I'm going to skip on the brakes since those were done 10k miles ago. ;) None of the bearings are whining, but I know(or atleast I think I do!) that it's time for a new timing belt because of the last time it was changed: 125k miles ago!
99lsguy Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 That exhaust leak could mean malfunctioning O2 sensor - which could be causing all this madness. There was a thread on this O2 problem not long ago............ But...that would have a code too <_< If you've replaced the air filter, or even if you haven't yet, check up in the MAF area and see if it's clear..........
blake918 Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 Oh no...my exhaust is fine! I was just using that as an example of the sound the sputtering engine was making. The engine is still very quiet, but it does make an extra noise from the horrible misfiring going on. I did check the air filter about a week ago. The filter was dirty(I blew it out), but the intake was clear. thanks for everything
VMF Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 100k is ok for the timing belt. i changed mine when i had 125k miles and it still was ok i had to change it coz of the bearing, as to the performance check what i told you. i'm pretty sure its either a rotor/cap or a coil. i'm sure about it.
99lsguy Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 100k is ok for the timing belt. i changed mine when i had 125k miles and it still was ok i had to change it coz of the bearing, as to the performance check what i told you. i'm pretty sure its either a rotor/cap or a coil. i'm sure about it. I'd say that's pretty acceptable maintainence....... nine years and 225K miles before changing ingnition components! :D Let us know Blake! 99
blake918 Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 I know...I was thinking about that too! I definantly wouldn't be suprised if those were the origional plugs, wires, etc. I just went outside and started the car. The bank with 2,4,6, and 8 must be completely dead because it reaks of gas fumes...it's obvious that the car is running waaaay rich. I found out the the blinking cel means that the catalyst is overheating, so it's a good thing we decided to park the car until we get it fixed up. Can anyone give me the Nippon Denso spark plug numbers for the 1995 LS? I bought 6 ND/Toyota plugs for the ES, but the ES didn't need them, so I'm planning on putting them in the LS if they'll fit. I'll be sure to take many pics of the engine disassembled. I'll be sure to come back with updates along the way! Until then, I'll postpone the sale of the ES so that I can get around! Once you're used to a Lex, nothing else comes close! :D
VMF Posted March 3, 2004 Posted March 3, 2004 i'm sure they are not original. i took out mine at 120k and they were gone! rotors and caps were worn almost to the point as well. denso spark plugs for your car is ik20. i bough em off ebay for like 90$ for 8 of em and they are iridium. dont use that regular denso sparks theat dealer will try to sell you. get top of the line!
blake918 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Posted March 4, 2004 Good idea about ebay for the plugs ;). I looked last night, and they had all 8 new NGK LS400 plugs for $50, but someone already bought them :( . I'll keep looking!
VMF Posted March 4, 2004 Posted March 4, 2004 i would recommend denso plugs, they are OEM suppliers for toyota. despite that ngk and denso is same brand they are like lexus and toyota:) i would recommend iridium denso plugs. they are the best out there
blake918 Posted March 5, 2004 Author Posted March 5, 2004 i would recommend iridium denso plugs. they are the best out there vmf, are the Denso plugs really worth the costs? The NGK plugs are about $55 shipped vs. close to $100 for the Denso's shipped-these are prices on ebay. I'm in high school, so money isn't superflous; otherwise, I'd go for the ND's 100% ;)! What do you think??
ebridges Posted March 5, 2004 Posted March 5, 2004 i would recommend iridium denso plugs. they are the best out there vmf, are the Denso plugs really worth the costs? The NGK plugs are about $55 shipped vs. close to $100 for the Denso's shipped-these are prices on ebay. I'm in high school, so money isn't superflous; otherwise, I'd go for the ND's 100% ;)! What do you think?? FYI, I got the Denso plugs (identical to the OEM plugs) at local Autozone for $6, dealer wanted $12. Not iridium however. Earl
VMF Posted March 5, 2004 Posted March 5, 2004 i'm in college:) and i still got those iridium plugs. my supra TT guru friend told me they are the best and will last longer so you are saving in a long run
blake918 Posted March 7, 2004 Author Posted March 7, 2004 Today, we pulled the engine apart...well a little-just to get to the spark plugs. We found some interseting things. First, all but 2 of the plugs were soaked. How you ask??? Some dumb a_s(me!) decided to hose out the engine compartment. We got the air compressor and blew all of the wires and plugs dry. Needless to say, the car is back to it's old self-which just so happens to run like a top with 225k on the clock...take care of your cars boys because they last a lifetime! We checked the resistance on the wires, and most were through the roof! One of them was in the 200's while the manual says it should be no more than 25!...WOW!!! We couldn't find any wires locally, so we'll order them from Plano Lexus (of Plano?). I've been watching ebay for the plugs too. VMF, you said the paint was gone on your wires and the rotors and caps were down to nothing??? Mine were still pale(!) black even with the manufactured year(?) 1995 stamped on there!! The wires said "Sumimoto(sp??) 1995." That mean they were from 1995? We took the distributer off a little to sand the contacts; they were pretty dirty, but not too bad. They still looked decent for their suspected age. The car needs plugs really, really bad! We checked the gaps just for fun, and they registered more than 2x the required .8mm gap(almost at 2mm)!!!! Plugs are a must really, really soon! But, probably best of all, we got a great look at the timing belt! That baby is in excellent shape. It's nice and tight with no cracks whatsoever! We'll put that project off until the summer(longer maybe!) when we have more time to take the car apart.
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