Lack Of Heat In Winter

[lucymiao]

my 1997 lexus LS 400, 135,000 mileage, timing belt and water pump changed at 83,500 miles in 2005. The A/C works well in summer time, blowing cool air. However in winter time, it does not blow warm air. the rpm has to be more than 2000, then it will blow nice and warm air. If blew 2000 rpm, the air is not warm any more. When I drive in the city, most time it is below 2000 rpm.

when I start the car, the needle of thermostat points to "c", and after I drive it a while, the needle go slowly up to the middle position, and does not go higher.

The car was originally from Florida, and I am the third owner, having it for about one month . the second owner did back flush heater in 2007, and back flush heater and bleed in 2009, and again back flush heater in oct. 2010. I do not drive this car so often, most time it is about 10-15 minutes drive around the city, and I use octane 89 gasoline, and I got about 13 mpg.

Please shed some light on this problem, many thanks.

[4howard]

I have had this problem in my 95 LS400 and finally seem to have it solved. First you need to be sure that the correct coolant is in the system. Then you must be sure all air is bled from the system. The mechanic who finally got this right put the car on the lift with the front tilted up, so that the air would be forced forward. Then the system was checked for air leaks, one troublesome point is the connection to the overflow tank. With the system properly filled and pressurized, I now have heat. It took one expensive and futile trip to the Lexus dealer, and two trips to the local service station who finally took the time to work this out with me, to get it right. You should know this is a common problem, it comes up on the forum all the time.

Good luck.

[curiousB]

why are you reposting the same question? This has been discussed thoroughly in your prior thread.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67323

[4howard]

why are you reposting the same question? This has been discussed thoroughly in your prior thread.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67323

Maybe because she has not found a mechanic who agrees with the advice she got on the forum. Maybe she's waiting to see if anyone actually did change the water pump. The problem with this repair is finding a mechanic willing to fix the heat without selling any parts or hours of labor.