tuanville

Ive been a member for about a year . just got my first car last dec . my question is isnt this a place where people should get help from fellow lexus owners ? more experience car owners? i leave a thread asking a serious question come back day in and day out and find out that its got hundreds of views but no replies why is that ? nobody is friendly enough to give out some information one is seeking for? If this isnt that thread where i can get help on certain questions i have can someone please point me to where that website is because this is ridiculous 1 reply per 50-100 views on a simple questions ?.... forget my grammar im kind of *BLEEP*ed right now that no one likes to help on here .

Yeah, ClubLexus does a lot of useful mods. Like the VIP scene and aftermarket goodies. What I've notice, is that people on here aren't into DIY. They prefer to take their car to the dealer. If you can't find what you're looking for on here, you should keep on going with your little answer adventure! I really don't rely on this "Place" for anything anymore. Haha. I'm going to sign up for an account at club lexus. Hope to see you there.

Hi !

I just purchased a 99 GS300. The previous owner had a cell phone wired to the car and now I'm trying to get rid of all the cables and such.

Some of the wires run behind the glove compartment. Could someone please explain to me how to remove the glove compartment?

also, I noticed the light in the glove compartment doesn't work. I pulled out the bulb, but it looks just fine... any clues?

Thanks in advance !!

Yves

Just change the bulb... sometimes look can be deceiving. There is a black cover underneath the glove. Just yank it open. There should be 3 screws. Unscrew that and it'll still stay on. Maybe it'll fall off, it's held up by a clip. Open your glove compartment and there are more screws somewhere on the side. Once you taken off the screws, Kind pull the glove compartment out. It's held on by clips. It's not those hard clips to take off. Don't have to be gentle with it.

I need to get into the window master switch on the driver's side. Can anyone tell me where to start to remove the door panel? Looks like could do some serious damage if I start prying around. Thanks.

Make sure you windows are rolled down, it'll be easier.

There are some 10mm screws on the bottom and on the side; there's about four of them. Once those are off you can just pull the panel out, and you have to unplug the harness. It'll still be stuck, just lift the door panel up.

Take off your belt, bolt off and bolt on.

There is no such thing as the "special treatment" at any dealers...

Step 1. Yank out the bottom ash tray.

Step 2. Yank out top air vent.

There should be some screws holding it.

I seriously need help with my 2000 gs300.

If it's still good, then please send to Tuanville@yahoo.com also.

Thank you.

Im about to get some after market springs and spring extenders to raise my car hopefully back to stock ( since it seems impossible to find stock springs). can someone on here actually reply to a post? ive had a couple post where alot of people look at it but dont reply im not sure if you guys couldnt help me or not but can someone plz give me a good brand that i cant go wrong with and the best method to get my car back to stock ? because my springs are cut . thanks

i don't know how much the stock springs cost for your car, but stock height is pretty ugly. I know your ride is pretty bouncy huh? I suggest you get Tein springs if you're going to get after market. It's a little bit lower than the stock springs, but it gives you a stock and nicer stance. They go for about $230...

Hey guys, so the other day I was at Walmart, and when I came out back to my car (93 es300) I noticed that some nice person had kindly backed into my car busting my tail light cover all to pieces and just left it there.:cries: Its the side with the trunk lock and the es300 badge, so i priced a new one and thats going to run me around $400. The tail light still works fine other then the fact of looking bad there is nothing wrong with it. So here's my question, is there a way to pop off the plastic cover on the tail light or am i just screwed....

Thank you for any help you can give,

Josh

Open your trunk and remove the cover where the back part of the lights are. There should be some screws on the back. That 400 dollars tail light better be some really nice LED one. If not, better off going to the junkyard and getting one for around 30 bucks.

can someone please give me some advice bout the turbos for these cars. im wanting to know if i should buy the turbonetics one for 4k or is it safe to get one of the ones for around 1k am i going to get the same perfomance? or are the turbonetics just better quality and perform better?

You'll get the same performance, it's just the name you're buying. The performance depends on turbo size also, there are many different size for turbos. If you put a turbo into an NA car, don't expect to just buy the turbo and slapping it on. You'll spend way more money on turbo charging a non-turbo car than just swapping it. If you go turbo, i suggest you swap it off with a turbo motor.

Hey there.

A part on my '01 GS 300 (heat shield?) broke off and I need to get a new one.

It's a metal plate that is attached to the underside of the intake runner right over the exhaust manifold.

(Well, I figure Lexus put it there for a reason, and that reason is to keep heat off the intake runner and I assume that without it my car will burst into flames as I cross the California desert in mid-August.)

The problem is - the dealer doesn't sell the part alone.

It comes as part of the Intake Air Connector Sub-Assembly.

The quote for that is BIG$ and I'm not about to spend tons of money for a piece of sheet metal.

I know - it looks like it would be easy enough to remove the broken tabs and somehow spot weld them back on, or to fabricate new ones, etc.

But I don't have access to any welding stuff, have never done any, and don't know how to go about it.

I have some simple hand tools and thats about it.

So, if any of you have modified your car with an after market intake, or know of anyone who has - let me know.

Thanks much for your help.

Don't even worry, your car would be fine without that heat shield. If you want that part alone, and want to spend less money, i suggest you fabricate your own heat shield. It's not that hard to fabricate heat shield that little. Just go to home depot and buy yourself a sheet of sheet metal for about 6 dollars and cut it to the appropriate size, spray it black, drill some holes and you're done. You WILL smell some paint smell from the paint for about a week, but it's normal.

OR!

Stick some Heat resistant pads under that area. (if you're a lazy S.O.B who don't care how is engine looks.)

also in the FTL area. would like to know whom is doing your swap, and where did you buy the engine (local)?

here is what's going on,

after 6 years of saving it's finally ready!

i'm lookin to get atleast 600hp

i have a 1997 sc300, i bought a JDM Toyota Supra TT motor with vvt-i (ecm included)

what i'm asking here is if anyone can see if i am missing something. the last thing i want to do is get half way through this project and get blind-sided by a 1,000 dollar part i didn't expect to buy

i have the pistons and rods (forged and balanced)

what i expect to buy is:

engine gasket set

exhaust manifold

turbo

3'' piping

intercooler

100mm throttle body

air plentum

fuel injectors

fuel pump

turbo timer

am i missing something? or even better am i buying something i don't need to?

i was told the toyota ecu is programable (unlike the lexus chip)

you need a transmission. If you're trying to swap an auto into a manual, then you need to buy a clutch, master and slave cylinder. Also don't forget to buy a 3inch radiator. Change the thermostat and water pump while you're at it so you don't have to go through the hassle of changing later. Your engine should already come with a leak down test warranty, exhaust manifold, turbo, and fuel injectors already. so you don't need to buy those parts, only if you're planning to upgrade.

I took the car to the lexus dealer today and found out that lexus service department are piece of crap. They want to check the problem starting with the fuse. They replaced perfectly good radio fuse and saw some aftermarket wire for an aftermarket amp. They said they have to remove the wires and remove all the stuff out(labor) so it'll take 4 hours to diagnose. I already gutted the interior out though....so what do they have to remove? What the hell do those loose after market wire have to do anything with my GPS system? they were never connected in the first place.

Anyways, they want $500 and something dollars to check it out, to tell me what's wrong with it.

$125 Dollars to change my god damn fuse... and tell me that it'll cost $500 more dollars to ONLY tell me what's wrong with it...

I think you should just swap out the motor for the JDM sc400 soarer engine, it'll be cheaper than a rebuilt, and plus the Japanese engine comes TURBO! Most engine you buy would come with little mileage and a warranty.

I don't know if they come twin turbo or not... but i know they come turbo.

It's pretty simple if you know anything about cars I guess...

I don't know if your local parts store like autozone have the gasket or not, but they're usually pretty cheap, no more than 100 dollars. Buy some high temperature rubber sealant for the gasket. Remove all the things that will get in the way of removing the valve covers. Remove the valve cover. Remove the old gasket, you might need to scrap it off. make sure nothing falls in. Use the rubber sealant and and apply it on the the block, then place the gasket on, finally apply more rubber sealant on top of the gasket and bolt back on the valve cover. Put everything back together. Wait 24 hours before driving.

To be sure you have a leak. Sometimes when you change your oil you might have dripped from recent or old oil changes. Spray the leaking part down with some break cleaner, and if you see a definite leak, THEN change the gasket.

I been having the same problem with my 2000 gs300. It makes a clicking noise like someone is hitting the heat shield right? on passenger side. It does it sometimes and then come back.

Does your car steering wheel shake around 60-70mph?

When you steer the steering wheel, do you have to steer it back yourself?

I googled my symptoms and it took it to this page. I read on the porches forum and the guy said it's the steering rack bushings... He changed it and the car drives like a champ. I'll try the same thing, but if you try it first let me know, I'm a full time student and I don't think I have enough moolah and time to do all this.

I don't think it's your gas quality, if it was the gas quality you would only experience lost of horsepower or rough idle.

One of the main reason why a car would shut off is the ignitor. When a ignitor start to go bad in the early stage, it'll let your car run fine for about 2-3 hours or without a problem, then it'll idle like it's about to shut off when you're waiting for a light sometimes, and then when the ignitor gets worst you can drive it only for 2-10 minutes and it'll shut off.

Since your ignitor isn't completely dead yet, the diagnostic won't tell you that it's the ignitor's fault.

Okay, so i tried to install an aftermarket radio and I don't know what i did but all of a sudden my GSP won't let me touch it anymore, it'll only stay on that agreement screen ... When i turn on the car I get a, "Audio Off" Message. I can't press, Climate, Menu, Audio, Map, Destination, the only thing that i can press are the upper buttons, which is, Auto, Off, Defrost, etc. I read on the forums that it was the amplifier's fault, because they said it "controls" most of the gps functions. I did however managed to install the after market radio by using the speaker harness. The screens stills stays on. Have any of you guys ever had the GSP problem like mines? if so, PLEASE HELP!

The factory radio has a 75 ohm resistor in it... its considered the 'master component' in the system... not the amplifier.

Without this 75 ohm resistor in the network nothing will work normally.

Navguy, Please explain, I am interested in your response.

If you get an electronic wiring diagram (EWD) you will find two wires that go into the radio (along with other componenets) that are labeled TX+ and TX-. When you removed the radio (master) you took the 75 ohm resistor out of the network. So if you install a 75 ohm resistor (across the TX+ and TX-) in the appropriate pins the rest of the stuff should work.

Uhmmm.... You Wouldn't happen to know what the TX+ and TX- wire color would be now would you? I don't think they have wiring diagram for the 2000 Lexus gs300 gps... Not that I know of... Ahaha,

Okay, even if i put the stock radio back on the problem still exist...

Bump!

Okay, so i tried to install an aftermarket radio and I don't know what i did but all of a sudden my GSP won't let me touch it anymore, it'll only stay on that agreement screen ... When i turn on the car I get a, "Audio Off" Message. I can't press, Climate, Menu, Audio, Map, Destination, the only thing that i can press are the upper buttons, which is, Auto, Off, Defrost, etc. I read on the forums that it was the amplifier's fault, because they said it "controls" most of the gps functions. I did however managed to install the after market radio by using the speaker harness. The screens stills stays on. Have any of you guys ever had the GSP problem like mines? if so, PLEASE HELP!

The factory radio has a 75 ohm resistor in it... its considered the 'master component' in the system... not the amplifier.

Without this 75 ohm resistor in the network nothing will work normally.

Navguy, Please explain, I am interested in your response.

Ahaha, thanks for the reply, It would be very helpful (if i knew what it meant) i got the concept, but how do i locate the ohm resistor? is it in the GPS head unit itself or is it in that black box behind the GSP Head unit? And Please, can you tell me in specific details on how i can fix this? Because having no audio is like being deaf while driving.

Actually, changing the pads is one of the easiest things you can do, and one of the most wasteful expenses to have a shop do for you.

First: Obviously read your instruction manual in the glove box to find the proper jacking points on your car. There are very specific areas of the outter frame rail where the jack goes.

Second: Since you're just doing the pads, MAKE SURE your e-brake is engaged for added security.

Third: Before lifting the tire off the ground, break the bolts loose on the wheel hub.

Fourth: Lift the car, take the wheel off.

Fifth: You'll see the backing clips on the back of the caliper. You'll see a metal "t" type of a bracket. STUDY how "or better yet, take a digital photo" of what this looks like before taking it apart. Note where the spreader spring "a W looking piece of wire" connects to and how.

Sixth: pull the slider pins "two of them" out of the caliper. They hold the "t" bracket in place. Becareful on the end clips, you'll want to reuse them if possible. I HIGHLY recommend you clean those pins before reinstalling. I put mine to my wire buffer on my work bench. Gets all the rust and grime off of them, so things slide better.

Seventh: Once you've got the pins out and the "t" bracket out, now you can slide the old pads out. You'll probably need a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull them out. Wiggle them out, and notice the backing plates clipped onto the back of each pad. You pop those plates off, and you'll discover another plate sandwiched in between the pad and the first plate you just took off. Clean these up "don't use wire brushes on the inner plate, it's rubber coated for a reason". You will want to reuse these parts on your new pads. These are the parts that prevent squeling and give you that ultra quiet and smooth braking feel.

Eight: Now that you have the old pads out, the backing plates off and cleaned, the pins off and cleaned, you're ready to install the new pads. To do this though, requires you to push the brake piston back in a bit. Look inside your caliper housing, you'll see the piston (o) sticking out. OPEN the cap to your brake fluid canister in the engine bay first, as when you push that piston back in, it will force fluid and air back up through the system. Taking the cap off, eases this process. Use whatever you can find that will give you enough clearence between the piston and brake rotor to get that piston pushed back in. If you use something like a big screw driver, MAKE SURE you wrap it in a cloth first, so you don't damage the rotor. I like the big ratchet wrenches myself. Push the piston back into the caliper so it's flush.

Nineth: Now that you've pushed the piston back, you should have enough room to slide the new pads in. When you reinstall the backing plates to the new pads, put just a tad of brake grease on both sides of the INSIDE plate. This helps to prevent noise. Then clip on the outter backing plate over the inner one, and slide the pad into the caliper. Don't worry if you have to wiggle it in there, or even gently tap it with a hammer. It's a tight fit.

Tenth: Once you've got both pads in, then look at your digital photos from earlier and put the "W" spreader spring in, the "t" bracket, and slide the pins in. I myself put a little of that brake grease on the pins too, to make sure they're as slick as possible so the pads can move back and forth.

Now, simply put the wheel back on, and you're done. Don't forget to put the cap back on the brake fluid cannister.

You're done. Once you take the wheel off and give yourself a few minutes to study what you're looking at, you'll realize how easy this is, and these instructions will make more sense to you.

I order my parts from www.parts.com. They're always genuine Toyota parts, and work the best, in my opinion!

Good luck!

Don't forget to bleed your breaks!

2000 Ls400 Platinum Series

there is a chrome lining/molding (i like calling it lining because molding sounds weird to me) but, anyways it goes around the whole car and on the rear bumper the chrome is gone its just plastic now. where can i get another chrome lining/molding for the rear bumper for cheap?

Pepboys have those chrome Strips, you can flex them or just make them straight, pretty cheap.

Okay, so i tried to install an aftermarket radio and I don't know what i did but all of a sudden my GSP won't let me touch it anymore, it'll only stay on that agreement screen ... When i turn on the car I get a, "Audio Off" Message. I can't press, Climate, Menu, Audio, Map, Destination, the only thing that i can press are the upper buttons, which is, Auto, Off, Defrost, etc. I read on the forums that it was the amplifier's fault, because they said it "controls" most of the gps functions. I did however managed to install the after market radio by using the speaker harness. The screens stills stays on. Have any of you guys ever had the GSP problem like mines? if so, PLEASE HELP!