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Cool... thanks for the tip. I will remove the old one n replace the new one asap. N e one know n e thing about the flush chemicals n wut it would do?

My mistake... i stand corrected... I'm sure santamre had a !Removed! finger with all those typing at the end of Xmas. Thanks for the gift. Proved very useful to many people. ;)

Here u go... this will help what Sk was talking about. http://www.troublecodes.net/Lexus/ N u can pull what the codes r here. U can also download the FSM (Full Service Manual) for ur generation. They will also tell u how to check. Go to the diagnostic PDF n go to around Page 3 or so. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26449 It was generously donated by Toysrme. Tom

Hey Sha... thanks again. So i can take the vise grips n yank the old thermostat out huh. As for when i was draining the coolant yesterday... it was running clearish i guess. It wasn't fully clear... but then again it was kinda dark so i couldn't tell. But it looked clear.... but not like water clear. Some spilled on my hands... n it definitely felt soapy. Will the car b ok for several weeks. I need to go on a 800 mile trip the next coming weekend. U think it would survive or have n e bad reprecussions if i were to drive it the way it is now? I know if u mix the red n green stuff... it might just block the radiator.... but since i flushed it... i'm assuming even if there was some in there... im assuming it's not going to clog it that badly. If it can survive the trip... i plan to do a reflush perhaps on a warmer day... n over the weekend when i have time to do it. Thanks. Tom

hey sha.... yes i did leave the old thermostat. I already have a replacement n gasket for it. I just couldn't take it out. I even tried using a small flat head (made for really small screws) n tried to run along the edges of the gasket n thermostat housing (i dont know if thats wut u call it) to try to remove the gunk thats around there. It seemed like it was literally gummed up in between the gasket n housing. So thats y i left the old thermostat in there... n seeking help. On lexls... it doens't tell u exactly how to remove the thermostat... it just said to remove it. I tried pulling n i tried twisting n pulling with my hand. But if im suppose to just pull the old one out... i' about to grab a vise grip n PULL HARD. But before i damage n e thing... i thought to ask for advice. Also... if i didn't totally flush that chemical out... would that do n e thing? Thanks again for the help sha. Tom

Hey guys... i got several questions for u. 1) Today i did a coolant flush. Spent a lot of time on it... since i couldn't get the stupid left n right drain !Removed! loose. Took me literally forever to get it off. A lot of PB BLAST n my body weight... but not simple wit the clearance n lying down. N e wayz... as i was doing it... i accidentally skipped a step... step 15 on lexls tutorial. Wut would happen? I didn't run only water all the way through to clean the soap. I basically drained the soap out... n poured some water like 1/2 gallon while it was being drained... but only a little bit... i guess i was too tired when i realized that. I didn't finish this till 2am... so u can see i was tired. 2) Also another problem is.... i tried to remove the thermostat. Do i just pull?!??! Do i twist it n pull? I couldn't get that !Removed! thing to move. Even after the flush... i couldn't get that !Removed! thing to move out. Should i get plyers n just pull it out? 3) I saw a lot of rust particles or metal particles flowing through the tube... n it was no where as green as the coolant seen on lexls. It was a bland water down green. I had stupid Jiffy Lube do it like a few yrs back. I hope my radiator isn't damaged. 4) I also did a Throttle Body clean... well i didn't take off the throttle body... i just turned the plate... n sprayed very little of STP Throttle Body Cleaner... was too tired by the end of the day to remove the whole thing... (since i will have to do the spark plugs n wiresets next warm day... i will do the Throttle Body CLean)... but when i put everything back together... the RPMS r a lot higher... i read it would do that. But when i put it into drive... !Removed! car LURCHED forward... i guess due to higher RPMS... it catched on as soon as it was in drive... that scared the crap out of me. It would clear up in a couple of days right? I hope i dind't do much damage. Thanks guys Tom

Is it realli cold. Perhaps u need to get those deicer for ur door lock. I have that problem actually... but i know it's not b/c it's frozen... sometimes it is. Sometimes it would go in... but not turn. But i usually spray PB BLAST (kinda like WD-40 perhaps better.. or sometimes Silicon spray). I would stick the straw... n spray inside. Let it soak in for a while... n push the key in n out... in n out. N also locking it n unlocking it. Then i would spray some more. I dont know if that is good or bad.... but it works for me. So far it hasn't gotten stuck n e more. Perhaps u can follow this tutorial... i know its for removing the door handle... but u can access the door lock this way... n check for urself. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/body/fdoorhandle.html I dont know how much it would cost if u bring it to someone. Good luck. Tom However... my trunk lock has frozen closed. No amount of PB blast would get that to budge.

Wow thank god ur alright. Sorry to hear about ur car. Hopefully ur insurance will cover u n give u a new car. Keep us up to date. Most importantly.... ur ok... wit no injuries. Tom

Download some of the FSM's that Toys has provided. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26449 It will help greatly if u decide to learn or start working on ur car. If u dont think it's an engine sludgine problem... perhaps get a second opinion on it. Is there another Lex Dealer or Toyota Dealer around? Remember... u dont always have to go to a LEX dealer just b/c ur car is a LEX. Go to a Toyota... it's cheaper... n since an ES is based on the CAMRY... the guys @ Toyota could probably take care of it too. Good luck wit the problem. If u could get the warranty to work... go for it too... u might as well. Tom

A pharmacist would whoop ur !Removed! if he found booze n those pain killers together. :chairshot: Feel better bro. Tom

Thanks monarch for the suggestion. But i'll first try to exhaust myself before resorting to flushing down the drain. I'm an environmental minor so i do know that the treatment centers could get rid of it... but like i said... i'd first try to exhaust myself before i go that route. I will try the Toyota repair center first on monday then. Then i'd go to my local sanitation department n ask. I totally forgot about the sanitation guys... thanks for the idea. I just find it odd that the Strauss n some other auto stores just refuse to take it. I thought it was a law to have to accept these Hazmat (well they aren't realli hazmats but still... harmful n dangerous if not disposed of properly). I asked a friend... he told me his local auto store refuses to take it... but he says he drops it in front of their store when they close... so they have no choice but to have to take it. LOL. But i dont think i'll do that either. I would also like to thank Steve, Josh, n u Gum too for ur advice. No New Yorkers huh? Well i guess Josh ur an honorary member now ;)

Hey guys.... does n e one know where i can dispose of the coolant i'm about to take out? I asked Autozone n Strauss (they have a garage) n both said they dont take them. WTF?!?! Can i bring it to the local toyota dealer's workshop n force them to take it? Thanks for the info. Tom

Man... glad ur ok. That's a nasty !Removed! fall. The soldier was in the right place at the right time. I hope for a speedy recovery. I hope the rest of the month will get better man. Take care of urself. Tom

if i remember correctly... there is a post with with the solenoid filter... that there r 2 types of pumps. Perhaps u got the more heavier to turn pump. Just a thought. Glad things r slowly getting back to normal. N e new updates? Since it has been several days by now?

I agree... u might as well clean the Throttle body as well. Change the Air Filter if not clean. If ur going to change the pressure hose... clean the solenoid filter. In the forum... people have said that it helped a lot. But it depends... r u doing it yourself? Or r u paying someone to do this. N u dont necessarily need to have some of the suggestion done all at once... or rather my suggestions done all at once. However... i dont know if those additives for fixing leaks r a good idea. From wut i have heard... but everyone has different opinions.... they can clog up stuff in ur P/S system. So after my P/S pump failed a few yrs back... i have vowed never to use it again.

n if u want to download the proper FSM for ur car... go to this link http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26449 It was provided courtesy of Toysrme.

Don't b shy. We all need a lil help or hints or advice. Thanks. Tom

Well i wouldn't change the Altenator if it's not broken. Ur just throwing money away if its still operating. But yea... u might want to get that checked out. It seems like ur going to do a full tune up huh. Check the brake pads n rotors... n perhaps bleed the brakes... since everyone should b taking the brake fluid out of their systems... one of the most neglected things. R u DIY or r u sending it to a mechanic? Do u have money to burn or r u trying to save money? How is the ride? O yea... n since ur doing timing belt might as well get the serpentine belt changed while ur at it.

So when u put the seafoam in... did the cell actually come off? Does it come on n off from time to time? If it does... it's probably O2 sensors... cause i remember SKPERFORMANCE mentioning that the O2's need to warm up a bit... n it would come off. But if u read the lexls site i showed u... just check the resistance of it. As for putting another treatment of seafoam... whether if it requires more... i'm not sure... n i wouldn't know if it would harm the car... perhaps someone can enlighten us on that part. Good luck. Keep me updated Tom ;)

i wonder who in this forum will give us a full review of this car when it comes out. I would certainly b very jealous. I hope they take me on a joy ride as well... n lend me 75k wit no interest. LOL. ;)

I agree wit monarch... u should check those first. When did it start? N did u do n e thing before this problem started occuring... such as changed brake pads or something else? Check to see if their is leaks as what Monarch stated... check the Master Cylinder. This happend to my younger sister's 93 Nissan Maxima 3 months ago. She was driving n all of a sudden when she pushed the brakes... it sank to da floor. I asked her to check her brake fluids... n it was low... she refilled it... n pushed it.. .n kept on draining. Didn't know where the leak was coming from. When i picked her up... n drove home... holding onto the E-brakes during the entire 1 hr ride (never had to use the E-brakes). Luckily the fluid survived the drive home. But everytime i filled it... it would just drop whenever i asked her to push the brakes. I checked the calipers n brake lines... but no luck... n eventually i looked into the engine compartment... as i asked her to push the brakes again... i saw some leak coming from the ABS pump. So u might want to check that out as well. It's easier to have ur friend pump the brake or press it firmly while u check the engine compartment for n e signs... but b sure to wear glasses... cause u dont want to run the risk when u look... n ask him to press the brakes... n have the fluid squirt into ur eyes... cause when i looked... the fluid did squirt slightly outward... luckily i was at a different angle. Well good luck... n let us know what was wrong. Tom B)

for my 92LS... stupid remote.... i have to get to basically by the door. As long as i can extend my hand out... n have the key touch my door... thats when the remote will work... so yea.. basically a step away from the car. Realli crummy remote if u ask me.

Wow... congrats on the project. It definitely is satisfying isn't it? I wish i was a lot more handier. But... like u... i have improved substantially on my DIYer ability with cars thanks to this site and the many helpful people on this forum. I can only hope i can arise to the level of some of u guys. Do not feel shy like what NC said since u have a lot of experience. Do share ;) Tom B)

time to get a real job... n not work for UPS at crap pay... either that... or i need to rob a bank. *sigh* But kidding aside... i love it. I already love the LS430... n that was my dream car. I still love my baby... the 1st Gen LS. N e one know the winning lottery numbers? How does that auto parking work? I'm so curious as to how that function will work. I can't imagine how that will work in NYC. Perhaps in a smaller place it might seem fine... but i think i would b nervous parallel parking in Manhattan... when u got bicycle riders, buses, crazy !Removed! taxis, n cars n loads of pedestrians. I know... i wont b parking it out on da street... definitely bring it to a garage to park it. Thanks for da pics. Now at $8.50/hr... how long will it take me to save 88k plus taxes that i'll have to pay for it. *Sigh* :cries:

nicely said n summarized Jbrady ;)