spta97

Thanks for the replies. I guess I will not be tapping new screws into the rear plate but I do have some double sided tape that should do the trick. Now to take off the front bumper AGAIN to put in the new hardware and stainless steel screws

I got a new plate frame for my GF's RX300 and ran into the usual issues with the front bumper rusted screws / bolts :chairshot: as well as the rear plastic screws snapping. Anyway, the plate rattles now because it is a metal frame so I am thinking of tapping new M6x1.0 threads into the dimples that are marked for the bottom screws on the rear plate. Has anyone done this? Should I just use double sided tape? I don't want to screw things up but I don't think tape will hold very well. Thanks..

Thanks. Dot 4 wouldn't be better?

I'm going to bleed the brakes on my GFs RX300 this weekend. Do I really need to get the brake fluid from Toyota or will the Prestone DOT 3 / DOT 4 work fine? I tend not to buy into the hype of the dealers with their "special" fluids, but I want to do the right thing here. Thanks!

Agreed! That's what I said to the g/f. Unfortunatley the diagnostic charges as well as the battery ended up costing more than if we knew it was the battery at first. Also, since this is Lexus battery #3 in 5 years I don't have a lot of faith in it. I would have preferred to give them their diagnostic fees and put the Die Hard Gold in myself - I've had good luck with those batts.

And from a newbie too I hope that this can help someone out of a similar situation. The RX300 battery seems to be an issue, two replacements within 5 years is not normal.

Thanks - I found that last night and used it as a guide to see what I was doing. The IAC on my Explorer is much bigger so I just wasn't sure if the metal piece came off as well - thanks for the link though! So are you ready for the cause of the problem????? Drum roll....the BATTERY!!!! This one completely caught me out of left field for the following reasons: 1) The original had been replaced about 2-3 years ago from Lexus under warrantee (it was defective). 2) The car was started a couple times this week. 3) The car was started yesterday and would run for 5 seconds before dieing - several times in a row. 4) I jump started it and could not get it to turn over. Had the car been at my house I would have hooked it up to my charger and it would have told me if the battery was dead (as it did with my Maxima). Also, if it had not turned over at all yesterday that is the first thing I would have replaced - I figured it was just depleted because of the constant cranking of the engine and the cold weather. On my Maxima I had the battery completely die like that due to lack of use so like the Lexus the battery was not low on juice - it was completely DEAD. No amount of charging would have helped it. Well the total bill came to about $340 along with her routine service, diagnostic fees, and the battery. I'm not crazy about it but they did spend time and I feel the dealer should get paid for it. Also, I cleaned all the carbon build up off of the throttle body, MAF and IACV so that should be good. She also feels better knowing that the rest of the car checked out OK and the new battery should keep her on the road for many more years. I guess we were all wrong but I really appreciate all the help from everyone!!!! Moral of the story - if your car has these symptoms go to Sears and pick up a Die Hard Gold for $80 before getting it towed to the dealer first!!

I didn't actually get it running in the time I worked on it. I didn't think to have my g/f look at the tail pipe when she was running it yesterday. It would only stay running for a second. On the bright side it's been at the dealer for 2 hours and they haven't fixed it yet so I don't feel so bad :) They mechanic had a theory it was "some valve thing" as my g/f put it - she could not remember specifics. I had to have my front door installed today so I couldn't go with her to the dealer. It could be fuel related too, it has been sitting for a week in sub freezing temps so water in the gas line could be the culprit. Since I put the Seafom in it will smoke like crazy once they get it started - I told her to tell them it was normal. I'll post back when we get the diagnosis but even the dealership mentioned that she has not missed one service appointment - actually she was supposed to go yesterday but couldn't get the car started. edit - it would die within 5 seconds but instantly if she hit the gas peddle.

Hey Lee S! Yea, funny how my Explorer was running and her RX300 was not. I decided it was too dark to do it last night so I slept over her place and took a crack at it at 8AM. I cleaned the MAF, IAC(V) and the throttle body but was not able to get it to start. All that and the battery started dying (which I guess was from the cold + sitting + constant cranking. Unfortunately I was not able to get it started and had to get home. It was starting during the week so either something else went wrong or it got flooded with fuel. Due to my limited time (and the fact it was surrounded in snow drifts) I was not able to do further trouble shooting. The IACV on the RX300 is different than the X. With the X it is one piece but the RX300 it seemed to be two. I took off the black housing and exposed a little piston that spun from side to side. I'm not sure if it works off a magnet or what but I shot it with electrical parts cleaner and it seemed to move freely with just a finger touch. After putting the whole thing together (which now I REALLY appreciate my Explorer!) it still would not turn over even with the jumper cables connected. We decided to have it towed to the dealer because a new IAC was over $200 and speaking to the guy in the parts department he said that would not prevent it from starting so there might be a secondary problem (hydro lock, etc.). Last thing I wanted was to have her buy the IAC and not have it fix the problem. We figured it was best to take it to the pros this time but I'm sure we are gonna get :chairshot: with the bill! At least I gave it the old college try.

Well I didn't find much for Seafoam but it is a great carbon cleaner. I checked with the company and it is 02 sensor safe so I'm going to use the Deep Creep (spray-form Seafoam) for the TB and try the electrical parts cleaner on the MAF and IACV. Should be a fun night, it's parked outside her co-op with minmal lighting and 20 degrees out! If anyone has any input on taking these things off let me know. I can't seem to find instructions on the site (my searches resulted in others looking for the same thing). Thanks..

Yes, I was searching for IAC in the RX300 forum. I tried IACV in the ES forums and got some hits. (on my Explorer board we call them IAC (no "V"). It seems that cleaning the IAC and Throttle Body would be the best place to start. However, I was not able to find any detailed instructions. I typically use Electrical Parts Cleaner for the IACV and on the TB I plan on using Deep Creep. It is a spray version of Seafoam (which is a carbon cleaner that works wonders). Now that I say that, I'll search for those two and see if I get any hits! In the mean time, if you know where a link to the instructions are I would appreciate it. The terminology is different on this board so I'm not getting exactly what I'm looking for (but I'm trying! :D )

I tried searching for MAF, stalling, and IAC with no help. I try IACV - it sounds like you guys call it something different.

Hi all, Looking for help! My g/f ownes a 2000 RX300 and she called me today saying that she can start up her car but it dies within 5 seconds. If she hits the gas it dies instantly. I won't have a chance to look at it until tonight but here are some possible things I was thinking of checking: 1) MAF (MAS) - On my Explorer I had a problem with the mass air flow sensor and it acted kind of like what she is describing. 2) IAC - Again, my Explorer had a faulty Air Intake Control Valve but I could get it to stay running if I held the gas down. Does anyone have any sugguestions on what else I could check? It seems to me that the problem is related to intake because she can start it - it just won't stay started. Thanks!

Hi all, This is my first post but I've searched and cannot find my answer. Does anyone know where to get the rear pistons that hold open the rear hatch? I called the dealer and they want $171 a piece! :o I'm not even sure what they are called so if anyone knows the exact name please let me know. I've searched the internet for "pistons" and "strong arms" and "rear hatch" but I cannot find anyplace that carries them. Perhaps there is another name? Thanks!