SRK

Check the engine mounts - it sounds like one has collapsed.

If the engine lacks power and remains smooth, then it is not injectors, or plugs, or wires. Eight individual parts don't fail at the same time. You may have a blocked catalytic convertor. Check by holding rag over both tailpipes as someone revs the engine. If you don't get a big rush of exhaust, that's the trouble. It's also possible that whoever replaced the timing belt got it installed a tooth or two off the correct marks, or it has jumped time. Don't buy parts. Diagnose the thing first.

If your tires blow out at 120mph ain't nobody gonna be concerned with where you bought them or why.....they'll be concerned that you were doing 120mph in a 60 zone. And the judge will rule accordingly.... I'm not on board with any suggestion that tire speed ratings are all that important. I had S rated tires on my 427 Cobra replica that I built. For the short blasts to 125 mph I did regularly they were just fine. The speed rating is for CONTINUOUS speeds, and refers to carcass temperature rise over time - a long time.... I stopped buying my tires at Costco because some 17 year old girl was trying to tell my about speed ratings, and refused to allow me to install H rated instead of V rated. Damn kids.....

So here's my take. Your mechanic saw oil on the pan, and assumed incorrectly it was coming from the pan gasket. He fixes that, and the oil continues to collect on the pan because it's migrating from the leaky main seal, which was the problem all along. So you've got a new pan gasket you didn't need, and now the real culprit, the main seal, needs to be replaced. At least from this distance, that's what I figure.

Maybe it's just me, but speaking that way to a long term member of this club, when you have but six posts, seems a bit out of line. And just how you think from a distance we can tell more about the leak source than you can by looking at it....well...

Not quite sure what you are asking. That the JDM engines are good or bad? I have no idea. To replace the engine? Sure, just get a good used engine from a wrecker - a 93 doesn't warrant spending more than that. Keep in mind that Lexus doesn't provide oversize pistons - not that these engines should ever need them - so the most a rebuild could have ( for a reasonable amount of money) would be a re-ring. And I doubt anyone even does that.

Here's the deal. If the post cat sensor trips a code it doesn't necessarily mean the SENSOR is bad - it means what it is measuring is bad in most cases. That would be poor converter performance, because the post cat sensor simply checks on converter performance. Strange that the code is not being stored "hard", and so you'll have to drive it until enough trips occur to cause it to be stored. I would not be worried about it in any event.

Whoever replaced the timing belt had it apart enough to find out what's wrong. It will be a bearing, in one of the driven items in the timing belt or serpentine belt circuit. Not a big deal.

Your Porsche has a Bosch L-jetronic fuel system, using a swing valve air flow sensor. The Lexus uses either an optical air mass meter, or in the later cars, a hot wire air mass meter. In either case they are quite unlike the primitive (by today's standards) L-jetronic of the Porsche, or other Bosch equipped engines of the 1980's.

A professional would simply do a fuel system pressure check and scan the pump for current draw and rpm.......

That would be the 2.3 litre, if it was the gas engine. They were non-interference engines. Only the 24 valve 2.3 was interference. Strange how so many of the aftermarket publications did list it as interference, and it was confusing for many folks. I did so many t-belts on those engines that I got quite fast at it, although they were very easy compared to the Lexus. Best time on the 2.3 was 14 minutes - finished. Air tools were just flying!

I've seen and repaired all three failure modes - on a different brand however. Volvo OHC's can seize the camshaft in the head, and the teeth peel off the belt, leaving a "no drive" area. Non interference. Later Volvo's with the sixteen valve interference engines will snap the belt in two, and the valves, valve guides, and pistons will be damaged. Basically throw the engine away. Marine Volvo's will get salt water corrosion on the intermediate shaft gear, that will cause a nasty rust build-up, and the belt slips a cog or two. At three the engine stops. Damn Volvos will do it all. On most engines, assuming the idler pulleys don't seize the belt will just snap when very old. A seized idler or tensioner pulley will cause the flat side of the belt to wear excessively quickly, and the belt will then snap - and before the change interval. That's why it's good to do it when advised, and to check or replace the idlers as needed.

Roedel My 92 is converted properly to R134a, and the system works just fine. Cools very well. My 98 came from the factory with 134a, as did all cars from 1993, and it cools very well. So the idea that 134a is a "DuPont" conspiracy is ridiculous. You've spent far too much time in commie-pinko-land. The chemistry of refrigeration has been understood by those who work in the industry for years. And propane and butane while acting as refrigerants, as many compounds do, are unsafe and incompatible with system lubricants. However, I hope you continue with propane - you deserve it.

Well as that hose can carry up to 1500 psi, you can't replace it yourself. Get over that idea. Find a local hydraulic shop that repairs and makes up hoses for industrial equipment, like bulldozers and such - an Aeroquip dealer perhaps. They'll install a new hose properly and cheaply on the steel tubing and it will be as good as new or better. It will cost maybe $30.00.

The car has a tall final drive ratio, and a very low stall torque converter. Both contribute to the fact that the engine can't overpower the rear tires in a straight line. However, with the traction control off, punching it while turning left or right from a stop will light the inside tire briefly on my 92 LS. Makes far too much noise for a luxury car though. My GS, with 300hp, and a short first gear, will light both tires from a stop, with the TC off.

Tires are mostly subjective - what some like others hate - and there are more opinions about them than even engine oil brands, which is enough to boggle one's mind. That said, I like Michelin tires, and for your car either Exalto's or Pilot's, depending on how much you want to spend. I have Michelin on everything I own, including a Dodge Dakota, and I will NEVER buy anything else. That's my opinion, tightly and fervently held.

The viscosity to use is 5W-30 if you are using Mobil 1. That's what Lexus says, and they are to be believed. The 10W-40 grade is not advised - many manufacturers specify against using it.

From your description it's not the IAC valve. That's an output device. Sounds like an input problem. My guess is crankshaft position sensor, but you have no code. Whatever it's a big input, not an individual cylinder thing. So it's not plugs, or wires, or even coils. Could even be the wiring harness from the CPS. Different from the original poster's problem.

The definitive answer is that using dino or synthetic will hurt nothing. That said, I use 5W-30 Mobil 1 in both of mine, and have for six years. No leaks, no bad breath, no nothin'. So if you want to change, go ahead. Many good folks on this board already have.

About the only part that doesn't throw a code is an ignition coil. Test the primary resistance of each, or if you have one, use an old school timing light to confirm high voltage at each secondary terminal wire.

I don't buy exchange reman alternators or starters - ever. I take the component to a local auto electric firm that specializes in rebuilding these components. It's all they do, and they are good at it. No one builds the starter and alternators except Denso, specifically for these cars. Anyone can claim to "rebuild" them. I only trust this company because I can talk to the guy that rebuilds them! He did a Ferrari starter for me a while back. If you think the LS starter is tough to get at, think again. Eight hours, in and out on a Daytona. New starter, old stock was $2200.00 US. I had this company rebuild the original starter for $240.00 Canadian funds. Perfect. Even looked new and stock. So stop messing with goofball rebuilds and find a local company that does them properly. Might even cost a bit more, but it will be worth it. When I replaced the PS pump on the LS there was oil on the alternator. I took it to this firm and they installed a set of brushes and checked it out. $50.00 all in. The guy said "It's a Denso - all that fails are the brushes, slip rings and bearings are perfect. Just brushes because the oil softened them". I like work like that.

If you have 39F air coming out of the vents with an ambient temp of 90F, then the AC is working fine. The assist fans do not come on with the AC switched on - the AC is used in any ambient temp - like in rainy weather - by the climate control to dry defrost air for the windshield. The fans come on when needed, and consider too that Lexus avoided unneeded extra noise by doing so.

What "charging lead" are you talking about? What "post"? Voltage can be confirmed without disconnecting anything. With the right equipment, so can current.

Are you guessing here? Every car? Probably not. Neither my LS nor my GS turn the assist fans on with the AC. Those fans are controlled by the AC system pressure, and only after idling in heavy traffic do they start up. Otherwise the engine driven fan is enough.

That sounds a little steep for six spark plugs and an air filter.....ask him what he thinks a major tune-up will entail on that engine.....