SRK

The fact that the present owner wanted to AUTOCROSS an LS means he's a mental case. That's enough to stay away all by itself. Buying a box of bits and then assembling the car.....do you want to drive an LS or spend time in the garage? Buy a complete car that can be inspected and driven properly. Even small parts on these cars are expensive. Missing or broken bits will put the final price higher than buying a complete car. Run, don't walk, away. I'd be wary of the present owner as what he's got may be contagious.....

I cannot imagine that they are made "soft" as Denso alternators that don't get oil on them ( just about every other Japanese car) go hundreds of thousands of kilometers without any service at all. And by the way, alternators use slip rings, not segmented commutators. Generators and starters use segments, but that's integral to their design. As I said earlier, if you had any real-world experience with these things, you'd know that.

You might be premature in thanking Jaswood, as the early LS's use an optical MAF sensor, not a hot wire type. Cleaning is not required, nor advised.

The slow PS pump leak on my LS wet the inside of the alternator with ATF. The brushes "softened" somewhat, and I replaced them - $20.00. The slip rings, bearings, and all other parts were fine. They are Denso alternators after all - possibly the best quality alternators in the marketplace. That's all it took to repair the alternator, which had not failed, but was bound to do so as the brushes disintegrated. Slip rings are normally quite thin, and if you had ever repaired other alternators, like Bosch, or Marchall, or Delco, or Autolite, or Hitachi, you'd know that. But you don't. You are of course welcome to your opinions, as we all are. You cannot however assume you are correct.

Has the secondary ignition been observed on an old style automotive oscilloscope? Almost sounds like coil saturation. I'm certainly keen to hear what the problem was once it's fixed. It's a tough one for sure.

I've never heard of a fuel pump that changes pressure by voltage. In every case I know of, it's done with a pressure regulator, and that may or may not have a manifold pressure diaphragm to change pressure with engine load. Modern engines no longer use manifold pressure adaptation in most cases. I have certainly seen many engines that appear to limit rpm due to weak fuel pumps which can produce pressure but not volume. When volume goes up, pressure drops. A good technician would scan the pump for rpm and current draw - those figures are usually not published, but experience will show when a pump is failing. It needs to be driven with the pressure gauge hooked up so that it can be observed under all conditions. Simply checking at idle will not do. Whatever the problem is it is simple. I wouldn't be satisfied with driving around the issue.

Claiming around here that power steering pump leaks DON'T cause alternator failures is going to be a tough sell.....I wish you luck.

If you have the code number you can google it as a diagnostic trouble code for OBDII systems, and that will tell you exactly what it means. The rear axle is independent, so there are two "half-shafts" with CV joints at each end. All front drive cars have them too, and of course they articulate with steering, so they tend to be replaced more often. I've rarely heard of them wearing out on rear drive Lexus. Stand for "constant velocity". Let us know what you find.

The funny angle is a normal product of the steering geometry. "Race car" mechanics have little business looking at modern cars. Importing cars from the US? Another red flag. Expensive means little. I can't think of a "leak" that would produce a trouble code in this instance. Trouble codes have specific numeric identifiers, so he should have told you what the number was at least, and its description. CV joints are on the rear axle, the ball joints on the front. Which end was he looking at? Find a mechanic with Toyota/Lexus experience. Did you do an ICBC repair history? I too hope it works out well for you.

So you posted about this car on the LS forum originally, and I and another member posted back. Did you happen to read those replies? You bought the car privately obviously - you have no recourse, no warranty, nothing. Toyota products are good for sure, but $4K in mods? Another bad sign. So what mods? Different wheels, lowered, may very well be the thump. And what kind of mechanic did the inspection? At least you are on the right track talking to the folks here.

Many of the items you've listed will produce a trouble code. With swapped ECU's and no code, I can only think that the problem is not one that produces a code. And as you've not listed any check of the fuel pressure in the rail, I'd check fuel pressure. Of course, from this distance I'm just guessing....

In 2004 I purchased my 98 GS400 from a dealer in BC for $28K, with 93,000km on it. One owner, perfect car. The price they are asking is certainly reasonable, but the idea that the trans has been rebuilt is a bit scary. At that mileage the trans should have been working fine, so I'd ask to see the receipt for the trans. No receipt, then it's BS. Check with ICBC as to the claims history, and check the registration papers for rebuilt or declaration status. Proceed carefully.

I've used BFG's in the past, and some were good, some were not. The Euro TA is especially hard-riding, and my advice would be to avoid it. Michelin just doesn't make a bad tire in my opinion. The MXV-4 is without doubt one of the smoothest tires out there. They will transform the car, in a good way. That said I put Exalto's on my LS, and was very pleased - excellent handling, quiet, not quite as smooth as the MXV but still great. When I can afford it, I'll put Michelins on the ZO-6, and get rid of the Goodyear F1's on it now. I just like Michelin....

My understanding is that when an engine trouble code is tripped, the traction control will go on, and sometimes the electric cooling fans. You'll need it scanned by a shop familiar with Toyota Lexus products. The traction control will not cause the car to suddenly jump out of the floor dyno.....but a trouble code usually means an automatic fail.

I'm just putting this out there, but you have checked that the trans is shifting up through four gears, and you are cruising at a low rpm?

Like I said before, what you do every day is sell lemonade at a stand out front of your mother's trailer. She's calling - off you go.

Twisting the boot/connector is always a good idea. I prefer my Snap-On magnetic spark plug socket - expensive, but it holds the plug perfectly and releases cleanly without yanking the socket off the extension. If you are worried about the socket coming off the extension, just wrap the two together with duct tape. A bit of di-electric grease is a great idea - it's pricey too, but worth using. And a bit of silver Never-seez on the threads, just back from the end will make the next time far easier. I think you have it covered! SRK

A couple of things come to mind. First your driving habits are not allowing the battery to come up to full charge, and it's slowly being depleted over a matter of days or weeks. Second the engine is not getting to full temperature and being driven enough to clean the spark plugs or perhaps even go into closed loop operation. You should take the car for an extended drive every now and then, and a bit of highway miles would help it "take a deep breath" as we used to say. As to the starter, it sounds like a discharged battery, and unless you have a new and known good trickle charger, it might be that the battery is still discharged. A two or three amp trickle charger would take at least 24 hours to fully charge a battery from near dead. And it might be that the starter motor contacts are bad, in which case they'll need to be replaced. That is NOT a job for Firestone. It's a job for a Toyota or Lexus dealer, or an independant who specializes in the same. The intake manifold has to come off to access the starter and that's a big job. First though I would ensure that the battery is fully charged. Get it running and drive it for a couple of hours. The alternator will charge the battery quite quickly (two or three hours vs 24 ) compared to the trickle charger. Then see how the starter behaves.

The first thing you have to do is confirm that the camshaft timing is exactly correct. There is no "close" - it has to be dead on. It sounds off to me. Exhaust leaks will admit air to the O2 sensors and throw off the mixture. Fix those. Then you should confirm that all eight cylinders are firing - an old style timing light will help - as the coils are known to fail, and the engine will run relatively well on just one. What's happening in your video is not normal. The engine should sound like a big electric motor when all is well, and be vibration free.

So remember when I said to check the headlights? You haven't done that have you? Because if the panel lights go out while cranking, well that's a discharged or damaged battery. Help us out here by acting logically and you just might fix it cheap. Yank out the battery and have it load tested by some one who knows batteries. Sounds like a very bad cell - perhaps a grid has collapsed in the battery.

The issue may be that the solenoid contacts in the starter motor are fried. Common problem. Turn on the headlights - if they are bright white then you know the battery is good, and that the circuit is good. If the starter clicks, or does nothing, it's more than likely the starter and not the cabling. The starter repair is easy. Getting to it is not.

There is no sense worrying about what kind of oil is in the engine now. None. Change it to whatever you want and be happy. I can't think of any synthetic that is not compatible with conventional oils. No worry there. Most like Mobil 1 synthetic 5W-30. I've used Mobil 1 since it came out in the late 70's and there are no problems using it. Visit the Mobil website and read up on it. The biggest thing is to change the oil on a regular schedule and enjoy the car. No need to over think oil changes.

Sounds like a master cylinder to me. Pedal drop has nothing to do with the booster unit. Why did the first shop change the pads, and the rotors? Were they worn to the limits, or did they just think it a "good thing to do"?

Why would anyone bring their car to you? You run a lemonade stand outside your mom's trailer.

I still service my 92 LS now that a customer has purchased it. The hoses are in perfect condition. The serpentine belt has been replaced once, the timing belt twice and the car has 215,000 km on it. I don't know what standards Lexus used for the hoses, but they obviously exceed every other manufacturers. So I'd agree your mechanic is sniffing around for work. It's clear that one should only use factory parts when replacing these items when needed, and the price is high. Removing a Lexus hose and installing a Gates or other aftermarket part would be foolish. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.