Rusty

I found my problem. It turned out the fuse was loose in the fuse box. There was some side to side slop that caused the old fuse and the new one to move enough to break the contact. I tightened up the fuse contacts and it has been working ever since.

I have tried jiggling the switch/arm around, but no response. The washer does not spray water. I would have assumed the washer was on a separate circuit from the wiper arm movement. Do you know if the washer runs through the same Control Module as the wipers? I found a used Control Module (pn 85940-50070) on e-bay but I am hesitant to buy a used part for a 23 year old car, since that part is also used. Does anyone have instructions on how to replace the Wiper Control Module?

I started my car today and the wipers made one pass then stopped completely in the down position. I thought they may be frozen since it was about 21 degrees (F) and snowing today.They were not frozen and I can manually move them slightly with my hand. I cleared all the snow and ice, so they are free to move. The washer does not work also. I replaced the 20 amp fuse with a new one, no change. I can not hear the wiper motor going, so I don't believe the linkage has come loose. I do not know where the wiper relay is located, or if there is one. Is there a way to test the motor with a meter? Does anyone have any suggestions how I can troubleshoot the system?

I have a 2001 ES300 with 205K miles. A few days ago the steering started getting stiff when I take a turn. It feels like someone is pushing/pulling back on the steering when I make a turn. I checked the fluid, did the left/right lock to lock thing, checked for equal tire pressure and checked that the lugnuts were tight, but none of that helped. I would like to exhaust all the easy/obvious fixes before bring it to a mechanic. Is there anything else I can do to try and isolate the problem? Is there a screen in the ES300 system like there is in the LS400's? Any advice you can give is appreciated. Thanks.

Does anyone know how to get this handle off? I don't want to bring it to the dealer for such a small issue. Any help is appreciated.

I am trying to replace my left side tail light assembly. I removed the plastic plugs that hold the trunk lid liner in place. I am having trouble removing the trim that goes around the inside emergency trunk release lever, the one that glows in the dark. I can get the trim to move, but do not want to break it. It looks like there are 2 pieces that need to be removed before I can get to the handle. Does anyone know the 'trick' to getting this handle off?

Both of the rear brake plates on my 2001 ES300, with 192K miles, have rusted and are falling off. I have not been able to find much information on the replacement part, but I have heard they are expensive. Does anyone have any advice on where I can get the 2 plates, Lexus and Toyota part numbers, and how many labor hours I can expect to pay for to do the repair. Is this a common part that fails? I live in the Northeast where they use salt on the roads in winter, so I assume that caused the problem. Any advice you can give is appreciated.

Ok, my LS is finally fixed. The problem was the coil on the drivers side. This was suggested by many people and is written about in many postings on this site. It seems my mechanic may not have tested the coils thoroughly, as he said. After I brought him a printout of the suggestions in this posting string, he went back and looked at the coils again. So I have new parts, that I believe I did need, fuel filter, cat, spark plugs and he only charged me for 4 hours of labor, after the car was there for 1 week, but I still think I will look for a new mechanic. Thanks to everyone that contributed to my posting. This is a great website.

My car was running fine when I drove to work. I went out at lunch time and the car suddely ran on half power after I started it up. My mechanic replaced one of the cats that had deteriorated and clogged. He also cleaned out the muffler of any debris from the cat. He then replaced the fuel filter, which looked pretty old and put in new spark plugs. He checked the timing belt to see if it had slipped any. He checked the coils and said they were OK. It's been a week and the bill is getting larger. I think it's time to bring it to another garage. I chose this one becasue the mechanic has an LS400 and I see a few LS400's in his shop for repair.

I drove the car for 45 minutes. It is only running on 1/2 power and barely makes it up a hill. I looked at the CATs and did not see a 'red glow'. I brought the car to a mechanic. There is no code being displayed so he is having trouble pinpointing the cause of the problem. What would cause the car to not display a code when the car is obviously running poorly?

My '93 LS400 feels like it is running on 4 cylinders or about 1/2 power. The CEL is not on. The tachometer jumps up and down, usually in the 0 position when I drive down the street. There is the smell of electrical and fuel combined coming from the car. There is nothing leaking in the engine compartment or under the car. My guess is that it is a bad oxygen sensor but aging no CEL light. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

It's time for my 1993 LS400, 165K miles, to have it's brakes checked and most likel;y replaced. The indicator has come on and I don't know how old the brakes are since I bought the car used. Is it OK to bring the car to a Sears, Meineke, Monroe, Firestone or Goodyear repair shop instead of the Lexus or Toyota dealer. I prefer to avoid the high cost at the dealers, if possible. Does anyone have good or bad experience bringing their cars to a non-dealer shop for brake replacement?

Can someone guide me to instructions on how to replace the brake light bulb, mounted on the back deck, near the sub woofer, of my 1993 LS400? I do not see any access from the trunk and I tried to gently pry up the sub woofer cover, but stopped before I did any damage. I have searched the forums, but no luck. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I just had the power steering pump replaced in my 1993 LS400, 147K miles. It was leaking oil, making noise and hard to steer. They flushed the system and added new fluid. I had a solinoid/filter replaced about a year ago. The steering still seems very stiff to me. You almost need 2 hands to make a turn. My questions is, how hard or easy do other LS's steer ? Before I go back to my mechanic to have him recheck things, I would like to understand how other cars handle. I read one post that said they could steer with one finger. Also, are there any other steering components that would cause the hard steering ?

I just had my 1993 LS400 instrument cluster rebuilt for $195. My tachometer needle was faded, about 1 inch from the tip, my backlights would not light up when it was cold, and my fuel guage only read 1/2 tank, even when full. I had it done by BBA Remanufacturing in Taunton Mass., and found them on e-bay. They give the unit a complete rebuild as well as fixing specific problems. It has only been 2 days, but my cluster seems better than new.

My 2001 ES300 has developed an engine oil leak. The car has 152K miles on it. When I had my oil changed, they told me it was the rear main seal. That shop does not do this type of repair, so I will get a second opinion, and quote, before going ahead with any repairs. Does anyone have any past experience with this problem and how to go about getting it fixed ? I am told the engine needs to be pulled out of the car, which sounds like a major, (expensive), task, is this true ? Should I replace any other seals at the same time ? Is there any other maintenance or replacements that should be done while the engine is out ? Any ideas how much I should pay for this job ? Any comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Mine did that in the winters when snow is under them. There is a summer and winter wiper park position on the ES 300 wipers. The summer setting parks the wipers down low under the edge of the hood and the winter setting parks the blades higher up the window to allow for snow. The owner's manual has instructions on how to set them for summer or winter.

There is a winter and summer resting spot for the wipers. In the winter you want them up high so they don't get iced up, (assuming you are in a cold climate), and down low during the summer. Your owners manual explains how to set the blades by pulling on the arm to rest in either up or down position. Leave it to Lexus... they think of everthing.

There are 2 amps in the 1993 LS400. Pioneer Premium sound system (not sure about the Nak system). The main amp is built into the headunit. The other one is the sub amp located in the trunk to the left of the sub woofer speaker.

I bought a 2001 ES300 for $9500. It has high miles, 132K and runs great. The Lexus dealer provided me with the documented maintenace, oil, timing belt brake repairs, etc, and it had a clean Carfax, so the high mileage became less of a concern. It is the exact color combo, silver w/ gray cladding, I had been looking for.

I could use the wooden accent trim that goes around the shift lever. Can you provide a picture and how much $$$. Thanks

I had the same problem programming my 2001 ES300. It finally worked when I followed the instructions from the beginning of the non HomeLink/Rolling code instructions. Once that process is completed, and the system rejects the code, then continue with the HomeLing/Rolling code instructions. Now it works fine. This worked for my ES, but I assume most models are programmed the same way.

I have a 1993 LS400 and am looking into upgrading my sound system also. This is what I have found about the system, maybe it will help you. This assumes you have the Pionner Premium Sound System and not the Nakamichi system. The front and rear door speakers are 4", 4ohm, 40 watt. The rear sub woofer is an 8", 2 ohm, 80 watt. There is a 2 ohm amp for the sub woofer mounted in the trunk, on the left side (looking into the trunk). There is another amp contained in the headunit. You can find the sub woofer amp on Ebay, but you need to replace the whole head unit if your internal amp is bad. I am planning on installing Infinity 4002I speakers in the doors and maybe a Kicker 8" sub woofer in the rear deck. Has anyone installed these speakers, and how do they sound ?

Hi Rusty, If you can post pics it would help diagnose the problem. Leather should not have a white lining. Are you sure the portion scratched is leather and not vinyl? Most leathers don't fade unless the leather has been highly exposed to UV. The most likely problem is that the leather is bone dry. When the leather dries it expands causing the leather to look lighter in color. Try hydrating the leather with several back-to-back applications of leather conditioner. If the Zymol product is not getting the job done, you might try our Sonus brand (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-610.html), which I have used to restore many different leather products. David ←

The black seats in my ES300 look a little sun faded and have a few scratches that show the white lining. I would like to find a product that can be put on the seats to add color back to the seats. I do not want to get into dying the leather. I have used Zymol, which looks good, but fades after a month or so. Does anyone have any suggestions.