MrLatifa

Did your vehicle show any other codes? Im not really one to replace sensors because of age, always test first. Seems like its a parts crapshoot anymore. Be sure to replace the spark plugs with oem style, not the cheapies. I think they take double platinum? I dont recall, be sure to ask the parts people. Also, spark plug wires. Beldens arent cheap, but the fitment was a mechanics dream! Usually I try to stick with a tune-up when I buy a car. After the tune-up, THEN i begin my search for the other things. A scanner with live data and perhaps freeze frame, will save you from spending hundreds on costly parts guessing. Be sure and take care of the valve covers, and dont be surprised when they leak again. Just dont fall into the temptation of replacing things just because youre already there. Always keep in mind of the quality of parts you are replacing it with, and sometimes things dont like to be removed. Kind of a line to walk between "aint broke dont fix it" , and properly maintained. Best of luck, talk with your mechanic, he will help you more than anything else..

18 months of 7hr day school training, handful of expired and current ASE, Mecp mobile electronics certified -or was-, GM trained in certain sub-systems, 8yrs as lead tech for local garage, handful of months at a dealership (so damn crooked, took a 75% pay cut to leave!!). Ive done everything from muckin about with the Vanos timing setup on BMW's, chasing down that pesky fan controller on dodge vans, rewiring/rerouting engine harnesses, rebuilding transmissions, beating the hell out of ball-joints and suspensions, rebuilding engines from nasty gritty block up. Ive worn out 2 alignment machines (corded and the new wireless..o boy), diagnosing numerous engine problems that span EVERY DAMN CAR you could imagine, welding brake brackets back to smooth, retapping bolt holes, resoldering the random circuit board, and torching metals until they succomb to my wrench. I don't let anyone work on any of my personal cars, not even to change the oil. NONE of my cars has gone to the crusher because i COULDNT fix it. I know this town, and am aware of the majority of technical skill being currently sold to the public here. Lets just say I dont like the odds. I used to actauly LIKE working on cars. If you like messing with cars, Dont work for a shop!! Did I mention I do all this 45hrs a week for currently less than $20,000 a year? Not complaining it was an informed decision..... MONEY ONLY BUYS THE ILLUSSION OF HAPPINESS.... (oh, and lotsa cool stuff too)

Sounds like a panel going bad. I would assume it is a solid-state controlled device combo/switch. Maybe the dealer will apply the diagnostic towards installation, if it finds to be the controller? Personally, I'd give it the old "smack" test. If it changed at all on the panel, I'd go to the connector(s), do the "wiggle" test and then go from there.

Smooth as silk. Now I notice a slight click when coming to a complete stop in reverse. Only during the first stop of course. Further inspection revealed a less than perfect pad fit. So very minute, that I will wait until the mountains wear out the current pad set. At that time I'll probably order a quality pad to replace, and freshen up any hardware that doesn't look perfect. Oh, still waiting on my new tires and wheels. OF COURSE I can feel the slightest vibration of a not perfect wheel. Noone else notices it, but I do. Soon to be remedied! At that time, I'm sure something even more minute will become apparent. Hopefully, the leaky power-steering rack doesnt get worse. ha!

100 miles from the dealership my new car started to vibrate and shake. So, heres the money invested in repairs thus far. Before everyone complains, I know that if one looks hard enough they can find better parts prices. I also know that most quality shops buy what they know is quality, from who they know they can trust. Anyhow, here's what's been spent thus far, in the persuit of a perfectly smooth ride. this total doesnt include the $550 spent on tires or the $500 spent on wheels.

Coil perhaps? feel like im on a gameshow. What color are the wires EXACTLY? One could look thru the schematics and see, but it would be easier to look at the engine bay I would think... Where it came from (exactly), would be invaluable at this point.

Rear rotors. With more solid mounts, the vibration may be more felt. If its only when you apply the brakes, makes sense its in the braking system...ROTORS. If you feel it in your butt, its the rears, if you see it in the steering wheel, its the fronts. Take em to a shop, have em micrometer them, check for federal specs, and either replace or have them resurfaced. Good time to replace pads as well. Just think about it when you drive..... if its a transmission or engine problem, wouldnt it change if you accelerated or changed gears, while the brakes WEREN'T applied? Hope this helps...

The code indicates a problem in the "engine speed sensor". It can also be induced by skipping of the timing belt teeth, or an excessively stretched belt. Of course it can hinge on the cam sensors, but typically you'd think a code(s) 17 and 18 as well. The crankshaft "ESS" is loacted on the lower rhs (looking at it) of the crank pulley. Its a simple 2 wire. 8-12degrees timing at 750rpm idle. I recently checked my timing belt, and it was actually simple to check and wouldnt be as bad as it seems to replace. Anyhow, hope this helps give you something cheaper to do, before you start buying parts.

Sounds like your definately searching in the right spots. Not to sound simple, but did you clean the throttle plate and reset the fuel trim via battery? Looks like the maf is a VERY expensive part, so perhaps being obdII, you can check to make sure its showing a decent flow at regular idle rpms. Dont forget to look at the tps value while you've got the scanner hooked in. Hell, you should be able to check the long and short term fuel trims on the meter. Looks like the vehicle can be equipped with a few diff egr setups, visual inspection required to determine. If it aint electronic, its a cinch to test and clean. Remember to clean the passages as well. At least the ideas to start with DONT include spending much money... Let us know with anything else you may find. *I dont think the overheating issue is a cooling problem, rather induced by low rpms. please watch ur temps until this gets figured out. *

HOORAY!! Got the piece out of the end of the crank. When I went to center punch it to drill for a tap, it actually just cocked sideways and was pulled straight out. A local torque converter shop got me a rebuilt converter for $120, and I ordered a used flexplate from ebay. After checking my flex plates for runout and balance (on a wheel balancer ha!), I ended up reusing the original and decided my purchase was a wasted $35. Upon installing the new converter and putting it all back together........smooth as a cucumber! The vibration that was giving me such a hard time is gone!! Persistence and a ton of free labor and wham, fixed! Vibration: cyclic vibration in nuetral,park and while moving in drive. The vibration begins to be felt at about 1400rpm and increases in speed and amplitude as rpm's rise. *note : supporting the engine from the mounts via stand/jack, only isolate the engine and transmission from the body. It was determined the vibration wasnt from the exhaust mount locations, so the support test does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help aid in further diagnosis. Mounts only dampen small inherent vibrations. Mounts WILL NOT stop the origination of the vibration!! Solution: Replaced torque converter, pilot nose on old converter found to be broken, allowing slight misalignment of converter to flywheel installation. (mine was obviously damaged by the previous technician installing a rear main seal, previous owner noted vibration but ignored it for how slight it was.) NOT SOLUTIONS: Engine mounts, transmission mounts, tires, wheels, brakes, and all that other crap. What Ive learned is that no ammount of forum reading can take the place of a well informed mechanic that has been down those roads. My first guess was in the converter, I shoulda just did that first. Hope this helps anyone out there that has tried all the regular mounts and crap. Be sure to inspect the converter and the harmonic dampener on the front, BEFORE spending a fortune on rubber mounts.....

awesome, thanks!

+1 clean clean clean. I usually disconnect the battery to reset things at the same time! MAF sensors can make idle go funnny as well. Fuzz attractors i call 'em. I think your car has one. haha Let us know, but Curious made a good suggestion.

OOOH, was i right? I gotta know, is there another cabin filter? Now its stuck in my head like the "yellow submarine" song.

Using a synthetic for a car that doesnt see many miles, and sits a long time...Makes perfect sense. Synthetics contain different detergents, and Id bet synthetics maintain their "mix" better as it sits for extended periods? Anyhow, well put, I like your style. As for running a blend to go to dino oil... not necessary. Quiet a few places are using "synthetic blend" oil, and I'm guessing its a blend. lol Anyhow, If I had a brand new car that was shipped to me with synthetic....I'd run it until the first hint of an oil leak. 50-80k miles. Then I'd switch to dino oil and that would be that... Unless....theres special circumstances. I KNOW toyota oil and air filters are of good quality, also I find that WIX is good quality and more available to me. There are only a handful of filter manufacturers that sell under 100's of names. Kinda like oil. I would NOT use a k&n reusable filter. For a filter to flow more air, it is stopping less dirt.. These cars from factory, are setup to flow a fairly precise ammount of air. Unless you make other engine modifications, I wouldnt see much gain in "allowing" the engine to breathe more. Your car only needs so much air. In a non-turbo engine, the physical mechanics of the engine, allow only so much vacuum to the throttle plates, at any given rpm. True, you remove an air filter and your car may free rev easier, but think of how much money and time Lexus spent on deciding what exact intake piping and fuel mapping to use. Ive noticed that as you reduce the restricion caused by an air filter (the car was designed to have), you lose some of the smooth acceleration. Last k&n filter I installed on a customers 3.1liter, 85k miles on it, he blew the mains while free reving it to let his buddies hear how cool it sounded. Anyhow, I prefer to err on the side of caution. Of course, if youve made modifications to the internal engine, you would know what youre needing, and longevity takes a back seat. Its time to clean a K&N air filter when umm....... Hell i dunno, last one I cleaned was the LAST ONE I'll ever clean. lol

The light will remain on until the vehicle goes through two "drive cycles". When the computer sees that the matter has been resolved, the light will go out and the "current" code will clear. If the vehicle has not been driven enough or has not been repaired, the light will stay on and the code will remain "current". I was unaware of that. thanks for the clarity.

Glove compartment. Take the glove comp door off, remove the 2 panel screws from lower right side of dash. Just unsnap the claws and voila'! I dont see any info on a rear cabin filter however. Napa only shoes there to be one cabin filter available. Doesnt mean there isnt one, but....

Synthetic oils dont break down as fast, but BOTH get dirty and full of grit at the same rate. Lest we mention that the more miles a car has, the possibility of a tad more "blow by" the pistons. This blow by will degrade oil quickly, no matter what kind you use. Being of smaller molecular structure than regular oils, synthetics can lead to sooner gasket leaks, as the gaskets fall naturally over time. Also, as gaskets begin to leak, oil becomes contaminate more quickly. I would reccomend a solid 10/30 certified oil. Use a quality filter (such as wix) NOT FRAM! And change it on a regular basis : 3-5k miles. My lexus doenst take over 5qts of oil. I would rather use a lesser expensive (quality) oil and keep the changes more frequent. You will get the benefits of clean oil, clean filter, and a technician looking under your car, on a more often basis. Where Ive been working on cars for near 10yrs, oil changes are the best chance to get air in the tires, and catch any gasket failures or other issues, BEFORE they get bad. Just my 2cents, but above all, cleanliness= longevity. -my last 3 toyotas have over 310k miles on the stock engine, and all run strong. NONE ever saw a lick of synthetic-

window.moon wiring.pdfwindow wiring.pdflocator.moon.pdfcomponent locations.pdf Looks like the problems you are having are NOT directly related to the same relay or fuse protection devices. If a pic is worth 1000 words, heres a long conversation.... let me know if this help any.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Here's a pic of my gal. I tried to put some 16" icw "taboo" wheels on her. Damn she looked PERFECT, cept for the way the caliper doesnt clear. DOH!!! Going to try and get the same set in a 17" and buy new tires again for the second time in 2 weeks. Actauly, heres a pic of both my ladies.

Most PO obdII codes require a scanner to reset. The ABS and TSC system however, runs a test each ignition cycle, and if a code trigger "speed sensor open,short/valve issue" is detected, the abs/tcs/brake light will come on. These codes will "reset" themselves upon ignition cycle, if the trigger conditions are not present. Even tho the abs light may be off, it will take a scanner to remove the history code(s) from the computer's memory. Also, ABS/TCS system will trigger a code if any wheel speeds are out of range of another. This will trigger an abs light, but only after the car begins to roll, or as you near a stop. It will not trigger until you roll, because it relies on variances between each wheel, to complete the self test. It too will self reset on ignition recycle, but again, the history will remain even if the trigger is no longer present, and the light is now off. Anyhow, in short....you will need a cheap obd scanner to erase your "gas cap" code. If the code comes back and you havent fueled with the car running, replace the gas cap, clear codes and try again. If the condition persists, take it to a technician that has a smoke machine, or knowledge of the system.

Lightly supported the engine by the oil pan and free revved the engine, to find the dreaded shake thats most apparent around 2k rpm. TOTALLY GONE!! As I lifted the weight off the engine mounts, I noticed seperation showing between the mount and the engine mount bracket. I am suspecting that over the last 20yrs, the mounts have fallen flat and are allowing the engine to resonate thru the car. The sound is cyclic, so maybe the car is amplifying the vibration in waves. Anyhow, being soooo excited about it feeling silky smooth, I ordered 2 hydraulic factory engine mounts. Hopefully in a week, Ill be able to post that I'm a VERY happy Lexus owner.... 11/13 Still shuddering after new mounts. After taking bad advice and starting the car with the torque converter unbolted, I heard a brief metalic niose, and then the vibration. After rebolting the converter, the shudder got worse, and a slight noise from the bellhousing could be heard. Decided to remove transmission and found this.... Good news, found an issue. Good news, transmission only took 2 hrs to remove. Bad news, parts aint free, worse news, the pilot is stuck in the back of the crank. Im thinking either drill and use a slide hammer, or... weld to it and use a slide hammer. Either way, its getting a new rear main seal. Since the vibration was nearly the same, only worse, I'm hoping that replacing the torque converter and getting a straighter flexplate will be the end of that. I notice that the rear main is newer than the car, and the transmission looks to have had work done to it. Maybe somewhere along the line, the converter got bolted up improperly, and I aggravated the situation. Anyhow, Ill let you know what happens, once I install all the parts and get the transmission mount in. Damm good thing I dont pay myself for labor!!!

So simple. Mark the eccentric cams with a line that extends to the body. Very odd the alignment tech would charge you extra to adjust cam bolts. Ive been doing alignments (professionally/daily) for over 10rs, and the cars and trucks with these lower adjusters are my favorites. Lord, I would hate to see what the same tech would charge to align one of those trucks that requires upper ball joint adjuster sleeves!!! I just replaced my lower control arm bushings and plan on aligning it this week when my wheels arrive. I marked my adjusters and put them back, but re-aligning it is the only SURE way to know youre good. After spending $500 on tires, I'm going to realign it anyhow. My machine measures in .05degrees at center-line of wheel, and also in .05" for centerline toe-in. Granted, I can get DAMN close with a tapemeasure and a camber guage, caster is too finicky on rear wheel drive cars, to just tape out the wheelbases. Find a suspension and alignment man you can trust. Pay him for his knowledge and honesty. These cars are the EASIEST to properly align on both front and rear axles, and get it into specs. The camry is the same way. If you have an honest alignment guy, he will KNOW how to check for what parts you're going to need. He should also to be able to show you VISIBLY which part he finds bad. Man I love the Lexus for its ride quality. Remember, even a tiny thing like a sway-bar end-link, can make it sound like your car is falling apart. Or, a tie-rod end (inner or outter), can be loose as hell, youd never know it unless you look. Long winded I know, but maybe this helps a little? Ill find a picture of my control arm bushing install, to show the adjusters. I have a video clip with long explainations as a replace the control arm bushings. If anyone cares, i may edit and post it somewhere. Thanks all

Ouch, how much was the parts cost on rebuilding the rear diff? My car (just bought) is suffering from a slight vibration or two. It had the usual misfire from overdue wires and plugs ect.. Then after new tires, less vibration. THEN after new lower control arm bushings...no change. Still feeling a vibration when under light accleration in motion at 1800-2200rpm, I am beginning to wonder if the rear diff in mine is going out as well. I can feel the rolling vibration in my seat and not the wheel as much. This would indicate it is more rearward? Anyhow, I wanted this car because I expect it to run like silk. So, Ive also bought new straight wheels, and am sure Ill be putting in the factory HYDRAULIC engine mounts and transmission mount. The kicker, the car vibrates at that same rpm while in park, however the vibration is more cyclic, with a sec between cycles. Ive been a tech for many years, and Im thinking that the confusion is arising from multiple vibrations. Anyone else maybe experiencing the same odd combination of symptoms? Im going to support the engine and isolate the engine mounts from the equation, tomorrow. I'll also try to listen to the rear end as its in the air. Just hope to nail this down before i replace everything. Im sure the parts add up, and torque convertes aint cheap. Ill let you guys know.

Just a quick hello. Just purchased my new '92 Lexus sc400 and figured it would suit me to become a new member. So, here's my intorductory post, it only gets worse.....