bartkat

It's yellow and has a number on the roof. I asked.

You can probably find pics of actual cars with CF hoods here. http://www.cardomain.com/

There are some good articles on suspension tuning at TireRack.com. http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/testing.jsp As a rule, the thicker the sway bar, the stiffer, and hence less body roll. I think Eibach or L-tuned would be the mildest upgrade, and then move up from there.

Is that a taxi?

Finally picked up a leather knob from is300.net. Thanks for idea! ← Hope you like it. I really like mine.

For long life..... I got 37K on my OEM Dunlop 9000s (I actually I ran to 40k but it was dodgy) Great life with even wear until it went beyond 37k. Many other IS owners have gone 35K with these. ← Right. My OEM Dunlops lasted well too.

A good body shop would be able to do it. Personally I wouldn't go to the dealer. Ask some people you know locally for a recomedation. The shop doesn't have to be Lexus specific.

One place is in the link in my post above yours. I think the ones in the link are just for headers, not turbo. The sims are just electronic devices that are spliced into the wiring. Here's another source. http://www.o2sensorsimulator.com/

There is a hole on each side of the car under the foot wells. They should have plastic plugs in them. If one of the plugs came out it could cause the whistle. Usually the sound travels up through the door and sounds like maybe a window leak. Get under the car and look around behind the front wheels where the footwells slope up and you should either find the holes or the plastic plugs.

You need O2 simulators. These will fool the ECU and allow your motor to run ok. http://www.turboeast.com/products.asp?page=IS300Electronics

Unless a lip kit will hide the damage, you need to get a kit with a complete replacement bumper. Also be careful to find out that whatever you get will actually fit your IS without having to cut away any of the bumper bar. Also some Alteeza kits don't fit all that well on an IS. Just make sure before you buy.

Way to much money at the Dealer. Try doing a Google search for used Lexus parts and get hooked up with an online salvage yard.

If you haven't already done so, you might have better luck on the UK boards. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...hp?showforum=50

If you still haven't plugged in that cable and/or checked out the stuff I told you about, then it ain't time for any more ideas yet. One step at a time or you'll have no idea of what the problem is/was.

How about the electrical plug that you said wasn't hooked up? Also do your headlights dip and then level up when you first turn tnem on?

No, no...I appreciate the help. I'm just kinda disappointed I couldn't give a more proper introduction here. Maybe I'll go ahead and do that once I get my car fixed...talk about bad impressions...this is only my third mod too (first being a drop, then 5zigens)... ← I know quite a few guys who love the SRT intake. I never got one for the very reason that you have to solder wires into the ECU. That was kinda scary for me. Anyway, good luck.

Have you looked at katskins? I hear they are pretty good. http://www.katskins.com/

Sometimes when people do brake work or suspension work, they damage the wheel sensors. I don't think they are cheap, and not sure about replacement. If you get stuck, I can dig out my disorganized files and see if I can send you a copy of the assembly diagram.

Thanks for the reply, When you say there are sensors behind the front wheel. Are there any harness that plugs into this.Is there a sensor on each wheel? if so I think I know where to start. THANKS!!!Since you mentioned the headlight thing. We balaced the headlights if the headlight balace goes off will that cause such an CEL? Also what do these sensors look like and are they easy to replace if needed. ← I'm not sure about the wiring harness, but the sensors should be obvious on the backing plate behind each wheel. I think they should be close to the brake fluid lines. They are motion sensors plugged into a hole and there is one for each wheel. They sense when a wheel is not turning and in turn activate the ABS. They are also involved in the skid control system, so that would account for the VSC light. If by balancing the light, you mean aiming them, no that should not cause a problem.

There are sensors behind the front wheels for the headligh autolevel control. Perhaps that is what is disconnected. I know for sure that if the rear sensors are out of whack you will get the same warning lights. The headlight computers themselves are located at the bottom of the headlight housings. You might try to trace wires from there. Or on the front suspension arm, there are threaded adjusment rods for the level sensors. Also since the ABS light is on, check the wires to the ABS wheel rotation sensors which plug in just inside the wheel hubs. These are pretty hefty little cables.

I leased a 2005 IS in February fully loaded for $365/month. I got a 48 mo. lease at 15K miles a year. I used their option for multiple security deposits you are able to get back at the end of the lease. I put the maximum of around $3500 into that. Hope that helps. ← I leased a 2003 IS300, I know its not THAT current but just to give you an idea. I put down 18000 and i have the 48 month lease with 10K miles per year and my monthly payments are 85 dollars. ← That's amazing. I never heard of anyone putting that much down on a lease. Maybe I could afford a LS430 by doing something like that.

Sorry I couldn't help more. I have heard of it happening a couple times, but usually the soldering wasn't right. Good luck.

Thanks for the info - I never knew there was such thing as limp mode. What happened was the TRAC light blinks rather than staying on. Nothing can stop it from blinking. Traction control was confirmed off when I as able to peel off the road. (though I can't go over 3000rpm now) I've already looked in some salvage sites, and I did find a few - but I would like to confirm something - is there different ECUs for auto and manual? The only think I know relevant to that is the 2001 model used a different ECU. But why would it suddenly try to "protect" the motor? Isn't the piggyback unit (assuming it actually works) supposed to fool the ECU rather than trying to mutilate it? ← Yes the trac light would be blinking, and possibly another light. I can't think of which one right now. The piggyback may be defective or something got messed up during installation or removal. The engine goes into limp mode because is senses that something is wrong that could cause engine damage. Therefore it restricts the RPM to allow some driving, but limits the RPM. My 2001 - 2002 parts list just gives different part numbers for 01 and 02 ECU, but no separate number for manual and auto. When your RPM was limited, something with the SRT thingie or the hookup told the ECU that there was an error somewhere. Had the piggyback been ok and the install ok, then that would not have happened. You really need to get those codes and then find out what they are and what the fix is. In the meantime I'd take a VOM and check continuity on all the wires and connections that were involved in the installation and removal of the piggyback. One open circuit could be causing all the problems. Of course you also need to check all the fuses and relays in the system, as one or more of those could have gotten shorted.

There's a really big flaw in your and your professor's research. It should be obvious what it is.

Sounds like it went into "limp" mode on the first try, trying to protect the motor. After that, you're probably correct that the ECU is fried or some connections were broken when you disconnnect the solders wires. The TRAC light usually comes on when the engine goes into limp mode. I looked at a couple sites that sell SRT and didn't see any place to specify auto or std transmissions on the order forms. I kinda think all the piggy backs are alike. Do a Google search on "used Lexus parts". I've found ECU's listed before on some of the salvage sites. Sorry, but I don't have the bookmarks anymore. Maybe try this guy for a replacement ECU. http://www.billystoyotaparts.com/