nc211

Check the back of your owners manual for the type of gear oil to use "i think it's 75w, but don't quote me on it". I would strongly suggest using full synthetic gear oil over the normal stuff. My experience with full synthetic in the diff box has been night and day. Things felt much smoother, and quieter too. You never really notice the "white noise" of the differential, until you don't hear it anymore. I use Mobile 1 products myself in all of my cars. I've got full synthetic in my 4runner, which has two differentials plus a transfer box. Talk about a messy and exhausting job! the hand pump will work great!

....well, after installing the new lower ball joints on my GS a couple of weekends ago, now I have a poping noise coming from the front when I put the car in reverse and turn the wheel (backing out of a parking space, for instance). Why do I have the feeling that ole' theory of "a new part shows the weaknesses of the old part" is starting to creep up again...... I'm not going through this again with Lexus, period. Not after I sunk thousands into my LS chasing this kind of crap. I like the GS, but by no means do I love it. I think the handling is horrible, the steering is floaty, and the overall feel of this "sport" sedan is nothing more then a shorter version of an LS. If this is the case, then I'm giving BMW a try. A solenoid here, window switch there, I can handle. But no more of this soft rubber suspension bushing hell. That ultra quiet, smooth ride comes at a price, one that I'm not willing to pay to maintain, again. Not for a car that I view as nothing more then just a "car". This might be my last used Lexus for a while, until I'm ready to score another LS, no older than 3 years with less then 40k miles. I'm beginning to think in all honesty, that these ultra brands (Acura, Infinity, Lexus) of the mothership aren't really worth the premium. Not when my 80k mileage 4runner drives like brand new with needing nothing more then a normal brake job. Or a 04' Camry with 90k miles is smoother and nimbler then my 01' GS430 with 60k miles.

90, did you not just have some sort of work done the car that could have introduced air into your ps system? Air rises to the top, so for the first few seconds of a new start, you're on the fluid, then the air hits. I think you're overthinking this man. Just put the front of the car on jacks, open the lid to the res tank, start the car, and turn the wheel from lock to lock about a dozen times. Then shut off the car, and turn the wheel lock to lock again, SEVERAL times. If you haven't made sure the air is out of the system, then I'm affraid you're overthinking it! A new solenoid, or even a new rack in general, is going to have heavy steering if there is any sort of air in the system. When I did my solenoid, I cleaned it like new, flushed the fluid and all that good stuff, only to be treated by a steering wheel that was heavier than a lead weight when I was done. Until I got the air out of the system.

It's normal, all modern cars do it. it's part of the epa's emissions requirement to get the car's engine up to operating temp quicker "which produces less pollution". The engine is safe and fine. The computer runs the car "rich" during this period to add additional lubrication and such to prevent damage. This is the case for cars dating back to the early 90's, if not earlier. My 95' LS did this too, and I'd bet your LX does it as well, although I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't, given the weight and laws assigned to SUV's back then.

Shanen, question: Do you have a loan against the car? If not, what about just put that $3k-$4k towards the purchase of a newer LS instead, along with the broken LS you've got now? To me, dumping that kind of money into a depreciating asset, such as a car, would be a tough pill to swallow. Plus, don't forget about the added expense of labor and the most likely frustration levels that are probably going to go along with having to adjust all the sensors and such of a new engine, like the throttle position sensor, a/c controls, etc... I would have to think that simply swapping out a 3UZ engine is more then a plug/play operation. Not to mention the need to explain to any future purchaser or dealership upon trade in why you've got two different vin numbers (one for the car, one on the engine block) and what that could do to the value of the car. But, if this is the avenue you decide to take, then I'd invest a couple hundred dollars more for a set of new motor mounts too, since you're going to have direct access to them during the process. Plus, make sure whatever engine you buy, that you're not walking into another big ticket item just aroud the corner....the timing belt/water pump service! In my own personal opinion, if my car needs a new engine, then I need a new(er) car.

90 - I assume you've put the front of the car on jacks and turned the steering wheel all the way left and right several times with the engine running, and not running, with the resviour cap off, to make sure all air bubbles in the system were properly flushed out? When I cleaned my filter screen on my LS, I had very heavy steering as well shortly thereafter. I had to do this lock-to-lock procedure again to make sure all the air got out of the system. Once I did it the second time, my steering returned to the one-finger ease, and remained that way until the day I sold it. But, it did take me two attempts.

Exhaust: Check the rubber hangers underneath the car. One might have broken, causing it to sag and move around. Some movement of the exhaust is normal though, as the whole thing is hung by rubber O-rings. This is the case for most cars actually. The rear end clunk noise. It's most likely the rear carrier bushings. This is common on the LS and GS. If you look at the rear suspension, look for the control arm that has the forward most connection point to the frame of the car. This is the carrier. Since our cars are rear wheel drive, that forward holding control arm takes most of the torque. After a while, those little rubber bushings simply start to wear out. They've been pushed/pulled upon for long, they start to either get very soft, or simply crack, which results in the bolt that runs through the middle of them to start hitting the outside of the bushing mount. This is common at this mileage actually, and is usually the first bushing to go in the system. There are some options, one of which was already mentioned, the aftermarket route. Some Lexus dealers use these aftermarket bushings to save the customer money from having to replace the entire arm. I believe they're called a ASUS bushins repair kit. They're polyurethane (sic) and are much harder than oem. The upside to this is that they don't bend as much as the oem set up, which holds things in place much firmer. The downside however, is you have to rememebr the suspension set up isn't just one bushing, but several in several different arms that all work together in concert. If you introduce a much harder bushing in the mix, you run the risk of realizing how worn out the other bushings are as well. You have a much better chance of things "adapting" better by using oem parts. I had the ASUS repair kit done on my former 95' LS for the rear carrier bushings. If I had to do it again, I'd probably just spend the extra money for genuine oem. By the time I was done with my LS, I had replaced all of the suspension components with new oem parts, except for those ASUS bushings. I chased vibrations throughout that car for years. Replacing the part isn't hard at all. It's two bolts actually. One to the car's frame, one to the wheel hub. You can order parts online from places like parts.com for much cheaper than the dealership. These are genuine Toyota parts too, not aftermarket. Outside of the cost for the parts, and the garage time logged to install them, the only other expense you'll face is a new alignment, which is crucial to have done whenever you introduce new parts like this. For instance, I replaced my front lower ball joints in my GS about 10 days ago. Just those two parts alone have thrown out my alignment something fierce. I'm scheduled to get it aligned today actually on a hunter gsp9700 machine, but don't think I'm gonna have the time to make the appointment. 4 wheel alignment is about $90 bucks.

Ahh...the wonderful stories of a Lexus Stealership....don't cha' just love 'em! On the motor mounts. Remember, these are "age" items, not "mileage". I say this, because I too have a 01' GS, with only 60k miles. Mine is the 430 though "heavier engine", but I had to have the motor mounts replaced recently to stop the car from shaking when coming to a stop light while still in "d". It was the classic symptom. These mounts don't "collapse", they either soften up or crack. Mine had simply gone through one too many Chicago weather patterns of freezing in the winter to hot in the summer, and simply softened up too much. If I were you, and not defending the dealership here, but I wouldn't be suprised if some new mounts are in your not-too-distant future, especially given you're coming into your 9th year. Plus, two new motor mounts in a Lexus car probably produces the most significant improvement to the car. I was also getting a slight humming noise through the car, and a little pull in the steering wheel depending on road conditions. Those are now gone too. The only time I can actually hear the engine is under a heavy foot as I pass by the 3,000 rpm level. Then I hear it growl, but barely. $500 for the timing belt is actually pretty cheap, espeicially for a dealership! I'm in the same boat as you about this too. I'm nowhere near the mileage for a new one, but am in terms of time passed. I'm not going to spend the money on it though.

you were right on the money lex! I finally got to the overhaul on the car this weekend, including the coolant sensor. It's the sensor to the left of the throttle body flywheel in the photo "look for the brass colored hex nut". It's easy to get to once you take off the intake tube from the air filter box "on the GS model - which is much tighter space to work in". It was easy, and I can certainly tell a difference in the car's driving. Granted, I did a lot today on the car "cleaned throttle body and put in new plugs", so I'm not sure what's contributing to the new driving style. But I know I'm loving the results!

Well, better late then never. I finally got the overhall done today. Spent all day yesterday doing the brakes and lower ball joints. Man, is that road salt some kind of freakin' evil on a car! New rotors & pads throughout, and from lower ball joints. Had the motor mounts done this past week. Spent today doing the spark plugs, cleaning out the throttle body, new fan belt, and a new coolant temp sensor. Results? Excellent!! Except for one thing..the front brakes. After doing the first wheel "passenger side", I moved on to the next wheel "driver's side". There are four pads for the front. Two have these fitment springs attached to them, two don't. Realizing my error when installing the second wheel, I realized I put both pads with the seating springs on one wheel, and was forced to put the two that didn't have the springs on the driver's side. Pulled into the driveway a few minutes ago after my first test drive, and clearly heard a rythmic rubbing sound from somewhere. I can't tell if it's that passenger side wheel, or coming from the back "passenger side rear had the ebrake shoes dragging". Or, if there is simply some grease on the rotors that need to wear off. Anyone know if I screwed up by putting two pads with the attached seating springs on one caliper? For those who are intersted in knowing where the coolant sensor is, see the photo. You'll see two brass colored object. The main one is the butterfly door in the throttle body "on the right". The other brass object "directly to the left of throttle body" is the coolant temp sensor. Look for the brass colored hex nut in the photo, that's the sensor. Very easy to get to if you've taken off the air intake to the throttle body. Well, anyone know if I screwed up the brakes? Or should just wait and see what happens? Car drives a LOT better! Very smooth, very smooth shifting, power is back, car moves effortlessly now. Before, it fealt labored to get going, somewhat. Now, not so much, at all!

That quote in my post is from a local chat board where I live. Like in much of the country, these shots are being offered through county health departments (better get the shot if you're brave enough to go to a county health department in general, because you know you're gonna bring home something from there!). What bugs me about this is the fact that those who we need healthy (doctors) aren't the first to get it. What really chaps my hide is when it's a military doctor. This was my reply below: Shore...he can have mine "once I get through". Our son is 18 months old. He comes from very strong genes. I'm fortunate to provide my family with the ability to not be saddled by healthcare insurance worries. You show me the way to get your son into that clinic, and I'll do everything I know to make it happen. In my eyes, MILITARY always comes first. I think it's a god damned shame and a national disgrace how we treat those who have the guts to answer the call. Moreover, the wives who sign up for it, and the families who suffer through it. I'd GLADLY step up to the line to make sure any of them get the first row seat to anything! You tell me how, and I'll do what I can. I might be new to the area, but I come with some ability. I'd gladly hand over the comforts of my world to those who I have to thank for giving me the opportunity to achieve under the beauty of our colors. I want to like Obama, I really do. I want success and progress for anyone willing to try. But, I can't help this growing feeling inside of me that just doesn't buy him. I said I'd give him a year before making up my mind. Two month to go on that pledge, and sadly it's not looking good. Pelosi makes Celine Dion look like Mother Teresa in my eyes....and we all know how I feel about the forked-tongue she-devil from Canada!

My son is a Navy doctor at Great Lakes and they have not gotten their supply yet! Told they might get it in the next week or two. Meanwhile, the sick keep pouring in and the staff remains unprotected. His 6 month old daughter received her first shot last week. We are praying she builds her immunity before Daddy brings it home. My son knows of an ER resident whose 10 month old died. Terrible. (Swine Flu) This wouldn't have happened under W's watch. My patience with Obama, and his party, is on thin ice. Mistreat the military fabric of this nation, and you're asking for trouble.

By no means am I displaying any sort of disrespect to the victims, victim families, or anyone else who has been impacted by this horrible accident. But I have to ask; what about kicking the car out of drive into neutral and just letting the engine blow? Can this not be done in cars anymore at certain speeds?

25 gallon size tank is the happy middle. Do the drain plug like I did. You want to drain it after every use to prevent moisture buildup. Like I said, smaller tank size = less air reserves = more activity from the pump. Larger tank size = more air = less activity from the pump.

January 1991, Kansas City (your town), driving down 119th in Overland Park to school in the morning (Blue Valley North), 1987 VW GTI, wind chill of -40 "yes, that is MINUS 40 degrees". Two blocks from Metcalf "in front of the fire station", with about 1/8th of gas in the car....it died on the road. Reason being? WATER in the tank froze in the fuel line. The $300 fix? A $3 bottle of HEET, via the tow truck and mechanic at the VW dealer. My dad was not too pleased.. It had been that cold all week, with no problems with the car, until I got down to the last few chugs of gas...then the water hit the system. leftfooter - take it from someone who's had a LOT of experience with water problems in gas tanks (remember, I use to live along the NC coast for 10+ years, worked my way through college in marinas, and have had 4 boats), what you're describing with the surging power, the sputtering, and the power swings, sounds EXACTLY like water sitting on top of the gas hitting the system...EXACTLY like it. PS: you're not the first one to post up this problem. There have been others over the years, with 90% being caused by water, and fixed with a cheap bottle of seafoam or HEET, or any of the other countless water in gas treatments at just about every gas station....

Or prom night.... "Yes, hello....ummmm, she can't get pregnant if the seat heater is on, right?"

I'd say before spending the money on a mechanic to look at it, try a $5 bottle of Seafoam from any autoparts store first. Maybe there is water in the tank that is sitting on top of the fuel. As the fuel gets low, the water is getting pulled into the system. Seafoam will fix that, and will also clean out the system of crud build up. I'd pour in the Seafoam, and then fill up the tank to about 50-60%, leaving you with a higher concentration of Seafoam/gas mixture. It's $5 bucks, that could possibly save you a few hundred! ;) I would think that if there were dirt and such in the tank, it would always be at the bottom of the tank near the pump, and you'd probably have a clogged filter by now. The fact that this happens when the fuel gets low, makes me think it's something capable of floating on top of the gas....which is what water does. In fact, after rereading your post again, I'm almost certain you've got water in the tank. What you describe happening, is EXACTLY what happens to boats, which get water in their tanks all the time! PS: I note you're in Austin, TX, and you've had the car for about a year. Did you run carfax when you bought it to make sure it wasn't damaged by any of the hurricanes of the past few years? If you've got a lot of water in there (1/8-1/4 tank), then this might be something to look into?

Can you imagine if we had this technology 15 years ago? O.J. would be TOAST!! Glove don't fit, don't me sh%t, when the gps says you'd done it! I can only imagine some of the calls these operators take! "Hi, um, I need a.....(insert joke)"

Thanks Kyle! If a Mac guy says he likes it, I'm sold! I won't do the upgrade either. I remember the nightmares of the "upgrade" on past OS platforms (Me). I'll buy the professional - complete package. I love the marketing platform of Windows 7 "we asked you to tell us what you want, and we listened". Why do I have a feeling most of those comments were "we want a Mac!"

KF, I have a Craftsman compressor I bought about 4 years ago (went on a tool-up binge) that has done more than anything I've ever asked of it (pnumatic tools including impact wrench, air hammer, grinder, paint gun, cutter, sander). http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_0...Air+Compressors It hasn't given my any troubles, but one modification was needed to be made. The drain plug was utterly useless and horrible. So I did this: http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/worksho.../ball_valve.htm I'm finding that Craftsman mechanical equipment is becoming junk! I'd love to stay with Craftsman, but after the experience I've had with my $400 lawmower that I bought 18 months ago, the broken drawers of my tool chest, and the broken bearings on my shopvac/leaf blower motor (3rd time), my loyalty to stick with Sears (beyond hand tools), has evaporated. But, the air compressor has held up just fine. It is LOUD though. What you want to look for: PSI capability isn't all that important above 90 psi, as you'll find most of the hoses and tools are set to max at that psi. I don't think I've got a tool that goes above 90psi. Tank size does matter though, but there is a balance to be had. The larger the tank, the more "drive" you'll have behind your tools. But, you can counter that by the strenght of the motor "gets more expensive though". If you have a smaller tank, you'll want a stronger motor to replenish the air strength. So in this regards, look for a quieter running motor with some hp. Just about anything will run a paint gun and palm sander/grinder. But, trust me on this, those are the things you want to do now, but tomorrow might be a different day and you'll want to do more. My advice is to over-shoot what you want today, so you're capable of doing more tomorrow. The compressor is the most expensive component to your future pnumatic tool collection, and your abilities will revolve around the compressor. An impact wrench takes a lot of juice to keep running. PS: Those little yellow air cables that come with it....crap. Buy a decent air cable, it makes ALL the difference in the world on how your tools will work!

Well, I'm thinking it's about time for me to go legit, and pay "the man"..aka..Bill Gates, and upgrade my bootlegged XP Pro to Windows 7. I've had this version of XP for 9 years now, and with DC's help, got upgraded to SP2 "love ya' DC!" But, I've got to make sure nothing ever goes to microsoft's site to update anything. If it does, the evil force knows i'm not 2 legit 2 quit, and next thing I know, I'm swamped with popups from them. So, instead of spending several hundred, if not a cool grand+ to replace my newly upgraded desktop with a Mac, I'm thinking about going with the $150 Windows 7 Pro. Anyone experience this new OS yet? Any comments? Yes, I know, it's Windows...glitches here and there. But, I've been Windows for 2 decades, got too much invested in that platform, and not willing to steer away and make that kind of investment. When XP came out, it was a whole new Kernel platform from 95/98/Me/NT. Then they made Vista on that Kernel, and killed it. Anyone know if 7 is entirely new Kernel? Or just more lipstick on XP? Thanks my LOC amigos!!!!

I'll give you another example of what the "L" means in repair-ville... Called two indi shops today to get estimates on replacing my motor mounts this week "I have the mounts, just need the labor". One shop, that comes recommended by several folks in my area (European shop, but works on Lexus too), said simply and quickly "it's a 1 hour job for each, so 2 hours max..$200 bucks". The other, which I've seen on my way into the office in the morning said "can I get your name, address, and phone number and I'll call you back. I have to look up the hourly rate for your car. Each car has a different hourly rate." I hung up on him. Several errors in his approach. First: He was clearly hunting for marketing material. I can only imagine the telemarketing calls I'd get, and the junk mail. Second: He was clearly going to up-charge me on the hourly rate because I said "Lexus" instead of "Toyota". Third: You don't know what you charge per hour? Seriously? You're a 3 bay garage, and you don't know what you charge? No confidence in that shop that they know what they're doing..... $200 it is. It's about $50 more than I'd like, but $50 for "confirmation" I guess is the going rate these days....

CANDY?!?! Did somebody say CANDY?!?!?!

Two different applications in cars, in my opinion. The ES is more "luxury" in the sense of use, as were the GS is intended to be more "sporty" with luxury added. The ES is front wheel drive, the GS rear (or awd). From what I've read on here though, the newer GS models seem to have some annoying quirks about them, specific to rattles and such. The ES is a solid performer for many reasons. I've got an older GS, and I can tell you, I'm not in love with it. It feels very heavy and lumbersum. It doesn't have that needle/balance that you'd expect from a "sports sedan". Sure, it's faster than greased lightening. Sure, it's comfortable. But I have driven it's model year counterpart ES before, and felt that it was more nimble, easier to drive, and more car (due to being less car), if that makes sense? But, the GS isn't bad either. I'm not saying it's a Chevy, by any means. The answer to your question really lies in what you want in a car. If you want a sports-type car, the GS is a good choice. But if you're looking for more of a "sedan" feel, the ES is the pick, in my opinion.

Are you in Raleigh? Looking at Johnson? If so, be somewhat cautious, and don't buy into their sales pitches that "it'd be CPO if it weren't for XXXX". I bought my former 95' LS400 with 81k from them, and, well, you see how many posts I've got? Probably 50% of those are "what's wrong" when I had the LS. After I had it all fixed, it was great. My problems were suspension/driveshaft/vibration issues, and mine was a unique situation for the LS series. But, the load of BS they delivered to me when I bought it, didn't turn out to be true at all. Lesson learned along the way...... That being said...you'll note my other two cars in my signature to the left as well...I'll buy a Toyota V8 engine all day long, with 0% worries. My current GS430, with 58k miles, will turn into a 05-06 LS430 in a couple of years (if not sooner). They're simply fantastic cars. They're built so well, that even if I could, I don't think I could bring myself to paying for a new one. I have no concerns about buying a used Lexus that's under 60k miles. North of that, and it's basically fluid changes and a brake job, which is normal for any car. Severe conditions (like here in Chitcago), north of 50k miles, it's ball joints, maybe a suspension bushing, and possibly an engine mount (worst roads on the planet). PS: I agree with the fellas......steer clear of the air suspension set up. Your roads down there are smooth, you won't notice enough of a difference between the normal set up and the air suspension to justify the costs. (I use to live in NC for 15 years until this past February).