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Thanks to everyone. Done Deal for the serpentine belt and tensioner. FiveofaKind, the dealer wanted 95 for just the pulley, the entire unit was like 300. Thanks for the suggestion about the bearing. The bearing was totally destroyed so I couldn't get a bearing number. I purchased a used 1996 upper control arm (passenger side) 150.00 from Brandywine Auto Parts and I took my wrench with me to take the used pulley off the engine they had and used steel wool to get the rust from around it off. Now comes the task of the upper control arm. I looked at it and it looks like it would be easy for me since I'm good with my hands. However, I'm not sure what tool I'm suppose to use to tighten it and how much to tighten the upper control arm. That's if I have the tool in my father in law garage. It's hundreds of tools everywhere. But I'll chech the other post I have on that now. Thanks again everyone. Peace.

This one looks like a woozie. I don't think I will try to do it myself, unless I get detailed instructions. Has anyone changed these parts before and how hard and long was the process? Right Upper Control Arm and the Left Tie Rod End. Also, is it possible to just replace the bad ball joint instead of changing the entire Upper Control Arm?

Yes, I admit the job seems like it would be easier than I expected if I didn't run into these loopholes. I couldn't return the part today because AutoZone had a gas leak when I went back and the fire department had to shut them down for the day. Len Stoler said they should have one in tomorrow but no dealer close to me has any in stock. I'm hoping they will have one. It's just so funny to me how they make replacement aftermarket parts that don't fit your vehicle. I couldn't put it on without the spacer either because it left tooooooo much play in the aftermarket part. I'll try again in the morning if Lexus has the part. Thanks.

I'm not having any luck with this. The bolt is too long to put on by itself without the spacer attached. Maybe I can find a some kind of washer at Lowes to use as a spacer. This is ridiculous. I guess I'll have to fork out the 95 dollars to Lexus for their replacement part. Oh well.

It appears that the spacer will not fit on the aftermarket tensioner. It's not spacing from the tensioner therefore it rubs against it causing it to not move. I am just going to put the bolt on there without the spacer and see if I can find the correct spacer tomorrow hopefully, because I know the spacer is on there to keep the tensioner from falling off if the bearings break like my old one did.

I seen the replacement pics on Lexls and the washer is suppose to be there. I need to know how tight is this bolt suppose to be, because when I tighten it all the way the tensioner will not turn at all. Thanks.

Ok, how tight is this tensioner bolt suppose to be screwed in. I tightened it all the way in and it wouldn't turn at all. The washer that is on the outside is keeping it from turning. If I loosen it a little it turns but has a little play in it. I'm almost certain I shouldn't leave it with play in it. Is it possible that the wrong washer is on here or that its not suppose to have this big washer on it at all. The washer is the piece in the middle with the bolt. The new tensioner is on the left side of the picture and the old one is on the right side.

Ok, I think the part is called the tensioner. I'm trying to find out now from the dealer. Ok I just found out on the phone while I'm typing. It's 95 dollars for the tensioner. It's the part with no grooves, smooth on the outside. I tried turning it and it would get stuck. So I took it off and the the balls fell out like on a bad pair of skate wheel bearings. I'm not sure if anyone else but the dealer has it but I'm going to look around and see.

I have a 1998 LS and the problem with my VSC light going off is the throttle body. Lexus said my throttle body needs to be replaced but it is a very expensive part, so I just leave my Air Conditioner running all summer and winter and adjust the climate control to what temperature I want. I know it burns more gas, but the part runs close to a thousand dollars by itself. I tried having them clean the throttle body with their cleaner solution but it didn't help. You can try turning on your A/C if you'd like to see if that stops it from occuring so much. Hope that helps a little.

Thanks everyone, I'm on my way to the store now to look for a belt. Sounds very easy to replace. I also need to change my ball joints (upper control arm) but I will post that as another topic. Thanks again.

My belt broke but I am unsure if it is the serpentine belt. I lost power steering and the battery light came on so I assume they are all connected somehow to this one belt. I can see the belt is missing when I look under the hood. I put some belt dressing on it this winter because it started to squeel a little on really cold days. Please tell me which belt this is and if I can replace it myself. I didn't think it would be the serpentine belt at first because I haven't gone 90000 miles yet since Len Stoler Lexus replaced it last with my timing belt. Thanks everyone.

You put WD40 on your rotors? That sounds dangerous.

Sounds like a great price to me. Usually, you want to change your water pump even if it doesn't show signs of problems just so that you wont have another labor bill between the next 90000 miles if something does go wrong with it. As for doing the service at 90000, that would be your call. I did mine at 110000, but that's just me, I figured they have to be made to go past 90000 miles if their scheduled to be changed every 90000 miles, but I don't recommend that you use my theory. My bill at Len Stoler Lexus was around 1375 for Timing Belt, Water Pump, Serp., Throttle Body Cleaning Fluid-(waste of time), and new master key. I couldn't find a side mech. to do it for $400.

:o I don't know how much you have invested in this new ECU, but that sounds like Russian roulette plugging it into an electrical system that may have ruined the previous one. I don't mean to sound alarmist and I hope it's a simple case of plug'n'play, but you didn't include that last little bit in your initial question. I'm curious to know what specific failure the old ECU exhibited. A common problem on these cars for no-start is the Main Relay. My daughter's '89 left her stuck at Wal-Mart. It wouldn't do a thing when you turned the key. I dropped the relay, popped the cover, touched up the solder joints and it was good to go. Thanks, I haven't put it in yet. I paid 80 dollars for it used so I wouldn't be upset if it blew out again. I just wanted some insight on the matter of ECU's. Do they actually go bad or does something HAVE to cause it to go bad. If they caused it hooking up the ignition switch and the wiring I would suppose that it would work now that the job is done. But of course I'm not sure so I bought a used one to go cheap first before I find out whether or not to let her go. Even though my Lexus is my sweetheart, I still got feelings for my mistress 91 Legend, cause she rode problem free past the time she was paid for. I got much love for her.

If the salesman gave me his cell phone number, I would call him to and try to talk him into fixing my problem. It's just the way you said you retrieved his number and the time of day you called him. Now if he had not been answering any of my calls at the dealership or any other time I would have to stop in the dealership to see him. But here is the thing. I believe that each sale is suppose to come with a spare key, maybe not a master but a spare, I have to look into some of the consumer warranty books here at the law firm first, but in all you have to remember, this is a salesman. They WILL lie for a sale at any dealership. Lexus has a customer service 800 number that deals with these situations and usually, they are in favor of the customer, especially for a CPO vehicle I would think. Yes, you have a right to want you're purchase in tip top shape, but you can't expect all of your friends to agree with you when you do something wrong. I certainly don't want you to leave the board for a misunderstanding. And I want you to be happy with you beautiful machinery. Sometimes we just have to take the just critisism in stride and say, look I made a mistake and I learned from it. We live and learn, lots of people could have made that judgement call in the heat of the moment when you're angry. I don't think you're a bad person, we all make mistakes. I forgive you, now forgive yourself and keep posting about your new beauty. Post some pics for us Brook. Peace out.

you can purchase a code reader at autozone, for relatively cheap. some range into the ~$250 range, but you can get them for as little as $100. Its a fairly common problem on the Gen II Legends...just throw it in yourself. that happens to computers when they get old, they just burn out. oh, and watch those headgaskets Wow, thanks ArmyofOne. I'll put it in and purchase a new battery tomorrow. I wasn't sure if it was something that caused it to burn out or if the shop that replaced the ignition switch did something wrong because that's when it stopped working. Thanks again. I heard about those headgaskets. Mine is probably having problems, I just don't know it yet most likely.

I know this isn't the forum to be asking this, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyhow. My 91 Ac Legend has been sitting for months because the ECU burned out. I got a replacement unit last week. Question, can I just replace the unit, or do I need to take it back to the shop and have them replace it and put it on a machine to test and see why the first one burned out. Also, what is the cost of a code reader, where can I purchase one and are they relatively easy to use? How do you know what the number code stands for after it is read? Thanks.

I'm sure you checked the balance and the fade buttons to make sure they are centered. When you turn the balance to one side, does everything stop playing? Also is your sub working?

Yeah, I had that problem once, I just switched the cd because the studio certainly didn't edit one side of that compact disc correctly. I'd wait until it happens again before I'd start panicking. I have a 98 also and the only problem I had was when I first purchased it in 2004 and the cds wouldn't play at all for the first 2 weeks. However, being the intellectual person I am, with my vast expertise of reading techniques, I read that you should place the cd's in upside down. Boy did I feel dumb then, that I didn't read it sooner.

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver. No offense ladies. You're confusing VSC with TC, Traction Control. VSC will only activate with over-stearing or understearing. TC will activate anytime there is wheelspin/slip as a result of engine torque. I could've swore the VSC and TC work together with each other. When you try spinning your wheels in the snow the TC won't allow it, right. But when you hit the VSC button to turn off the VSC, voila, you can spin in a circle in snow. There is no TC button on my LS so these two do work together for assisting control. But thanks for the insight. I prefer the Lexus VSC. My 95 Mercury Cougar had just traction control and would get stuck in the snow and automatically shut off the traction control. I hated that.

If you ever get tired of driving on tank wheels, pass them on to me. I'd love to drive a tank. Those are beauties. And what are forged wheels falciott? I need to know. Thanks.

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver. No offense ladies.

I would love to own a BMW when I get rich. My friend has a M3 in his garage. It's his baby, his flashy hard top convertible, speed monster. But he also has two Lexus, GS and GX. He loves his Lexus for reliability, he loves his M3 because it is awesome to drive. I wont compare them because we have a little family feud going on right now, all fun though. But if I run into some serious money after I get my next Lexus which will propably be a GX when I finish paying off my LS, I definitely would look into buying a piece of that beautiful machinery you guys call a bimmer.

Sounds like you are about to have the same problem that I have. Throttle Body. That's what happened when I first had trouble with my throttle. However, Lexus told me it needs to be replaced. I'm aint got 1300 to give when health insurance is 600.00 a month. I ride around with the A/C on. But hey, they have a throttle body cleaning post on here that shows you how to clean it. Just my opinion, hope that helps. But you gotta still love it considering you never had any problems out of her. Only other vehicle I can say that for was my Camry.

Now that's what I'm talking bout. That joint is smokin', the rims match so well I think I want to graduate again.