VBdenny

I have seen these parts in jumkyards. I imagine the relays are pretty much the same as on a Toyota.

Oh for sure you want to check the battery. The battery must have a really good charge or it will not crank the big 400.

Before I went and disconnected the sensor plug, I did a drive around and then checked my brake fluid and it was low again. Uh Oh, something else going on so I took a flashlight and looked around the wheels. Sure enough, the flexible brake line on the right front was squirting fluid. I went down to Bap-Geon today and picked up 2 new hoses. Now if I can get them on before Earl gets here.

I thought it might be the parking brake but I checked and it is all the way up. I'll just disconnect the wire on the master cylinder and I should be good to good. Did I mention I just love the LOC?

I would say that your battery was getting weak and even the minor electronics drained it. These 400's need a LOT of juice to start. I have had the battery go dead a couple times because the switch on the driver's door to turn on the inside light would stick. IF you left the headlights in the ON position, they wouldn't go off if the switch stuck. Result was a battery deader than a doornail. Took running another car connected for about 1/2 hour to even jump start it. A jump box will not start one of these. See if you can use a battery charger to charge up for awhile then it should start fine. I gave up trusting the automatic features on the lights and make sure they are always off. I also did clean and lubricate the switch but I still don't trust it very much.

gotta love all the electronics in our things. The mirror on my wife's ES330 has dark spots when it gets cold.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, thanks RDM Denny

exactly what I needed to hear. Yeah, it flickered for awhile first then went off then stayed on. Having worked on about every aspect of brake systems over the years I suspected it was something like the switch. Where is the thing so I can disconnect. The only issue I see is with the parking brake light. I live in the flatlands and we don't use them but still.

As I was driving to work today, the brake light came on. The same light that comes on with the parking brake however that is not depressed. The fluid didn't look low so I assume it is an issue with the brake system itself. The brakes still work fine and there is no noticable difference other than the crappy brakes the 90's had. Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue and what you found. The car was inspected recently and the pads all have more than 50% left.

That is more than I would get into unless I had a shop and a lift since it is pretty tough "on your back" work. Not sure what state you are in but I would try registering it in another state. The ticket (in the unlikely event you are ever caught) would be a whole lot less that the repairs. A 1994 car is pretty old and shouldn't be subject to modern emissions testing.

I'm pretty happy we don't have emissions tests here in Virginina (NOVA does). I'd go to an Autozone or Advance before I needed testing, borrow their OBDII (for free) and clear all the codes.

Sh...., well stuff you don't want in gas. Fuel filter is probably clogged and as it runs or has a demand, it shuts down. Might not be right but it would be the very first thing I checked.

On my passenger side turn signal lamp cover, I broke the plastic inside trying to pull it off the pin. I JB welded the piece back in but next time I removed it, things went south and now I have a big hole. Rather than keep the light cover tight with clear tape, I would prefer to have one that was intact. Should yours be intact, drop me an email or pm and we'll see what we can do. I'm on the road a lot lately so give me a day or two.

Nice of the Lexus dude to tell you about the knock sensor. Quite a job you did and I especially liked the part about the water crossover tube. Hopefully, this job is not in my future anytime soon. My compliments on a job well done.

I don't know what the problem is but I tell you what I would take a closer look at. You said when the passenger seat was adjusted you noticed the problem. I would probably start by looking at the wiring for that seat. Perhaps a wire became frayed or caught in the seat movement mechanism. I've seen coins get stuck in there and cause bad things. Sometimes a quick look with a good flashlight can reveal an issue. If the circuit breaker keeps tripping it means there is a dead short somewhere. Sorry I couldn't be of more help but I am a shade tree mechanic myself. Denny

If you can get them to replace both lower ball joints and an alignment for $550, jump on it. You didn't mention the miles but I would expect them to last at least 150k

I guess I am pretty bad since I only change the drain plug gasket when it leaks or looks really bad. I'll let y'all aargue over which filter and stick with what I know works. Just did an oil change today on one of the fleet.

loose lug nuts? seen it happen in NASCAR

nice information Andy, I (and probably many others) appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Regarding the issue at hand, you said you replaced the EGR valve. Isn't that the pipe behind the engine that is very difficult to access? Maybe the tube is not connected well.

The way I find the problem is to take the car to have an alignment. Many of the places such as Firestone give you a printout showing any issues. In the event there is a suspension component that is failing, they will most certainly identify it for you. I had a bad strut (torsion bar) bushing and it did not make noise but caused the car to pull to the right. I also had a bad lower ball joint which had no impact on the handling characteristics but did make a rattling like noise especially at low speeds over rough pavement. Having screwed around with so many suspension parts in the past, I found the easist method is to just shell out the $80 and find out for sure. Good luck with this.

My Nissan pickup does the same thing. When it gets annoying, I dump a bottle or two of Complete Fuel System cleaner in the tank before I fill up. Pretty lazy way to fix it but it shut the light off and it stayed off except for when I bought some Royal Farms gas and it came on for awhile.

There is a tutorial either on here or and lexs (http://www.lexls.com/) that explains with pictures how to fix this. I have a copy of it I kept which I would be happy to email to you. My email is vbdenny@myway.com

Mine did the same thing a couple of times and it turned out to be power steering fluid getting sucked in to the vacuum on the intake manifold. Yeah, I probably should have replaced the control valve thing on the PS pump but, I just blocked off the 2 vacuum lines and everything including the white smoke at start up sometimes, to return to normal. I see you also have a 90 and it's just old stuff and when you get on it, old stuff smokes sometimes. Measure the enjoyment against the fluid lost and you'll be okay.

When the white wire in the trunk hinge breaks, it causes the R light to illuminate whey brakes are applied. It also causes shifting issues. Dimming lights is caused by something else. I didn't even know 90's had anti-lock brakes.

Go to your local auto parts store and buy a bottle or two of Complete Fuel System cleaner. Spend at least $10 a bottle or you aren't getting the good stuff. I have used both Slick 50 and Valvoline with excellent results. I know you have probably heard people say it doesn't work but it always has for me. After 100K miles my truck was running slightly rough and the CE light even came on. After a bottle of the Complete Fuel System cleaner and a little Interstate driving, it has never run better. It is a very cheap effort which might yield big results.