jbarhorst2

Some car parts stores will scan your computer for free and give you the error codes. I know AutoZone is one. I am sure there are others. Try that before the dealer. It may tell you what you need to know and then you can fix it yourself. Tom

It sounds like the engine is shifting and possibly blocking something for the steering as you drive. Is the new mount in EXACTLY the same place as the old one?? Did you completely tighten the new engine mount? Have someone check your steering components while you turn the wheel with the car in drive. Tom

Monarch, I tend to get wordy so I may have left out this part. The mixture ends up being 50/50 at the end of my process because I have added pure coolant in the amount of 1/2 of the total system volume. With the water left in the block from the rinse and the water that you add to top off, it makes a nice 50/50 mixture. I do agree that you must be very careful not to get an air buble locked anywhere, but I have been lucky so far in that regard. Tom

I recently did my 2001 RX and here is how I went about it. With a cold engine, remove radiator cap. Open drain valve near bottom of radiator (plastic white wingnut) and drain fluid. Remove overflow reservoir tank and clean out with distilled water. When radiator has finished draining, close drain valve. Refill radiator with distilled water. Replace radiator cap. Replace reservoir tank. Drive vehicle until you start getting heat out of the heater. This ensures that you have flushed the heater core also. Allow engine to cool slightly and carefully remove radiator cap. Open drain valve again and drain out as much fluid as possible. It will go much faster this time as the water is thinner than the coolant mixture. Close drain valve. Add enough Toyota coolant to fill system in a 50/50 mixture. I believe the manual says that the cooling system holds 9 quarts, so put 4 1/2 quarts of fresh coolant in the radiator. Pour slowly as it will take a while for this to work its way through the system. After adding coolant, top off radiator with distilled water. Replace radiator cap. Fill overflow reservoir to proper level with 50/50 mixture of coolant and distilled water. Drive the car until it gets hot. Make sure you run the heater. The next day check your coolant level in your overflow tank and your radiator. If you need to add any fluid, make sure it is a 50/50 mixture. Any questions, let me know. :) Tom

Hi Group, I got a power brake bleeder from Motive Products for my birthday and want to bleed my brakes this week. What is the correct order to bleed the brakes on a 1997 SC300 and a 2001 RX300. Is there a certain pressure I should stay below when pushing the new fluid through the system? Thanks for the help. Tom.

I bought an update for mine in July 2003 and there was a huge increase in the number of Points of Interest on the disc. I have not heard about the problems with Nov 03.

Either the electric switch (sensor) at the brake pedal or the electric solenoid (actuator) has gone bad. The switch is located under the dash and gets activated when you press the brake pedal. This sends a signal to the solenoid that it is OK to let you shift out of PARK. The solenoid is located under the wood trim at the gearshift. This actuator keeps the gearshift locked until you press on the brake pedal. Then it unlocks so that you can shift the transmission. It is possible that neither are bad. I have heard of people spilling their drinks in this area and the mechanism gets sticky and won't work. Once it is cleaned up, it then starts working again. Is this a possibility for you? Tom

Check your owner's manual and the dipstick. Toyota knows best what should be used in their vehicles. They have the type of fluid imprinted on the transmission fluid dipstick.

Yes, you can take out some orange peel by these procedures, but I would not recommend it. Orange peel actually is caused by issues (could be several) in the base coat layer of a base coat / clear coat finish. So, the clear is already filling in peaks and valleys. If you remove clear, you risk damaging the underlying base coat simply by leaving your car out in the sun. UV rays are deadly to paint finishes. Most paint systems have the UV blocker in the clear coat. As you reduce the film build of the clear, you open up the base coat and electrocoat layers to UV degradation because there is no longer enough clear coat to protect the layers underneath. Remember the medium blue GM cars in the early and mid 80's??? That's what happened to those cars. Clear coat is expensive and companies are continually minimizing the EXTRA that is sprayed on a car. Yes, our cars have a good amount and the finishes will last a long time. But, start removing that protective layer and 2, 4, 6, or 8 years down the road you will notice problems. I would have the car clay barred by a professional, but I would not wet sand and polish. The clay bar will remove less of the clear.

Can you post a picture of your key? I thought they all had the red LED. The LED on mine is right next to the LOCK button down inside a hole. Tom

Is this thunk when you slow down from higher speeds, or when you shift into drive from park or reverse??

Have you driven another similar LS to compare?? That may be a good start. Does your vibration only happen at certain speeds, or is it there all the time? Does the vibration change with vehicle speed? Have you considered a bad tire?? My father bought a new Chevy pickup and there was a vibration that was just horrible. They could not even get rid of it by balancing the tires. It turned out to be bad tires from the factory, but there was a problem in many of them. It took him going through 17 tires (a little over 4 sets) before they got a group of tires that were all good. Where do you feel the vibration? The steering wheel, the seat, the floor, etc. If you rotate your tires, does the vibration change position or feel? Does the vibration go away around a sweeping curve in the road? How about through that same curve in the other direction? Don't get discouraged yet. You just may need a little more time to figure out what issue you have. Tom

I don't know which remote you have. Do you have the one that has the remote and key all in one unit, or do you have the separate remote key fob? If you have the all in one unit, check to see if the red LED is lighting when you press the buttons. If not, you have a problem with the remote or the battery. If it is, then you may have a problem in the car (fuse, computer, not programmed, etc.) Tom

It sounds like your battery is dead. Maybe the interior light was on and drained the battery. Charge the battery and you should be OK.

I thought these were held with a fastener from the inside, but I could be wrong.

I'm not sure if you need to have it looked at. It seems to be pretty common. I think you are just hearing the refrigerant moving around in the system. I find it annoying, but my wife cannot hear it (and it's her car) so I have left it go.

Two fuses in the manual reference the power lock system. Fuses 8 and 24. Fuse 8 is in one of the engine compartment boxes (there are 2) and fuse 24 is in the fuse box under the driver side instrument panel. Fuse number 8 also is related to the power outside mirrors and fuse number 24 is also related to the cigarette lighter. (I think I have them correct) Do your outside mirrors still work?? If not, it is probably related to fuse 8. Do you still have power to your cigarette lighter? If not, fuse 24 is probably your culprit. Check them out and let me know if you need more help.

Sounds like the noise that the AC compressor and related system makes when it is cycling. Mine does the same thing and that's what I have traced it back to.

If you find out, let us know how.

There is a current investigation with the Toyota Camry, Toyota Solara, and the Lexus ES300. Since your car has the same drivetrain (almost) I suppose it's possible, but I have not heard that the government investigation includes the RX.

How did you check your fluid?? Did you start the car, run the gearshift through all the gears and then go back to park?? Also, did you leave the car running? All of these steps should be done before you check the level.

Undo the bracket that holds the unit in place, then you can eject the disc.

$3.75 for Type T-IV fluid. That's a good price. My local dealer which is generally very good on pricing is $7.50 per quart.

I also have a 97 SC3. That tranny takes Dexron fluid, not the Toyota T-IV like most Lexus. Pull out your dipstick and double check. The fluid type will be stamped into the stick. Not sure about the total capacity. Drain and refill is approximately 2 quarts. New crush washer for the drain plug is pretty cheap at the dealership. $2 Tom

2001 was the first year. Many options specific to this option group. Complete listing can be found on Lexus.com You can choose pre-owned, then choose model library. Then choose a 2001 LS. Good luck. Tom