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artbuc

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Everything posted by artbuc

  1. Were you happy with the performance and service from your original pads? Many like Akebono as they are purported to be the Toyota OEM supplier. Over the years I have tried various pads, sometimes to save a few bucks and sometimes to get better braking performance. I was always happier with good ole Toyota pads. Buy them from an on-line discounter and you will find that you don't save much money by buying anything but Toyota. Most here will disagree with me, but I have never found a pad that performed (braking, rotor life, noise and dust) and fit better than Toyota OEM.
  2. Lenore, I agree completely with your comment re Lexus dealerships. My wife's good friend lives down the street and she used to own a 99 RX300. They bought it new and took it to Lexus of Wilmington for EVERYTHING. They dropped a fortune at that place. One day she called me because she found oil on her garage floor after a routine service at LOW. Guess what? They had changed the gear oil in the rear differential and the fill plug was loose - only engaged a couple threads - about ready to fall out. I told her I would be happy to top it off for her but I suggested she quickly take it to LOW just in case the differential had suffered any damage. Yep, pretty disheartening when you can't depend on a Lexus dealership to replace the gear oil in a differential. The service department at LOW is pathetic.
  3. Are you sure it was oil? How often do you think they actually put oil in the crankcase instead of, let's say, ATF? If they do actually add oil, how often do you think they add he right amount and/or correct weight? I would say taking your car to Jiffy Lube is one big roll of the dice.
  4. Hi radioactive. I have been reading this thread with great interest. I wasn't going to chime in but I think I will at this point. Code58 is not a lurker interested in sparing and I have never found him to be the least bit argumentative or obtuse. He is one of the most, if not the most, knowledegable people on this forum. He gives his time unselfishly to help people by posting great detail and showing great patience. He has even driven to stranger's homes to fix their cars gratis out of good old-fashioned kindness. Your posts have a certain edge about them which isn't pleasant. Perhaps you should reread them and do some self-reflection. I can give you many examples of wrong info coming from Lexus & Toyota dealerships so I would urge you not to automatically believe anything they say, especially over a global manufacturing expert such as Gates. BTW, the Gates TB does have marks on it and so does Dayco. You would have to buy a pretty cheap TB to get one without locating marks. I have done two TB replacements on the 1MZFE engine. I think your suggestion of adding locating marks is a waste of time but if it helped you I'm all for it.
  5. You didn't say how many miles are on your RX, or if you bought it new. There are several ways you can do it. Since it has a drain plug, unlike most AT's today, you can simply pull the plug, drain and fill the pan. The problem is that only changes about 4 qts. and doesn't change the filter. I don't believe the filter needs to be changed every time you change the fluid. I personally prefer to pull the cooler line and pump it all out and change the filter about every 30k mi. but most seem to choose going the easy way which is simple pan drain and fill about every 15k mi. That's one man's opinion and I'm sure you'll get others. You'll get different opinions on this also, but I believe the OEM T-IV is adequate and will give you good service. I would NOT have a flush done. Some people have no problem with a flush, but I have read of too many who have had tranny problems soon after a flush (of all makes), I believe because of debris that gets moved into critical valve areas that otherwise would have been no problem. No flush for me! Morning Roger! How do you know which trans line is going to the radiator cooler and which is the return? When you pump out from the cooler line, do you get everything or do you leave behind what is in the torque converter? Thanks.
  6. Roger, you are right as usual. I stopped reading this post at "the nice little gal" comment. My wife's RX has been a great care overall. Fortunately I am able and willing to do all maintenance/repair work so my experience with Lexus dealerships is limited. I have dealt with two: Wilke Lexus and Lexus of Wilmington. I can tell you that both of these dealerships are dishonest and/or incompetent and I have several stories to back-up that claim. Every once in awhile I tell one of those stories - it serves as therapy. I am in the mood this morning so I offer up this little gem re Wilke. Going back a few years when RX was still under drivetrain warranty, rear CV boots started to throw grease. After at least 30 minutes of talking and showing the warranty statement to the service writer, I was able to convince her that the drive axles are part of the drive train. Then I was told that my wife must rountinely drive the car 85+ mph on a turnpike because that is the only possible cause of the grease leak. I said "no, my wife never drives the car 85 mph on the turnpike or anywhere else." Then I was told that ALL RX's throw grease out of the rear CV joints. I said, "Ok, you have at least a dozen used RX's on the lot so let's look at them." After looking at 4 or 5, the writer said she would replace the boots under warranty. Got home and looked at the new boots. They were elongated and had "walked" down the shaft. It was obvious that the technician had not placed the clamp in the recessed groove on the axle shaft which allowed the boot to walk. Had to drive 35 miles back to Lexus. Big argument ensued. Service Manager walked into the waiting area and announced that the tech examined the boots and declared they were perfectly fine. He invited me into the service area so the tech could explain that directly to me. When we got there he had the axle out. I picked-up the axle and slid the boot up/down the axle and explained to both of them that there is a groove machined in the axle to receive the boot clamp and that is the problem. They both looked at me sheepishly. Walking out I asked the manager if the tech is incompetent or a liar. He said "I really don't want to answer that question." After another big argument, they agreed to install brand new axles. But, the free coffee and red rose made all of that hassle worth it. Yeah, right.
  7. I am truly curious Lexusnow as to why you cleaned the MAF when the code pointed directly to A/F ratio sensor, bank 1 sensor 1. I have dealt with this problem and that code IS specific to the HEATER in bank 1 sensor 1, which is the one on the firewall side of the engine. That sensor is the hard one to get to, primarily because the plug is difficult to get to, to release, but if you can get it out, it is easy to check with a meter for continuity to tell if it is bad. If the code is still P1135, then it's STILL the A/F ratio sensor heater, not the MAF! I am not telling you that it is the A/F ratio sensor, I'm only telling you that is the ONLY thing P1135 is referring to. That is the reason I explained there is a way to test it (the heater circuit) before you buy one and can't take it back. When I was referring to bad advice from AZ it was not your 1st post, in that post you said AZ said 02 sensor, bank 1. In that they were correct, if they were getting a P1135. How it changed to a MAF sensor that needed to be cleaned or replaced, I am still scratching my head over. If you wanted accurate interpretation of p1135, you have it. If you're on a fishing trip with no bait on your hook, fish on! Roger, your advice is usually the best on this forum. BUT, in this case, you are off the mark. Lexusnow should buy a six pack of MAF cleaner and clean MAF for one hour every 7 days. If that doesn't work he should buy a new MAF sensor and install it along with a new muffler bearing. That should solve his problem.
  8. That's amazing!!! It took me 40 min to get the panel off and another 40 min to disassemble the actuator enough to work on it, 40 min to mount and the actuator, 40 min to do the wiring and 40 mins to put the panel back on. Yep, I spent at least 1/2 day just on one door. Get 'er dun!!
  9. I didn't know they EVER needed adjustment, except if broken. I assumed that they were hydraulically adjusted (vs. (e.g.) shims) automatically, like most if not all modern engines for the public? No, they have shims.
  10. One suggestion I might make 'dandg' is to forget sucking fluid out of your reservoir. I don't like pushing fluid back upstream and the easy fix for that is to open the bleed valve at the same time that you stick a large screw driver down the opening in the caliper, between the rotor and the caliper body on the outside of the rotor. Keep your hand on the wrench for the bleed screw and as soon as the caliper piston bottoms out, close the screw. You don't need a retractor tool and it is the simplest way in the world to do it. No fluid pushed back up stream and your caliper is ready for the new pads when you take it off. That is the only way I have ever done it. You don't have to worry about any air entering the system, gravity and the immediate closure of the bleed screw see to that. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. This is obviously done before you even loosen the mounting slide pins. Good Luck- I think you'll be surprised how easy it is. Roger, I'd like to try that next time but I am afraid I will tear the rubber boot. Good Morning Artbuc- If I understand correctly what your concern is, you are putting the large screwdriver (I actually prefer the ones that are bent on the end and are actually made for prying) on the OUTSIDE of the rotor, between the rotor and the opening in the caliper and prying outward on the caliper against the rotor. That is forcing the piston back into the caliper. Your rubber seal is on the INSIDE of the rotor on the piston. No possibility of damaging the seal. I hope that makes it clearer. :) Gotcha...thanks. Wish I would have learned that trick about 30 years ago :D !
  11. One suggestion I might make 'dandg' is to forget sucking fluid out of your reservoir. I don't like pushing fluid back upstream and the easy fix for that is to open the bleed valve at the same time that you stick a large screw driver down the opening in the caliper, between the rotor and the caliper body on the outside of the rotor. Keep your hand on the wrench for the bleed screw and as soon as the caliper piston bottoms out, close the screw. You don't need a retractor tool and it is the simplest way in the world to do it. No fluid pushed back up stream and your caliper is ready for the new pads when you take it off. That is the only way I have ever done it. You don't have to worry about any air entering the system, gravity and the immediate closure of the bleed screw see to that. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. This is obviously done before you even loosen the mounting slide pins. Good Luck- I think you'll be surprised how easy it is. Roger, I'd like to try that next time but I am afraid I will tear the rubber boot.
  12. Well, today I got a whole bunch of codes. P0171, P300, P301, P303, P305 and P1133 pending. Why couldn't it be P302,304,306? Would make my life a lot easier! I'll get them replaced and try the injector cleaner. Any cleaner you recommend? Chevron Techron is not the ONLY good one but there isn't a better one for any amount of money. Get the concentrated one- will cost you from $7. to $10. a bottle but worth every penny. Follow directions on the bottle and if that doesn't clean em up in a few miles, they're not dirty! Good luck! Roger, I just added two bottles of Techron Plus to my 99 Avalon (same engine as 99RX300 except no VVTi). Symptons were poor acceleration and low gas mileage. Maybe I am going nuts, but the Avalon was running remarkably better in just 5-10 miles. I had similar good results with Seafoam in the RX. I generally don't go for the snakeoil stuff, but I do believe Seafoam and Techron Plus can make a big difference depending on how fouled your injectors are.
  13. Being a curious type, I'm wondering if they explained to you how the idler pulley was incorrectly installed? I have had them off on my DIL's RX twice and installed new once (total of 3 times) and have a hard time even imagining how they could be installed incorrectly. If they actually explained how, I would appreciate that information. I have known way too many times when the service people made the stories up. (if you put me in charge, I'd pass a rule that they would be mute if they were not telling the truth! Things would get a whole lot quieter all of a sudden. LOL) P.S. By idler, do you mean the top pulley? Roger, I would guess they meant the tensioner pulley which could be installed incorrectly if they didn't compress/lock the piston before they bolted it up. I think it could get cocked before both mounting bolts were home. Your comment reminds me of an experience I had at Wilke Lexus re a rear CV boot. It is a long and interesting story which I won't go into here. At one point I was walking out of the shop with the Service Manager after having caught the mechanic with his pants down, so to speak. The mechanic had just tried to talk his way out of the problem by telling one of the most ridiculous stories you ever want to hear. I said to the Service manager "Your Tech is either a liar or incompetent. Which one do you think it is?" The Service manager said "I'd rather not answer that question."
  14. Have used nothing but Castrol for over 40 years. I once worked on a DuPont estate and saw cans of Castrol in the garage. I thought to myself "Wow, this Dupont guy is really, really rich because he uses foreign oil. No Quaker State for him!" Also, I thought about extending oil changes to 4-5k to save a few bucks, but I just can't do it. I am programmed to change at 3k and I guess it will always be that way.
  15. Based on my experience, LOW does not "learn a lesson". They are glad to get you off their back so they can resume business as usual.
  16. Roger, do you think I am wasting my time & money replacing brake fluid every two years with an average of 10k miles per year? Gooday Artbuc- I am not sure that I know how to answer the question because no matter what i answer there will be those that strongly differ. So what i will give you is simply my experience and opinion. When i did a full brake job including new rear wheel cylinders and rebuilt front calipers on my son's 97 Suburban about 1 1/2 yrs. ago. I emptied the master cylinder, filled with new fluid and proceeded to flush the system by my favorite method, hand vacuum pump bleeding. The fluid was nasty and within a day the fluid in the master cylinder was somewhat dirty again, probably from some breakdown of the rubber components in it. It had never been changed (fluid or master cylinder). When I recently changed the fluid in my DIL's RX it was simply because I knew it had never been changed, NOT because it was dirty. I never cease to be amazed at the quality of what Toyota builds their vehicles with. When I had sucked through all the fluid in the system I had replaced it with new fluid that looked almost exactly like what I took out. How can a car 10 years old have brake fluid 10 years old that looks like new- don't know. I don't even know if it is silicone or not. All I know is most of the maintenance I do on Toyota products I am taking stuff out that looks (condition wise) like what I am putting. My wife's '02 Camry still has the original brake fluid I am embarrassed to say (I am a very firm believer in preventative maintenance) because it too looks like I just put it in! Make your own conclusions but I am convinced most of Toyota/Lexus recommended maintenance items would go double the recommended miles (or time) without much of any consequences. Flame away, it's only one mans opinion, but one who has spent his life dedicated to making sure the tow truck drivers are as lonely as the Maytag repairman. :D Thanks. I would conclude 1 or more of the following: (1) Toyota brand brake fluid is far superior to aftermarket fluids, (2) Toyota brake systems are made od superior materials which do not contribute to fluid contamination and/or (3) Toyota brake systems are much better sealed preventing moisture from accumulating in the fluid. If it is (1) only, then you would have to change out the aftermarket fluid much more frequently or buy only Toyota brand fluid. Very interesting indeed. Roger, you should write a book. I know I would buy it!!!
  17. Roger, do you think I am wasting my time & money replacing brake fluid every two years with an average of 10k miles per year?
  18. I haven't been there for many years, but I can tell you that in the late 90's the LOW Service Department was run by a bunch of liars and cheats. I have several good stories to back-up that claim. On one occasion, the Service Manager called me at work and offered to give me a free tank of gas plus complete detail job if I wouldn't reveal what happened on the customer quality survey. What a bunch of crooks!
  19. Wow! So, the mystery continues. You would think this type of harsh service would surely cause an early failure from the weak planetary gear set and/or other (if there are other) design flaws. What makes this trans different from the many which failed prematurely at only half of this mileage???
  20. Mine looked as good as new at 87k too. BUT, please remember that the strength of the belt comes from the internal reinforcing cords which you can not see. I have read some technical stuff on TB failures which says the appearance of the exterior rubber has nothing to do with the remaining life. Also, our engines are interference or at least there is a probability that they are. Finally, time is very important too. I wouldn't go much longer than 6yrs/90k. Chances are pretty good that you will only be doing one TB change on this vehicle so why wait?
  21. Roger, please elaborate. I'm not getting how you are keeping the flattened end of the actuator rod was popping off the shaft. Thanks.
  22. Here are the pics. The first pic shows the close-up of the attachment site of the rod to the lock lever. The second pic shows the overview of the front side of the lock lever and where the rod was placed. The third pic shows where the actuator was placed relative to the lock lever. Finally, the last pic shows the taps that were placed onto the two wires. Roger did an amazing job! Thank-you for the great pictures. Roger, you should have been a brain surgeon! What is the black material you used to hold the wires against the door? Where did you get the wire connectors?
  23. Don't be too discouraged. When I raised the issue of the Lexus Repair Manual being incorrect regarding the IACV electrical specs/check-out, I was told that the problem will be referred to the "technical department". Two days later I got a call confirming my request. Two days after that another call back confirming my request. Two days later a third call back. This time it was a customer rep who had a "regional technical manager" on the phone with her. They acknowledged the error and gave me a full refund for an OEM IACV I unnecessarily bought. On all 3 call backs I had to repeat the entire story. It took patience and tongue biting, but it finally worked. Of course, an IACV costs a whole lot less than a new tranny!!
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