artbuc

Ok Lenore and Code 58, I have now been separated from the men. No problem in removing door panel. But, I cannot see how you guys hooked-up your replacement actuators. I've read the various threads and looked at the pics, but I don't get it. The only place I see where you can connect the new rod would be near the plastic cam which is connected to the inside of the exterior door lock. Is that where you guys did it? I can't see or even feel where the connecting rod attaches to the actuator. Did you have to remove the exterior door handle unit? Can you do that without disconnecting the larger exterior door latch connecting rod? Also, the pictures show a blue replacement actuator which I am guessing is made by Omega and sells for $10. I bought a cheaper no-name model which the distributor (he sells both) told me is just as good. My unit only has a 3/4" stroke which looks like it will be too short. Thanks for your help.

AMEN to that! The house also wins on 3rd party extended warranties, for ALL products.

Still waiting for parts but thought you would be interested in my temporary repair. Plunger and motor side contacts were in pretty good shape so I just cleaned them up well with fine emery cloth. Battery side contact needed much more help. Cut a piece of copper pipe and flattened it into a roughly 1-1/4" square. Shaped one end to get a nice tight fit into the curved wear spot on the contact surface, then soldered it into place using regular copper pipe soldering techniques. Then removed excess copper and filed/sanded to get the right final dimensions. Repaired contact looked great. Reassembled and starter is working great. I will install new parts when I get them, but I don't see why this repair wouldn't last as long as a new contact. Artbuc- Many, many years ago (our younger son and his wife just celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary and it was when they were going together) our now DIL had starter failure on her Honda Prelude and I took it apart and found the exact thing you are talking about here. At 125k mi., the starter looked like new inside but the solenoid contacts were burned half away. Being one to always try to fix (love a challenge) things, I did the only thing I knew to do with what I readily available , I brought out the trusty acetelyne torch and brazed the erosion full and ground it down to the original dimensions. It still worked flawlessly when she sold the car a few years later. I recently had to do the same thing to her 99RX. The starter (brushes, armature and all looked like NEW at 123k mi.!) I don't believe it's possible to wear those brushes out- the solenoid contacts, now that's another story. Although I do feel that they do well for the # of times they've had to endure the arching load of the starter. I remember many years ago how common it was to have to service the GM starter solenoids. I've seen them need to be serviced at as low as in the 30k's. If she has it long enough to give problems again (I doubt that it will), I'll just grab the torch and do the same thing again- doesn't take any longer than going to the parts store. :) You, Lenore and I are definitely on the same page. I get alot of ribbing from family members who say I am a cheapskate. They don't believe me, but I fix things for the joy of it. If I save $$ great. Sometimes I make mistakes which cost me as much or more money than if I paid someone to fix it. Of course, everytime I have taken one of my vehicles to the dealer for warranty work, the dealer totally screwed things up. I guess there are some Toyota/Lexus dealers who fix things right the first time, but I haven't found one yet.

I found a generic 2 wire actuator on Amazon for $5. It has 3/4" travel. Is that enough?

Thanks. I just love fixing things. When people ask my wife what I do, she says "he fixes things". Alot of times I have no idea what I am doing but I do the research as I go and usually end up ok. I've spent hours reading my Lexus Service Manual. The Internet has been a huge help. I'm looking forward to getting my wife's door actuator working again. I did look on ebay. Did you buy a kit designed to convert manual locks to automatic? I couldn't find exactly what you purchased.

Zero4, I hope you are still out there! Here are my answers: 1 - no, 2 - no, 3 - all but drivers side front, 4 - yes, 5 - all but drivers side front. So, I assume the driver's side front actuator must be working because is works with the key in the driver's side door. Is there a fuse common to the remote, passenger and driver's side switches? Looks like my driver's side door ECU is bad? Thanks for your help.

Still waiting for parts but thought you would be interested in my temporary repair. Plunger and motor side contacts were in pretty good shape so I just cleaned them up well with fine emery cloth. Battery side contact needed much more help. Cut a piece of copper pipe and flattened it into a roughly 1-1/4" square. Shaped one end to get a nice tight fit into the curved wear spot on the contact surface, then soldered it into place using regular copper pipe soldering techniques. Then removed excess copper and filed/sanded to get the right final dimensions. Repaired contact looked great. Reassembled and starter is working great. I will install new parts when I get them, but I don't see why this repair wouldn't last as long as a new contact.

Thanks Mike. What is the name of the shop? I might need it someday.

In my part of the country (West Chester, PA), Toyota batteries are supplied by Interstate. If you go into the local Interstate distributor, you will see a big rack of Toyota branded batteries. Unfortunately, the Interstate batteries earmarked for Toyota are not their best. I would never buy a Toyota replacement battery. You can get a much better Interstate battery for much less money. If my memory serves me, Interstate batteries are made by Johnson Controls. which is one of only three major battery manufacturers left.

Mine is still working at 133K, so I can't give you first hand info, but based on previous posts the answer is yes to all 3 of your questions. It seems like the soloind contacts in Nippon Denso starter used the RX are a common failure item. I remember posts in the past where owners used a new starter, a rebuilt, and replaced contacts. If you do a search on "starter" on this forum and over at CL you will get many hits. I even remember some R&R procedures if you need them. I did save this Nippon Denso repair link from a previous post in case I ever needed it. It may help you. http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/instructions.html Thanks Mike. I already looked at this link...it is very good. Discount Toyota sells the contact repair kits & plunger for $35. This is a little more than nations but nation's kit only includes the bare contacts plus plunger whereas the Toyota kit includes new o-rings, insulators, etc. I'll let you know how things turn out. Yup. Battery side contact is over 50% gone plus pitted/corroded as is the plunger contact surface. My wife does mostly stop & go driving so many more starts per mile driven than most folks.

Mine is still working at 133K, so I can't give you first hand info, but based on previous posts the answer is yes to all 3 of your questions. It seems like the soloind contacts in Nippon Denso starter used the RX are a common failure item. I remember posts in the past where owners used a new starter, a rebuilt, and replaced contacts. If you do a search on "starter" on this forum and over at CL you will get many hits. I even remember some R&R procedures if you need them. I did save this Nippon Denso repair link from a previous post in case I ever needed it. It may help you. http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/instructions.html Thanks Mike. I already looked at this link...it is very good. Discount Toyota sells the contact repair kits & plunger for $35. This is a little more than nations but nation's kit only includes the bare contacts plus plunger whereas the Toyota kit includes new o-rings, insulators, etc. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Wow. At less than 90k miles, looks like my wife's solenoid is failing. Yesterday had to hit ignition 4 times to get starter to engage. Was getiing the infamous "click" which usually indicates solenoid contacts are going bad. Will remove starter today to confirm problem. Three questions: 1. Has anyone else had a solenoid failure at such low mileage? 2. Has anyone successfully replaced solenoid contacts & plunger ($25) vs buying a whole new starter ($250-300)? 3. Anyone had any luck with a remanufactured starter?

Pablo- How many miles do you have on it? I don't have the parts numbers but unless you have a lot more than the recommended 90k mi. you probably don't need to change any of it, at the very most the timing belt. When I changed my DIL's timing belt at 97k it looked like it had 20k on it. (it was the original belt) I did not change the water pump or idler pulleys and when I checked them at 120k they still felt like new. They put some VERY robust parts on these vehicles. I would personally only use original parts. It's your money and your car but you probably won't be changing them because they're worn, just to give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Good Luck! Hey, thanks. The vehicle has about 87k miles on it. I was speaking to a buddy and he says that I should change the hydraulic tensioner.. The chance your hydraulic tensioner is bad at your low mileage is quite low. You will need to remove it to reload it and you will know if it is bad. If it isn't leaking oil (a trace is ok) and you can't push in the piston without the aid of a vise or big C-clamp, then your tensioner is good to go.

What's the name of that shop in Pittsburgh? Artbuc, Actually that comment was a minor joke, since you didn't specify state or region. :P That said, my wife managed to trash our Lexus door and this place did a nice job: 1260 Stoops Ferry Rd Coraopolis, PA 15108 (412) 262-5474‎ Their lot has a lot of high end cars in it; BMW, Porsche, Audi, etc, so I know they do good work. Gary I knew you were. I thought it was pretty funny and just wanted to play along.

What's the name of that shop in Pittsburgh?

Welcome. I suggest you search this forum; you will find excellent discussion and recommendations re tires for your RX. I will also be buying tires for my wife's 99 RX in a few months. I have Bridgestone Dueler H/L's now and am very happy with them. I am going to give the Bridgestone Alenza a close look based on this forum.

New front rotors at 60k miles? I would find somewhere else to have your Lexus serviced.

I didn't change my WP when the belt was done at 90k and won't change it when the belt is done again at 180k. This is based on info I received from multiple Toyota techs claiming the WP does not fail and changing it is a waste. I think Lexus techs have a better comp plan because they always want to change as many expensive parts as possible. JSmith- I will guarantee that you will get those that will say that the sky will fall if you don't replace it per Lexus recommendations. I am not going to argue with them but in working on my DIL's RX I have to say they put some impressive bearings in the stuff they hang on the front of that engine. And the seals don't normally go out because of the anti-freeze that they use. When I did a bunch of maintenance at 97k (none of this stuff had ever been changed before), the anti-freeze looked absolutely brand new and at 120k when I was back into the timing belt area, all of the bearings, including water pump felt like brand new. (none had ever been changed) It is totally your decision but I tend to agree with Mickey. I have two vehicles with the 3.0L V6 engine - 99RX and 99 Avalon. I agree with 58 that the TB idler and tensioner bearings are super heavy duty as are all of the belts. I replaced all of mine when I did the TB replacement at 85k and 88k miles respectively even though I could not honestly tell the difference between new and old bearings. I did not replace the crank and cam shaft seals and I did not replace the RX WP. However, I did replace the Avalon WP because the bearing was slightly sticking. Since both vehicles have the exact same WP, this is some evidence that the WP is not invincible. OTOH, perhaps my Avalon WP would have run almost forever with no other problem than a sticking bearing. I change coolant every 2 years (roughly 20-24k miles) using Toyota factory red.

Can you be more definitive? I brought my 2001 rx 300 with 91,000 miles into the dealership (as I have always done from day 1) (ps my warranty just ran out) I have gone ahead and replaced the cam/crank seal gaskets) Now they tell me that on the next service I will need a trans. pan gasket because it is seeping (sp?) and probably need a power steering flush as well.Also will need valve cover gaskets. My question is: What are your thoughts as far as my car NEVER having problems like this before and all of a sudden this needs to be done after they do this 90,000 service after the warranty expires. Are these repairs that are pretty much normal at this point and is it worth it to hold on to it and keep it ? Not sure if I need to do this next service or let the car go. Any help is appreciated. Thanks! It is possible, I suppose, that all of the gaskets you mentioned are leaking. OTOH, my 99 RX with almost as many miles as yours has never leaked a drop from cam/crank shaft seals, valve cover or transmission pan gaskets. Also, I do not recall anyone on this forum running into the kind of gasket leaks you are talking about. Apparently the engine rear main seal is problematic and I wonder if yours is leaking and it is being misdiagnosed. I assume the dealer was replacing your timing belt when he observed the leaking cam/crank shaft seals? I assume he also replaced your water pump? I absolutely would not pay the dealer to replace leaking gaskets. I would find a reputable auto shop who can clean your engine and, if necessary, add a dye to determine where or if you are leaking oil. I have had ample experience with two Lexus dealerships; both were outright incompetent and dishonest. Any puddles on your garage floor? If so, what color is it? You can blot it onto a white paper towel and tell us if it is reddish or dark amber. Regarding your PS, buy a turkey baster and a couple quarts of Dextron ATF. Remove as much PS fluid as you can with the baster and replace with fresh ATF. Do this every week for a month and you should be fine.

Can you be more definitive?

Roger, you may be right. This question has been raised multiple times on this forum and the answers from our experts such as TunedRX300 and RX in NC say our engine is non-interference. However, there are many out there who say the 1MZ-FE with VVT-i is interference whereas the 1MZ-FE without VVT-i is non-interference. I just replaced my TB so hopefully I won't have to find out the hard way. Think I'll call Toyota and see what I can find out.

Funky- I have to agree with the guys that say those parts likely do not need replacing at 90k-as Lexus recommends. The orig. eq. are some of the best parts I've ever seen. I replaced them on my DIL's RX but would not if I had examined the parts before I bought the new ones. You originally asked about the GMB parts, and I simply answered that question. Having said that, do remember that it is an interference engine. (if the belt breaks it may do quite a bit of damage) I would not replace them at 90k in my own car if it was a Lexus or Toyota- the parts are almost like new at those miles but the desision is yours. There are those on this and other forums that will tell you that the sky will fall if you don't follow the manufacturer's guidelines, it's just not true- but that desision is yours. The 3.0 V6 on my 99 RX is non-interference. GMB and Koyo were OEM suppliers for Toyota TB idler and tension bearings on the 3.0 V6 engines. You can get them aftermarket and they will be exactly what was installed at the factory.

Looks like your IAT sensor is ok. You should be checking resistance across the two pins on the left. The one all the way to the left is E2 (ground) and the one just to the right of E2 is THA. This is a little tricky because the Lexus FSM RM626U2 incorrectly labels the MAF pins on page SF-32 in Vol 2. The resistance across E2-THA should be 2210--2690 ohms at 68 degress F. You can check the wiring harness by making sure you have 5vdc being supplied to the IAT. Unfortunately, the Lexus FSM, although quite expensive, has a number of errors. Eg, the electrical check-out described for the IACV is entirely wrong.

RX, did your 04 RX330 come with pink (vs red) coolant? I think the pink is good for 100k miles, right?

Like I said in an earlier post, cost/effort vs perceived benefit. By "fully functional" I assume you mean your coolant still protected against boil-overs and freeze-ups. OTOH, I bet your anti-corrosion package had been depleted for a long time. I think you need more than pH to measure the effectiveness of your anti-corrosion package. For me, I would rather replace the coolant per Toyota recommendations than run the risk of a premature heater core and/or radiator failure, both very expensive PITA problems to fix. By replacing every two years, I can do a simple drain & refill. No flushing required - nice and easy. On this and other Toyota forums, you often read about folks who have had timing belts run for over 150k miles. Yet, I replaced mine at 85k. Why did I do that? Because I don't want my wife stranded somewhere. OTOH, I did not change out the water pump because it was not leaking and the impeller turned freely with no evidence of a sticking seal. If the water pump fails before I install a new TB at 175k miles, it most likely will not be a catastrophic event.