JtathBSC400

I wish thats all it is, but its blue smoke... oil. I guess that its probably the valve guides but im not sure. Is this ok or am I going to have to replace the motor soon? The car only has 112k on it.

I noticed today that when I started up my car that it smokes for a few seconds. Is this a common problem? I had my girlfriend drive behind me and watch to see if it smokes when I am driving and she said that it doesnt. I floored it a few times and she said that it never smoked. Is it ok to have some smoke come out of the pipes on start up?

I have searched and searched this problem and have yet to find a solution to it. The lower half of my climate control display is black from the LCD bleed. I know that this is a common problem so why is it so hard to find the solution to fix it. The dealer wants 900.00 to sell me a replacement control unit. Is it possible to just buy the display, all the functions work fine? Who can sell me this part or just fix my broken one. I needs some help here please give as much information as possible, this is not just for me, there are a lot of others out there wanting the same questions answered, so lets solve this problem.

yea theres fluid, but the car is so clean I dont know if the guy that sold it to me washed it so well I cant see were its leaking from, i dont know how long this has been a problem, I just want to fix it with as little money as possible so that I can get better things done to it.

Take a spark plug wire off of a spark plug and insert a metal screw driver in it just enought to touch the contact. Then lay the exposed portion of the screw driver near a ground and see if the spark will to the ground. Dont have your hand near the screwdriver when you have some one cranking it over because it will jump to you if your not careful, Just have some one crank it over and have the screwdriver close enough to jump(not far you are trying to simulate a spark plug.) and watch for a spark. I have used this on fords and gms it workes well.

Oh yea its loud and sounds horrible, I cant see where its leaking from though. The cars ten years old, I usally do stick with OEM parts but if this thing is going to be a problem again in another 60,000 I might as well just buy the rebuilt one from Napa.

Thanks. the seats look like they are brand new, good job! Just an Idea of who I can contact out here in denver would be great!

Mungrin, how did you find the company that you used to fix your leather problems? I need the same fix, thanks.

Sorry about that, 500 for a hose seems a bit much, if I can repair it that would be great, thanks for the advice. The dealership said that everything else looked great, no other leaks. The tech said that is looks like some one took very good care of the car, that makes me a little happier.

So what search the phone book for a high pressure hose repair facility, is there any other companies that do this repair. 500

Thats what the Lexus dealer quoted, they also stated that the pump was replaced at 60000mi and im at 112000mi that seems a little short for a pump. Ive owned a lot of cars and this is the first car that I have ever had to replace a ps pump on, whats up with that. So you suggest that even as old as the car is replace all the powersteering components? What does Napa charge for the pump?

Where did you buy your pump from? Is a remanufactured pump ok? And I am reading that its suggested that the rack and hoses all be replaced at the same time. Do I need to replace the rack and hoses? This seems like a lot of work for a ten year old car, can I get a way ok with just replacing the pump and hose. Will a good fluid flush and bleed get all of the old particles that caused the old pump to go bad out?

This car is starting to pi$$ me off!!! I took it to the Lexus dealership to inspect the car and this is what the car needs. So far the Powersteering pump is bad as well as the high pressure line. The dealer quoted me 1,400 dollars to repair the pump, hose and labor. OUCH THATS A LOT OF MONEY FOR A PUMP!!!!!!!! Where can I get one on line and how hard is it to replace the pump and hose? Please help!!!!

A smooth and light shift is bad, this causes friction witch causes heat. A shift kit changes the line pressures inside the transmission, this is usually done by changing the flow amount inside the valve body this will not cause extra heat. The drums and the pump can also be modified for power flow as well it depends how experienced the tech is and what products are made for the valve body. Extra heat is caused by friction; witch is greater on those soft long lasting shifts. The smoother the shift the more friction on the clutches= less transmission life. Shorter, faster, firmer, shifts= longer transmission life and a better 1/4 mile time. It all depends on what you are looking for. A weak/soft shift is not necessarily a good thing. As for the transmission cooler, this is an excellent purchase. Depending on the climate that you live in. For instance, if the climate is a colder then it is suggested that the cooler is placed before the cars transmission cooler located inside the radiator. I’m sure there are some of you thinking that sounds weird but a lot of cars come with a factory cooler that is located on the sides of the factory radiator. This is for a couple of reasons; one is to warm the fluid up if it is cold, and to keep it cool if the transmission is heating up. Too cold of fluid is not necessarily a good thing, the fluid need to reach a preferable operating temp to reach proper viscosity. By saying place the cooler before the radiator doesn’t mean in font of the radiator, it means placing the lines from the trans pump to the new cooler and then to the factor cooler. The fluid flow would look like this from the Pump to the new Cooler to the factory cooler and back inside the transmission. This is for colder climates. For warm climates place the cooler after the factor cooler. Hope this helps.

:( I called the dealership and they only have some records on the car that show that the ac was worked on, there was no info on the routine maintence I call a three independent shops, Ive not had good experience with previous dealerships, it seems to me that they try to hurry with the work and the result is some what poor. I dont know about Lexus dealers, but they are all focused on MONEY so are Lexus dealers the best place to go? What are my options?

I just spoke with a independent Lexus repair shop who want 1,100 to replace the Timing belt, water pump, crank and timing seals, and the idler. Is this too much for this srevice? And how do I find out if they are a reputable shop?

The car came with a car fax report, and other misc records, however I was looking at the car the same time that another person was, so I kind took the plunge thinking that I could fix most of the small stuff, hope I’m not to far in over my head. Thanks for the replies, and if any one is familiar with mechanics in the Denver metro area that they have had good experience with pleas let me know.

This is my first Lexus, prior to this car I have owned mainly American made cars. Its a SC 400 with all the options. The 400 has 111000 miles on it and its in great shape, everything that came with the car is still with it right down to the first aid box. I paid 8,000 for it, hope that’s not too much, because there are some problems. I know that a car of its age is going to have some issues but I’m just worried that I’m going to loose a lot of money fixing problems. I love driving it but I’m afraid to get on it, due to the timing belt, unknown if its been replaced. :( There is a noise coming from the motor compartment, I think its the power steering pump but I am not sure, the sound increases when the steering wheel is turned at low speeds. Second, there is a slight sound possibly from the transmission. I’m not sure what sounds are common and uncommon on this car but there is a sound that is similar to that of a louder manual transmission in gear at low speeds. Third, the climate display has the black bleed on the screen, where can I buy the part from and how do you remove and replace it? Fourth, the rear speakers are not working, the sub appears to be working but the others are not. Right now I’m concerned that I have a lemon, what steps would all of you suggest for me on this? The body and interior are near perfect with all the original body parts and glass, the previous owner even took the time to have small paint chips painted, it is a sharp looking car that’s extremely clean. I just want it to work as well as it looks. Please give me guidance from experience, thanks in advance.