hrhino2

About 4" from the motor entrance there is a further reduction of the feed area. This may be the problem, I've found that taking the last 3" of the nylon and bending it away from the curl will help straighten it. Take a flashlight and look down the tube and you'll see what I mean. thanks, blueridge! you were right on the mark- once I got it past that smaller area, it went right in with no problem!

I've replaced 2 of them due to my own negligence. push the plastic line into the motor and press the off button on the radio to retract the antenae. It may take a time ro two to get it right, if the motor is not operating, you most likely have done it but check you connections and alway the fuse. You may have grounded the motor with the key on. thanks for the quick reply! I can hear the motor running, so it's not that- I just can't get the rack to "feed" into the motor housing far enough for the gears to "grab" it and pull it into the housing when we turn the radio off. How far does the rack have to feed into the housing before it is inserted far enough? Can you feel it slip into a "slot" or something or does it just fit "loosely" into the housing? thanks again!

so I'm doing the antenna replacement on my wife's 2002 RX300. I got it all taken apart, took the old broken piece of the plastic rack out of the motor housing, put it all back together, and now I can't get the new rack to feed back into the motor? I have the teeth facing forward, I can insert the new plastic rack about 6 inches, but from there nothing happens when we turn the key off in an attempt to get the motor to retrack the rack/antenna. it feels like the rack just "bottoms out" when i insert it into the motor housing, but does not "grab" onto anything. do I need to take the motor back out and open it up and reinspect it or am I doing something wrong? thanks...

there is a (short!) black rubber vacuum hose located behind (but does not connect to) the back of the air cleaner, just in front of the brake master cylinder, that connects to a metal line that sometimes gets pulled loose when checking the air cleaner element- I suppose it could get pulled loose doing other things as well if one did not know to look for it- when this happens you will get the check engine light, the vsc light, and a code indicating a sensor is bad..... this is not true- just reconnect the hose. but you will have to get the code reader reset. you can also do this yourself as these code readers are only about $30 or 40 for the cheapest one, and you will save that money in the long run by avoiding those "diagnostic fees" that dealers want to charge...

X2- That's the ONLY way you can know what the problem is. If you are competent to do your own work, my recommendation to ANYONE who does, is to spend the money to get a half way decent scanner, probably less than $100. and for a really basic code reader, less than $50. As the car gets older, you're going to need it more and more if you keep it. Gives you a fighting chance of not having your bank account emptied in one swift motion. Knowledge is power and only the ignorant don't want at least the power to keep from being ripped off. Totally agree. Actually while I was at the local Advanced Parts store to have them scan the code, I did a quick browse of their scanners. They range from $50 to $200. Any particular brand/type you would recommend? check the vacuum hose just behind the engine air cleaner and just forward of the brake master cylinder. it is a short black rubber hose that connects to a metal pipe-looking hose. it will sometimes come loose, especially if you're not careful when you remove the cover to the air filter to check it. that will make your check engine light come on when there is absolutely nothing wrong but the hose being loose.

Hello- I would like to ask anyone with experience if changing the spark plugs on an '02 Rx-300 is a difficult task or does it require any special tools? my local (non-lexus) shop wants almost $400 to do the job! says it takes 2.3 hrs to do (labor) plus 6 Platinum NGK plugs at $28.60 per plug. this sounds ridiculous to me, what is the general consensus about doing this job yourself? thanks.

greetings all- I have been a lurker, learning much and saying little for some time now. picked up lots of tips and info; thanks! we bought a pre-owned 2002 RX-300 (30k original miles) and have put around 70k on it in 3 years. so far pretty reliable (the D light is burned out however, like most, ha ha). I have NOT changed out the timing belt yet, however. what is the danger of not doing this strictly adhering to the Owner's Manual (says replace at 90k)? also, my local shop (non Lexus dealer) says replace the water pump at the same time. total job around $600. So do I do it or not? Many thanks.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on tire brand/style when it's time to replace them... my '02 Rx300 has 75k now and it's getting close to time to buy new tires....any recommendations out there for the best tire for a smooth, quiet highway ride?