steve2006

I would have thought the easiest way to check is to put the car manually into 1 then shift into 2 whilst on the move then you should be able to feel the shift into 2nd. If it doesn't check the AT fluid levels then think expensive as it could be a shift solenoid out.

A common cause is the courtesy light door switches which suffer from poor electrical contacts, remove the screw(s) holding the switches to the door frames ( do not remove the wiring plug to them or it may disappear into the hole) spray some electrical contact cleaner on the switch then work the switch in and out a few times to allow the cleaner to work into the switch then refit, do this on each one.

If your engine revved up to 20K RPM it should have thrown its internals all over the road! If it has been OK since the incident I wouldn't worry, it could have been a slightly low battery creating ECU sensor problems,low fuel pressure or maybe condensation in the inlet manifold all due to being stood for some time.

It's the 1st post at the top of the LS400 forum entitled Instrument cluster clock/climate control with 233 replies! maybe you should try another optician lol The removal proceedure is on www.lexls.com look under the tutorials section or here http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/headunit.html If you are really stuck you can pay for my airfare and accomodation give me $100 a day expenses and I will fly over and sort the problem for you, afterwards I could fly down to Ft.Lauderdale and take a couple of cruises :)

It may be worth having a look on Ebay.com or there is a guy on the UK LOC who breaks LS400's and may be willing to ship a mirror to you. If you ant to PM him his username is benfur. Don't forget your drivers side is the passenger side in the UK so make it clear which side you need.

The speedometer is electronic ( no cable from Transmission to speedometer) the speed sensor is mounted on the transmission so I would have a look at it's wiring 1st as it is subjected to road dirt and water.

After having had 3 starter motors with the same problem you are either very unlucky or you have another cause of the problem. When the starters were removed did anyone examine the starter ring gear around the flywheel? If the original starter was faulty and failing to disengage after starting it could have damaged the teeth on the ring gear in one particular spot hence when it is in this position on starting you get the problem intermittantly. Sorry but it looks like another strip down to find the problem.

As above and also check all the earth connections to the body if there is any doubt remove the bolt clean the contact areas and refit. There is a common problem with the starter motor just clicking and this requires either a rebuild of the starter motor with new copper contacts/plunger or a recon unit fitting ( not an easy job as the starter motor in under the intake manifold!) Go for the battery/wiring 1st.

You 1st need to determine whether the problem is fuel or ignition related. If you have the required equipment you can measure the fuel rail pressure to eliminate a problem there. A common cause of the problem you describe is the failure of the drivers side ignition coil. Also obtain the fault codes if any are present to assist in possible causes.

You say the engine intermittantly revs up to around 3K RPM but I cannot understand why you think this is being caused by a faulty transmission unless the transmission is shifting into 1st suddenly and increasing the engine RPM but if this was the case you would also feel the engine breaking effect. The only way to be sure is to wait until the fault shows up again then slip the shift in neutral when it happens and see if the RPM stays the same if it does it is the engine not the transmission causing the problem. I certainly wouldn't consider throwing money in to a possible cause only to find you still have the same problem.

Before doing anything else please check the 120A fuse in the engine bay fusebox and see if it has blown if it has replace it ( fuse box out to do it as it is hardwired to the fuse carrier)

I hear an Oxy-acetalene torch is good for removing pinstripes,paint and the metal beneath all in one quick operation!!!

Those belts are a very tight fit, when I replaced mine I took it back to the parts store as I thought it was too short, they rechecked and confirmed it was correct. To fit it I had to kneel down on the top of the engine grab the belt with both hands, lift up as hard as possible then slip the belt over the idler pulley. This was after trying the conventional method according to the workshop manual. Anyway 2 years later it's working fine so must be correct.

I had a 90-92 dash from a Toyota Celsior import with the lighting problem you describe and managed to repair it by replacing capacitors C6 and C7 on the top PCB ( the one which has the heat sinks on) the capacitors are both 220uF 25v rating but get the 105 degree rated ones. I am hoping this is the same PCB used in the Lexus models the part number on my PCB was Denso 457952-0502

Sorry not personally, but you could try contacting "ormi" who is a LOC UK member, he is a Toyota Technician and may be able to help.

The sensor is normally located behind the Lexus badge on the front grill so access should not be a problem. With it being exposed to road dirt,wind and rain I would 1st check it for damage or obstructions then check the wiring. If it does need replacing I would think it is a dealer only part so try Sewell Lexus.

I think the only way you can be sure of a genuine disc is to buy from a Lexus dealer.

well the idea is good anyway..... like a lot of other stuff, it just wont work..... I know, one day I'll invent something, get a patent on it and RETIRE!!!

What we need to do is start a seat exchange program. You guys have worn driver's seats but the passenger one is normally OK but your passenger seats are driver's seats in the UK and vice versa due to LHD/RHD so we could all get some decent seats. The only problems are shipping :D and all the control switches will be on the wrong side. If anyone is thinking of asking me sorry no I'm not coming over for a cruise from Ft.Lauderdale this year and I don't think Virgin Atlantic would accept a UK Lexus LS400 front passenger seat as hold baggage!

According to the manual this is perfectly normal ( mine does it as well and has caused no problems in 4 years). It's not blowing air out of the tank but sucking air in, as the fuel is pumped from the tank it creates a vacuum and it's the air going into the tank when you release the filler cap. Also proves the seal on the cap is OK. Quote from the manual. "It is not unusual to hear a slight swoosh when the cap is opened"

So the dealer is saying that with it's adaptive intelligence the last owner put the car into drive and then floored the gas pedal every time and now the car has adjusted to this style of driving, sounds like something that comes out of a bull's back end. I agree with the others I don't think the 01 has DBW it was around 2005 when it was introduced along with I believe the Toyota K Can bus system/diagnostics.

It's the switch near the yellow label and no the torch is not for sale :D

Have alook at this tutorial, if you scroll down you will see the IAC valve and how to plug it. The pipes you remove need plugging. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/steering/pspumpremoval.html

Recheck the distributor rotor arms as someone on the UK club managed to fit one 180 degrees out!

Have you pulled the fault codes?