Thi

Finally, I got the hub cabs repainted on my LX450. I got some DupliColor paint for wheel cover from Autozone (12 oz can) and a tube of gold touch up paint (NG GM 516). The metallic silver came out really nice; the gold for the emblem is nice, but it could be a little more saturated in color (more gold.) Beside the Lexus emblem, I painted the outer circle around it also ;) I washed the covers first, then scrub them with 3M grey pad, and 320 grit sand paper. I wiped and blew away the dust before spray. One lesson learn, shake the can before and DURING the spray interval in order to get more even metallic particles. Thi

Check the head lights relay and see if it works OK. Maybe it got stuck in the ON position for some reason? Check the little red alarm light and see if it flashes when the problem occurs. It yes, it may be related to the alarm system. Usually, when you have the head lights' switch on, ignition off, driver side door open, the head lights should turn off by themselves. Maybe your car has the logic problem, short with that part of the system. Check the door switch also (dom light on/off OK when door is opened?). I would think that it's linked to the system that I mentioned above. Thi

Nice car and pictures! The PCH in CA is a beautiful road. Thi

According to the diagnostic procedure and explanation that I read, there are O2 sensors; one infront of the catalytic converter (CC) and one behind it. The wave forms from the 2 sensors are compared by the ECU in order to flag the code P0420. You need to check the two O2 sensors. Disconnect the connector from the O2 sensor and check the resistance between between terminals +B and HT of the sensor; it should be around 11 - 16 ohm at 20°C (68°F). If they are not in spec, you may need to replace them. If they are good, your catalytic converter may be bad. Thi

In order to remove the center pannel on a 97 LX 450, you need to remove the little cup (optional cup holder) over the radio. There are 2 plastic clips on the inside of the cup; you need to pry them down a little and slide the thing out. You can tape the end of a screw driver so that you won't scratch it. After removing the cup, remove the 2 screws inside it. Remove the ash tray and look under it and see if there are anymore screws. Beside the screws, there are about 8 clips that hold the pannel in place. Gently pry the pannel out. Watch out for electrical wires and climate control hose behind the pannel. Thi

With that type of problem, you can first check the fuses; if OK, then you need to remove the pannel and check the light bulbs. If the light bulbs are OK, you can check the light bulb's socket and see if there's voltage. If not, you have to trace back to the source. Most likely, it's a bad bulb or loose connection. If you plan to work on your car, it's a good idea to get some kind of service manual. Thi

There's one screw on top of the housing for my 97 LX450. I double checked with the Haynes manual (Toyota Landcruiser) page 12-15 also. It has a very good photo of the housing & removal procedure. There's a pin at the bottom of the housing, it can be binded if the housing has not been removed for a long time. Not too long ago, I bought some PIAA white LED side marker lights. They looks nice. After removing the screw on top, slide the assembly toward the front of the bumper. Thi

I'm happy with Sylvania Silverstar light bulb also. I have a set in my LX 450 and now in my Laser coupe also. Thi

After removing the screw on top, you should be able to remove the cover by sliding it forward. You don't have to remove the headlight in order to remove the cover for the side marker. There's a pin on the bottom of the side marker that helps holding the unit in place. Carefully pry/slide the unit forward. Thi

I wonder that if the programming procedure is the same between the 470 and the 450. Look under the driver side and see if there's a little black box. There's a earlier thread in this forum about programming the remote for a 450 model. Thi

Tom, From the Alldata DIY account, it looks like the sensor is located just above and to the right of the oil filter. Some diagrams in the service manual and online source have a limited perspective/view (tunnel vision.) In order to test it, you need to drain the coolant, remove the sensor, and test it. When I entered the search for the coolant sensor, it also listed an EGR temperature sensor among a list of sensors. It looks to me that the sensor is near the firewall & EGR valve. I mentioned this to you since the problem seems to be heat related. The AlldataDIY system has a lot of diagrams and diagnostic procedures. Thi

Tom, Good to hear that you got the filter replaced. I looked in my car's engine compartment and I saw the filter that you referred in your post. I looked around but could not find the filter that is referred in the manual. The manual was not clear and could be improved. I could not see on top of the gas tank. With your car's cold hesitation problem, it sounds like temperature sensors related issue. I would check the EGR as you mentioned, and/or O2 sensor, and coolant temperature sensor. Hope you get it fix. Thi

guys, From the manual & Alldata system, the filter is located on the driver side, just before the rear wheel. Trace the fuel line in front of the rear wheel. The Haynes manual recommends replacing the filter every 15000 miles or 12 months. Now, I need to get a filter for my car :) Thi

Andrew, I don't know what I was thinking, sorry. 93 octane is high already. I just read in a book and it metions some other causes for preignition/pinging: engine running too hot, carbon build up, sharp valve edges, glowing exhaust valve. Currently, I assume that your car does not have any error code. Thi

Andrew, You may want to try higher octance gas and see if the problem temporarily goes away, then you can go from there and keep on trouble shooting. If your spark plugs are old, you may want to get a new set of spark plugs; check the spark plug wires also. Thi

Andrew, I used Mobil 1 for the engine also. So far, there's no oil leak. When I bought my car, it has 67+K miles, now it has 74+K miles. The miles is kept on rolling :) I enjoy the car, but don't want to see the miles pile up too fast. I bought a FRAM oil filter for it, but did not have a wrench for the last oil change. On my other car, I used to use Syn oil until it started to leak. Now, I use regular oil for it now. Thi

Andrew, The P0325 knock sensor code could be a "left over" from the wire shortage problem that you had. You can try to reset the error and see if it gets trigger again. With the CarChip, you should be able to reset the engine check light. If you don't have the tool now, your cousin probably can reset it with his ODBII tool. Thi

Check on page #4 of this forum for the keyless entry topic which was started by Biaggi. If you cannot find it, I can try to repost the procedure. Thi

Congratulation Andrew. That was a weird problem. I need to take a look of the wiring harness on my car and maybe put some more insulation around it or something. Thanks for the information. Thi

Rookie, With synthetic oil, I thought that it would have better viscosity to withstand the extreme temperature hot/cold. In addition, I don't have to change the oil as often. Just saw a show on TV about the Ferrari Munzo (spell?), it uses a special formulated Shell oil that costs $60/quart .... ouch. The oil change would cost around $700. They said that the manufacturer will void the warranty if not using the particular oil. Well, the car costs $600,000+ and can go from 0-60 in 3+ seconds. Thi

Andrew, In the Alldata system, if you look up the code PO325, it leads you to the test procedure and description for the knock sensor. There's one in front and one in the back on the left side of the engine block. It detects engine's knocks and retards the timing. In the trouble shooting chart, one possible cause is loose connection. If you want to look for the knock sensor, go to Powertrain Management section, the Computers and Control Systems, then Knock Sensor. Well, at least it's not the transmission which can cost a lot. Thi

Try EBay. It works for me. Thi

One thing that I can think of is that it has very good seal in the system. As the pump removes the gas from the tank, it creates more vacuum at the cap. Another theory is that the cap's ventilation design is more restricted comparing to other vehicle. Thi

Andrew, It's a little device that you hook it up to the ODBII port at the beginning of the day. As you drive the car, it records various parameters (you can specify a set of parameters such as coolant temperature, timing,...), and error codes. When you want to analyze the data, unhook the device and connect it to your PC via a serial port. If your PC does not have a serial port, you need a USB to serial adapter. I think that it's nice for trouble shooting intermittent problem because it records data all the time as long as you have it connected. I bought it in order to trouble shoot an intermittent problem with my AC. Sorry to hear about your vehicle. It sounds like some kind of intermittent problem. I surprise that the light was not latched by itself. Maybe there was not enough time for it (computer) to flag as a real problem. Thi P.S. Something just came to my mind. A few months ago, you checked the timing on your car. I assume that you remember to remove the paper clip that you used to short the 2 terminals, right? <<<Update>>> I saw the Carchip and Carchip EX in local Sears store. The EX costs $150.

Check out this web site: http://www.thecarchip.com/ I got the Carchip EX version which is a datalogger, and ODBII code reader. With the EX version, you can monitor various parameters for 300 hours then download to your PC for analyze. You can use it to clear the error code also. You can go to the specification page or call them for compability issue. It looks the Toyota van is not on the incompatible list. There are some other fun thing that you can monitor such as acceleration, braking, top speed. My friend just got one not long ago for around $140. I paid a little more. Thi