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GKLCPA

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Everything posted by GKLCPA

  1. SRK, let me make sure I understand. Are you saying that without this caliper bolt, I'll have a leak? It's my understanding that the banjo washers are dime sized. This washer is a quarter sized washer and I confirmed that it's for the caliper bolt. I did not reinstall the washer. Do I have to worry about a leak here? How would I know there's a leak anyway?
  2. It's definitely the caliper bolt washer. It fits in a slightly recessed part of the caliper where the bolt goes in and there's another for the other bolt. Apparently, it popped out of its recess when I moved the caliper. As it turns out, I forgot to put it back. Begs the question... Why would you remove the caliper mount, torque plate, just to change the pads...? I was getting ready to say that there was no other way to do it, until I stopped and thought about it. The pads are held in by a clip at the back of the caliper. All I had to do was remove that clip and the pins and I could have slipped the damn things in. I had Lexls's instructions and my set up was different and I just assumed the process was the same. I did a lot of unnecessary work. Oh well.
  3. It's definitely the caliper bolt washer. It fits in a slightly recessed part of the caliper where the bolt goes in and there's another for the other bolt. Apparently, it popped out of its recess when I moved the caliper. As it turns out, I forgot to put it back.
  4. Photos aren't a bad idea at all. The tires are still off, so I may do that now. Both sides are slightly different however--at least on my car. The passenger side has a wear sensor while the driver's side didn't. This was my first time doing a brake job and it's a fairly straightforward DIY with the exception of getting the caliper bolts out. The breaker bar I had wasn't good enough, so I had to get a 2 footer for leverage, but I messed around hammering the smaller breaker bar for an hour before arriving at the conclusion I had the wrong tool. The kind of inexperience can slow down a job like this, but any future brake jobs I do will go much quicker and I have two other cars that will need this at some point.
  5. I was able to resolve this question. This washer is about the size of a quarter and it's for the caliper bolt. I figured I'd answer just in case someone else had the question.
  6. Hi Guys. I'm completing a front pad replacement on my LS and while moving the caliper around, the washer pictured below fell out from somewhere and I can't determine where to put in back. It looks like it has some wear on it. Can someone tell me where this goes? Thanks
  7. If you have two mechanics telling you the coolant hoses are on the way out, then I would pay attention. If you feel competent to inspect and access the hose condition, you can decide. If not, go with the mechanics recommendation. These OEM hoses are very durable so if they do not appear rotted or cracked they are probably ok. Be aware that you cannot always tell what is going on inside the hose just by examining the outside. IMO, it would not be unreasonable to replace them after 16 years. The serpentine belt is a very easy item to replace yourself. I have a 25 year old BMW that's my daily driver now and one of the things that's very helpful with that car is a Bentley manual that explains pretty much everything about the car. Is there something similar for the LS? That'd be helpful for the serpentine belt change out.
  8. The timing belt service has been done twice. Both mechanics were referring to the cooling system hoses. Actually, I've not taken a look myself and that's what I should do before doing anything. I'm getting ready to take a long trip and just wanted to make sure things were on order prior to doing that.
  9. Last time I had my car into the mechanic, I was told that my hoses are dry rotting and require change. It occurs to me that this would be a good time to deal with anything that's rubber given that my 1996 LS is nearly 16 years old. Here are my questions: 1) What hoses are good candidates to replace? 2) Does it make sense to replace all drive belts? 3) What other rubber components should I consider changing? Thanks in advance for your assistance.
  10. Not sure what happened to this thread since February, but it appears to have been very heavily edited with a few exchanges now missing and altered. Not sure what's up with that. In any event, the problem was the fuel pump. This is something very difficult to diagnose in advance until the thing is ready to give up the ghost, which in my case it nearly did. So after trying the recommended fuel induction service, the problem persisted and I told them to change out the fuel pump. Upon doing so, the problem resolved itself and my fuel mpg returned to normal. Had I done this all over again, I would have went with my original hunch and just switched out the pump at the outset as it would have been cheaper. A fuel gauge didn't really help as the problem was too intermittent to test. So sometimes, you just have to guess rather than test. Of course, if you can, testing and knowing what the deal is with certainty is preferable. The experience has been helpful though. I recently put my 1987 BMW 535i back on the road after 10 years of sitting in my garage and have decided to park the Lexus so as to preserve it. Lo and behold, I've encountered a sputtering problem with this car. This car happens to have two fuel pumps and the main one supplying the fuel injection is failing. This time, I've picked up enough knowledge such that I'll swap out the pump myself.
  11. Well, looks like my problem is solved. The one thing I regret is not going with my first inclination and replacing the fuel pump at the outset. That delay actually wound up costing me more money trying to sort out what the problem was. In any event, I'm glad that this is over with and at 192K miles, I'm looking forward to putting another 100K+ on before I even think about getting another car. Believe me, in the midst of this headache, the thought did pass my mind of getting a replacement.
  12. Also, I gotta say that my local Lexus dealer's service is excellent, no matter what happens here. First, they're not trying to gouge people and work with you to address the problem. I didn't find their prices much more than dealing with an independent. They installed the fuel pump for $ 400 which was about the same price I was getting from the independents in my area and I was given a loaner to boot. They definitely have a new customer as they've won my business.
  13. Well, the saga is still continuing with the intermittent start. The car ran much better after the fuel induction service recommended by Lexus, but has continued with the intermittent starting issues on at least 3 occasions since then. On one occasion, I was once again sitting in the car while idling and the thing started sputtering again, then stopped and I couldn't start it. I concluded that it had to be the fuel pump and took it back out to Lexus today to discuss with the service rep and the mechanic. After kicking it around, we decided to go for the fuel pump to see if this addresses the issue. I've been wanting to pull that trigger for awhile, but didn't want to wind up laying out the dollars and it not be the issue. The car has been having the problem far more frequently here of late--like every other day, so one thing's for sure, I'll know within the next day or so whether the issue is gone.
  14. The saga continues. I took the car to Lexus again today. They tell me that there's really no exhaust leak related to the manifold gasket, just a hose attached to the exhaust near the manifold that needs to be replaced (they want $ 750). Toytta was wanting $ 1200 for the same thing and claiming they had to do the manifold gasket. I really think the service reps at this place are getting paid on commission as they really do try to come up with stuff just for the hell of it. So, in my case, my local Toyota is the stealer while Lexus is not trying to juice me. The car is running like crap now and seems to be misfiring and it's not starting much more frequently. That's a major pain in the butt, BUT, I'm sorta glad to see it as that may mean a light at the end of the tunnel. For some reason, this always occurs at night. When it did it the other day, I did spray some starter fluid down the intake snout and it fired and ran for a few seconds before stalling out. Actually, I did this a few times to confirm. So, I'm pretty sure that it's some issue with the fuel system. Lexus is recommending a fuel induction cleaning (about $ 150). I think I'm going to go for that and see what happens. Maybe I'll get lucky.
  15. An update on my car problems with the intermittent starting issue. I had planned to take the car in to address potential vacuum leaks. I was sitting in the car on the phone last week with the car idling, when the idle started acting strangely (sputtering) and then car went crazy with codes and the track light flashing on and off. By the time I got home, it wouldn't start after shutting it off. (This intermittent starting problem always occurs at night and never during the day). I took it in to Toyota figuring they'd be able to analyze. The car wouldn't start for them at one point, but they weren't able to analyze. (This particular dealer is frustrating as they charge an arm and a leg and want to suggest everything under the sun to fix other than what you brought the car there for). So, I pulled the car from them and took it to another mechanic and we discussed the potential problem of a vacuum leak at the exhaust manifold. I've had a leaky exhaust manifold gasket that I've known about for awhile that needs to be replaced and we believe that this is the source of my problems with the lean fuel,the intermittent starting and the recent crazy idling. It's a fair amount of labor to deal with this. I pick it up on Thursday and will see how it acts over the next couple of weeks. The intermittent starting issue was definitely occurring more frequently, so if something's going to happen, it will do so within the next two weeks.
  16. An update. The damn thing wouldn't start again last week. I let it set for an hour and it started up just fine. It was too dark to mess around trying to get the starter fluid in good. Fortunately, I was at the office and I just walked around the corner to get some dinner. When I came back, I was praying the thing wouldn't start, but it started right up. The next day, I picked up some Seafoam and dumped that into the tank and a few hours later, I got a P 171 code (fuel too lean again) and I suspect that I still have a vacuum leak, so I'm going to take it in next week to address that. The idle seems to be running high now. I took it to my mechanic and he tells me that there's also a pending "fuel too rich code" that cancels out the fuel too lean code. He clears the codes and tells me to wait and see if they come back on. I can appreciate the guy trying to save me money, but the fuel too lean thing has been a on-going issue and I felt he was just too backed up to deal with the issue and test for the vacuum leak. So, I'm going to take it to Toyota on Monday and have them check and replace the hoses as necessary. I was told by by Lexus and Toyota that the vacuum leak might be affecting other sensors in the car and might result in hard starting. So I'm going to address it and see what happens. I resolved myself to just dealing with stuff as it comes up and continue driving the car with the hope that it dies or produces a discernible condition that can be addressed.
  17. O2 sensors have no impact at starting. The ECU ignores them until the engine and the sensors are fully warmed up. As a result a starting problem wouldn't be due to O2 sensors. Bad fuel can be a problem. Since you had the problem a while i assumed you'd been through a few tanks. If not fill up with fresh fuel and try. Maybe add some HEET (or equivalent gas additive) to fuel in case some water got into the tank... Thanks Curious. I've done the thing with the fuel additive twice thinking water or something was the issue and switched where I was buying fuel from as well. I got a code on the front 02's with an indication that the fuel mixture was too lean, but that may have been related to a vacuum leak which got addressed yesterday when I replaced the temperature control sensor. According to what I reading on the web, the vacuum leak could make the fuel mixture to lean to fire. That leak might also explain the decline in gas mileage I was getting also. They gave me one of the hoses they took out and it was in bad shape. Thoughts?
  18. I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but your best bet at getting at the root cause will be hoping that the engine dies completely and will not start at all. Those are the much easier problems to solve. Then you can get in and start checking each system for operation and get this problem narrowed down. I would get the car "instrumented" as best you can before it acts up again. Like put your spark measuring tools in place or have them in a really handy place so you can quickly deploy them. The worst thing is for the car to start operating again w/o having been afforded the opportunity to do a little testing. I am not a big advocate of replacing parts while the engine is still acting up. The reason being is that you may introduce a new problem that was not there before. It is not out of the realm of possibility to get a so-so part that will cause more grief and compound the troubles. So, while I am with you on replacing parts for maintenance reasons, I would caution against much of that until the root cause is identified. I suppose if you replace parts one at a time when the engine is running well and it does not cause any problems, it is ok. On the other hand, you may have to perform some level of experimenting and replacing parts is justified after you have narrowed things down some and have reasonable doubts about its performance. You might want to invest in some scan tools for your own use. There are some PC-based tools that can help you understand fuel ratios and flow, temperatures, sensor readings, etc. The poor mileage may or may not have anything to do with the current maladies. Intermittent starting problems are usually associated with poor connections or failing sensors. To address your earlier question, a single coil being bad would certainly cause problems but others report that the engine will at least run..very poorly but it does run. So, I doubt a single coil is the issue. A cat that is partially plugged would begin to affect mileage as the exhaust flow is impeded. Seems that cats tend to go after approx. 150-200k miles so if you are in that range, they may be needing replacement. They are big buck$ unfortunately. Landar, you're right. This intermittent thing is worse than the car just not starting. I wish I was in Yoyo's situation. I hear you too on introducing too many variables and producing other problems. Although I'm a CPA by profession, I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to computers and diagnosing issues and I can recount the number of times where something was made worst by introducing a change that created an additional problem to solve while throwing you off the hunt on the original one. So, I'll go easy and carefully in that regard. I may have addressed the mileage problem today as when they were putting in the temperature sensor, they found a couple of bad vacuum tubes which got replaced. We'll see what happens. Thanks for your response and sage advice.
  19. Yoyo, I can't advise you on the part, but I'd have them check the sending unit also. That price for the Denso seems pretty good though.
  20. I find that it's a good thing to maintain a degree of insouciance about what people may post on the internet. There are several reasons for that, but the best thing about that stance is that it provides a good filtering mechanism, otherwise one can wind up "drowning in a puddle" over nothing. Life is too short to get caught up in anything that leads nowhere. So, if you don't mind, I'll engage with others and won't distract from this forum (or from a resolution of my problem), by getting into a back and forth with you over nothing.
  21. Have to agree with SRK. The bottom line is that you need three ingredients to get the engine running...fuel, spark and timing. The timing really is not in question since it does run most times. You have a "tough dog" here. Intermittent behavior is what is throwing these mechanics for a loop. So, it is up to you to do the sleuthing and get to the root cause. If it runs then it runs. Be happy. Life is too short to worry. However, be prepared to do some diagnosis when it acts up again. Number one, carry a can of starter fluid with you and be prepared to use it. Starter fluid is highly flammable, so don't go crazy spraying it into the intake snout but use enough to give the engine a chance to fire. Probably 2-3 seconds of mist will do. Repeat one time. If that produces no starting results, spring into action and check the spark. You can buy a little strobe light to hook to the high tension wire of each coil or each spark plug wire. Once you have it narrowed down, then you go on the witch hunt. This tough dog will take some patience and a resolute, logical mind. I love these mysteries. And, worst case, if you cant get it fixed, you sell to me...cheap! I fix. :whistles: Another question here also. About the time this started happening, I got a code indicating that my fuel was running too lean and I replaced the front 02 sensors as a result. At or about the time I began having the intermittent starting problem, my fuel mileage started to decline slightly. I would routinely get 18-19 mpg and now I'm getting about 15-17. Not a big difference, but noticeable for me since I check it all of the time. The mpg did not return back to normal after I replaced the o2 sensors. About a month ago, I had a p0420 code pop up and was told by one mechanic that my driver's side cat was bad. That may be affecting my mpg. I'm thinking this thing is somehow related to the fuel. Thoughts on the above?
  22. Have to agree with SRK. The bottom line is that you need three ingredients to get the engine running...fuel, spark and timing. The timing really is not in question since it does run most times. You have a "tough dog" here. Intermittent behavior is what is throwing these mechanics for a loop. So, it is up to you to do the sleuthing and get to the root cause. If it runs then it runs. Be happy. Life is too short to worry. However, be prepared to do some diagnosis when it acts up again. Number one, carry a can of starter fluid with you and be prepared to use it. Starter fluid is highly flammable, so don't go crazy spraying it into the intake snout but use enough to give the engine a chance to fire. Probably 2-3 seconds of mist will do. Repeat one time. If that produces no starting results, spring into action and check the spark. You can buy a little strobe light to hook to the high tension wire of each coil or each spark plug wire. Once you have it narrowed down, then you go on the witch hunt. This tough dog will take some patience and a resolute, logical mind. I love these mysteries. And, worst case, if you cant get it fixed, you sell to me...cheap! I fix. :whistles: Landar, I picked up the starter fluid the day you suggested it on the other thread and thanks for the suggestion above. If the car fires, would you conclude it's the pump or the sending unit? Also, could one faulty coil result in the car not starting? I've replaced the spark plug wires, so that variable is eliminated.
  23. I'm not one to throw away money and perhaps your finances can't handle $ 30 on a temp control sensor, but mine can. Same applies to the plugs and wires. The car has 200K miles on it and these needed to be replaced anyway and my finances can absorb that and I'm ok with that. I don't need to defend what I'm doing when I'm here seeking information on how to solve a problem which apparently at least one other person has. Hell, even here, there's been a difference of opinion over what the issue is and the bottom line is I have to do what I have to do to resolve the problem. I think we all know that it's either the spark or the fuel. If you've some specifics to offer in that regard, I've no problem hearing it, but your critique on my spending $ 30 is not something I can use. Get it?
  24. If your starter is spinning the engine fast enough to start it, then the starter is not the problem. Randomly replacing parts is an expensive way to (try to) solve a problem ... it's almost always cheaper to take a car to a professional mechanic. Thanks and I agree that randomly replacing parts is not something one wants to do. I've tried three different mechanics, including Lexus, but they've come up with nothing. (Lexus tried to convince me to replace the starter). They need to car in the non-starting condition to determine the situation and can't seem to determine what the problem might be. So, I'm on my own at this point, which leaves me guessing at what to address. The only thing I can do is do the cheaper maintenance stuff that needs to be done anyway, like the temp sensor, and try to isolate the problem with the starter fluid test as a couple of people have suggested.
  25. yes, another poster suggested the starting fluid also to test and I picked up a can. I've already addressed the plugs, wires and rotors which needed to be replaced anyway and I figure the temperature sensor replacement is rather inexpensive, so I'm going to go ahead and do that. Before I attempt to replace that pump and sensor, I'm definitely going to test. Question: Could an intermittent problem like this revolve around the starter?
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