eatingupblacktop

This might sound like a stupid question, but if you can't find the relay, how do you know it's bad?

Just curious, how did you ever come up with the routine that releases your key? Was it a suggestion by you mechanic? It does however sound like an ignition switch. Good luck.

I just noticed it's a '93. Check your cd's format and condition and that they're in right side up. Do any cd's play at all?

Located where they are, I would suspect corroded terminals for the switch itself. If you try jiggling the switch, do you get any flickering of the light? What do you mean that the stereo is "substandard"? What year is your Ls? Are the cd's your trying to play in regular format or are they mp3's?

How do I test if the car is getting spark? I replaced the fuel pump because I found the original one to be bad. It would not run at all. The engine will not idle at all. It will just start and die simultaneously. How did you determine that the pump was bad? Was that your assessment or from a shop? As Smoothy said, it could be any number of causes. Simple quick checks before replacing anything would be spark/voltage starting at the plugs and going back from there, fuel delivery/pressure, vacuum leaks. Any shop could test these for you for a reasonable cost. If you're not sure about the cause and aren't comfortable to find it for yourself, have it checked out and spend a little before you spend a lot.

Before buying a new battery, I would make sure the old one needs replacing. The shop can tell you if it can hold a charge and what kind of cranking power it has under load. I would also check to see that your alternator is providing enough current and voltage and that your belt is nice and tight.

Dirty cd's can be a problem to read. No matter how you store them, the coating oxidizes and develops a layer of fim on the surface. Cd's should be visually checked regularly for smudges, scratches, dust, hair, etc. Are you sure you didn't load any of them upside down? Are the cd's sitting snugly in the individual loading trays. Try ejecting the cartridge and reloading it. If the cartridge is not pushed in with enough force it might not lock in and consequently won't allow the cd's to load. When removing the cartridge I would also have a look inside the player to see if there is anything inside that might be an obstruction.

PS: The position that allows you to remove the key would be preset 2.

Since the key will come out with some manipulation as you described, have you tried the telescoping/tilting features of the steering wheel to see if there's a position that will allow you to remove the key? If you find one, then to reset the wheel to your driving position, you simply press your preset memory 1 button.

When you say "it does not matter much to me because the new alarm works great and protects everything" are you sure that includes imobilizing the engine?

PS: INcorrect tension on a serpentine belt is usually perceived as being loose, but it can also be too tight. An abnormally high tension on a belt stresses out not only the belt but all the bearings in it's travel and can obviously lead to them failing.

If as you say everything seems normal, I would check the belt to see if has a glaze on it - indicating a seized compressor or pulley. Otherwise check the tension.

Personally, I'd never wait for a warning light. There's no need to. A quick check to see where your pads are at - check your brake fluid level. If it's on the mark and you have no leaks, then your pads are ok. But nothing beats a visual check to see how much is left. Break pad wear is directly proportional to the type of driving/breaking you do (aggressive - or towing a trailer) and where you do it (flat/hills/mountains). It' not unheard of for a set to last over 100k.

The short & sweet of it is - the shorter your sidewall, the more tire pressure you'll need to protect your rims. This makes it harder for your suspension to give you the ride that Lexus engineers design for the car. You can't change just one part of your suspension. All the parts work in a finely tuned balance. It depends on what your priorities are. On the track 50 lbs is what you'll need to make the car handle competitively and to take full advantage of a race suspension setup (spring rate/shocks/sway bars). In the city, you're not going to have the smooth pavement of a track. So if you don't mind slowing down for all the inevitable potholes until you find a short stretch of smooth road to peel out on, then go plus one or even plus two; but if comfortable cruising is a priority, by all means change your wheels but keep the same size. Unless you dial in changes for the rest of your setup to match any tire/wheel size change, you might be rudely surprised.

Sure is a helluva lot better than replacing a driveshaft do ya think? One more thing you can try until it's time to get new tires - rotate the one tire they couldn't balance to see if the vibration changes. Say from front to back? BTW what tires are you running? And what pressure are they at? You could try messing with the pressure as well.

Personally, I'd walk away from an air suspension. There are enough regularly sprung ls's out there in good condition. Is it worth the risk? Air sus is a well known problem with these cars and not inexpensive to repair. And last question. What's the payoff for having one?

Left rear definitely looks low. Are you on level pavement with no grade, is the car running and is there someone in the driver's seat? SK has air on his 98. He could give you a qualified opinion.

Let us knows how it turns out.

<br><br> You know if you read enough of this forum, it gets to be hard to settle in for a nice relaxing cruise because your ears are open wide for most of the trip. 90LS or should it be 91LS, how did you make out at the dealer? I'm asking because, I think I'm beginning to detect a slight vibration at about 60 kph. Ealier this summer, I drove for about half a mile with the prk brk on. The vibration grew stronger the faster I went until I had to stop to find out what it was. I totally forgot about that until now. I'm wondering what all that vibration might have affected? Soon as I get some time, gonna have to do some of the tests that everybody's posted on this thread.<br>

Very nice job Zaraone. That's exactly the way to do it (imo). Like pishta says, you leave any oil leaks go and you'll wind up with a mess. It will grab every piece of road dirt and crap your car can find. The more it leaks the more layers you get. Not only it be hard to find the source of any leaks, but any accumulation of crud will also act as an insulator. A dirty engine retains more heat when it's running. This will make your cooling system work harder. Also, when you turn off your engine, it continues to heat up the engine compartment because there is no longer any airflow to cool it down (especially if it's parked inside). A direct result of this is deterioration of your cables, wires, electrical components, harness, etc. Like VB says, get a six-pack, put on the tunes and enjoy the workout.

Hey Niner, Here's another sc with heavy engine mods:

Oh yes, and the valve cover gasket is a big labour intensive job.

I would definitely agree with dashan. A lot of shops will try the "make work" approach if they can get away with it. Confirm the leaks for yourself. P/S is easy to spot. So are valve cover leaks. If your oil pan is wet it could be coming from anywhere. The question is how much oil are you using? If it's negligible, you can check for cam seal leaks when you do your next timing belt. It's a big job. If your losing p/s fluid or notice the pump/hoses are wet, then that would be an important repair since you could fry your alternator. Save your money until your sure of the accuracy of the repair estimate and the urgency for the repair. If you're not a diy, get an estimate from a toyota dealer to compare with the one from lexus. For example, their oil changes are about half the cost for exactly the same oil and filter.

Pressurization of the fuel tank is normal for the efi to work properly. However if you notice a excessive pressure being released when you open you gas cap, then you probably need to replace the gasket in the cap. No need to get a new cap.

Not sure if you'll find the info you're looking for, but here's a site with some wiring info for your car: http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/vehicl...eard/Lexus.html Are you sure you want to do this? With possibility of false alarms and non starts? I'm not familiar with the Designtech, but I know someone who had an AstrStart: http://www.astroflex.com/index.php?module=...amp;newlang=eng which is supposedly a high end unit and apparently problem free. From what I've heard, you have to know what you're doing to connect the wires exactly and program the unit correctly. There are plenty of mechanics making a living correctling bad installations. Hope this helps. Let us know how you do.