landar

The MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) is a surge protector that was probably doing it's job but it got overwhelmed and shorted out. Something really, really nasty likely happened during that jump start to take out so much of the electronics.

As far as setting the mileage in the cluster, I thought that was a dealer thing due to the sensitivity of mileage recalibration. Takes special software to re-flash.

I do not see how things are "slowly coming back to life" but, IMO, it smacks of capacitor failure. "Dielectric healing" maybe?

So, your battery is known good and up to correct charge level, right?

No, the camshaft does not need to be taken out on a 92. We just got done replacing the cam seals in our 92 with a timing belt job. It is pretty easy, at least a whole lot easier than a 98 and up(which does require pulling the cam).

As to your wild thought, it could work but probably not for long. Best to just replace the original seal.

Now, I want to point out your statement "i'm assuming camshaft seals". Do not do that...assume. My first thought was "it probably isn't the cam seals".

I mean, it could be... but first locate the source by cleaning things up and looking carefully before proceeding. It could also be your front crankshaft seal leaking with the timing belt slinging it all over the place. Or your valve covers could still be leaking despite having just been replaced. Assume nothing, check everything. Another thing I would never advocate is Stop leak. Yuck, drain your oil and get that stuff out of there, what you can.

If you are close to being in need of a timing belt/water pump change, consider doing the entire job at once while everything is apart. It is really not that hard of a job.

I suppose someone at Advanced (or equiv.) could check the fuses for you. Or it is possible to have the shop that performed your extensive engine work to check around.

I would not think that all of your bulbs would simply burn out at the same time. Especially since you mention that your speedo,tach, etc are not working.

You are welcome Kayla. I would recommend taking it to a good AC shop in your area. They see this stuff all of the time. If they seem puzzled or their prices seem high, try another shop. It does not hurt to get a second opinion.

It is not really a super hard job, it is just that there are a lot of plastic pieces to disassemble in the dash area jut to get into finding the culprit. It can be a time consuming and tedious job.

Brian, it is almost impossible to diagnose this issue over the forum but we can give you some ideas of things to check.

Do not be so quick to dismiss tires unless you state WHY you have eliminated the tires. Tires are a really big part of most vibration issues.

It could be tires, rims, wheel bearing, ball joint, worn bushings, loose suspension member. And if the vibration gets worse under braking, it could be the rotor. You can even get a quick idea by rotating tires/rims from front to back to see if there is any change.

Was the front-end of the car recently checked and aligned? Most good tire shops can pinpoint this vibration pretty quickly and for very reasonable rates.

Sounds like you lost power to the dash. Did you check fuses?

Welcome Kayla.

There are a number of what are called "blend doors" in your car and it sounds like one of those is not working correctly. There is a little servo motor in each unit and sometimes a failure occurs and the door gets stuck in one position.

It sounds like your situation is the result of not directing cool air to those other vents because of a stuck door.

Is it an easy fix? Probably not unless you are fairly well versed in taking things apart and locating the source of the problem.

I have taken the servo assembly apart before and cleaned the feedback traces to get the servo working again so sometimes they can be repaired.

If the shifter wobbles, I would think maybe transmission mount?

It's good that you have found a schematic and can dig in a bit more. Keep thinking 'simple' however. Usually weird issues like this boil down to one rather simple issue, not a bunch of smaller things. It is easy to get "wrapped around the axle", if you know what I mean.

Because these issues began when your battery was jump started, I would look at the battery. Why did it need jumped in the first place? Is it really good?

Next, the ECU is highly suspect. And I am thinking it may have been damaged during the jump start. A voltage spike on the system is all it might take. A spike would stress components and take them out. It would also have stressed any aging capacitors that were on the 'edge' of failure and made them ineffective.

In a recent Yahoo article on what makes retirees happy, driving a Lexus was one of them.

"The unhappiest were more likely to drive a BMW, while happy retirees preferred Lexus. Moss
calculated that over five years, owning a Lexus cost 16% less than a BMW. "

Complete article -> http://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-ways-to-retire-happy-192156194.html

Why is this not surprising?!

That's precisely why you use the test light...it limits the current for protection and gives you a visual. I would not even think of messing with that stuff without one.

I would have to lean toward the harness being chafed/burned somewhere and shorting to chassis, maybe close to the fuse box where it catches a bunch of circuits. I would still implement the light bulb tester and go around wiggling and jiggling connectors and harnesses around the fuse boxes while keeping an eye on the test light. Actually, I would find the simplest circuit there is that blows the fuse and trace that down. It wiill take some detective work but you can do it.

Uh-oh...so your brother in law says he jumped the car? What he is perhaps failing to tell you is that he accidentally reversed the polarity and got a big spark. Now, THAT kind of surge to the system will usually take out the 120 amp main fusible link. But yours seems to be ok, right? Maybe a harness is melted to the chassis? Hopefully, this is not the case.

Next step I would remove the ECU behind the glove box and see if the short circuits disappear. If it does disappear, your ECU may be the sole culprit but if not, then a harness may be toast. I do not have a schematic handy but you could get one from TIS for a small subscription fee.

See if you can get any more detail about what exactly happened during the jump. Did sparks fly? Do not tip your hand but sneak up on this 'theory' ^_^

You may have to remove the right front tire and inner fender well plastic protector to see the harness. "Any current flow and the fuse blows" is not really true. It takes the rating of the fuse or higher current to get the fuse to blow. The bulb will allow current to flow while protecting the wiring...ie, it will not allow too much current to flow to prevent damage to the wiring. I think you are looking for a bright bulb glow and then start wiggling those wires in the harness leading away from the ECU. Remember some glow is normal but fully bright is a short. If you are not sure what that looks like, just hook the bulb directly across the battery and that will be fully lit.

The animal theory sounds plausible but I have usually found those to be opens rather than shorts. But would not yet rule it out.

wow Brian, $1k to replace cam and crank sensors? That's a bit on the high side.

First thing to check is codes. You can test them yourself using this procedure -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

If there are codes then you can use them to go down the correct path. I am really thinking it may be time to consider another mechanic more familiar with Lexus.

Welcome, Raza.

It is unusual that multiple fuses would blow like this. I would pull one of the fuses that blows and wire a 12v bulb, like a tail light or brake light bulb across the open fuse and plug it back in. Then watch the bulb and see if it glows. If it glows full bright, you have a dead short somewhere on the line. If it only glows partially bright, you have something less but still is a problem if that circuit is switched off.

Now, with the bulb in place and glowing, see if you can wiggle any wiring harness connected to the fuse box or that may be under the dash, near the firewall or near the fender well area. If the glow changes or stops altogether, you have isolated the short. I suspect that you may have a chafed harness somewhere that is shorting some wires to ground. I have heard of this happening on cars where the suspension has been lowered and the wheel rubs on the inner fender area (I believe it was the passenger side fender area).

Does your car have any modified suspension or wiring either by you or a previous owner?

Have you checked with your local Lexus dealer parts dept or Sewell Lexus?

I believe the trunk lid should just pop open a bit but not go up on its own. You have to 'help' it up to the fully open position. However, it should not take a lot of effort. If it does, then the gas struts are going bad. Another thing to check: with the trunk lid in the fully open position, just nudge it downward a bit. If it slams shut, the struts are shot. If it does not slam shut and, more importantly, does not slam shut on your head all on its own(like mine did), then the struts are ok.

That's a good point on shops not wanting to steer you to another. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of asking at a Napa type stores.

However, living in the Tampa area where AC is a must, you probably have some really good shops around. I lived in Orlando for 10 years so I know how important good, cold air is (and shade to park in!).

With a quick search on the internet, I found this place called "Mad Hatters". Sounds suspicious but there are many, many positive reviews -> http://tampacaracrepair.com

And they claim to be specialists in AC repair.

I am not in any way endorsing them but you may want to ask around or do some research if you desire to take it to another shop for a second opinion. You might have to pay some small diagnostic fee but that could be well worth it to get to the bottom of the issue more quickly.

Yes, I do know of shops in my area. However, I doubt that you want to drive to northern Indiana for their advice ;-)

Seriously, most shops do more than AC (or they would starve) but they are very good at AC in particular.

I might possibly be able to locate (via a web search) a shop in your area if you can give me a general idea of your location. You can do the same, of course, and what you want to do is stop into several general shops and just ask them who they can recommend. The 'word' often gets around among them as to who has the most success in resolving issues.

That you have to supply advice to the mechanics is a sad testimony for this Toyota dealer. I know the dealerships have to handle a lot of areas and maybe AC is not their expertise...but still, it's sad. If the dealer cannot resolve your issue in a timely manner, you might consider taking the car to a good independent AC shop and have them render an opinion.

Did you do the work yourself or have an AC shop do the work?

If a shop did the work, they should know what the issue may be.

Some ideas...Maybe the system did not get properly evacuated or refilled to capacity. You should be running R134.

With the windows open (to create maximum air to cool) and system set to max. cooling, you should see/hear the compressor coming on almost constantly. If not, then maybe it is not filled properly. If it does run constantly, yet fails to get cold, then maybe the new expansion valve is faulty or a blend door is not in the right position. You must verify the hi and lo side pressures are within factory specs. There are lots of possibilities.

Could be your TPS is worn. Check out this tut -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/tps.html

Ok, true confession... I have no experience with this particular situation nor vast experience. But, any codes?