landar

Another thing when you remove the cam bearing caps, keep the caps/bearings in the same locations, do not mix them up. The caps should be marked and have an arrow pointing to the front of the engine but I still like to get a shallow box and carefully place them in order so as not to damage any of them by (possibly) banging together. You probably already know this but just thought it was worth mentioning in case.

Funny Brian. I think we have narrowed it down to the car. Maybe take the gas cap off and put it on another LS and call it a day? I get your sarcasm. So, if the engine will rev while in park (no load to speak off) but begins to sputter and run rough when in gear, that *might* suggest fuel starvation. Might. A simple test could help. If you were to add some fuel while it was sputtering and it began to recover, that would lend support for lack of fuel. I have taken a can of starter fluid before and spritzed a little into the throttle body and gotten some clues. Of course you will need a helper and be very cautious but it can provide some insight. If the engine sputters and stumbles even more, then its not fuel delivery. Probably ignition. But if it does help a little then it is probably fuel pump, filter, etc.

Oh, I was afraid you might be wanting me to chime in! I must confess that while I did the timing belt when I had my 98, I did not do the cam seals because they were not leaking and mostly because, its a lot of work. I did pull the cams out of my son's 92 ES300 and it was somewhat similar. I had to lock the gears with the service bolt and pull the pair out (I was removing the head). However, that is not going to stop me from attempting to lend some support. ;-) With the crankshaft at 50 ATDC, I think you are ok to rotate the cams somewhat. Mine would snap-roll due to the valve spring force maybe 10 degrees but I just put them back. That's the reason for the 50 ATDC... to get the best clearance for some cam movement. So, let me see if I understand correctly...the dots of the RH cams are lined up with each other but the LH cam gear dots are not? If not, how far are they off from one-another (approx)? If you notice step 3 for the LH cam is different from step 3 for the RH cam: "Align the timing mark (2 dot marks) of the camshaft drive gear by turning the hexagon wrench head por- tion of the exhaust camshaft with a wrench. " It appears that the LH is expected to be non-aligned and you then align them before removal.

In Canada, Krown Rustproofing seems to be the prevailing choice for RP I do not have any experience with them but it is not a one-time deal. You need to go back year after year for true protection. Its a hundred buck or so each time. Myself, I use a product call "Fluid Film". It is not petroleum based so not toxic yet it works great. I spray all of my vehicles myself and keep an eye out for rust issues. It has exceeded my expectations. Welcome to the club, Thomas.

I really would like to help you Brian but my suggestions generally are not heeded. I really did not see how the Seafoam was going to do anything but held my tongue. I think sha4000 suspected that as well. This type of problem needs a logical method of attack or you will be throwing money at things that will not fix the root problem. Get the problem divided into fuel delivery or ignition. Then go from there. Will the engine rev in Park? If so, that suggests that the engine will not handle a load but otherwise will respond.

Your aerial is on the same side as my 92. That is the LH side as viewed from the back (yours being the passenger and mine being the drivers side). I would suspect that your CD changer and amp are on the RH side as well (drivers) just as a US model. Lexus did not have to mirror everything for RH drive models, just the steering wheel, pedals and instruments. Find the CD changer and I think you have your amp. Hope this helps.

You are the original owner? That is amazing. Your car sounds like it is very nice. Would love to see some pics.

Brian, I must explain that I am an electronics engineer and am infected with this 'disease' of trying to get to the root cause of problems. I have found over many years that if I do not find the root cause, the problem with not go away. I remain skeptical of this "sulphur build-up" unless your battery is right next to the amplifier. I have found over the years that presuming something often leads to erroneous and frustrating troubleshooting. Test everything, assume nothing is a good motto. That is why I suggest you play with the head unit first. You do not even need to remove it. With the ignition switch on, will the radio turn on and off every time for 10 tries? 20 tries? I know it sounds silly to do that but its part of some initial simple sleuthing. My 92 USA LS400 has the aerial on the RH side(passenger) so it is very probable that your amp is located opposite of a USA model as well (which would be on the LH side). I would do some digging in the trunk to see if you could locate the unit.

And here I always thought the amp was in the trunk, right side. But what do I know? I would really focus on the head unit where the on/off switch is. Could be worn and needing replacement. Here is a tutorial on removal -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/headunit.html

Welcome Jay! The first thing that I would do is to put an OBDII scanner on the test port and see if you can read out any codes. If you cannot afford such a scanner, one will be provided for you. Oh wait, I got that mixed up with Miranda rights. :whistles: But you can go to any Autozone, Advance Auto, Pep Boys, etc and they have readers that you can use for free. I would not necessarily take any of their resulting advice, just get the code(s) and report back here.

Congrats Jim. I also have a 2010(gen II) Sienna Limited and love it. In fact we are an all Toyota family. I am also on the Sienna Chat site under, what else?, landar. Don't forget about us here and do check in from time-to-time. You are a great asset to any forum.

I am not sure why you would have no codes especially if the 'engine lights' are constantly on. You should be aware of the infamous failing capacitors in the ECU's of this vintage of car. That would make the ECU act very strange and perhaps no codes. If it were my car, I would figure out a way to hook a fuel gauge to the rail such that it could be safely monitored while the engine is running. If it stays in the 45 to 50 PSI range, you can eliminate the fuel supply as a suspect and go after ignition. I would certainly encourage you to recheck for codes as that could be very revealing. Just double-check that you are performing the procedure correctly -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

I have never done such a swap but no, they are not the same engine. The 98 is much more sophisticated, electronics-wise and valve timing-wise. About the only thing that *might* swap out is the short block but even there, I would doubt it. What did you 'blow' up in your engine?

Welcome, Mike. What I would do is get another AM/FM antenna(does not need to be toyota), even a piece of wire, and temporary substitute that for your existing antenna. That will give you an idea of whether the factory antenna is on the fritz.

That history helps. It sounds like you 'shotgunned' the original issue and got into more than you should have. But that's in the past now. I would have tried to pull a code to see what the system was complaining about (you might still try). Your original issue of not going over 10 MPH does not sound like IACV. I would not try cleaning the IACV at this point. Leave it alone and go after the root cause of no start. Let's get this issue divided into either spark or fuel. Grab a can of starter fluid and spritz some (sparingly) into the open end of the throttle body and crank to see if the engine at least tries to start (of course it won't stay running). That will at least get you going down the right path of either fuel delivery or spark. Basic troubleshooting.

Ok. The Chinese have been known to knock off parts even putting "Toyota" (or whatever) on it. Let's back up a moment. What seems to the the root problem with your car? Not idling correctly? Could be a cheap replacement IACV...unless you know the history of the engine. Just saying.

Is yours possibly an aftermarket unit?

Bill, it looks like there are about 3 nuts holding the ECU to several brackets. I have heard that the nuts are 12mm but my experience with Lexus shows them to love 10mm. In any case, get a good light in there and you should be able to see how to proceed.

Welcome to the club, Kenny! I would like to know more about the LED taillights. Did you have any issues with the warning lights on the dash coming on (due to lower current draw)?

Sorry to hear about your fall and knee surgery, Randy. I hope everything heals up fine and that you are back to 'normal'. Glad to see you got your engine running properly. Thanks for posting the resolution to this perplexing problem.

Yeah, Steve, my first thought was that the throttle cable was not reconnected. It happens. All I can say to Skip is "Welcome" ...and go over everything you dismantled and make sure that all connections are solidly back in place. I recently went thru the starter replacement and very painstakingly made sure that all connectors were back on properly. Double and triple check. Miss one and she will not run correctly. It is also very easy to damage a connector as well. Check this tutorial for proper installment of the TPS -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/tps.html

Take a look at this thread -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/72485-outside-ambient-air-temperature-sensor/

Tony, I do not know how hard it is to replace the booster unit but it is not related to the master cylinder. If you had a leak there, you would be bleeding brake fluid. I would carefully check the vacuum hose and clamps leading to the booster unit for leaks before declaring the booster bad. Could be a hose or defective clamp. If the booster is bad, a junkyard unit might be the best bet if you can find one.

Welcome, Han. I think you are wanting a bumper cover. See this other thread for some ideas -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/79316-front-bumper-on-98-ls-400-needs-replacing/ You also have to consider that if the local roads are bumpy and your cover is getting beat up as a result, a new one is also going to take a beating. If your car has not been lowered, you might consider looking at your front struts(shocks) to see if you have excessive bounce.

As I understand, the electric fans are primarily for use when the AC unit is running. You have a main, mechanically running clutch fan that should pull lots of air thru your radiator when stopped. Check that fan for proper operation. Concerning the no start situation, I would be ready to check the spark when it won't start. Take off all the plastic stuff around the coils so that you can easily get to the main high tension wires to check for spark. One thing that many early LS owners seem to overlook is the distributor caps and rotors. Those rotors do not last forever and need to be periodically replaced as a wear item. May not be your issue but keep it in mind. If you have spark, then you may want to check the fuel delivery next. I would spritz a little starter fluid into the throttle body or intake snout the next time it fails to start. If you get even the slightest hint of the engine trying to run, then you should go down the fuel path. I know you recently replaced the fuel pump and filter but you can get bad parts particularly if they are cheap knockoffs as are so prevalent from the local parts houses. Finally, with a 90 LS, you could be battling the leaky capacitor syndrome. The caps in the ECU will begin to leak and then the computer no longer acts reliably. Again, it may not be the issue but be aware. Also, the trunk wiring in a 1990 can also cause strange electrical issues. Be methodical in your search and you will soon get to the root cause.