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A horrible grinding noise at startup sounds to me like the starter acted up...gears engaging when they should not. Like a temporarily stuck (welded) solenoid. It happens sometimes. I can't explain the burnt oil and rough idle however. My question is when was the starter last replaced? :whistles:

Welcome, Brando. It is difficult to say without more investigation but it is highly likely that it is coming from the valve cover gasket on that side. Could also be other things like a oil pan leak or a rear main seal but lets hope not. The ticking noise on start up is fairly normal for a 95 but if it goes away in a few 'moments', its not really a big issue. How many miles are on your 95?

You are wise to be concerned about the brake caliper clearance because the LS has some beefy brakes. I do not know for sure if the ES330 wheels would fit but willing to bet that they would. The bolt pattern should match so it is just the offset that would be of concern but again, I would bet that it will work. Another option is checking a local junkyard for wheels as they do not necessarily need to be Lexus. I have heard that some Toyota wheels from the Avalon, Camry, etc. will fit. The most important thing being that you could try it and make sure it fits and return to the JY if it does not. You also save on shipping costs which can be substantial. In general, I have found that 'winter' wheels (ones you do not mind salting up) are not pretty, just functional. And usually go for around 50 to 100 bucks per wheel. If you can get the ES330s' cheap enough and they do not fit, you can always re-sell. Let us know what you decide, Crispy.

Well the first thing you want to do is to verify that where you think it is leaking, it is leaking. In my experience, oil pan leaks are not nearly as common as say, valve cover leaks or an oil pressure sensor. Anything from above can leak down and may cause the appearance of a pan leak. So, just verify first. Next, if you are pretty sure it is the pan gasket, you may not have to actually replace the gasket. Try snugging up the pan bolts first because sometimes they just work loose. As far as actually removing the pan, I really do not know w/o doing some further research. You are correct that you need to remove the under engine splash shield and then you can more easily see what else needs removing, if anything. But verify by making some simple checks first before you go after the pan gasket.

And of course, you have checked your trunk hinge wiring harness already. Right?

You know, Magda, the problem is not nearly as bad as it used to be. If you look at your post #8, the pulsing was much worse than it is now, 900 - 1600 vs 100 - 1200. So, it appears that you have had some effect with your cleaning. If you take it for a drive now, I will bet that it does not 'pull' as much as it used to. I wonder how the engine runs if you pull the throttle body ducting off so that just the throttle body butterfly is exposed. It should run but maybe not real well. Might be an interesting experiment. I would be tempted to manually move the butterfly to see if it can fully closed and if it operates smoothly.

Let us know what you finally decide to do and post some pics, Max. Would like to see this thing you got for a 'G' note. And Welcome to the Lexus Owners Club!

Keep the used tranny in mind but first check the existing one. May be something simple like a leak or wrong fluid type and you really do not need a new tranny. These trannys are pretty solid. From what you described and knowing your situation as a mechanic, I would buy that thing in a heartbeat. But first, offer them $800. What can it hurt? You can always negotiate upward.

I say buy it. You're a mechanic with shop, lifts, tools, etc. so you can fix this thing. Try to negotiate a slightly lower price but as long as the body is rust-free (FL) and there are not a ton of miles (over 300k) then you can fix it and you will love driving it. It could be as simple as low on tranny fluid because of a leak. That will cause it to just sit and not go into gear. Or as Bob mentioned, maybe the wrong fluid. But offer them less than $1000 and go for it.

Besides the time and money and frustration, it is just plain sacrilegious, of the highest order, to put a Chevy motor in a Lexus.

Yeah Seb, thats 'normal' with full electrical loading. I did a test on my LS a few years back and it did the same thing. Nothing wrong with your system, it just can't keep up with charging under full load when idling...but it begins charging again when you drive. Not a big deal. If you get stuck in a traffic jam for hours, you might want to consider cutting some of the loads but under normal driving you are good.

I believe the theft deterrent immobilizer would keep the starter motor from cranking but you say yours does continue to crank. So, even though it seems related, it may be purely coincidental. I would not think that reprogramming the key FOB would cause a no start condition. Does the FOB continue to lock and unlock the car or has that also failed? If it does still work, it is probably not the immobilizer. If it does not work anymore, it could be the immobilizer. Do you have another spare key to try? Maybe even a valet key? See what that does.

Billy, I don't think thats your date code. Take another look and use this site to decode. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

http://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files/search?city=atlanta&state=GA&radius%5Bsearch_units%5D=mile&radius%5Bpostal_code%5D=&keyword=&field_makes_tid=All

Hi Dina. This is an interesting post so I thought I would chime in with some thoughts. First, you did not need to change the starter or alternator as they would have nothing to do with this mystery. A good mechanic should have known that up front. And those items are not cheap to replace. Oh well. If the engine would not shut off, to me that points to the ignition switch being worn and sticking(shorted) in the 'run' or possibly 'start' position. The battery cables should be clean and making good contact with the battery but that would not keep the engine running. It could explain shut off and radio problems however. As Billy mentioned, there is an issue with the trunk wiring on these cars which also create weird problems. I doubt that to be your issue but just be aware of it. Another suspect in your case is the ECU capacitors. They tend to leak over the years and make the Engine computer go wacky. I would first clean up or replace the battery connectors and the ignition switch.

Nice find, Andrew. I applaud you for saving up and paying cash. Very smart. I know how I was when I was younger and I do not fault you one bit for wanted to mod it to your hearts' content. But keep the mods mostly to cosmetic stuff like wheels, interior, etc and leave the mechanical stuff as is. The reason is that you may end up with unintended mechanical problems that will haunt you and take a lot of money to find and fix. A set of aftermarket wheels can make a night and day difference in appearance. Still, you have to do your homework or the wheels will not fit or the brake calipers could rub. Its always something. Just enjoy it and let it 'grow' on you for now. Post some of your mods....would like to see what you are doing!

It is a little hard trying to interpret your request. Seems to be a mix of Spanish with English that is confusing people. Anyway, I would not recommend removing the lock cylinder just because you lost or misplaced the key. I think you can use the VIN to get a new key made. It is a lot better route than trying to pull the cylinder. Have you thought about doing that?

That would be great!

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/61372-98-1uz-fe-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement-how-to/?hl=%2Btiming+%2Bbelt

Thanks for posting that video, Khoa. Welcome to the Club!

Hi Brett and welcome! I would say that it is fine to drive it in any range that the manufacturer will let you set. Not going to wear anything out any more than a lower setting. Sounds like a nice car. Enjoy!

Innovative. Thanks for posting those instructions and all the detail, Umar. And welcome to the Club!

I read an interesting article on Click'n'Clack recently where they mentioned that the emissions wand used to test exhaust gases could also be used to sniff out petrol leaks. You might try to locate a mechanic with one of these tools and sniff around. It should pin point it rather quickly.

The "usual" method is to stand on the bumper and try to bounce the end of the car up and down. If shocks are good, you should not get more than 1 and a half bounces. Subjective, I know, but that is the amateur way of testing. If I were you, I would find an empty parking lot and try going over the edge of a speed bump with both wheels, then one at a time. You would have to find a bump where you could isolate each wheel going over. That might pinpoint the side and then you could go looking. If it only happens when both wheels go over, then you look for common suspension links. Dry rotted rubber suspension parts are notorious for "clunks" like you are getting.

Well...just in my opinion, they look dry rotted. They are going to flex under weight so it is hard to say from the pics. Could be 'normal'. Now, having said that, your 20 yr old car probably could benefit from having all rear rubber bushings replaced. Would that 'fix' your issue? Maybe, maybe not. Could be shocks for all I know but after 20 yrs, there are many suspension parts to replace if you want the newer car feel.