landar

FIrst off, you need to explain the problem that you are having. When trying to help from a distance, every little detail counts. So, I gather that your engine does not always crank and do you get a single 'click' or a series of clicks?

I am fairly sure that the $1500 Wuzzy referred to was for some parts. He supplied some of the labor? Many of us on this forum are "Do It Yourselfers'" and we exchange a lot of ideas on how to tackle problems without going to a shop. I was thinking that you could also save some money doing a few of the things yourself as you seem to be very astute. However, if you have no desire to dig into the repairs/maintenance yourself (nothing wrong with that...many people do not) then the mechanic is the way to go. Glad you are getting things sorted out. Let us know how it goes.

There is no guarantee that a used will not be bad. I would take your original one to a local alternator/starter rebuilder. I just had an alternator rebuilt for one of my other cars and they charge $20 plus parts. They bead blasted it, cleaned it all up, new brushes and bearings, tested out...looked like new and it cost me a whopping $37.

Looks like lots of issues have stacked up on your car that were not taken care of as they occurred. I wonder how long you have owned the car and in what shape you purchased it? You live in CA so the body is probably rust free and fairly decent shape. Thats a plus. Most likely, you would not get much for this car if you sold it outright and next to nothing on a trade. So, I would work on knocking out the most urgent issues first. All used cars are going to cost you money to maintain. Trading for an older Honda or Toyota is really not the solution unless you find a really clean one-owner (and that is not out of the question). I would prioritize the repairs and go after the most urgent first, tackling the others as you have the funds. You seem to have researched the repairs and know what you are talking about. I really question the amount of money your mechanic is charging. It seems a little too high to charge $800 for a tune-up. So, what I would suggest is to shop around for another independent mechanic who knows what he is doing but charges less. Sometimes a Toyota dealer will even do the job for a reasonable price. But they might not like to step on the toes of a nearby Lexus dealer. Still, seek out another mechanics opinion and pricing. I think you could save a lot of money that way.

Sharon, welcome to the forum. Any used car will require maintenance and thus, some money thrown at it. You mention that you 'love' your Lexus so I am going to go out on a limb and guess that it is in pretty good condition overall. Is it? Rust? Paint peeling? Collision damage? Any pics to post? If the car has heretofore been properly serviced then it is probably worth investing the money to keep her going. You have not mentioned any history with the car so it is impossible for us to know at this time. I am not trying to make light of this but $3k is pretty easy to spend with a mechanic on repairs although you did not specify what those repairs would be. My guess is timing belt, water pump, brakes, suspension. Please give us a list of things that need attention. It may be that you can soften the blow by stretching the repairs over the next several years. Finally, it is almost always cheaper to fix what you have than to buy another. But I would like to know more detail before rendering a final recommendation.

The filler tube is comprised of two sections. If you are missing the upper section, you will need to procure another one and slip it into the bottom section. The top tube has a bracket that bolts to the back of the left cylinder head to hold it in place.

Wolfram Alpha, why did you start a new thread to ask the same exact question you did in your previous thread? No need to do that. Read the previous thread first.

A 95 manual will help with some things but not all because there were significant designs changes in 95 which make it different, in some regards, to the 91. The factory service manual is, in my opinion, kinda lame. It can show somewhat cryptic illustrations and can be frustrating at times. However, with forums like this and searching the web, you will have a ton of info. I would go the alldata route and download your 91 info. One most important and powerful tool which many newbies ignore is the "search" feature on this and other forums. Heck, even google search is extremely powerful. Learn to use the search engine and you can find almost anything you want for free. Information is power.

I generally just 'beat up' the parts manager at my local Lexus dealer. I do it with the Toyota dealer as well. They give me the same prices as Sewell simply for the asking.

With beer to wash it all down. Glad we could help. Note that the www.lexls.com site has a lot of very good tutorials for your year of LS.

You might be talking about the rear axle carrier arm bushings. Take a look at this tutorial and see if it fits -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/suspension/rcabushings.html

Wow, what a story Paul. Glad to hear that you got everything working again. Changing the belt and pump while on the road is like a baptism by fire. I really like your idea of leaving the tensioner pulley off for extra play while threading the belt. I will have to try that the next time I do a timing belt job. Thanks for posting your story!

There is a 'jiggle' valve on the thermostat that I believe is supposed to be pointed up. But if you have the engine running well and no heating issues, I would just leave it as is. Glad to hear you have been successful with the T belt change.

Well the PS is located slightly left of the alternator so it is not as likely to drip on the alt. but I would not want to place any bets on it NOT leaking into the alt. because the PS fluid could run along the right side of the PS pump and into the alt.

Good catch. Double negative. If the OP knows how to use a voltmeter, that is probably all that is needed to determine the issue.

So the engine starts and idles...all while the transmission is in Park. Now, if you simply put it in Drive, does the engine die as the transmission engages or does it continue idling (and at what RPM)?

Not sure exactly what is wrong but in any case, you are going to have to remove the inner door panel for a look-see. It sure does appear to be the motor actuator but could also be a connector or wire that has fallen off(less likely). Congrats on your purchase.

Good advice from fsuguy. I shudder to think about the critters such as mice chewing on wires, but it happens. As a quick 'kick', I would spray some starter fluid into the air filter snout and see if it would awaken. If so, fuel is the issue. It might just need more 'time' to get the fuel flowing. Hopefully.

I replaced the entire strut rod on my '98 because the price difference was not that great. I got the new rods with bushings for around $100 each and did not want to mess with pressing new bushings. Worn strut rod bushings usually cause a 'clunking' at lower speeds(like over parking lot speed bumps). Your 'play' at 3 and 9 o'clock on the front wheels would be the most worrisome to me. Your steering linkage sounds like it is worn. I would get that taken care of ASAP, check front end components in general (replacing where necessary) and get a front-end alignment.

If you pull the plug and let it drain for a few minutes, you can expect about two quarts to drain. However, it will continue to drip and drip such that I have actually gotten much more than that...maybe up to three quarts if you let it drip over night. So, bottom line is to measure what you capture and replace that amount. It can be 'tricky' trying to read the dipstick so I like to measure and refill. I always buy my T4 fluid by the case (12 quarts) at the local Toyota dealer for about $5 per quart. You have to ask them for their discount price but they will give you a better deal by the case.

I would put a scanner on it and look at the fuel trim. Should show that it is running rich. How many miles on your '97?

Billy is right. Conventional oil is so good nowadays that it really does not matter all that much. Change every 5k along with a new filter and you can safely use conventional oil and will not notice much difference other than a little more money in your pocket. Now if you live in a really cold climate, the synthetic may allow your engine to spin a little faster when cold cranking. That might be a consideration if your car has to sit out overnight in the winter.

I am not sure I understand your comment about timing marks but I would be careful using this 'u' mark. Seems to me that cam marks are slightly CW of 12 o'clock. You could be off by a tooth or two and the engine might run but not correctly. As far as putting it partially together and starting, that would be ok as long as you can get all of the connectors back on, caps, rotors, wires,etc. You may not know if you have a coolant leak until you let the engine warm up fully. I do not think you will save a whole lot of time as the engine will need to be mostly together to run anyway. You are only saving a few plastic covers and maybe the air filter plumbing.

It takes patience to get the belt on correctly, thats for sure. It is normal to be quite tight w/o the tension and you do not have to worry about lubricating the water pump just to turn the crank pulley. It will be fine.

Sounds like an ignition coil went out. I would check coils, distributor caps and rotors for condition.