landar

The first thing that I would do is check/clean the battery connectors and check the battery itself.

Hmmm. Not your "typical' looking leak. That almost looks (from what I can see) like crustly, baked-on Toyota red coolant. Perhaps it has been there for some time? If it is not wet, then it probably has been there for a while. You can clean up the area and recheck later for any fresh material. If nothing, then you are good. It might be leftover sloppiness from a previous tinkering. It looks like it is coming from the fill port and perhaps that bolt was not tightened sufficiently or a gasket/washer is/was faulty. If so, just address that issue. I view it as a rather easy fix. Anyway, when was the last time that the cooling system was drained and filled with fresh fluid? If it has not been done within the last 3 years or so, it is time. My guess is way past due. I only hope that the rest of your system does not look like that stuff.

Walt, I have changed the timing belt, water pump, tensioners, etc in my 98 LS400 and my 92 ES300. And yes, I would do it again. Is it a pain? Some might say it is. I am not a professional mechanic (thank goodness...I would starve to death) but I do enjoy tinkering with cars and learning how they work and how to fix them. Perhaps the biggest reason I do my own work is because I am very picky about my vehicles. I have an inherent mistrust for others working on my stuff. I want it done right and I know the best person for that job. I do not know your mechanical abilities, access to tools or tolerance for pain. The timing belt/water pump job is not for the faint hearted but is very do-able for those with a little patience, are meticulous about how things go back together and have the time for the job. With your 93, you are not in any danger of damaging the engine should the belt break, however, you should address the leaking pump soon. Fall is almost here, so you might plan on doing it in a couple of months if you can wait that long. It would give you time to gather parts and do some research. The biggest thing you will need is time. Do not plan on this as a one day job or even two. Give yourself a complete day to dismantle and several days to put it back together. That way you are not rushing the process and mess something up. I took lots of pictures and bagged all the bolts/parts as they came off so that I would not lose or forget where something came from. The crank bolt removal has been debated a lot on this forum. I have done the "allen key in the flywheel" method on the LS and an air impact wrench on the ES. I would really recommend getting the crank pulley holder tool for this job. It costs about $60. Aligning the belt is fairly easy utilizing the timing marks on the new belt. Above all, use good OEM parts.

The compressed air is used to push the piston(s) out of the bore. It really looks to be the best way. I mean, you might be able to do it some other way like hook up the brake line and press the brake pedal to shoot it out with brake fluid but that would be pretty messy. If you do not have a compressor (I do not think it would take a very large compressor), you might find a shop that could quickly blow them out. Hint: This is a perfect time to get a new toy for the garage. Also, see this tutorial for the front calipers(if you have not already) -> http://www.lexls.com.../fbcaliper.html

It sure sounds like there is a mismatch between the gauge from the 96 and the fuel level sending unit in the gas tank of your 95.

Yes, the ECM has to relearn your driving habits after it loses its stored memory. Drive it around and see it if learns. Honestly, I would stick the old ECM back in and see how it behaves. Often, just disturbing the ECM connector fixes the problem. That is because there is a poor connection all along. Then when you plug in another ECM, it "seems" fixed. But sometimes it fools you because it was the connector all along and not the actual ECM. Clean the connector and try the original ECM again. BTW, you can buy contact cleaner at your local parts store. Spritz some of that on the pins and work the connector on and off a few times to clean.

It sounds like it might be in the ignition switch if you can power the radio on ACC but not with ON. You can try jiggling the key with it running to see if there are any signs of the radio awakening. If the radio works in ACC then it is not a theft deterrent issue.

Maybe the refrigerant was refilled 5k miles ago but it's time to recheck it. Could be a leak and low causing noise in the evaporator. It sounds like you might have a bad connection or a bad pressure switch causing erratic behavior. My thoughts are that you might want to take it to a really good A/C shop and not the Lexus mechanic. He is probably an overall good mechanic but lacks in the A/C area. A good A/C shop will run some checks and most likely be able to tell you what is wrong.

It could be your calipers that are dragging and causing the heat. Of course, it is entirely possible that it is normal operation on a hot day and typical use of the brakes. Just because your skin gets very hot does not necessarily mean there is a problem. How many miles on your ride?

I think Nestor is correct. I had a friend with the exact same year and symptoms. Turned out to be the OCV just as in the thread.

Are you sure you did not get E85? It is priced 10-20% lower than straight petrol.

Ok. Now it is beginning to sound like a sensor (cam or crank) is intermittent. But thats just speculation at this point. When it cuts off, do you get any codes? (I am guessing "no"). You now need to isolate between ignition and fuel. Know how to do that?

If it were me, I would be looking for a loose connection to the air flow sensor. Code 25 and 26 are lean and rich codes which are opposing mixtures. Since you hit some bumps, *maybe*, its as simple as a connector that jarred loose. Maybe...if you have lived a clean life thus far. Or perhaps the air flow sensor has failed. With your strong scent of gas, it sure sounds like the ECU is making the mixture too rich as if it thinks the engine is still cold when it really is warm. You might also want to check the temp sensors. If the engine is running really rough then it could also be a coil that is out or going out , as SRK suggests.

Well, to spoof the operation of the relay you would simply remove the relay and find the contact pins. Then short the pins together with a wire. You have just manually done what the relay would do. Now, you can also (if handy with a volt-ohm meter) check the voltage on one side of the relay contacts and get +12v. The other side goes to the fuel pump so you will see zero. Another thing you might do is check the resistance across the relay pins with the relay removed. You should see the DC resistance of the pump motor winding...probably in the 25-50 ohm range (dont hold me to that, just a guess). If you do all of these things then you know the wiring and connections to the pump are all good. The issue would then lie with the signal to the relay primary coil. That gets trickier.

and you verified that the relay will close and supply power to the fuel pump? In other words, you should be able to "spoof" (artificially duplicate) the signal from the ECU by closing the relay right at the relay and hear the pump running. This verifies that the wiring and connections back to the pump are all good. If that all works and it is just the ECU signal failing to energize the pump relay, then maybe theft deterrent is activated?

Yeah. Check for codes. OBDII.

There ya go, stroker. The bolts are too long to get out unless the shocks are removed. And the shocks are fairly easy. Thanks BentBrain.

Hard is a relative thing. It does not seem hard to me but might for someone else. Now "Pain" is more descriptive. :) You will need to remove some covers to gain access. I would be checking for spark at the distributors just to make sure that the coils were firing. There are two coils, each feeding the center wire of a distributor. You could pull that wire and set it within 1/4 inch of the block to see if you get an arc. You can study these tutorials to get an idea of what the distributors and wires look like and what covers would have to be removed to gain access. Of course, you would remove the plastic stuff and leave it off while you drive so that you can gain quick access when it will not start. Honestly, this is perhaps a job for a more experienced DIY'er but if you have a desire and want to tackle it, there is much satisfaction and cost savings. And if you want to do more yourself, there is a website with a LOT of good step-by-step tutorials. Again, if this all seems too daunting, seek some professional help (for the car, that is). Here is the link -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/ignition/

Well, I can only offer what I would do if faced with the same situation. When it did not start, I would immediately check for spark. If that were present, I would check for fuel and go from there. If you can narrow that path then you can start to figure it out. Otherwise, its a crap shoot of wild guesses and "thowing" parts at it. With fuel, you can just buy a can of starter fluid and keep it handy. Spray a reasonable amount (maybe a second or two of spritzing but don't over-do it) into the air intake snout. If the engine even hints of coming alive, its a fuel delivery problem. Else, probably spark. If you are uncomfortable with any of this you should probably seek out a good mechanic.Can you check it for spark when it refuses to start? You might also want to check for spark when it is running correctly so that you have a good/bad comparison to contrast.

Welcome, jgresham. Your issue may well be heat related. Now code 13 and 25 are seemingly unrelated in my thinking. Code 13 is "RPM signal 2" and code 25 is "Air-flow ratio lean". And indeed, you *may* have several issues. The air-flow being lean could be a MAF sensor on the fritz or a leak in the air intake duct work. You might have to get in and inspect for cracked rubber or hoses. The RPM signal 2 could be a cam sensor going bad. Especially in the heat. I have read that the timing belt can stretch or be off by a tooth and also cause this code. How long has it been since the timing belt was replaced?

I believe you may be right, Bobby. If you look at the other tutorial on removing the shocks, you will see that he first removes the upper ball joint from the control arm. And since that step is also required to pull the upper CA's, I think he just puts that step in there. If you can get a wrench on those side bolts of the CA, I do not see a reason why the struts need to come out other than giving you way more "working" room. On the other hand, the bolts in the upper CA may be so long that they would hit the strut trying to get them out. You can give it try and then report back. ^_^

Hey Billy...what do you mean "no club to chat on"? I am on "Siennachat". For your generation of Sienna it would be -> http://www.siennacha...-toyota-sienna/

You are quite welcome. And welcome to the forum, Tanya!Its a quaint, little virtual world where we all live in harmonious cyberspace. ^_^

Just be aware that a wire can "appear" to be ok from the outside or from one side, and actually be chafed or pulled/cut internally. The result is an open connection or a wire that touches ground when it should not.

I agree that this should have been a new thread. However, I do not believe the OP washed his engine. Something is lost in the translation. I think "when i was washing my car engine was stop" means that the engine was simply shut off while washing the car. Not an engine cleaning. Correct M Xakir Kayani?