landar

Go for it!

Mike, there are 9 bolts around the perimeter of the cover so if you remove those and the COP's (coil on plug) from each spark plug, you should be good to go. I really believe that you are just feeling the resistance of the spark plug tube gaskets in the cover. You would need to pry up evenly around all sides to get the cover to slide up each of the four tubes. I think it is just binding on the old, hardened tube gaskets.

I believe that your exact issue has been covered before. Try a search and you find some posts. Welcome to the club! [edit] did a quick search and found ECM "The problematic one is p/n 89661-50302. The upgraded fix p/n is 89661-50303" I am guessing that you already saw this lengthy thread on the subject? -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15699&hl=

I think it would really help us a lot if you could back up a moment, Lukyscc. I feel like this thread started out mid-sentence. It left me with a few questions: 1) Why did you replace the knock sensors? Was the engine running poorly before or was it fine? Need a little background. 2) Can you get the engine to go past the 1500-1800 RPM range briefly by 'blipping' the throttle or does it just die when you get to that level? 3) If you bring the throttle up slowly and steadily, does the throttle just get stuck at a certain RPM or does the engine start to stumble and choke? 4) Does it behave the same if you take it out for a short drive in the neighborhood? (ie: under a load?) It almost sounds like fuel starvation but will wait for your answers to these questions.

Well, at least you are learning a valuable lesson on car repair. The "shotgun" approach of replacing parts in the hopes of hitting the root cause is a no-no unless you have all kinds of money to flush. You need someone to again be very methodical in checking spark. Make sure that both banks are now sparking AND that the timing is correct. With so many parts being replaced at once, it is not impossible that another issue was introduced. If you do have proper spark, then you can focus on the fuel system.

It really sounds like a coil went bad. That would produce the glowing cat and rough running and is a fairly common problem. Did your brother actually replace the coils?

Would have to agree with Jim. Plenty of pristine examples out there. The price will soon be forgotten while the issues will nag you. The LS430 is a very nice machine, but just say 'no' on this one.

I "think" Mike's strategy is to pull the valve cover and confirm if the issue is valve seat recession or a 'burnt'(damaged) valve. If recession, there will be little or no clearance when the valve is fully closed. And he will re-shim the offending valve(s) using a smaller (thinner) shim to allow the exhaust valve to again fully touch the seat. Granted, it is somewhat of a band-aid solution but may buy him a few more miles. If a damaged valve, the head needs to come off. Or sell it. Make it someone else's headache. ;)

I would suspect that you had air in the cooling system which caused hot spots and high temp readings. I really hesitate to use straight H2O in a system, even for a test. Water has a lower boiling point than antifreeze and "could" result in some overflow initially. You might want to replace the reservoir cap as well. The pressure on the system also raises the boiling point and your cap may be old and not maintaining proper pressure. So, I would drain the water and start with a correct mixture of coolant and distilled water (not tap due to impurities). BTW, I use and recommend only Toyota coolant. Then make sure the system is properly burped. I would bet your fan clutch is fine.

So, you filled the washer fluid container yet the warning light stayed on? Check to see if the sensor wires are still attached. It could also be a faulty sensor. On the smoking problem...not a clue unless your parking brake is stuck on.

One thing that I am really curious about Mike... have you ever calculated how much money you have 'saved' by running gas over petrol?

I just checked the dipstick bolt on my '02 LS430 and it appears to be a 10mm by feel. If you use a small mirror, you can see the bolt just to one side of the oil dipstick bracket which is 'L' shaped. The bolt is forward of the bracket, that is, toward the firewall (cabin area). This would all have to be done by 'feel' from the topside. It does look like it would help to pull the under-engine cover and look from the bottom. However, this is all a moot point, I believe. The dipstick attaches onto the head and not the cover so you really do not need to remove it, save for one thing...the oil dipstick tube is in-line with one of the cover bolts and blocking direct access. But I think you could flex (or slightly bend) the dipstick tube and access the cover bolt. Especially true with the aid of a swivel socket (lets you take a different angle at a bolt).

Hey Lou, since your LS is a female ("she started"), you might consider keeping fresh flowers and candy in the trunk. Always works for me. B)

One of the 'problems' with the LS is that you cannot simply "run it into the ground". It is far too well-built for that to happen. It will destroy you (mentally) with niggling little issues before it gives up the ghost completely. Think about the emotional and time investment you have thus far into this issue as an example. So, you would either need to sell it or fix it. If the car has people believing it is a new model and in very nice shape, why not invest in fixing the exhaust value issue? You would have to pull the head and have it serviced but it could be worth the experience and trouble in doing so. If it were mine and I were fairly happy with the vehicle, I would have it repaired, doing as much of the work as I could myself. If however, I were tired of the old girl and had the money, I would sell it and get a newer, lower mileage vehicle. BTW, couple of thoughts on the actual leak. You have 16 intake valves and 16 exhaust valves, right? So perhaps only one of the exhaust valves on cylinder #1 is leaking. Small solace, I know, but something to think about. If you did rework the head, of course you would have all of the valves checked and reseated if need be. I also wonder about removing or maybe loosening the exhaust manifold from the head. You would certainly be able to hear the leak coming right from the exhaust port. You might even be able to see some light if you shined a torch into the spark plug hole and were in a dark garage. Some mechanics even use what they call a "smoke" test injecting smoke into a leaking area and looking for the smoke to exit.

So, if the segment IS shorted, how do you ever get the starter to turn? If your theory is correct, the only way to get off of the 'dead' spot would be to physically move the starter by hand. I do not see how you can state this shorted commutator theory so emphatically and confidently. I am calling 'bs' on this one.

Search "cup holder" (in quotes) -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30241&hl=%22cup+holder%22&fromsearch=1

You can begin by cleaning the battery terminals and charging the battery. Even if the battery is new, it may not be fully charged. The "brownish" color of the negative connector could just be some insignificant staining or it could indicate a bad connection and overheating at the terminal. After cleaning both terminals, you really need to get a voltmeter on the battery to determine the charge level. You could also try jumping the battery and see if it will start. Once started, you can check the alternator charging level.

The spark plug threads in the head could be damaged or perhaps there is a crack in the head near the spark plug hole. It is far more probable that the leak tester is not properly threaded into the hole or a gasket in the tester is not seated. I am guessing that the leak-down tester screws into the spark plug hole but you might try to get a V-shaped conical rubber stopper to plug the hole as well. Thats a "one size fits all" plugging solution and might eliminate the threads from the test. However, if the cylinder leaks around the tester threads, there is good chance it might leak around the spark plug as well. You might want to wet the tester male connector with some soapy solution and using a flashlight(er, "torch" in the Queen's English) to peer into the hole and see if you can notice bubbles in a certain area of the threads. You can also buy a small camera on a flexible wand to snake into that area, and indeed the cylinder, to have a close-up look. They are not too terribly expensive and it is a toy for the toolbox. Cannot have too many of those! Finally, did you carefully examine the #1 spark plug threads for evidence of exhaust gas blowing past the threads? If leaking, it might show evidence of slight charring along a section of the threads.

If you are super motivated, you can do it yourself -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-first-generation/421861-wood-leather-steering-wheel-refinishing-pics.html

We are more of the Caviar and Champagne persuasion. Lexus snobs, you know. ^_^ Are you familiar with the search engine feature of this site? I know you tried, but it does not seem 'jacked' to me. It is in the upper-center of your screen. I typed in 'power steering filter' and got some hits. Here is one -> http://us.lexusowner...38;fromsearch=1 After checking the filters, you might consider replacing the power steering hoses. A collapsed hose will also cause problems.

Thanks for the closure, Rusty. Not to knock those on this forum (including "yours truly") but the fact that you had to bring a printout of suggestions from this forum to your mechanic is a sad testimony. You may be correct in needing some new parts but I doubt you needed a new cat converter. Not cheap. You are right in thinking of shopping for a new mechanic. Glad you finally got her fixed...enjoy!

You would have to separate the engine from the transmission to tighten the flexplate(flywheel) bolts. If the rear main seal fix is beyond your abilities, then so is tightening the bolts. But good news...your issue is, most likely, not the flexplate bolts. As a first step, check the transmission mount and replace that if it is rotted. Check all of the driveline components as jaswood suggested in post #2.

In post #22, you can see the stainless steel worm-drive type clamps that I used to reattached the heat shields. Purchased from the local Ace hardware store. They are not all that large, maybe 2 1/2 inch diameter. I really do not see the shields as being all that important but since Lexus went to the trouble of installing them, I decided to put them back on. Probably a fire-prevention issue for all of those off-road excursions that we so often take with the LS. :whistles:

That latest description leads me to think more in terms of a universal joint in the drive shaft or CV joint in the rear axles. You might want to get underneath and "rattle" those parts checking for slop. Maybe even something amiss in the rear differential (fluid level, gear mesh?) Just speculation on my part, however. Take it with a grain(or two) of salt.

As concerns issue 1, you might investigate the integrity of the transmission mount and engine mounts. Your car is at an age and mileage where the rubber bushings in these components might be cracked or separated. It is easy to miss with a simple inspection. Issue 2, maybe IACV?