landar

Welcome auto1bp. Oil leaks can be difficult to track down. You want to start by thoroughly degreasing the underneath and then monitoring for a leak. If you have been a good boy, it is only a loose oil pan bolt or gasket. However, it could be several things. As your car travels forward every leak tends to travel backward, so the back of the pan is a logical place to notice a leak. When you say that "all the oil seals have been replaced", do you include front and rear crankshaft main seals? Do you only notice the leak when parked on a hill? (then dont park on hills...problem solved :whistles: ).

You are better off just taking the car to your local tire shop and having them remove the keyed lugs. Then put regular lugs back on. The wheels may have been worth something in their heyday but not so much anymore. On the other hand, if your car is parked in a "bad" section of town at night, some one may feel compelled to remove your wheels even though they are only worth about $300/set. In that case, it might be worth staying with keyed lugs. The dealer would have a replacement tool.

I am not so sure gutting the cats was a wise move but what's done is done. Your report of red cats and running "like a lawnmower" sounds like a lot of folks who have had a bad coil(s). Red cats mean a rich gas mixture into the exhaust system which, in turn, points to an ignition problem, perhaps even timing. How old is your timing belt? How many miles on the car?

I recently went on a 2k mile trip in my '02 and tried several tanks of regular just to see what the difference might be. The engine seemed to run the same. The mileage did seem slightly better (1 mpg) with premium. However the difference was so slight and the test so uncontrolled as to be statisically insignificant. However, I still run premium in the tank on a daily basis primarily because Lexus specifies it and premium is always only 20 cents more per gallon in my area no matter the base price of a gallon of regular. That means that as gas prices rise, premium becomes cheaper as an incremental cost adder. Twenty cents on $3.60 gas is 5.6%. It always costs me $4.00 more (20 gal @ 0.20) each time I fill with premium vs. regular. I have proven to myself that premium is less prone to gumming up(additives) than regular. And the manufacturer recommends it... and its always only $4.00 more each fill. I can afford that, so for me, premium is justified.

There is a special subforum called "Lexus Detailing and Car Care" that you should peruse. It contains a lot of info on leather care. From reading that forum, I now use Woolite cleaner in water to clean and Leatherique to condition my leather. Here it is -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showforum=9

If you pulled the fuse AFTER the first resetting of the VSC light, maybe that is why you can no longer reset the warning light? IOW, if you put the fuse back in, perhaps you could now reset the light. Do you have the "VSC Off" button down by the shift lever? Also Mike, check out this thread -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls430/329133-check-vsc-vsc-off.html

Yep, 3 yrs is what I do. It is still a little excessive, IMO, but coolant is cheap in comparison to a corroded cooling system.

There is no reliable way to tell how many miles are on the timing belt from a visual. The good news is that your 92 is a non-interference engine so if (when?) the belt breaks, it will not harm your engine. Just leave you stranded. All in all, not a bad deal. B)

Now, I recall listening to a video you made, Steve, and you sure did not sound like you had a Brit accent. :) Anyway, as far as the VSC issue, Mike, be careful not to necessarily associate the misfire with the VSC issue. It may just be coincidence. With the intermittent behaviour, I would suggest checking sensor connections and the plug connections to the VSC controller (wherever that is located ).

Are you sure you do not want to do some more digging into why the VSC is warning rather than just disabling it altogether? A working VSC can save your bacon in bad weather.

In addition to spinning you should also wiggle the pulleys checking for excessive "slop". Any noticeable movement or clunking probably means the bearing is worn. You do not replace the bearing itself, you just buy a new assembly either at the Lexus dealer or online if you want OEM replacements (recommended).

The battery is crucial to all of the electronics. I am not claiming that a new battery will magically fix all of your problems but it sure is a leading candidate for the root cause. You don't need any special battery. Just a $75 Exide, Energizer or you name it. Available at Sam's Club, CostCo, etc.

Did you ever buy the new battery? I think you are on the right track. At first I thought it might be your fuel pump acting up, but the buzzing is probably the starter relay chattering due to a battery that is on it way out. The residual buzzing for 2 seconds after you release the key is puzzling to me and does not fit. I would recommend that you take the car to Autozone (or equivalent) and have then load test the battery and test the charging system. Its free.

Only you can decide if it is "worth" it. Given the 200k miles, the issues you describe are normal. And think about what would be a good replacement car. It is not going to be cheap. I know it seems endless and difficult to repair but you are gaining valuable experience in the process. I get a sense of pride, accomplishment and a tremendous confidence boost when I tackle difficult jobs. I would keep plugging away at the issues. Knock them out one-by-one. It is almost always cheaper to repair than replace the vehicle. The LS is built like no other.

I guess it would be good to clear up the ambiguity of "right side of the engine". Normally, the "side" is as referenced from the driver's seat. So "RHS" would mean the passenger side of the engine compartment. A really simple test for squeals is to spray a little (very little) lubricant like WD40, or silicone or teflon spray onto the belt while running and see if the squeal is affected. If so, its the belt. If not, you will have to "catch" the noise with a stethoscope or careful directional listening(very tough, thats why a mechanics steth is important for pinpointing noises). From your description, it could be the idler pulley. Some have also reported the fan clutch bracket pulley as making noise and needing replacement especially if you have a lot of miles on it (>150k). How many miles on your 92 LS400?

It definitely does look to be some sort of buzzer but not the main horn(those are up by the front grill). Being a buzzer, It is not going to make a very "pleasant" noise. It might be an ABS or VSC buzzer.

I would wait until you correct the battery issue and check codes before replacing the PCM. Your PCM may be fine.

FIrst check when lots of things go wrong simultaneously? Battery and all battery connections. Highly suspect.

I believe there is a coolant tube running underneath the intake manifold from front to back. Perhaps that has sprung a leak somehow and has allow antifreeze to run into the plug wells. As far as head gasket, that is very unlikely and probably would not result in coolant in the plug wells. As concerns the "miss", did you also replace distributor caps/rotors as well?

Hmmm, your '02 must be different from my '02. The tranny dipstick is right next to the engine oil dipstick. There is no cover to remove. However, there is a "latch" on the dipstick that you have to push to one side as remove the stick.

Why don't you start at the beginning and tell us what led up to this non-starting condition. We would need a bit more detail in order to help.

It is highly advised to also replace the water pump and pulleys while in there. The labor is not much of an adder. What are they quoting you for cost? Typical independent shops are usually in the $800-1000 range.

Stacy, did you see this other recently posted thread? -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68762

You're quite welcome. As far as a mechanic, you could look at the "mechanics files" -> http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html I know it might not be a great recommendation but its a place to start. Welcome to the club!