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Brian, here is my crazy idea. Why don't you open each door, one-at-a-time, and view the dash for this "door open" icon. Then, with the door open, push the door switch in with your thumb to make the car think the door is closed. The switch is located about half-way up the inside of the inner door frame and has a rubber boot over it. If the light goes off, then that switch is probably good. If the light stays on, then the switch is bad. You may need a helper to sit in the drivers seat and tell you what the icon is doing. I also suppose that the switch could be good but the door is not striking it correctly(positioning is off...something needs adjusting). As concerns the trunk...same thing. There is a switch located just to the left of the bottom latch. Open the trunk lid, see if you can press that in and get the car to "think" the trunk is closed. If the trunk icon stays on despite having it fully depressed, you probably have a bad switch or mis-positioned. Sound like a plan?

The factory used FIPG (basically RTV) as a gasket and it is messy to clean up. If yours is a high quality gasket made of neoprene then it is probably ok but being from Oreillys', not sure. Your biggest issue is not bending the edges of the pan trying to pry it off the transmission. That factory FIPG really sticks tight. Take your time getting it separated. Once you bend it, it is difficult to get it back into shape so as not to leak.

Welcome RWD! Based on your description, it really does sound like sloppy tie rod ends. Here is what you could do to confirm. With the front end off the ground, grab the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Give it a good shake. It should not budge. But if it does and you can feel some "wiggle" in the tire, then either your inner or outer tie rods are shot. Just look carefully while wiggling to see which it might be (a helper is user for this). Otherwise, you might check for the worn strut bar bushings that 1990LS400 mentioned.

And thanks Jim...you da guru of phone/head unit/stereo installations!

Correct. No need to drop the tank... unlike some other cars. Finally, you catch a break, huh? ^_^ Remove the back seat, then just use the .pdf instructions that sha4000 provided. No fumar.

You have to remove the back seat to get at the gas tank and then the fuel pump, which is not hard. You do not need to remove the gas tank. Difficulty level is subjective but I would put it at a "6". Now, you are absolutely sure it is the fuel pump, right? Here is a link to removing the seat -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/body/rearseat.html

Welcome Pavel Sorry to hear of the problems. As previously pointed out, a code reading with an OBDII reader is the first thing to try. Other than that, you can usually divide between fuel and spark pretty easily. If the fuel pump is out, then spraying some starter fluid into the intake snout and cranking will usually get the engine to at least sputter for a moment. So thats one simple test. Also, if you "smell" raw gas while cranking, it is likely that your fuel pump is ok. Seeing black soot on the pavement makes me suspect your ignition. Since you have a 97, you still have two coils, two distributors and two rotors. It is somewhat common for a coil to go out and even more common for a rotor to go bad (they are supposed to be replaced on a periodic maintenance schedule although many forget to do so). You can check for spark by pulling a plug wire and inserting a spare spark plug into the end. Then position the ground electrode of the plug against the chassis(metal, not plastic) and crank, looking for a healthy blue spark. You need to check both left and right banks.

Welcome! The Toyota DIY site shows part# 90311-71001 for the cam seal. A quick search reveals a few sources but as to exact size, I do not know. Take a look at this and see if it might be a possibility. You do know that you have to remove the cams to get to the seal? http://www.oscaroparts.com/reinz-engine-camshaft-seal-90311-71001-4962974-10063-p

I believe that all the way up is full heat. With the valve wide open, you should feel both hoses being very warm to hot. That indicates that coolant is flowing. You might have to disconnect the cable to move the lever all the way up. That cable is controlled by an actuator and I suppose it is possible for that to be inoperable.

And maybe check the heater valve position?

Congrats on your fix. Glad to hear that you got to the root cause, Paul. And thanks for reporting back one year later. Intermittent connections are a real bugger to find and require a lot of patience and digging as you found out. Just wondering if you applied a little contact grease to the connection to keep it from future oxidation?

And here I thought it was a lock box for storing your precious jewelry, like diamonds, gold, silver. ^_^ A factory phone control box sounds about right. Back in the early 90's, mobile phones were jewels. Paul, you win a cigar. See Steve for details on how to collect.

Good to know Billy. Thanks for posting. Do not let Uncle Sam know you have more money than energy...they might want to 'fix' that situation. ^_^

No, its free to join.

Bob, Since you have a 92, the engine will not be damaged even if the belt slips, so that is somewhat comforting. Just because you imagine the belt to be loose, you don't have any imperative measurements, like deflection rate with force. The point being that it is all just a perceived issue at this point. If you can view the belt with the engine running and the belt is not 'flapping' around, then I think you just leave it alone. If you still want to check the tensioner, you can pull it very easily. However, you need a vice or small press to compress it again. Oh, and you will need a force gauge to measure the pressure required to compress. Otherwise, it is again, just a guess. Finally, I 'think' I read that someone put the tensioner back on without compressing it by just inserting the screws and drawing it tight (I am thinking it was sha4000 but not sure). But you might as well compress it and put a pin (allen key) in to hold it since you are going to be checking pressure any way. Or just order a new one and put it on for peace of mind.

Welcome Duddy, I do not know the answer but that won't stop me from offering some advice. ;) The model number is one higher so it may just be a revision with bug fixes. I suspect it will work in your car but, again, do not know for sure. Why don't you work a deal with the Fl guy and see if you can either get a price reduction or guarantee that it will work or you money back (or both)? How much is he wanting for this newer tuner module? Is it worth a gamble? Depending upon the price, I would be inclined to say 'yes'.

Hmmmm. It is very important to get the crankshaft pulley bolt retightened properly. I mean, it will run without proper torque but could loosen up down the road. And it is spec'd at 181 ft-lbs which is quite a lot of force. And yes, you need some thing to hold the crank while torquing. Many choose this tool -> http://www.amazon.com/Schley-SCH64300-Toyota-Harmonic-Holding/dp/B0051XDBBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420550356&sr=8-1&keywords=sly64300

Beer helps.

The pin is used only temporarily on a new or re-compressed tensioner to hod the rod in place. The tensioner is visible from underneath but just the bottom part of it, not the rod which presses against the belt tensioner pulley. You have to remove some parts to see it or remove the tensioner itself. Since pictures are worth many words, here is a pic of a new tensioner with the pin (round handle for pulling after installation) holding the rod in. And a pic of a 98 LS400 being removed. It is about the same for the 92 since that part of the design has not changed very much. The last pic shows the tensioner removed and you can clearly see the rod which presses on the pulley to provide tension on the timing belt.

Welcome, Michael. Take a deep breath...feel better? Doesn't work for me either! ^_^ Lets try to recap your experience. You smell smoke and the blower motor is not working. So you replace the motor. Is that about right? I do not like the sounds of wire splicing because you should just have to remove a connector and plug in the new motor. No splicing required. This is going to take some patience and a good amount of sleuthing to get to the root cause. Are you ready? Cuz I am not. About the closest diagrams that I have are from a 92 LS400 and I am hoping it did not change too much in 95. But it might have. Let's just say that there are a lot more things to go wrong than the motor and maybe the burning smell was not the motor. So, we start with the motor. Will the old motor run if you momentarily connect the +(pin 2) to pos. 12v and - (pin 1) to ground?

RPM 1 and RPM 2. Meaning the ECU is still not happy with the cam timing. Seems like something is slipping or not properly aligned, tension is bad..maybe. Or a sensor is bad or loose. Sorry to say, but check your timing belt alignment again and check your crank pulley for proper keying into the crankshaft. You did torque the crank bolt to 180 ft-lbs?

Bob, The TB tension is not a spring. It is a hydraulic unit that is under high pressure. It is not a messy job and you can pull it off by loosening the two screws holding it in place. But do NOT attempt to start the engine or turn the crankshaft while the tensioner is removed. This is one time you definitely want to pull the neg. terminal off the battery. You can then put a new one on if you suspect that yours is bad. The new ones come already compressed. You screw it onto the engine and then pull the pin to release the rod, which applies tension. Or you could put your old one in a vise and try compressing the rod back in. If it is bad, the pin will move easily. If it is good, it will take some pressure to force the rod back in. You push the rod back in to a certain point where there is a hole thru the rod and body of the tensioner that a retaining pin can be place to hold the rod in. Then when you install back on the engine, you pull the pin to release and apply tension. There is no way that I know of to test the tension of the belt. It is pretty tight even without the tensioner. I do not believe the tensioner would go bad very easily. Unless you see hydraulic fluid leaked down the side of it, I would just leave it alone and sleep easy.

No. Should be dead on before tension and stay that way with tension.

Either it will run rough or not deliver the performance it should. There are only a few reasons why the timing would move. 1) never correct in the first place. 2) tensioner not working properly (loose belt) 3) crank key not in the proper slot. Both cams would be off with that, however. If you have had to remove this belt and redo multiple times, it may be time to throw it out and start off with a known good belt. Why? Because sometimes due to handling and getting contaminants on the belt, it is best to replace even though it is 'new'. If it is clean and the markings are good, then you can reuse. But if you were to say, accidentally drop it in a pan of oil or antifreeze, or otherwise get it contaminated, then its time to pitch.

...and the plot thickens ^_^ Is this the same car that had the broken crank sensor bolt? http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/83030-broken-crankshaft-sensor-mount-on-oil-pump-timing-cover/