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JK-I assume you took it off to clean it. Did you take the electro-magnet off (the part with the bak-a-lite on it)? You're right, it should only move about an 1/8 of a turn. Were you rough with it? Pry on it? I cleaned my DIL's and had no problems with it. I replaced it for other reasons, but it worked fine and so I still have it. I will look at it tomorrow but I feel rather sure if it moves 360 degrees that it is history. Full travel - open to closed is very little.

1st thing I would do is remove the wheels one at a time and make sure the ABS sensors are good and clean and also the gear on the axles. Don't know if that will fix it, but that is pretty simple and dirty sensors are many times the problem. Make sure they're both clean.

Thanks for reminding me of that Art.

Jeff- the 10 was the original A/F ratio sensor the cars were built with and the 11 is the replacement. Don't know that there's any difference between 'em, they just changed the # 1 digit. The 234-9009 is the same sensor with the Denso # because the other #'s belong to Toyota. Even the OX sensor (the 1 back by the Cat. Conv.) has the same threads, it just screws into the plate that bolts onto the pipe. What Blueridge meant is the downstream one is different in that it is an Oxygen sensor and the front ones are A/F ratio sensors.

Curious minds would like to know the answers to the questions that have been asked. Any chance of that?

Filehorse- read my reply at the end. I'm surprised that Lexus wouldn't use as good a stainless as BMW, but must not or they have downgraded the quality of what they use. High enough quality (doesn't have to be pure (food grade)) and you shouldn't have problems with rust even though it's not pure stainless. It's easy to check how much iron in stainless (such as a screw, bolt, exhaust or whatever.) Just use a magnet, the more the pull, the more iron in it, the less the pull, the purer it is. No exhaust system will ever be pure stainless, but then it doesn't need to be totally pure to prevent it from rusting, for the most part.

Thanks, the end pipe which is not too long has crome on the outside, perhaps stainless steel on the inside. The rust could be coming from the muffler, which I would guess is not stainless steel, so it could rust out after a while? The dealer said it was because the car is in FL where it is humid, however it is in Oh for 5 months in the summer. Some of the other people that had the same problem only had the car in OH for the year. The color is red and not wide spred through the tail pipe so it looks like it is coming from the muffler like a flow towards the end of the tail pipe. Agin, thanks for your analysis. I noticed you had an RX300, I had two and did not have this problem, and only noticed the problem on the ES350's. Virtually all cars for MAAAAAANNNNYY years have used stainless exhaust. But you have to remember 1 thing, have you ever bought anything from India or China that said solid brass (or some other metal such as stainless) and have it rust like crazy? It probably was made of that metal, but how much of it? I have seen exhaust systems on BRAND NEW cars that have been in some salty water back in cold country when they were loaded for shipment that have a disturbing amount of rust on them. Pure (food grade) stainless is not magnetic (can't pick it up with a magnet) and will not rust. But they can make any composition of stainless they want. The more iron it has in it, the more magnetic it is and the more it will rust. They can't afford to make an exhaust system out of food grade, so it is made of a composition that may rust, but not like iron and it will PROBABLY last the life of the vehicle without RUSTING THROUGH. The mufflers are often Aluminized to prevent the start of rust. Some may actually be made of stainless but probably fairly high dollar cars. Bottom line, the muffler shops are not getting much work today like they used to from exhaust systems rusting through in the life of the car.

How many miles on the RX? Also, was this the original belt? Did you buy the car new? This is actually the 1st. time I have heard of a belt breaking on an RX. If you use the OEM Mitsuboshi belt, it will have all the marks on the belt to make certain it is timed correctly.

Could be wrong but I don't think the IACV would have anything to do with the reduction of power on the shift. I think that is all done through the PCM. The IACV should only come into play in idle. It's not really so bad to pull the IACV off and clean it right. Then it will last. One other suggestion I have is keep the WD-40 and the carb cleaner away from the intake area completely. We used to be able to get away with that kind of thing, but no more! With all the sensors and other sophisticated systems, you can easily wipe out hundreds of dollars worth of stuff in a heartbeat with the wrong stuff. I would suggest you use ONLY the products that are made for a specific purpose- don't substitute- AT YOUR OWN RISK. The puff of blue smoke is NORMALLY valve guide seals. The oil runs down the valve stem past the worn seal and sits in the cylinder area when it's started. That's why it only takes a couple seconds to burn it off and no more smoke. Have you ever changed the PCV valve? That shouldn't cause your problem, but it is important to keep it in good operating order. If it doesn't "rattle freely" when you shake it (obviously you have to remove it 1st.), time to replace, but use quality, don't use Fram! Good Luck!

In my opinion, very important... no aftermarket parts for me! Also, I wouldn't own a late model car in these days without have a scanner. Best money you'll ever spend!

It's a bummer Ron, that it is the rear sensor, that's so much harder to get to than the front one. My suggestion would be to go to Radio Shack or anywhere you can get electronic control cleaner and lube (small spray can). Pull the plug apart and spray both sides with the spray. If you can, with help, pull the plug apart and reset a few times. You can inspect for broken wires while you have it apart the 1st time, but I'm betting it could just be a little dirty rather than a broken wire. If so, that should take care of it. For future reference, ANY TIME you have problems with a problem that involves a plug, (meaning the signal goes through a plug, almost all do), the 1st thing you should try is what I just suggested. What are carried through the wiring looms of modern cars so often are signals that are very low amperage (and sometimes even low voltage) that are interrupted by a dirty connection that doesn't even look dirty. If the 1st thing you do is what I suggested, you may very well save chasing your tail for days, and keep the blood pressure down as well. Remember... 1st, not last. As a P.S.- the code you got was P1135 which is the heater, a common failure on those sensors because they run VERY hot when they are on, resulting in broken heating element.

One question, what brand of A/F ratio sensor did you use? I hope it was OEM Denso. There have been quite a few people post that they have used Walker, Bosch and others and still had the problem. When they replaced with Denso, the problem went away. Don't know if that's your problem or not, but I wouldn't ever use aftermarket parts on a Toyota product. If they don't work, you think the problem has to be something else. Denso, Aisin, and the other OEM products definitely work! Tell us what the DTC was so that we can make sure the right sensor was replaced.

I found this info: P1130 A/F Sensor Circuit Range/Performance Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1) P1135 A/F Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1) Does the A/F sensor trigger 2 codes? The pictures for their locations are the same. I am confused! I ordered the sensor for P1130 and ready to install. Please someone clarifies if there are two locations for these two sensors or same. Mine is RX300 2K. Thanks It CAN trigger both of those codes, but if I got both of the codes, I would reset (cancel) the codes out and see what comes up. It is rather imaterial because if either of them are legitimate it still requires replacement. If the heater is bad (one of the most common failures in A/F ratio sensors), the light will be back on shortly. There ARE 2 of the same sensor (A/F ratio), 1 on the front manifold and 1 on the rear manifold. That's the reason for B1S1 and B2S1. B1S1 is on the rear manifold by the firewall and B2S1 is directly below your nose when you open the hood and lean over the engine. Bank 1 and Bank 2. I hope you got original equipment Denso sensor. Some people luck out with the aftermarket and some people still have troubles they can't figure out after they've replaced with aftermarket. I personally wouldn't use anything but OEM Denso.

PK3- The good part about the P1135 DTC is that it is specific for the heater in the sensor. The sensor will function almost normally even with the heater bad. If in a cold climate it will affect it a little more, but after it's warmed up for a minute or so, the heater still can come into play, but there is no danger of the lack of heater throwing the F/A ratio off hardly at all. No danger of F/A ratio being in any area that could cause any damage. If you do a Google of "wide band fuel / air ratio sensors" you'll get a good idea of how much different they are than their predecessor, the narrow band sensor.

How did they determine the INNER tie rods were bad? That is an easy one for you to check, though I must say, inner tie rods don't go bad very often, most of the time the outer (tie rod ends). Do you have really bad roads in the Bahamas? It requires some special tools to do the INNERS. You have to take the outer ends off and then it takes a long tube type socket (at least 12-15 in. long) that is made to take crow-foot wrenches of different sizes. I don't think you'd want to buy one, they're not cheap so if you do it, I'd see if I could rent one from a parts store. To check them, jack the car up and lock the steering wheel and preferably have someone hold the steering wheel to one side to eliminate play in the steering wheel lock. Then take ahold of the wheel and try to move back and forth like you are weaving R&L. That will pick up any play in the whole steering system (rack & pinion, inner tie rods, & outer tie rod ends) if you have play, you need to determine which of those things is the problem or if more than one is. Thanks Roger. My eyes read "inner" but my brain heard "outer". Yes, replacing inner tre's is a different animal all together. Art, the young man that I did the lock piggy-back for was told he needed inner tie rods on his Solara. I checked them for him and there was wear, but it was very slight. I told him I certainly wouldn't change them til they got a lot worse than they were. I'm betting most cars go to the junk yard with the original inner tie rods. It is so totally captive that there wouldn't be any danger from wear (only a little annoyance) till you reached about 500k mi. So many shops know most people who bring their car in don't know much of anything about mechanics, so they scare them into thinking they won't make it home the way it is. Borderline criminal sometimes (I'm being generous there) :D

Thanks a lot for your help. I found the culprit, which is the condenser according to the dealership. This is going to be a expensive repair, so I am waiting to get an advice from a local AC repair shop. Sam, I spent my life in automotive work and I have seen many customers violated and I don't like it one bit. Not saying they are, just saying things don't add up. For 1 thing, that is a LOT of money to replace a condenser. For another thing, if it is the condenser, you will definitely see oil seepage at the point of leak. If the compressor is still coming on, and you said you have the clicking from under the dash on the R side, that sounds more like servo motor (there are 3) not opening and closing the doors to direct the air flow correctly. When the freon gets low enough from a leak, the low pressure switch won't let the compressor run, to protect it from burning up. I am not satisfied with the dealers diagnosis at all. IF you need a condenser, go to an AC shop, not the dealer. Be a whole lot cheaper.

I agree with Kramer- I don't think there's any chance it's electrical or electronic. I'm betting if you go back over the other stuff you messed with and check all the throttle mechanism, you'll find the problem. No chance the IACV could do that. You have an '02- do you know if you have throttle by wire rather than cable? My wife's '02 Camry has "drive by wire", which I believe was the 1st year for it. See if you have a cable or not. If no cable, you may have messed up something in the servo (motor that opens the throttle). Otherwise, check the cable.

Ron- the B1S1 is on the rear exhaust manifold. You have to get to it from underneath, meaning, unless you have a lift, you'll have to jack the car up. You will readily see it facing to the passengers side up high where it's not easy to get to. You're east coast so you may have a problem with rust. I would definitely use whatever rust buster you feel is most effective and the longest box wrench you can get your hands on. The hardest part is getting the plug unplugged, it takes 2 hands and you can only get 1 up there. I would suggest getting help- one person on top to hold the wiring loom taunt and the other on the bottom to pull on the plug. Otherwise you'll go nuts trying to do it alone. You may need to try to wedge something small in the locking tab on the plug so you are able to pull with 1 hand while someone holds from the top with 1 hand (neither of you can get 2 hands in there) I also suggest getting the sensor online where you can buy it for around $150. That's for original eq. Denso, the only thing I would recommend. I just noticed you have an ES rather than RX. Don't know how much different that will be, have to jack it up and see. That code is only the heater, so it's not urgent, won't hurt anything, may only run faintly rougher when cold.

How did they determine the INNER tie rods were bad? That is an easy one for you to check, though I must say, inner tie rods don't go bad very often, most of the time the outer (tie rod ends). Do you have really bad roads in the Bahamas? It requires some special tools to do the INNERS. You have to take the outer ends off and then it takes a long tube type socket (at least 12-15 in. long) that is made to take crow-foot wrenches of different sizes. I don't think you'd want to buy one, they're not cheap so if you do it, I'd see if I could rent one from a parts store. To check them, jack the car up and lock the steering wheel and preferably have someone hold the steering wheel to one side to eliminate play in the steering wheel lock. Then take ahold of the wheel and try to move back and forth like you are weaving R&L. That will pick up any play in the whole steering system (rack & pinion, inner tie rods, & outer tie rod ends) if you have play, you need to determine which of those things is the problem or if more than one is.

Do you know where your sight glass is? I believe it's right down in front. Do you know how a sight glass works? Have someone turn the A/C on and turn it down, maybe 60 degrees so that it should be on at all times and run it up to about 1500 RPM on the tach and you watch the sight glass and see if it has bubbles in it. If it does, how many, just a few or is it solid foam? I'm personally betting it is the blend door actuators on the R side behind the glove box. Report back. Thanks a lot. Looks like there is no gas now. Clutch does not engage, when the AC is on. No cooling at all. But AC indicater lite is on. It does not blink. I always used to take a single jumper wire from the battery to the compressor wire to see if things worked that way and to find if it was low on freon. Don' know if you can still do it that way, but probably can. That way you can check the sight glass and see if gas is low or not and if it cools that way. If you do this, make sure and unplug the wire to the compressor before you jump juice to it. If it works then, and cools, then you have to backtrack and find where the problem is (could well be a dirty or corroded plug connection) Try unplugging all plugs one at a time, spray some electrical contact cleaner and lube in the plugs and plug and unplug 3 or 4 times to clean contacts. If the clutch isn't engaging there obviously won't be any cooling or foam or bubbles. Thanks. I went to the dealer today to check what's wrong. According to them, there is a leak in evaporator condenser (One inside the cabin). Replacement will cost $1350.00 with labour. Diognosis cost me $108.00. I do not want to spend so much. But I got to fix it soon as it is too hot these days. What is your advice? Your advice is very much appreciated. I found after market parts for around $175.00 (on internet). I question why it would work fine one day and then not the next and how did they determine that it was the evaporator? Evaporators don't go out often, because they are in a sheltered location. No chance of anything hitting it. I would want somehow to KNOW that it was the evaporator because that's a lot of money, and it's not a job anyone wants to do without being paid a lot of money. You have to remove the dash on almost ALL modern cars to change it and that means detaching and reattaching a LOT of stuff. I've had plenty of dashes out, but never had to change an evaporator. I would try and find out how they determined it was that, that was bad. If there is a way to get in to see the evaporator (though you won't be able to take it out that way), I would do that. If you take the glove box off and see if you can remove the fan motor, you may be able to see the evap. that way. When you have a leak in the system,it virtually ALWAYS shows oil seepage at the point of leak. If you don't show any seepage (if you can see the evap.), I question whether that's where it is. Let us know how you do.

DG- If you run your defrost in the winter, you are running the A/C. They have been wired that way for many many years. Actually, cold air will defrost the windshield about as well as warm, unless you're dealing with ice or heavy frost. If you turn defrost on to clear the inside of the windshield, it will be cleared before the heat ever comes online. Not talking about frozen stuff on the outside of the windshield.

Do you know where your sight glass is? I believe it's right down in front. Do you know how a sight glass works? Have someone turn the A/C on and turn it down, maybe 60 degrees so that it should be on at all times and run it up to about 1500 RPM on the tach and you watch the sight glass and see if it has bubbles in it. If it does, how many, just a few or is it solid foam? I'm personally betting it is the blend door actuators on the R side behind the glove box. Report back. Thanks a lot. Looks like there is no gas now. Clutch does not engage, when the AC is on. No cooling at all. But AC indicater lite is on. It does not blink. I always used to take a single jumper wire from the battery to the compressor wire to see if things worked that way and to find if it was low on freon. Don' know if you can still do it that way, but probably can. That way you can check the sight glass and see if gas is low or not and if it cools that way. If you do this, make sure and unplug the wire to the compressor before you jump juice to it. If it works then, and cools, then you have to backtrack and find where the problem is (could well be a dirty or corroded plug connection) Try unplugging all plugs one at a time, spray some electrical contact cleaner and lube in the plugs and plug and unplug 3 or 4 times to clean contacts. If the clutch isn't engaging there obviously won't be any cooling or foam or bubbles.

I had read on this forum that advantageous prices for Lexus warranties were available from: My Email address is : TobyToyota@aol.com 1-800-335-3987 (see the posts at and following: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...t=0#entry371423 ) I had written and the response was prompt, quoting a large discount on the official price. Good luck! Paul Most people don't know that you don't have to buy the factory warrantee from the dealer. There is a considerable savings most of the time by buying from someone other than the dealer. I personally wouldn't buy anything but a factory warrantee. Although the 3 times that I have bought extended warrantees, I haven't collected 1 thin dime, because I had 0 go wrong. I prefer to take care of anything nit-picky myself. Too much chance of damage (even small) when it's in their hands, and most of the time nobody is gonna admit to it anyway.

Lenore- How about dust?

I'll be doing this real soon!!! Just checked out my new condenser today during an oil change. It is already beat up. It has one impact crater with ground zero exactly mid-way between two channels. How this condenser isn't leaking is beyond me. I mean, it looks like someone did this on purpose with the objective of doing as much damage as possible without actually causing a refrigerant leak. You gotta be kiddin' me :o Art- I can't help but laughing but I'm definitely not laughing at you. I just couldn't believe after replacing the condenser that you wouldn't have been the one writing that write-up rather than mandyfig. What did your old one look like? These condensers take a beating from the road debris that's disgusting. I'm sure it sells a lot of condensers for someone, if not Lexus. I remember reading a post from a guy within the last year that I believe had about 800 mi. on his NEW RX and lost a condenser to road debris and neither Lexus or his insurance would pay for it! OUCH Watch for any signs of oil where it was hit. The metal is really thin in all of them any more. They use to be thick enough that they'd be bowed like a banana from collision and we'd lay 'em down and use a board and a 3 lb. hammer on 'em, whale they daylights out of 'em to straighten 'em and never have a leak! As an aside, my wife's Grandma wrecked her '61 Buick in about '64. The condenser wasn't damaged very bad and so I was gonna straighten it. Took it off, AND IT WAS MADE OF STEEL!!! If I hadn't done it, I would never have believed it and it was original (car had never been wrecked before). Never had seen 1 before or since. Still scratchin' my head over that. It was painted black and you couldn't tell til you took it off and it weighed about 2 1/2 times what an aluminum would have.