code58

Is it possible that Lexus does not know the answer????? Maybe a letter to Lexus would provide an answer that would be conclusive to all? Paul- several have asked that question of those that work on them at both Toyota and Lexus dealers and have gotten conflicting information. I'm sure some of them thought they got accurate information (so-to-speak from the horses mouth). Having worked in different dealerships for many years, I am not surprised at this. There are good and bad, knowledgeable and unknowledgeable in every field. I wondered myself, why it was so hard to pin this information down accurately. I believe in a conversation on this subject on this or another Lexus forum a few months back, the issue was, at least to my satisfaction (being a stickler for FACT, that's not always easy to come by), put to rest. Gates site lists the 1MZFE- VVT-I as INTERFERENCE. The non- VVT is NON-INTERFERENCE. The fact that where the valves are in the VVT seems to be where the difference lies. There are those that say they, or someone they know had a belt break break and it did no damage causes them to believe they are non-interference. This will be debated til the end of time, but at least to me, a stickler for fact, that explanation for an engine that is listed as INTERFERENCE by someone who SHOULD know, sometimes does not cause damage when a belt breaks, makes sense, and I accept it. Now for Artbuc, if you live to see this FINALLY put to rest, you're gonna outlive ALL the rest of us! I was not clear... I meant writing/enquiring to Lexus, not a dealer or salesman who, unless they have experienced the problem, most probably have never had cause to think about it. Also, while non-VVT engines have a "set" high point and valve extension/protrusion, the VVT engine probably has several possible position of the valves for the high piston points. Of course (joke) the simplest way to find out is to take an old engine, set it on the high piston point, and just force the cams in all VVT positions to push the valves, and see what happens.... But I'll be interested to know the answer, though I have changed my timing belt at 6years (60K miles only!) as recommended, because what's the point in taking the risk? Even if there is no damage to the engine, the inconvenience of breaking down is too great to gamble on/against. Paul- I would NEVER ask the salesman or even service manager. They don't know anything. It's a shame that those who have asked the people who actually work on them have received conflicting information. That shouldn't be. I MIGHT expect an independent shop that works on all makes not to absolutely be sure of the answer, but a dealer mechanic SHOULD. It's his business to know those things, sadly not always true.

Thanks for the picture Lenore. I am making the assumption now that all pistons come to the top of the cylinder wall, even though the picture you posted has it a short bit shy. I know I've never seen any that didn't. Correct me if I'm wrong. There are of course a number of things that come into play to make sure you don't have interference under any circumstances. Even valve float at high enough rev could cause interference. The interference could be a RARE possibility, but it would still be in Lexus/Toyota's best interest to list it as interference if it is even possible under any circumstances. I think to even get God's Truth accurate answers to the Q's about I vs NI from the horses mouth (Toyota), might be tough. IF they even respond to the question. I bet that is the easiest filter install you've ever been involved with! :D

But Lenore, it doesn't make any difference. If DM was gonna measure the full extension of the valves and assuming the piston comes to the TOP of the cylinder (my assumption, and as I often say, I try not to assume very much, because assumptions are often wrong), if the valves don't extend beyond a straight edge placed across the head and the pistons come to the top of the cylinder, you don't even have to measure because visually you know it's non-interference. No matter what the VVT does with the cam, the valves cant hit the piston. I'm betting that's not the case though. That's why I wanted to see the cam and the open valves at the same time (probably not possible unless a mirror is involved) to make sure the cam lobe was high sided.

Thanks tjmc11, I had the alignment done at dealer after I started feeling this problem. The alignment helped to ease the problem but did completely get rid of it. That should narrow it down to arm brushing, steering knuckle and rack. I'll look into this directions. Having done alignments, this, to me, is alarming! I wouldn't drive that car another mile if it is actually as bad as you said it was. Assuming accuracy in you description, there is definitely something wrong with your car. I would take it to a GOOD independent frame and alignment shop and have them check it over. Lexus didn't build the car that way, or they would never have sold the 1st one! P.S. I would not go back to that dealer for service!

Dura Max- Make sure you post a picture of the lobe on the cam at TDC on the valve at the same time you show the measurement of the open valve (on both the intake and exhaust). Don't know if that is gonna be possible or not. If there is no possibility of the valves hitting the piston, we're gonna have to inform Mr. Gates of his error, which I'm betting he got from Mr. Lexus. :)

Is it possible that Lexus does not know the answer????? Maybe a letter to Lexus would provide an answer that would be conclusive to all? Paul- several have asked that question of those that work on them at both Toyota and Lexus dealers and have gotten conflicting information. I'm sure some of them thought they got accurate information (so-to-speak from the horses mouth). Having worked in different dealerships for many years, I am not surprised at this. There are good and bad, knowledgeable and unknowledgeable in every field. I wondered myself, why it was so hard to pin this information down accurately. I believe in a conversation on this subject on this or another Lexus forum a few months back, the issue was, at least to my satisfaction (being a stickler for FACT, that's not always easy to come by), put to rest. Gates site lists the 1MZFE- VVT-I as INTERFERENCE. The non- VVT is NON-INTERFERENCE. The fact that where the valves are in the VVT seems to be where the difference lies. There are those that say they, or someone they know had a belt break break and it did no damage causes them to believe they are non-interference. This will be debated til the end of time, but at least to me, a stickler for fact, that explanation for an engine that is listed as INTERFERENCE by someone who SHOULD know, sometimes does not cause damage when a belt breaks, makes sense, and I accept it. Now for Artbuc, if you live to see this FINALLY put to rest, you're gonna outlive ALL the rest of us!

I think it's called the rapture, Indiana. :)

Does the ES use the 1MFZE engine? If it does, it's probably similar, although in the back of my mind I'm thinking that the ES IACV LOOKS a little different. Though it MAY look a little different (or maybe not), the function should be the same, therefore the cleaning should be the same.

Thank you for responding to my questions. I googled Auto RX and others. I think I'll wait on that procedure. It appears that the crankshaft position sensors are external units that can be tested and replaced without dismantling the engine. Is that correct? Thanks, again. CR- from most reports of actual users of Auto RX, it seems to be one of the most successful methods to actually clean the inside of the engine, it is a product that actually does what it's supposed to, which is a challenge when it comes to sludge. I believe it was Lenore who has reported that GC (German Castrol) actually cleaned the inside of his engine. I also believe it's a full synthetic. Don't waste your time or money on flushes that only flush the $ out of your wallet, and do nothing for your engine.

Lenore, Thank you, again. A local mechanic did the spark plugs and coils by removing the cover. On Monday, I will ask him if he saw sludge. Thank you for the picture. Is it of your motor? If so, how did you get rid of all of the sludge? CR- I think you and Lenore are talking about 2 different covers. The cover the mechanic removed to do the plugs and coils would likely be the Visual (or cosmetic) cover over the top of the engine. The cover Lenore is talking about is the front valve cover, which you would have to remove to check for sludge. It is the frontmost cover that you see when you remove the visual cover, the one that the spark plugs go through.

I'm pretty sure Toyota stopped using Toyota Long Life Red, a 30,000 mile coolant, before 2004. Red is in my 2000 and 2001 RX 300 but they changed to pink sometime around 2003. Your Rx330 should have Toyota Ultra Long Life Pink which is good for 100k. The sticker you are reading under the hood leads me to believe you definitely have the Ultra Long Life Pink. As far as the trans goes I think you would be safe going with the lifetime recomendation as long as you check it regularly and monitor its condition. Earlier RX transmissions had a design problem which which cast some doubt on this "lifetime" claim. However, if it were me I would change it at 30k just to be safe. I am still a little gun shy from my 2001 trans failure. Let someone else prove the lifetime claim. Mikey- My wife's '02 Camry had the pink ELL. I didn't like the white stuff that it spewed (or leaked out whenever it could) so I changed to the red LL at about 30k mi. and deep 6'd the pink. I was so impressed with the red in my DIL's RX when I changed it at 97k mi. for the 1st. time, that I decided I liked that better. It looked absolutely new without one trace of sediment or discoloration. I intend to get a bottle of the test strips and see how it tests for additives, sure looks great!

Indy- Aren't you grateful for forums and the community team effort that they entail. When I think of all the help that is available to people who need it that wasn't there even 20 years ago, I want to say God Bless whoever invented the internet (and I'm pretty sure it WASN'T Al Gore) I found these sites AFTER I figured out how to do it on all 4 of the doors on my DIL's RX, boy do I wish I had found (sites) them BEFORE!

Karl- NOW I know why you know about the 124. IF you were foolish enough to work on those things, they would keep you in business for sure. That is if you could ever get parts for 'em!

Karl- At the risk of insulting you (that's not my intention), you didn't perchance own a 124 did you? I beg to ask the question, why would anyone own one of those? I guess it beats walking (that is if it doesn't leave you walking any way) By the way, Karl, at 63k, you're just getting warmed up!

You're probably right Lenore, but they are still one of the finest made timing belts I have EVER seen. :)

What do you think about that Lenore? I wouldn't recommend to anyone to do that, but I never had any doubt that it would do it. :D

Lenore- don't you wonder sometimes if you were able to lift the top of those peoples (dealer management) heads off if you wouldn't find some cobwebs, lint, old chicken bones and belly button fuzz in there? Not very kind, I know but they are clueless as to how far good PR will go. I think it is a rare day that being human and kind to people won't repay you many times over. I worked for a Chevy dealer for about 12 years total (twice) that has been in the same family that started it, for 61 years. When I worked there in the 70's they had a salesman that had worked there for many years. He was 1 of the most likeable and honest people you would ever meet. There were some tough times in the 70's (recession) and while he stayed home most of the time, his sales didn't drop at all, because his customers would call him at home and he would make the sale and only come in to deliver the car. He was living proof of the value of treating people honestly and doing the right thing. His customers wouldn't even talk to another salesman, much less go any where else to even shop.

PL- you're right, it would make no difference where you tapped into the wires. I believe I tapped where I did because I had done the twist on the wires that I had extended the actuator wires with and just did the connection there because I had identified the wires there and it took it away from the opening in the door. If you can get the thin, long Zip ties like they use in electronics (I like them and use them a lot because they're strong and very flexible), I think the 1 zip tie in the choke hold manner would be the best. It would put plenty of pressure into the slot on the gray fitting.

PL - You are correct about the gray fitting in the end of the cable. I am the 1 who did that job for Deus. I believe the length of that inner cable is controlled by where you snap the gray end in the slot, from what I remember. If that is the case, it is not adjusted tight enough to unlock the lock when the inside "flapper" actually moves far enough. If you actually affected the slot so that the gray end doesn't fit tight enough to stay where you need to set it, you may need to try and use med. zip ties on each side of it (the slot) to hold the cable from moving back and forth and rendering it useless. remember to set the gray end tighter before you put the zip ties on (good and tight). If it then works, you may want to use some "hot glue" over the zip ties to insure they hold the gray end securely where it needs to be to function. Remember, the gray cable just snaps straight out of the slot and snaps in farther down on the gray part to adjust it to function properly. Good luck. Let us know how you come out. In looking at the picture again, if the gray end is not holding tight enough in the slot, you may be able to use 1 zip tie from the inside (side you're looking at in the picture) and create a "choke hold" by running the cable around 1 side, over the inside of the bracket and in the same way around the other side before you tie it to put pressure inboard into the slot, using 1 long zip tie and no hot glue, since you could put some pretty good pressure holding it into the slot that way.

Lisa- NOW you understand why the previous owner traded the car. My deepest sympathies to you. I fear that you have possibly bought not a Lexus RX, but a can of worms. And that's a lot to pay for a can of worms. There is a SMALL possibility it is a sensor in the transmission, probably a better chance the tranny is trying to tell you something like make the funeral arrangements because I'm dying. I would tend to think the "bogging" would be a clogged fuel filter, but the only filter is in the tank, and they rarely give trouble, unless someone has gotten a bunch of dirty or rusty fuel from a small gas station. By the way, have you or anyone else checked the trans. fluid to see what it looks or smells like? The dip stick says it doesn't need to be changed except under extreme conditions, and some people take that literally, which is bad because especially on the AWD it should be changed every 15k mi. I am sure there are others who will chime in with some good thoughts and suggestions, mine would probably be to figure a way to turn the calendar back to the day before you bought it, and run fast the other way! Good Luck! Thanks for the reply. I'm going to have the fluid changed ASAP...The level is hard to read on dip stick-not a clear line to read level...it's bright red and doesn't smell burnt...would a bad tranny sensor trip the CEL? Lisa, I have to agree with tmastres, if it is bright red and doesn't smell burned, I have serious doubts that it will benefit you at all. I probably wouldn't waste the money, under those circumstances. Yes, I'm almost certain a bad trans. sensor would trigger the CEL. This very thing has been discussed several times on Club Lexus. You might try a search there, almost certain to get some useful input there. I believe they're called speed sensors. I think they control the point of shift. There are 2 of them and some have switched them to see if the problem follows the switch of the sensors. Good Luck!

Thanks for your reply. I mean ALL of the dash lights on the right side of the wheel. These are the warning lights that come on when you start the car and usually go out. They come on out of the blue, so to speak, and do not go out unless I pull over, turn off the car and restart. This occurs after driving for some time or even a long time--again, no pattern or rhyme or reason for it to occur. Why do you think it might be an ignition switch? By the computer at the dealer, I mean that the service guy told me that they had hooked it up to the diagnostic computer and could not find anything wrong. They also could not duplicate the lights going on--neither could I--it is so random. Is this dangerous? Should I be able to continue driving--say for example, I am on the freeway and this happens and I cannot just pull over and stop and restart--then what? I personally doubt that it would be serious to drive that way, once they come on. You just wouldn't have the proper warning that any of those light are intended to give you, because they are already on in fail mode. My thought about the ignition switch (remember, the ignition switch has 2 parts, the lock cylinder and the actual contacts) It would not be the lock cylinder, it would be the actual contacts. If somehow the contacts are worn or damaged, they could make the same type of contact they make when you turn the key on, thereby starting the computer self check sequence when it is not supposed to. Since it is so random, I don't know how you could check it without taking the entire switch out and then I don't think it can be taken apart to check the contacts because it is likely crimped together. It is a difficult situation, but the only suggestion I would have as a mechanic is to try banging on the steering column in the area of the switch BEFORE you shut it off to see if there is any possibility it would jar it loose if there were something making contact when it shouldn't. Turning the key off and back on would naturally change position of things in there if there were something were coming apart. The computer being defective is a very real possibility obviously. There are many things I would do to try and isolate the problem, but too difficult to communicate to anyone but a mechanic. Sorry about that. Please refer to my first sentence to ease your mind some, and if it's under warrantee, I wouldn't let up on them. Good Luck!

Lisa- NOW you understand why the previous owner traded the car. My deepest sympathies to you. I fear that you have possibly bought not a Lexus RX, but a can of worms. And that's a lot to pay for a can of worms. There is a SMALL possibility it is a sensor in the transmission, probably a better chance the tranny is trying to tell you something like make the funeral arrangements because I'm dying. I would tend to think the "bogging" would be a clogged fuel filter, but the only filter is in the tank, and they rarely give trouble, unless someone has gotten a bunch of dirty or rusty fuel from a small gas station. By the way, have you or anyone else checked the trans. fluid to see what it looks or smells like? The dip stick says it doesn't need to be changed except under extreme conditions, and some people take that literally, which is bad because especially on the AWD it should be changed every 15k mi. I am sure there are others who will chime in with some good thoughts and suggestions, mine would probably be to figure a way to turn the calendar back to the day before you bought it, and run fast the other way! Good Luck!

Most if not all auto co.'s today say if they can't duplicate it when they drive it (of course they're gonna say that), there's nothing wrong with it. Under warrantee, you know what I say, let the service manager or some responsible mechanic take it and drive it as his own until it does it, BECAUSE IT DOES DO IT! I have had to do this 1 time and they corrected the problem!!! I don't think it's probably dangerous, but it's under warrantee, make 'em fix it. It's simply not acceptable to tell you they can't make it do it. I've read of quite a few people who have an intermittent problem like that, that take it back time after time only to be told CND (could not duplicate). When the owner went for a ride with them, guess what, they could duplicate it! I'll leave you to make your own judgement on that.

Agreed, That's a little steep. You can buy the timing belt for $35. and the WP for $82. online, both OEM. Our local Toyota dealer runs a coupon special for $189. for the timing belt replacement (parts and labor). It shouldn't run more than an hour additional labor (doesn't take that long while your in there changing the belt), so that's still less than $450. with WP, addtl. labor and tax. Take it to a Toyota dealer or good T/L independent shop, bound to cost you less than a Lexus dealer, and it's the same engine, they work on them all the time. Belt will probably last 175k mi. or more with no worry but most people change for peace of mind, not because it looks worn out. When i changed my DIL's at 97k mi. it looked almost new, others have had similar experience. The WP will probably go as long or longer, (175k mi.) but anyone who worries about that kind of thing should spend the money and sleep well! Good Luck!

When you say the dashboard warning lights, what lights do you mean, or do you mean all the lights, as in when you turn the key on before you start it? If they go of when you turn it off and restart it, it sounds like it has to be the ignition switch (as if it is not registering a started condition), or the computer, since the computer goes through a self check of all systems each time you turn the key on. If the computer is loosing the signal from the switch that the car is running (although it is) it might cause that. A computer failure would also obviously cause it. I don't know what all checking they did, and the computer isn't real easy to get to, (on the early ones it is behind the glove box), but if it were my car, I would be tempted to pull the computer, and pull the plugs on it and "reset" them a couple of times. Be sure you use a ground strap (like you use for computer work, goes on your wrist to computer case) should you choose to do that. If it is only a CEL (check engine light), a lot of the picture I just painted changes. Maybe a little more detail would help. Good Luck! Addtl. Surely an '05 must be under warrantee yet, if so, it's their responsibility to fix it, not just tell you they can't find the problem.