code58

Sounds like the IACV gasket is maybe leaking coolant into the intake where the intake air is brought in that controls the idle. Smell the exhaust, see if you have any sweet smell there. You should have none! If you cleaned the IACV properly and there are no vacuum hoses off, it should idle at a normal rate, 700 RPM give or take. I adjusted the IACV adjustment on my DIL's when I replaced the IACV and it didn't seem to make hardly any difference.

Sounds like the IACV gasket is maybe leaking coolant into the intake where the intake air is brought in that controls the idle. Smell the exhaust, see if you have any sweet smell there. You should have none! If you cleaned the IACV properly and there are no vacuum hoses off, it should idle at a normal rate, 700 RPM give or take.

Trips- Too bad they didn't break down the prices on the water pump replacement. As Lenore said the water pump should not be more than $115. to $118. plus tax at list from Toyota. The installation isn't bad at all when they're in there. The Toyota (it virtually all says Toyota on it even when it's purchased from Lexus) red coolant however is a different story. I used to purchase it from Toyota at a discount for about $11.95 a gallon. The last I checked it lists for about $32. a gallon and discounted is about $26 to $28. a gallon. having said that, I would not personally use ANYTHING but original eq. in ANY of these parts including coolant. They use some of the highest quaility i have personally ever seen. It is worth everything you pay for it, and I'm not sure I can say that about any of the other suppliers you mentioned (though they are good suppliers). The water pump still seems a little high even including the labor and coolant, but not really excessive considering the coolant cost. DO use the red Toyota coolant!

It will function just like it did before the factory lock went bad. All you're doing is sending someone alongside to help it do it's job. The piggyback actuator will lock the door, the alarm will sense they're all locked and will arm like it's supposed to. (assuming your alarm is OK). Thank you code58, one more thing I saw a set of 4 actuators in ebay for $21.00 including shipping, will those work or it has to be the one from the link at the start of the tread? Thanks a lot for your help and to all the guys who do and contribute to the DIY, awesome, great, great, great help. MIAGARE No Miagare, They don't have to be those actuators. There are a ton of places online and on e-bay that sell the actuators. I would suggest you get the "kits" though that come with the actuator,rod, mount strip and necessary screws. You will need those things so better to get the kits. Those may come with the actuators you mentioned but I would make sure in the description of them that they are "kits". Hi code58, I notice that the rear door actuator has four connections. I ordered the generic actuator which has two wires. What do the other two wires do in the factory actuator? Thanks in advance. The front door also has at least 4 wires, maybe more, I don't remember. You only have to worry about 2 of the wires, the others are to the sensor strips in the original lock housing. It houses a lot more than just the lock motor, that's why you have to leave it in place when you piggy back the new actuator in to do the job the old motor is no longer able to. If you're not able to figure out the 2 wires that you "T" into, I'll try to do that in the next couple of days and post it. The 2 wires you tap into simply switch roles (+ & -) to lock and unlock.

A little bit of googling have got me further confused. Some people have quoted that Lexus RX300 is non interference. I hope a call to Toyota and Lexus service center can confirm if RX300 2WD 2001 is an interference or non interference engine. Or does anyone know if a call to the Lexus corporate and requesting them to get this answered by their mechanical team is a better option. :-( This has just recently been discussed on Club Lexus in the most defining way that it has been explained yet. It is confusing when you search online and find sources that should be accurate and yet they disagree. If you do a search there I believe it will be clearer than it has been ay any time yet in the 3+ years that I have been on this forum.

It will function just like it did before the factory lock went bad. All you're doing is sending someone alongside to help it do it's job. The piggyback actuator will lock the door, the alarm will sense they're all locked and will arm like it's supposed to. (assuming your alarm is OK). Thank you code58, one more thing I saw a set of 4 actuators in ebay for $21.00 including shipping, will those work or it has to be the one from the link at the start of the tread? Thanks a lot for your help and to all the guys who do and contribute to the DIY, awesome, great, great, great help. MIAGARE No Miagare, They don't have to be those actuators. There are a ton of places online and on e-bay that sell the actuators. I would suggest you get the "kits" though that come with the actuator,rod, mount strip and necessary screws. You will need those things so better to get the kits. Those may come with the actuators you mentioned but I would make sure in the description of them that they are "kits".

It will function just like it did before the factory lock went bad. All you're doing is sending someone alongside to help it do it's job. The piggyback actuator will lock the door, the alarm will sense they're all locked and will arm like it's supposed to. (assuming your alarm is OK).

awesome billy thanks. The problem wasn't the part number though it was that no matter where i looked I just couldn't find it online. The "stealer-ships" will most likely over charge. I'll try to go to dealers that's a little bit further out now. Thanks! Look up Pick-A-Part. You're in Westminster and they have the 1 place on Beach Blvd. and they show a place east of Beach on Katella I think it is that stocks the newer cars and trucks. I have no idea if they will have it or not (you know it's self serve so you have to bring your own tools and take the parts off yourself). They do charge an entry fee so it's up to you- I have no idea whether they would have it or not. Just a thought.

I wish I could remember where but I'm almost positive I have seen it addressed on this forum or the other Lexus forum.

Did it actually break the plastic cover or just the bolts? From what I remember, the bolts that the round (allen insert) nuts go onto are the valve cover bolts. There are 3 of those special bolts across the front. Or did the hammer have a mind of it's own and hit the plastic cover? The engine is pretty ugly without that cover isn't it?

Sorry Mrchinky but I'm having a hard time visualizing the part. Is this the facia or cosmetic cover that goes over the top of the engine to hide it's ugliness? I can't figure otherwise what it would be.

Sam- I think Lenore has given you the best suggestion for the next move. That is correct concerning the VVT oil control valves. The one near the battery. #19 in the link that Lenore posted.

Capn- Thanks for sharing that with us. The more knowledge we have, the more power over our own mechanical problems we have. Even though you car may be a different model and vintage than those here it still gives us more "tools in our tool bag"

Have you ever asked them at Lexus about reflashing the transmission? Most all transmissions today are electronically controlled and I know for those cars that have a tuner available, you can make a lot of changes in the transmission just through the tuner. There probably isn't one available for an RX, but the possibility of someone being able to reprogram that harshness out is at least worth investigating.

Sam- Where did you get the the interpretation for the code: 1354? Like Lenore says, that code has to do with the VVT System Malfunction, Bank 2, which is the front bank, closest to you when you open the hood.

I don't know how many of these guys replace the gasket when they clean or replace the IACV but when I 1st cleaned the IACV and then replaced it, I didn't replace the gasket either time because I didn't have one and it looked in like new shape. I took the chance on it and that was 30k mi. ago and never has been a trace of a leak. As I have said many times before, Toyota uses some very high quality parts and the rubber was live on the gasket and it looked like new at 97k mi. so it's still on duty with 0 problems. Do remember if you're going to replace the spark plugs DO NOT attempt to gap them. They should be gapped correctly and are not supposed to be gapped! I trust you got the Denso or NGK Iridium plugs. http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/g_U_1999_LEXU...10L-AWPGKA.html Go to Engine/fuel and then click on fuel injection and you should have your injector parts. yeah i picked up the NGK iridium IX series. They were 7.32/each at autozone so it wasn't that bad. I wonder why the Iridiums on my accord cost more at 12.99 a piece? Are you absolutely certain that you got the right plugs? I just found the paper where I located the plugs I got for my DIL's RX and they were $8.05 ea and that was absolutely the best price I found anywhere, online or otherwise. That was 33 months ago but that plug shows as currently listing for $23+ ea. I can't imagine Autozone selling that plug for that kind of money.

Geheren_ When you say you performed this twice, did you take it off and clean it thoroughly? Some have simply shot carb. cleaner or something that would dissolve some or all of the dirt that impedes the movement of the round cylinder. That is the easy way and I have no argument with anyone in how they choose to do the work on their own car, but I don't like doing things over down the road so I choose to do the very best I can the 1st. time around. If you took it off, how dirty was it? Something is definitely wrong if you took it off and cleaned it and it lasted 1 day. The cylinder should move freely and there is a procedure in the factory manual that you should be able to use to test it before you ever reinstall it or put the coolant back in. Maybe it needs to be replaced, but as with anything, I like to make SURE it needs the part before I put it on, especially at the price of Toyota/Lexus parts. Let us know some more of the details. No other sensor that I know of.

Roger, please elaborate. I'm not getting how you are keeping the flattened end of the actuator rod was popping off the shaft. Thanks. Artbuc- If you look at the pictures again you'll see (though the handle assy. is flipped over to take the picture, so it's upside down), that I had to keep the 2 holes for the rod to a minimum in size so that when it passed through there and was bent slightly (in 2 bends) upward to line up with the male stub that it fits on, that the 2 holes would be responsible for keeping enough upward pressure on the rod to keep it well attached to the male stub. Now that I have you thoroughly confused, as I said my preference would have definitely have been to have one of the small round push-on clips to hold the rod on the stub, but they are not easily obtained from any local hardware source that I am aware of. I think I know where I could get them but it would have cost me probably an hour total that I simply didn't have. If I had them, it makes it much easier because you then drill the passage 2 holes about 1/4 in. and don't have to worry about engineering the correct pressure up on the rod to keep it on the stub. Hope that explains it, if not PM me.

Here are the pics. The first pic shows the close-up of the attachment site of the rod to the lock lever. The second pic shows the overview of the front side of the lock lever and where the rod was placed. The third pic shows where the actuator was placed relative to the lock lever. Finally, the last pic shows the taps that were placed onto the two wires. Roger did an amazing job! Thank-you for the great pictures. Roger, you should have been a brain surgeon! What is the black material you used to hold the wires against the door? Where did you get the wire connectors? Deus did the photography duty for which I am grateful because when I'm doing a project, I'm on a mission and seldom make it a priority to take pictures. Then always wish afterwards that I had because I am a very visual person and always want to see the pictures. I also am not highly computer skilled in the details and consequently have not learned the art of posting pictures and some of the other things I have long wished I had time to learn but haven't. Thanks again Deus, for taking and posting the pictures- all in all it was a community effort. Artbuc- the connectors are 3M 90 degree taps that you should be able to obtain a lot of places. Any good electronic store would have them as well as any GOOD automotive supply store. That's the real deal, am not sure about Autozone and the like. We are fortunate in this area to have a couple of EXCELLENT electronic stores. (Adult candy stores) You use a male blade connector on the end of the actuator wires. This type of stuff is very readily available on the net if you don't feel like hunting locally for it. I use that type of connector when it's in a dry area and not too heavy a load (though I believe they are rated for a minimum of 10A and maybe 15A), because they are so easy to use. I used them sparingly when doing Code3 work. The black stuff is "Magic". It's actually "butyl tape", the same stuff that the edge of your inside door weather shield is attached with. You generally buy it at an automotive paint store (body shop supply) ands it has a million uses. I couldn't get along without it. If anyone is ever interested in using it though, PM me and I'll give you some tips you'll thank me for.

I don't know how many of these guys replace the gasket when they clean or replace the IACV but when I 1st cleaned the IACV and then replaced it, I didn't replace the gasket either time because I didn't have one and it looked in like new shape. I took the chance on it and that was 30k mi. ago and never has been a trace of a leak. As I have said many times before, Toyota uses some very high quality parts and the rubber was live on the gasket and it looked like new at 97k mi. so it's still on duty with 0 problems. Do remember if you're going to replace the spark plugs DO NOT attempt to gap them. They should be gapped correctly and are not supposed to be gapped! I trust you got the Denso or NGK Iridium plugs. http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/g_U_1999_LEXU...10L-AWPGKA.html Go to Engine/fuel and then click on fuel injection and you should have your injector parts.

I would still encourage you to go back and rule out the other things that I enumerated in my last post. hey code58, sorry i didnt' mention. I tried the fuel injector cleaner, using Redline fuel system cleaner. I drove around for 2 hours and no go. I also tried the spark plug test method using an extra spark plug i had laying around in the garage it made a spark. I even tried replacing the spark plug in the cylinder 4 just incase i accidently over torqued it when i installed and still no go. Was it a strong spark or a weak one? A strong spark should be white or blue. A weak one will be yellow. Don't want to get close enough to let that thing bite ya. They've got big teeth. Pull the plug-on for the injectors on the cylinders that are bad (just briefly) then reinstall them, one at a time See if it makes any difference. You seem to have established that it has spark. Fuel is the next logical thing. If it doesn't make any difference it may well be injectors like smooth1 said. If you had a infra red temp gun you can "shoot" the exhaust manifold right where it comes out of the head for each cylinder. On the one or ones that it's running cold or cooler than the others, you know you have a problem. I just hate to see people throw parts at a car only to find out it didn't do the job.

I would still encourage you to go back and rule out the other things that I enumerated in my last post.

Sorry to be so blunt but does that dealer hire the retarded. The severely retrarded? I can't fathom that any competent mechanic would tear an engine down that had the 2 lowest cylinders at 150 lbs. compression. That is just crazy. These people have no idea what they're doing. They should be responsible for returning the engine to the condition it was when you brought it in but I don't know that I would trust them to work on a lawn mower without messing it up. You desperately need someone who knows what they're doing. Even the spark plugs that they charged you to replace shouldn't have needed replacing at 60k mi. They are good for at least a 100k to 125k. Did they get a look at a large bank account that you have or something? Flee from them as quickly as you can. Just wanted to post an update on my saga with Lexus of Ann Arbor: Lexus informed the dealer that my request for goodwill help was denied (Reason: Oil changes done at Toyota dealer shows that I am not loyal to Lexus Brand!!!) and offered to pay 25% of engine block's cost ($750) and the total repair was quoted at $7800 by the dealer. I wanted to speak to Lexus directly and placed 3 calls with a promise that someone will get back to me which never happened. Finally I decided to get my car out of the dealer, the service manager informed on phone that there would be no labor charge as agreed before but for $125 for gasket kit and that's it. I was told to pick up my car last monday and it was not ready until Wednesday..in the mean time I filled out customer satisfaction survey online about the whole experience. When i went to pickup the car, I was horrified to see $1500 bill, I reminded the manager of the phone conversation and he denied ever agreeing to waive labor. He said that they've seen my survey and were sure that i'll never return...I protested and made it clear that i wlll not pay $1500 which was in addition to $900 I paid the first time. I paid for the parts which was around $200 and left with my car, talked to lexus customer satisfaction...only to be informed that delaers are independent and thay have no control over them. I just wanted to bring to their attention the dealers retaliation for my feedback in the survey. I dont expect LEXUS to take any action....but they've lost my respect and I will never own a Lexus ever. I stand by my original post, I believe rightly so. Those people should be in the used Yugo business, not Lexus! In a lifetime of automotive work, I have rarely ever heard of that kind of TOTAL incompetence!

That's a very strange situation because the reflector is what casts the beam out on high beams. The daytime running lights use the same bulb as high beams but at a reduced intensity, I believe 50% by means of a resistor. Surely you would be able to tell if there was something wrong with the high beam system and was operating on DRL's instead as they are very yellow at 50% intensity. Because the Lexus uses 2 separate single filament bulbs, I believe the low beam bulbs stay on and the high beam bulbs are added when you switch to high beams. As you could tell from memory,when switching to high beams the roadway is not only illuminated much better, but for much farther out. A lot of cars use a single filament bulb so must switch the low beam element off when the high beam is switched on to keep from excessive heat in the bulb and premature failure. Without actually seeing the lights at night, it's difficult to diagnose but clearly there should be an extremely noticeable difference between low and high beam. I would go back and look into a failure of a fuse or relay in the DRL system. Good Luck! P.S. Unhook the low beam plug-ons to the bulbs. See if there is any way you could safely drive at night with the high beams only. It will give you an idea if it is actually DRL involvement.

I installed the L. front door piggy back actuator for deus85 yesterday. He lives close to me so it worked out and was a learning experience for both of us. Thanks to lmnop for putting us in the right direction. I used the rod that comes with the actuator kit and just flattened the end after I had cut it to proper length. I then drilled a 9/64 hole in the end (the size of the shaft that lmnop formed the small cylinder for). I drilled a 5/32 hole through the 2 walls of the plastic handle housing and used a very small flat file to put a slot for the flattened end of the rod through without enlarging the holes for the rod. Took a couple of minor bends to line the rod up with the male protrusion on the end of the factory lock cable. If I had the correct push-on keeper to keep the rod on that male protrusion I would not have had to be so careful about the size of the hole the rod went through. As it was I had to use the hole and mounting of the actuator to keep the pressure up on the rod enough to keep it on the protrusion. I was able to use just the single mount strip that comes with the kit to mount the actuator in the correct place. I twisted a wire pair (use aircraft safety wire pliers) and went forward and connected to the wires in the factory loom on the inside of the door high and maybe a foot back from the front of the door. It's very easy to tap in there and since it's totally dry there (I use 3M 90 degree taps) it worked out well. Didn't have to disassemble any thing in the door. This is the simplest of all lock piggy-back repairs. I wish I had thought of it when I did my DIL's- would have saved me a lot of work. Maybe deus85 will post pictures- he took quite a few and you should be able to see exactly what we did on the back side. Thanks again lmnop for an excellent contribution to this forum that I think will aid a lot of people. Roger