code58

I just realized my brake lights were not working. How do I know if it's the actual bulbs, the stop light switch or a fuse? Any thoughts?

AW- 1st thing to check would be the fuses. DO NOT simply look at them. They MUST be checked with at least a test light or DVM (digital volt meter). Next would be to pull one bulb out and check it visually. I doubt that ALL brake lights burned out at once. The way I alway checked bulbs was to hold the bulb FIRMLY in a forefinger and thumb and give it about 4 good hard "thumps" with the second finger on your other hand. Often you can LOOK at a bulb and not SEE the break. IF there is a break (or NEAR break), that WILL expose it by the vibration of the broken filament. Don't worry about BREAKING the filament in a GOOD bulb by doing this. It won't happen! IF it breaks by the 4th thump, it was ready to break anyway. I used this method for over 30 years in automotive work and it never failed me. I suspicion it is the brake light switch, but that will probably need the test light or DVM to determine. Always try the easiest things 1st, even if you don't think there is a high probability that is it.

I did the piggyback actuator on the drivers door. Now the other doors will not open. If I disconnect the piggybacked drivers door then the other doors will open. Is the piggybacked lock opening so quick that the signal to the brain shuts of the other door actuators before they have completely opened? Can't believe this has not happened to others?

WS- Something not right with this picture. Are you sure you have the wires on the piggyback connected correctly, and not connected backwards? Is the throw (or travel) on the piggyback set correctly? I have done a number of the piggyback method and have never had that problem at all, even when the piggyback is VERY fast!

I took my car in for 70k service and then got a phone call that I now have cracked bushings and leaky rack and pinion steering problem. This seems early and sudden and I have taken care in for every scheduled service since I bought the car new. 2200 dollars to fix rack and pinion and 1100 to fix cracked bushings on front seems high! Anyone else experiencing this on their 2006 RX300?

The economy is in the toilet and the dealer NEEDS your money (or at least HE thinks he does) . Does that give you a clue. Often, if the bill is on the dealers back, rather than yours, they decide what the car needs is VERY DIFFERENT. I worked for 'em for about 25 years of my life, and though there are honest ones, I don't trust most of them as far as I could throw 'em. (and THAT"S NOT VERY FAR!) Cracked bushings on an '06? I wouldn't walk, I'd RUN from that dealer! T/L doesn't make that kind of crap! They use HIGH quality parts in their cars. My DIL's '99 RX has over 150k mi. on it and has the original bushings, in good shape. (I do the mechanical work on the car, so I should know.)

PS Small surface cracks on the rubber has NO affect on the bushing at all, and in fact is normal.

i recently replaced an antenna for my sisters 2002 rx300. it was easy enough to find and replace but when it retracks or raises, this grinding sound happens. as if the motor dosnt know its done going up or dwn. i think the motor is still trying to move the antenna and if it continues it will destroy it. HELP!!!

Did you take the assembly out, take it apart and remove the broken piece of the old antenna? I have replaced several of them and never had a grinding sound. I have found that it is wise to remove the antenna assembly, take it apart and clean it thoroughly with solvent and re-lube with white grease. It gets VERY dirty and dry in there from age by the time it breaks.

he showed me the hair line dried out rubber cracks that were at the base of the bushing. 1. Bottom line was that I can trust the dealer

Bmuseed, without seeing them, there is no way I can say positively, but I can say that it is not uncommon for rubber bushings to get fine cracks such as you have noted, after a few years. I can also say that more than likely there is NO cracking IN from where you saw the fine cracks. Ozone and dry conditions cause the NORMAL fine SURFACE cracks, which generally do NOT affect in any way the integrity of the bushing. As stated, I could only make a final determination by seeing the bushings, but have SERIOUS doubts about actually needing them for anything other than "feel good therapy". If you wallet is causing you to walk lop-sided, replace 'em, but not because it will probably MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE in the safety or integrity of the vehicle, because I doubt that it will.

1. You give him more credit than I probably would, having worked a large share of my career in them.

I would say without a doubt, the timing belt is off and needs to be retimed. It is common for the camshaft to turn when the timing belt is off, because a cam lobe will be on high center and it easily wants to slip off of high center because of the cam lobe. I have had it happen many times and though they say never to turn it backwards (I think because of the VVT). I have turned it backwards many times to get the belt on the right teeth of the gears, and never had any problem. I would suggest pulling it back apart and VERY CAREFULLY following the directions from a factory manual to make SURE it is in proper order this time. If it still continues to run poorly, you'll need to do a compression check to determine if there are bent valves. You probably can tell by the way it turns over (pull the fuel pump fuse) once it's timed (belt) correctly. If the valves aren't bent, it should turn over evenly on ALL cylinders. If it "rolls over" on one or more cylinders, you probably have bent valves.

Remember that the engine is on a slant back towards the firewall. The timing marks are not on top, but should be on top of the "V", which means slanted back towards the firewall. Good Luck! Also remember that once the timing is "out oF whack", it may not be a simple as lining all the marks up. I may require removal of #1 spark plug to get it on TDC on compression stroke. You'll need to follow the manual to the letter.

I have a 1999 RX300. The other day I got in the car, turned it on, turned the dial on the right to turn on the fan (blower) for air/AC, and instead of being able to adjust the fan speed, it just went to high and stayed there. The graph can still be regulated, but the speed of the fan stays on high. Took it to my mechanic and they said it's the 'blower motor control relay'. The part is only a Lexus part and the cost is $370! Give or take. Does anyone know if there is an after-market part for this? The Lexus part # is 87165-22020. Thanks for any help/ideas. BTW, I LOVE my RX300!!

Sorry, but I doubt there is an aftermarket. Best bet would be try e-bay or a wrecking yard.

Well, for your future info, the mechanic confirmed the jumper cables were connected correctly. Its good to know since my father in law and I both have MSEEs. The alternator, a wiring harness, and a master fuse had to all be replaced to restore function.

I ask the same question that LexiRX330 asked. How was the mechanic able to determine that it was jumped correctly? Is the mechanic psychic and can the mechanic explain why those things would be damaged by jumping it CORRECTLY? I couldn't, and I've done mechanical work my whole life. The wiring harness??? What could possibly cause that to fail if it were jumped correctly? Forgive me for doubting your FIL AND the mechanic. It makes NO sense period! I have jumped many 100's of cars in my life and never ONCE had any damage of ANY kind as a result of jumping a car CORRECTLY!

Father in law owns an RX300, claims the battery died and had to jumpstart it. So he connected the jumper cables, disconnected one to check something and then reconnected it. When he reconnected it, the horn started going off, steadily, not the alarm beeping sound. So he disconnected it and found that 3 of the larger amperage fuses had blown, so he replaced them. He can start the car, but that is it. No radio, no lights, no indicators, it won't sense the brake is depressed to allow the gear shifter to move. He can start it and let it run in his driveway, but that is it.

He is an electrical engineer so I have a hard time believing that he hooked the jumpers up backwards. Anyone have any ideas or diagnostic recommendations?

My son is an electrical engineer and I can believe that he might hook the cables up backwards. For it to blow 3 of the larger amp fuses, it is almost a certainty that he hooked them up backwards, There is no reasonable reason that I can think of to blow the fuses just by hooking the cables up CORRECTLY. He needs to check the fuses again, and if he's an EE, he should know that to check a fuse, it must be done with proper test equipment (and the eyeballs are not included in that list).

Can anybody tell me for sure what is Denso part number for bank1 sensor1 and bank2 sensor1 for 2001 rx300.

and if i can use same parts for both.

Thanks.

Navel, It does take the same sensor (A/F ratio sensor) for B1S1 & B2S1 I'm sorry, I don't have the parts #'s right at hand, but I do know you can get the best price probably that you can get anywhere for those sensors at Amazon. They will be the OEM sensors (Denso), but with the Denso#, not the Toyota #. Some where around a $100. ea. Denso makes them for Toyota, but can't sell them with the Toyota # on them without paying Toyota for the privalege .

Thanks for the reply, I looked further into my wiring problem and found one comment about using the thicker wires in the bundle of wires.

I also saw that someone said to connect the green wire on the new actuator to the blue/green wire on the old actuator,so i did this and it works

good. I think that the blue/green wire is the neutral wire for all the doors and the other wire the power wire and a different color for each door.

Gary

Gary, You'll find that the juice simply reverses direction to change directions on the actuator. What flows + to lock in a given wire will flow - to unlock and vise versa. The other 3 doors should all use the same color on the lock and unlock wires, because they all lock and unlock together. All 4 doors MAY use the same 2 color wires, because of individuality (LF door locks and unlocks on 1st push, all the rest on 2nd push). It's been a little while since I last did one so I don't remember for sure, but a test light is the easy answer.

Gary, my post # 138 in this thread gives you the colors for the lock and unlock wires.

I read all the posts here and decided to replace the actuators in my 99 rx300 with the generic ones.

My only question is how can I tell which wires to splice into for each of the four doors?

Is there any one that can supply the answer to this.

Thanks Gary

Gary, that thread should have the colors to "piggyback" to. I have posted that answer in the past and if no one posts it before tomorrow evening, I'll look it up and PM or post it. I Just don't remember at the moment. Also, I say "piggyback" the wires, because that's what you do, don't cut and connect, they must be piggybacked, just like the actuator.

My RX300 1999 has the same problem. Does anybody know any anyone in Fresno Area( Central Valley California) who can help me fix this.

This is for you and the poster above you. Read my post #172, 2 above yours. I'm not sure where you guys are reading the directions to take the door lock (actuator) out. I won't repeat it, read my post # 172!!!!! NONE of that comes out, not with the piggyback method. If you need further help, AFTER you have re-read the directions for the piggyback method, come back and we'll try and help you. I'm too far away or I'd help you with it.

Thomas, I noticed your "credits" a couple of days ago. "Master of everything"? Everything? Just joshing. Bet the grandkids think that, right? I remember hearing a story some time back where kids in about the second grade , were asked by the teacher to tell the class what their father did. When it came around to one little girl, her answer was "he fixes things". Fathers and Grandfathers seen through the eyes of a child. Pretty good! Now I understand where that comes from. :)

Funny you and i are on the same set of Forums....Good morning to you

Yea, Thomas (sorry, I can't get used to calling you by your wife's name), some of the truck forums (most popular one especially) get a little bit rough around the edges sometimes, and you need to fight fire with fire. I'm a pretty laid back guy in life, but "I don't suffer fools gladly", so the gloves come off occasionally. Testosterone does flow a little sometimes (not mine, left that behind), but I like an active forum, and the one forum is especially active! :D

Yea Roger, that is why I work on mine, also to save money.....Have found few and far in between mechanics that do acceptable work...They are out there,I have dealt with them, and I trust them entirely. Just too many bad stories.....

I'm on 2 or 3 of the Ford truck forums all the time, and you really read the horror stories from time to time about the incompetency of some of the DEALER mechanics even. I worked for dealers a lot of years, and it hasn't changed, and isn't likely to, sadly. They do exist (good ones), but I believe they are outnumbered by mediocre to bad ones.

Hello

On Dec. 14, I brought my Lexus in for the recall to fix the rubber boot. Late that evening they called to say I could come and pick up my car. At the dealers, I was told that I had cracked bushings and should have my front lower control arm and bushing done as well as replace my two front tires as they had a low tread. ($2000--holiday gift?). They told me to do it immediately..I had to leave for an event with the wife so said I would schedule it. I left the deal and after driving for 10 minutes I noted smoke coming from the engine compartment. I stopped the car and looked under the hood to see sparks coming from the space between the radiator and engine block .. we had a water bottle in the back and even though I thought it might be an electrical fire, I poured the water on as it started to flame.. luckily it put it out and I found the cause..the mechanic had left the oil rag hanging from the dip stick and it caught on fire (still the sparks were weird). When I took the car back to the dealer, they just opened the hood and looked down and said there wasn't any damage..

Took the car to two other mechanics and they said there was nothing wrong with the bushings!!

I am ready to go back to the dealership manager and complain.

anyone's thoughts??

Other than having worked in automotive most of my life, you understand why I do my own work!!! I've seen things done that would scare the wits out of you!

Actually Code, we export over 70% of the corn production for food products and use less than a few percent for ethanol. Ethanol produced from corn is a very expensive and inefficient process. Don't expect it to last forever.

Paul

That's good news Paul, it's gone on way to long now. I truly believe we would be a lot better off if a LOT of the politicians were in the unemployment line. I don't wish the corn farmers of Iowa any ill will at all (was born and raised in Illinois), just think the government is the problem, not the answer! Though they were far from perfect, I am old enough to long for the days of my youth when there was far less "HELP" from the Government. I wouldn't make a good socialist!

Dorian, how many times did you run it up and down continuously? Obviously if the motor was HOT (which it shouldn't have been) that is an indication it was being fed juice when it wouldn't move. It shouldn't have been hot from just 4 or 5 trips up and down. If it doesn't work when cooled really well (overnight) I would try rapping on the motor with hammer handle or something similar. Also release the window from the window regulator ( I don't remember what type of regulator they use) and see if the window runs free in the track. (up and down) I also don't remember if they use fuses on the windows, or breakers. They used to use breakers, but I think more of the cars use fuses now. Try unplugging the plug for the window and use a volt meter to see if it has juice or not when you press the button up. Easy to diagnose hands on, quite a bit harder from a thousand or 2 miles away.

Will 10% ethanol in 87 octain gas cause engine damage in 2004 RX 330? If yes, what can be done? Additive??what kind?

I vote that they keep all the ethanol in the corn in Iowa, where it belongs..... Hear me?

Sorry, I don't actually know the answer to your question, but do wish they'd quit producing it so the price of corn would go down and they'd keep politics out of our gas tanks!

Tried this supposed fix several times to no avail. The three windows just will not go down although the driver's window works fine. Guess I will try one more time. Terminals are clean.

I would make an assumption here, but having lived long enough to know that over 50% of ALL assumptions are wrong, now matter how logical the reasoning behind them, I'll chose not to assume! Did you try running the 3 inoperable windows down with their individual door switches, by the master drivers switch, or both?

I just purchased a RX300 that keeps blowing 7.5 amp Fuse (position 44 on fuse block).

This is fuse for Radio and HVAC Control button lights as well as the shift selector.

As soon as you replace fuse and turn IG ON it blows immediately.

I see on the internet that several people have had this problem, but never see anyone post any solutions.

I'm sure it's probably a short but not sure exactly where.

Anyone ever had this problem and found the solution?

I appreciate any help.

Thanks.

It wasn't exactly clear whether the fuse was for the lights in all 3 mentioned things or for the radio, HVAC control lights and shift selector. Please clarify.

The mast is just the part that goes up and down (with the white nylon gear strip attached. This is what you most likely need) The antenna would be the whole assembly. This is the E-bay link for antenna masts and some antennas also.http://motors.shop.ebay.com/_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__?_sacat=6030&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_m2home=1&Make=Lexus&Model=RX&_myi=1999-2

Here are some specific links for aftermarket masts and also for OEM (factory) masts. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RX-300-1999-2003-Power-Antenna-MAST-RX300-Lexus-A33-/330502687083?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf37ec9

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-RX300-POWER-ANTENNA-MAST-1999-2003-NEW-2-/230571153381?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35af1c97e5#ht_2167wt_941

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Power-Antenna-Mast-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-Lexus-RX300-/190498409252?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c5a

These are just a sample of what's there. I have put both the OEM and the aftermarket in and found even the aftermarket to be satisfactory, as long as it is STAINLESS STEEL. Choice is yours.

How do I know whether I need the MAST or the whole antenna assembly (with motor I assume?) I can still hear the motor try to retract and go up and radio works fine with a mess up antenna. What's your take on which I need?

There's NO reason you should need the whole antenna assembly, unless you continue to play the radio, because that causes the antenna to want to go up and down when the car is turned on and off, and MAY end up burning the motor up, then you will need a complete antenna assembly. TURN THE RADIO OFF AND LEAVE IT OFF!!!, until you get the mast replaced!. I would suggest getting a genuine Lexus mast, but the aftermarket works fine if money is tight.

The 1st link I posted is the OEM (Lexus) mast, the 2nd and 3rd are 2 different sources of aftermarket mast suppliers.

The mast is just the part that goes up and down (with the white nylon gear strip attached. This is what you most likely need) The antenna would be the whole assembly. This is the E-bay link for antenna masts and some antennas also.http://motors.shop.ebay.com/_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__?_sacat=6030&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_m2home=1&Make=Lexus&Model=RX&_myi=1999-2

Here are some specific links for aftermarket masts and also for OEM (factory) masts. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RX-300-1999-2003-Power-Antenna-MAST-RX300-Lexus-A33-/330502687083?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf37ec9

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-RX300-POWER-ANTENNA-MAST-1999-2003-NEW-2-/230571153381?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35af1c97e5#ht_2167wt_941

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Power-Antenna-Mast-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-Lexus-RX300-/190498409252?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c5a

These are just a sample of what's there. I have put both the OEM and the aftermarket in and found even the aftermarket to be satisfactory, as long as it is STAINLESS STEEL. Choice is yours.

Hey, I've made an account so I can ask you guys a quick question.

It's an older car so the fact that it still uses a retractable antenna just slipped my mind. No excuse, I'm stupid, I forgot to turn off the radio going into a softcloth carwash in my mom's 2002 RX 300. It's bent, but when I turn the radio on and off, I can heard the motor trying to retract the antenna.

Where can I buy an antenna? (cheapest as possible)

Do you have ANY mechanical ability? If you do, you can purchase the OEM (original Lexus) antenna MAST on E-bay for about $25. or an aftermarket (made in China, but nice product for about $12. plus shipping. Those prices are a fraction of what just the MAST would cost at Lexus, I think about $100. You don't need the whole antenna, just the mast. If you ARE able to replace it yourself, I'll see if I can PM you instructions to do it. TURN THE RADIO OFF, and leave it off until the mast is replaced or you may very well burn out the motor and then you will need the complete antenna, at a MUCH higher cost.