code58

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What did they do for the $1k? Did they diagnose the problem and what did they diagnose? Sounds like a brake hanging up, either the E-brake or a caliper problem. They certainly should have dug deeper from your description even if they didn't (or claim they didn't) hear the noise. The shuddering sounds like the e-brake, and once it gets moving the shoes glide over the surface of the drum. I THINK the e-brake has small drums built into the inside of the rear rotors. One of the retraction springs may be broken or the components are rusted and not fully retracting like they should.

If misinformation floats your boat DG, float on, I'll stay out of your way. Was trying to correct the misinformation before someone took it as fact and ran with it. I wasn't aware that without a link that you were challenged enough that you couldn't find what I was referencing. Doesn't sound like you took the time to read and understand what the links said. And the attitude will serve you well in life.... or maybe not. Probably not much into learning.

DG- read the other thread just 2 away from this one by the same poster. The 2 links that Maxsteel posted will give you an education on electrolysis and its destructive nature. This is a good example of one of the downsides of the forums. An opinion that is not only worthless, but destructive in it's total lack of knowledge in a very real and known automotive electrical problem. It's good that you want to help, but it would do a real service to the people who come for REAL answers. I have seen it many times and it definitely is real! I've worked in automotive all my life in one form or another and the information to totally discredit your post is extremely readily available in this day and age with a few key strokes. Please use them and be a credit to the forums. P.S. where do you see that a radiator is grounded? For a very long time radiators have been set in rubber mounts with no direct ground of any kind to the radiator. The fact that electric fans have a return path for the juice via a ground wire does nothing for the radiator. In fact, electric fans (especially aftermarket) are often the source of electrolysis because of improper installation.

Elton- I doubt that the axle failure had anything to do with electrolysis. The 2 links that Maxsteel gave you pretty much points you in the right direction. Electrolysis is very real AND destructive! Any time I had to replace a radiator prematurely (I consider anything less that 10-12 years at earliest, if the cooling system has been WELL maintained) I would test for electrolysis any time a radiator shows signs of errosion from the inside (pinhole or pinholes). The aluminum radiators generally give less problem than the copper ones did. Good Luck!

If it didn't do it before you changed oil and did it after, look for things that you may have dislodged in changing the oil or filter. Did you do anything with the air filter box? There is a hose on the back of it that comes off when the box is moved and is often not reinstalled and it sets some codes, don't remember which ones. I'm betting there's a good chance that something got disturbed when changing the oil. Take a good look.

PD- The washer is supposed to be bent. Kinda like a "wave washer". Those that have lost the washer or it wasn't there because someone else had lost it before them have all reported that it seemed to work fine without it. I can't see the reason for it and I say if it works fine without it, don't worry and if you have it and it's bent, you have what you should have anyway. There is a way to test the IACV and the down load should be here or on the other popular Lexus site. Did YOU take it off to clean it? If it is free and you did clean it thoroughly (off the car), maybe it is bad but I would test it for cycling as prescribed because the Ohms test in the Toyota factory manual seems to be in error. My DIL's work perfectly fine after I cleaned it, but the Ohms test tested bad. The cycling test should be the "telling test".

I know this wasn't directed to me, but I'll answer the question you asked. How did you clean it? If you took it off and apart and cleaned it, It DEFINITELY should move freely! It is only turned by the small electro-magnet, which isn't powerful because it doesn't need to be. Any sticking is going to cause it to malfunction. Some guys try and shoot carb cleaner in there and clean it on the car, and actually are successful. That is not the right way to do it and probably won't last to terribly long before the problem returns. I am guessing it didn't get cleaned thoroughly in the round slot valve or the shaft, because dirt is the only thing that would keep it from turning freely.

It sounds like you have a part either broken or has come loose. If you lift the back of the sunroof you should be able to look in and see what's going on when you try to move it up and down. There should be a cantilever mechanism that pushes it up in the back or pulls it down and that is evidently the fault. I used to be in the sunroof business and have worked on a lot of them, but it has been quite a while.

You didn't say anything about the fuses. Have you checked them? Also, you should check the brake light switch if the fuses check out OK. I encourage you not to simply look at the fuses but actually check them with a test light or DVM. Best thing to do is start at the source of the power if you have a problem such as that, and then work down line in checking. Shot gun approach or "hop-scotch" is not good. :)

Trust me, you saved more that $200., even in Atlanta. Very few if any shops want to take the IACV off and clean it. A dealer definitely won't. They have all become "parts changers". No repairing anything any more, just throw a part at it. I would say at least $450.-$500. if you had taken it into a shop.

We're going to have to unmark you WC. Truly sorry to hear that you don't have any GOOD independent Lexus shops in your area. We have a lot of GOOD independents of all different makes in this area, and I mean really good. Most of the time they are owned by former mechanics of the brand they specialize in and employ mechanics from the same brand. I wouldn't generally recommend using a "jack-of-all-trades" independent shop either, but the ones that only work on the brand they specialize in are generally very good at that brand. The high line independents are use to treating customers the way they were treated at the dealer.

. MT- Go here and see if you can't get some ideas. Good Luck! http://www.obd-codes.com/p0115

That price is realistic. The OP's was not. He must look like he has money, I swear, the service writers are worse than salesman for sizing their customers up in the driveway and taking them for ALL they can get. I worked in automotive all my life and there is no way I could have paid those prices, and I think I made pretty decent money. I can buy all of the parts and supplies (original equipment) that they are going to use on the $1900. job for less than $300. There is a huge amount of profit built into that job, even for a Lexus dealer.

You may be familiar with the T/B and Iridium plugs but if not, try reading up on them and you'll understand why they are just getting their 1st wind when others are taking the big DIRT NAP. They both, as well as other parts T/L uses are truly superior, hence the reason they last so long. When I took the T/B out of my DIL's RX I already had the new belt or I wouldn't have changed it. The original belt, at 97k mi. looked in absolutely perfect condition. Faint sign of wear and absolutely NO sign of cracking or other deterioration of any kind. I was amazed. I put a Goodyear Gatorback in and then replaced that with an OEM belt at 127k mi because I didn't like the looks of the wavy tracking when I replaced the other stuff. it looked worse at 30k mi than the original did at 97K mi. Live and learn!

I agree with RX in NC. Having had experience with my DIL's RX (I do all the work on it), what is recommended in the 90k mi. service is ultra conservative. I have only ever read of 1 person who actually had a water pump fail on them, and I am hard pressed to figure out how that happened. I cut the water pump apart that I took out of my DIL's RX at around 127k mi. (I think) and the W/P looked absolutely new. It was definitely original. It is the finest design I have ever seen on a W/P, it is difficult to see how it could ever leak with the multiple seal design (ceramic and rubber w/spring back-up for the 3rd seal) It also uses a double row of ball bearings that sit directly under the T/B which drives it. Even the grease was totally live at that mileage. The only weak point at all is the tensioner idler bearing which is a single row of B/B. The upper idler pulley also has a double row of bearings and the grease was totally live there also. ALL bearings mic'd EXACTLY the same, even though the tensioner bearings were totally dry of grease, they were smooth as glass and like a mirror and mic'd exactly the same as the others. The price that Lexus gave you is indeed a rip-off in my estimation. If you're semi wealthy, I guess they have to eat too, but FILLET MINON??? We have more than one truly excellent and honest independent Lexus shops in this area that I'm sure would do the work for about 60-65% of the price they gave you. And definitely no corner cutting either. That is why they have outstanding reputations.

I believe to hold the button for just a few seconds after the windows or sunroof are cycled is indeed the reset procedure

Yes, $25. and from the front bank, I guess it's worth the risk. We take a chance on a lot of things in life don't we?

Glad to hear of success! I sure hope the used sensor was cheap, I probably wouldn't trust a used sensor very far, unless I was getting rid of the car, or it was awfully cheap.

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GNW- I wish I had a link for a VERY good post (with pictures) of the plug and how too get it released. Don't remember if it was on here or Club Lexus, but I'm sure that you can find it with a search. It can be a bugger, but I can say the guy who posted what I'm talking about was able to figure out a way to do it a whole lot easier than usual. If you have help (someone on top and you on the bottom) it works a whole lot easier. If they can reach in with the proper hook tool and release the locking tab and hold the loom taunt while you pull it sideways from the bottom, it should come right out. With only one person, it's hard because you need to get both hands up there at once and that's not possible. Good Luck!

Kipp- How did you determine that the original was bad? Other than the obvious, that it wasn't working. I realize that you didn't know, but I have had these actuators apart (you have to split them apart with a razor knife (better stated, cut them apart)), and I would NEVER even think of buying a used one. They are destined to fail in time, nothing you can do about it. The cheap little $1. Chinese motor in them is just that, cheap! You can test the actuator in place. Pull the door panel off and locate the blue/red tracer and the blue/yellow tracer in the loom that goes to the actuator. B/R is lock and B/Y is unlock. tap into those 2 wires (should be able to push a pin through the center of each wire and use a hot wire and ground wire and just reverse them to go the other way. You're bypassing everything else that way and if they don't work then, pretty clear they're no good. Use the $5. piggyback method that so many of us have used and if it ever goes bad again, it only costs you another $5. to replace it. Good Luck!

Team MR- I just used a small ball pein hammer and flattened it enough to be able to drill a 9/64ths hole (the size it takes for the shaft it has to go onto. The rod metal is relatively soft steel so it doesn't take a lot to flatten it. I then drilled the hole and sanded it smooth with my 1in. belt sander. The last one I did, I used the appropriate sized round push on clips to hold it on the shaft. I didn't have those available when I did the one in the picture. I personally think you'd be better of making a modified Z in the end of the rod to hold THAT END to the actuator. (by modified I mean 2 bends of 90 degrees each rather than about 130 degrees as in a "Z").

Foul smell is almost for certain catalytic convertor. Often described as rotten egg smell. You probably should have someone (parts house that does it for free) run a scanner on it to see if you have trouble codes show up. If a parts place runs it, they normally give you a printout of the codes and what they mean, but report back with the code or codes so we have some idea of what is going on.

If I am not mistaken TM, that is actually made that way. Others have posted pictures of a strange white protrusion with a notch out of it. Interestingly, when I did my DIL's ('99 RX, built in about may '98), I did all 4 doors and all 4 had beautiful existing holes that I used for the lock rods. They were made for that, but had another one that they used, so I used those. Seems like I lucked out because everyone else seems to report the same thing you have. You don't install it in the door, as a matter of fact you DON"T TOUCH any of the existing linkage or lock assy's. I'll see if I can post a link from another forum where I did it for a guy. I'm a little bit technologically challenged so I'll have to see if I can pull this off. Tried and tried, but couldn't do it. Go to the thread that you quoted. I believe it's about 10 pages long. On about page 7, post #93 I explain how I did it. On post #96, the guy I did it for posted the pictures he took. If you read in that area you'll see the explanations and also the pictures. If you need any clarification, PM me.