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I was researching this repair earlier, and hopped on over to lextreme.com (the lexls.com tutorial has a link) to look at a discounted valve cover gasket ' package'...all OEM. Very reasonable. I guess most of the cost for this job is in the labor. My dealer charged me five hours when the same repair was done in 2004. That was before I found a Lex-trained indie mechanic with better rates.

Landar, That's great news (can hold off) because I think I have a similar problem. I had the hood up today and noticed about a half an inch of seepage that was all along the seam of the driver's side valve cover, in that area that faces the engine dipstick. The oil did not look new, although that's probably not that easy to judge. It looked a little dark with some dust caked on. Closer to the firewall, the border of oil increased to maybe an inch high...not positive. I would have to take a flashlight to see better. I wiped it down as best I could and will watch it over the next few weeks. I also checked the engine oil following SOP, and to my surprise, it was low. I had it changed at the end of December. At the time, I told the tech to be sure not to overfill (some do that, and it's not good for the engine) and so now I don't know if he, in an effort to do as I said, underfilled or just what. Or, whether leaking valve cover gaskets are causing oil loss. I plan to top off the oil tomorrow. This car has never burnt oil or lost oil, ever. Would valve cover gaskets leaking have any impact on smog testing? As long as this doesn't eat up engine oil or effect smog testing, I would prefer to wait on this repair. Thanks for any followup. Welcome matt. The valve cover gaskets are not super critical so unless they are leaking badly, you can wait for warmer weather or more money in the bank account. And yes, you can DIY. Here is a tutorial for the 90-94 models. Yours may be a little different but this should be close enough to get you started -> http://www.lexls.com...valvecover.html Cheers

@Lenore - About Los Angeles smog...some days you can still see the haze blanketing the city from, say, the 28th floor of one of the downtown skyscrapers, but no question that air quality has improved overall in recent years. I have no problem with having to maintain my car to pass emissions testing. Though it's a pain (and potentially expensive), it is necessary for quality of life reasons. I created a folder on my browser toolbar where I stash websites that 'monitor' and report on subjects of interest (latest virus threats, traffic and weather conditions, the CDC, and, not least of all...air quality in greater Los Angeles). Air Quality Management District (or South Coast AQMD) is one such and it comes in handy. Today we are all green, so this is a good day for outdoor exercise and deep breathing.

Great. Thanks for the detail. I will do this. The smog test is not for awhile yet, but I want plenty of time to get the little things done (maintenance or whatever) that could make the difference between pass or fail. I'll post back on what happens at the smog station. I also found this site, which has some other tips for passing smog tests not mentioned here, like proper tire inflation and balancing. http://www.smogtips....ssions-test.cfm No need to break the law - just get to the on-ramp, select second gear, start from a stop at full throttle and let it shift up to second. Here on the west coast in damp environments the tailpipes will spew liquid water and then steam when doing this if the car has not been driven hard. But the big thing is to pass a lot of rich, hot exhaust gases through the converter to make it work hard. It's temp goes up, and it cleans itself. The results of your last test were good enough but NOx and HC were a bit high. That's what converters do though, through an oxidation and then reduction reaction. Good luck.

test results from the last smog test. this might give some clues... 15mph - rpm 995 %CO2 (measured 14.7) %O2 (measured 0.0) HC (PPM) (maximum allowed 56) (average 10) (measured 54) CO (%) (max 9.32) (ave 0.00) (meas 0.08) NO (PPM) (max 477) (ave 92) (meas 237) 25 mph - rpm 979 %CO2 (meas 14.7) %O2 (meas 0.0) HC (PPM) (max 32) (ave 7) (meas 23) CO (%) (max 0.30) (ave 0.01) (meas 0.04 NO (PPM) (max 481) (ave 100) (meas 371)

Can you tell me what gear and at what speed you recommend? Thanks for all info.

great tips, ALL. i am making a list (checking it twice) and all this will go on there. thanks. Hope this helps...

What is full throttle? The fastest I am comfortable going on the freeway is 70. Are you saying gear down to second and then drive fast? If so, how fast? Thanks.

great informaton everyone. thanks so much. i will review all (in detail) and do as much as is possible. btw, if i 'wipe' the mufflers with a cloth, they come out pitch black. would cleaning those out (as far as i can reach) make any difference? just curious whether little particles from a dirty exhaust pipe would add to the HCs. i am going to look into whether i can do a pretest....

I really want the car to pass this on the first try, since once you're in the clutches of California's Air Quality Resource Board, if the car fails, you are forced to use their contracted mechanics for repairs, and I don't see any that specialize in Lexus, which concerns me. Plus they have you over a barrel, cost-wise. I have read some horror stories online. Background: On the last smog check the car 'barely' bassed (there is a reason for my concern). The hydrocarbons were at 52 ppm (I think it is) and the maximum is 54. All other measurements were well within state limits. So I am pretty sure it might fail this time. What would you do to prepare? Here is a list I have put together after doing some reading online: MotorVac the fuel system for $250ish which includes all taxes. The service includes throttle body cleaning. OR I 'just' had the oil and filter changed, so that's done. I am due for a tuneup. I think the spark plugs were last changed around 60K and I am at 94'ish K. Throttle body has not been cleaned in several years so that is due. I read about putting fuel cleaner in tank (not Seafoam!) and making sure I drive it and use up all the gas, then refill with premium. The car could use a new engine air filter. The gas cap gasket needs to be changed out (lots of pressure when I unscrew the lid to fill up with gas). I also have flickering dash panel lights. Will this 'have' to be fixed before the smog check? What if they go 'out' when I get to the test station? Will they sitll be able to test? I cannot do MotorVac AND all the other stuff. I have to pick and choose which of the items will be the most effective. I guess I am leaning toward tuneup (new spark plugs), throttle body cleaning, new engine air filter, some kind of fuel cleaner in gas tank, and gas cap gasket. Part of the reason I am leaning toward tuneup instead of MotorVac is that, intermittently, I am getting a moderately rough idle on start-up (once or twice within the last four months or so, it was really rough). Usually, it's just moderately rough and it's not every day. For instance, yesterday, on start-up it seemed a little rough, but today on start-up it was fine. The roughness goes away after a bit of driving. Other than some battery and starter issues (which I have posted about here ad nauseum), that's pretty much all that is going on with the car. I would really appreciate any suggestions. I am not a DIY, though would love to be. Just not set up to do that, so will have to have the work done.

Dean -- Update: I haven't used him yet, as my starter has worked fine for more than a month. I also still have the same battery, and it's starting up every single day as well. I plan to get that retested in a week or so. Here's a link to reviews on the shop. If the moderator here doesn't allow the link, then PM me and I will send you the info. I just assume the starter will 'go' at some point, but it's possible that the problems I was having were related to the cold (I think it was down in the high 30s a few of those nights -- very cold for here). http://www.yelp.com/biz/voltec-battery-los-angeles-2 I think that lists the working number but not sure. Post back here if you need more info. Who was the mechanic you used for the starter replacement, name, address and phone would be appreciated if available.

Lucky you! That must have been a big relief.

I've bookmarked this as well. Always good to have parts resources... Yoto: thanks. neat site and good to know about. Jerry

I've had good luck with Lexus of Roseville in California. Their discount internet operation is at lexuspartsworld dot com. Bought an OEM radiator from them ages ago, and supplied the mechanic with it to install, and he could not believe the price (it went up not long after though. so maybe they caught on they were selling it too cheap). I recently did some comparison shopping on parts for possible starter replacement, and found that Roseville's OEM prices for rebuilt starter and gaskets beat out Sewell's, plus Roseville ships for free...at least for now they do. But I did not ask about LOC discount when talking to Sewell (didn't know about it), so that might close the price gap some.

That makes sense about colder weather impacting PS pumps. Look what the change in weather (plus leaving the car sitting) did to my battery!! Several years ago, I went through that whole "replacing the power steering pump problem". I have to say, I will never spend that kind of money on this car again. Because I have since learned how to get repairs done for less than dealer prices, using common sense combined with the tools and tips and info that are available online. The hardest part was letting go of the thinking that 'only' a Lexus dealer can do a proper job.

This thread mentions a Lexus owner who rebuilt a PS pump with $35 in OEM parts! Lots of other useful info there as well. I would do more research and shop around before paying a dealer that much. That price is high. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64049 And here are three shops that say they work on Lexus. Calling and talking to them is free. See what they say? I have found quite a few of these types of shops will give free diagnoses. http://foreignautorepairsarasota.com/sarasota-fl-foreign-auto-repair.htm http://www.yelp.com/biz/jesses-garage-sarasota?large_photo=1 http://www.yelp.com/biz/encore-motorcars-of-sarasota-sarasota-2 And one last thing...if the groaning continues, get a second opinion!! And a third. Then decide. Good luck.

Tx. That's at least a lead. The car still works fine as far as I know. I will have a mechanic follow that trail to see where it takes him.

You are most welcome. Yes, I know...and yours is a good plan. I wanted to share how I found qualified independent mechanics (two formerly worked at Lexus dealerships). One of the mechanics advertised on craigslist. He set up a new shop, after working for years at a dealership, etc. It took me quite some time to find these guys too. Good luck! L

Just out of curiosity, I went to craigslist for Sarasota, typed in 'lexus' and searched in 'services'. Quite a few mechanics came up who say they work on Lexus. You can start here: http://sarasota.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=237&subAreaID=&query=lexus&catAbb=bbb I would ask how long they have been in business, check their online reviews on yelp, city search, et al. You can tell fairly quickly whether you would feel comfortable turning your car over to them. A brake job should be fairly straightforward. On another thread, someone else mentioned they had been referred to an independent by someone in the parts department at a Lexus dealership. And don't forget the white and yellow pages. If the shop has Lexus trained mechanics, they will mention that.

It's a Holstein who is ticked off because he has not been fed. :) Yes, I have active air suspension. Why?

I've got what sounds like a cow under the hood. Found some threads about first gen LS400s making a goose honking sound after the car is turned OFF, but my car has been making a similar sound (sounds more like a loud moo than a goose honk) for a period of time after I START it up. This sound happens off and on at random (no set intervals) until the car warms, then seems to go away. Occasionally I will hear it even after I've been driving for a time. It doesn't 'always' make the noise, but more times than not, it does. It doesn't seem to be related to turning the wheels. It might make the noise even when the car is sitting on idle. This has been going on for a long time. Ages ago, I asked my (then) mechanic what it was, and he said he would have to hear the noise. Of course every time I was in his shop, it would not make the noise. It comes from under the hood, but other than that, I cannot pinpoint whether left or right, forward or back. It's NOT a power steering pump groan. I've been through that and know what that sounds like. This is similar, but louder and more distinctly cow-like. Lasts two seconds approx each 'event'. It kind of has a sucking sound component to it as well. I know the reservoir that holds the windshield cleaning solution is cracked...I assume the reservoir has some kind of pumping mechanism. I usually have a bit of solution in there (the crack is in a position where it doesn't drain entirely). But off the cuff, this sound seems louder than anything that would be made by a little reservoir tank pump. What could this be? I love mysteries, but am motivated to solve this one.

@landar @jaswood -- ok, thanks. i'm not seeing any interior lights or anything staying on when i lock the car up. i think i will take it in to an electrical shop (along with my 'list') and have them give it a good going over.

Could having two tail light bulbs out over an extended period cause this type of drain? They are the two tail lights flanking (closest to) the license plate. I don't know how to change them myself, and planned to get that done the next time the car has to be in the shop. All the other tail lights are working.

I hope that is all that was. No, grounding straps have not been checked to my knowledge. I will add that to the list. Thanks.

Yes, this was done last week (cleaned connectors and posts), then again yesterday, when we had the batt out. He put a gadget on top of the posts and twisted. They are bright and clean. I noticed a small amount of corrosion at the base one of the terminal posts, and was kind of surprised by that since everything was cleaned off when we went through this process last week. He said it's possible the battery has a leak there. The only thing he didn't do was cover all with petroleum jelly when done. I can add that.