LS/RXKevin

My wife was backing our 06 RX400h out of a parking spot in a strip center last Friday and went to put the car into drive when there was a (as she said a huge clunk) -she thought she hit something -and the car died. We have 44,000 miles on it. The dealer called me Saturday and said the inverter crashed. Fortunatly my wife was only 20 miles away. My wife had just returned from a trip to Dallas the week before after driving there alone. Wow would i have gone over the top if this had happened to her 400miles away. I am now very concerned about the reliability of this vehicle. Dealer said they modified the inverter and I would be getting one --on order now. I am considering trading this unit in on a conventional internal combustion vehicle. This is the third Lexus that I have owned and am for the most part very disappointed in their products. On my 04 RX330 the ECU on automatic lift gate was was intermittant --I had to print the solution from this site and convince the dealer to repace it.

I just took a road trip from Houston to Austin and back and averaged according to the computer 26.3mpg. I was running 70 mph most of the time and all highway. This was in a 330 with 16,000 miles. My wife drives it around town and typical readings are 18-19 mpg. We took it to Sacramento a year ago and had similar results. We did get some bad gas and mileage on the freeway was as low as 19 mpg. I noted that Chevron middle grade seems to give the best results. It seems that gas mileage is very sensitive to gas quality.

yes, I have been waiting for two weeks now I had to show the dealer this thread to convince him that there was an issue. Interesting how we have to train the Lexus service folks. This is the best forum. :( Kevin

You have got me on this but one suggestion is to find out from your dealer which O2 sensors are the same. Since you have a new one you might swap the similar sensors and see if you get a different code. I know this is a job but it only costs you your time. Codes seem rather difficult to diagnose and solve without proper equipment. You may have to work with your dealer or a reputable shop and pay for some diagnostic work.

Split--- More than you everwanted to know about O2 sensors. This may be of interest to others thus my 8 scans to get this below 100 K. I have already complained. Your all welcome. O2_Sensor.doc

Split--- Another pix to help you locate the sensor Main_O2_Location.doc

Split-- I am looking at the main O2 see attached again from my 94 manual. Take a look at the graph. I have not digested this but may help. The file sizes for this site at 100 K make it a challange to size images to pass. I have more detail on the O2 sensor and can pass it to you as well. The main sensor is front most sensor. Kevin main_o2.doc

Maybe this will help with your Code 25 issue. This is from my 94 LS manual and is probably applies to your 91 as well. Good Luck. Keep us informed. If I can help further let me know. Kevin Code_25.doc

This has been a random problem with my 330 and the only pattern that I have found so far is that if the rear hatch is not opened for a few days then neither the remote or the dash buttom will open the hatch. If I open the hatch manually and close it everything works again. This is an obvious problem as there have been others commenting on it. We have all had our cars for many months. I am still trying to figure out the pattern. My wife and I are going to wait for the next failure and drive directly to Lexus for the second time to report this problem.

I just bled the brakes on my 94 LS and tried a hand pump up vacuum rig that I bought from Griots some years ago it just sucked air bubbles from around the bleder valve threads. Use a second person in the driverseat and pump the brakes, the old tried and true method works best. I used Valvoline synthetic. Yes, pass rear, driver rear, pass front and then driver front.

You can change the filter with out affecting the oil in the pan. Obviously you have to replace the oil that is within the filter and that that drips when the filter is removed maybe a half a quart. I do not know about you but I take off the plastic wind shroud when removing the filter. This way I can clean up after the filter change. :)

I'm in Clear Lake area. Sure to bump into each other here. Good luck.

This is an 94 LS manual picture hope this helps. egr.doc

In most major cities Porter Cable has a store and they sell rebuilt units. I bought one for around $100 dollars a couple of years ago. They are the greatest variable speed and foam pad can be purchased from Griots.

OOPS! to be clear the first filter should drop out the second (north most) needs to be coaxed south over the opening to be removed. They will have to be bent slightly to avoid interference with the floor.

Youngdoog, This is not brain surgery, Joke! I doubt that you have filters in place. The two filters fit in parallel north and south if the car is facing north. Are you sure that you are seeing some grey matter up there. Actually they are a dark grey rubber in color here in Texas. All joking aside. The filters if they exist can be touched with your finger and should almost fall out. I think that you are seeing the top of the grouve in the top of the filter housing. I would recommend purchasing the filters and this will help you understand what you are up against. I may have additional pictures if you are interested. But this is the best that I have seen given the 100K limit on pix size. :)

Hey guys, we own a LEXUS we are talking about penny's here yes they make dollars but there is no substitute for taking care of your car. :)

A tip on your brakes. I did mine a few months ago and did not replace the hardware. They squeek when backing up. I gooped them up with antisqueek stuff and they still squeek. Do yourself a favor and change the springs and clips ( hardware) and apply antisqueek goop on all metal to metal surfaces obviously keep the pads and rotors clean. I did the rear brakes in this case. Another glitch was the receptical for the sensor. Aftermarket brakes had wrong slot and hole and the sensor would not fit. I went to Lexus and paid the big bucks to finish the job.

Most of the name brand oils of today are excellent. I would think that you want to use 5-30 weight. I happen to be a Castrol guy.

As a matter of interest I have a 94 ls and a few months ago when I first started it after it sat for 3-5 days it would spit out white smoke and run rough for a few minuites. The Lexus parts guy suggested that I use Chevron Technon additive. This solved the problem. I now use it or another good additive every 3-5,000 miles and have never used any octane less than 100, usually 103. Definately worth it.

Wow, Let's check the manual. See attached. From 94 LS shop manual. Brake_adj.doc

I looked but could not find only the front. Went to Lexus and worked with the parts buy and he cut the price for all four from 130.00 to 105.00 and they do look nicer than aftermarket. Mine is a 94 LS

Youngdoog: I'm suprised that you can not reach the filters. Are you sure that there are filters in there? Maybe a screwdriver can be used to loosten them. Sounds like they may have been pushed up or improperly installed. They should be kind of floating in slots both above and below kind of tongue and groove fit. I have added a picture to show you what you are fishing for. Doc1.doc

VB denny, There are two filters located above the passenger's side foot area. Instructions do come with the filters and it can be done with ease. the instructions tell you to use a screwdriver but I found a stiff putty knife to be the best. Cover the end to protect your interior with masking tape. Insert the knife in the seam above the lowest cover and pry it off. Take care because a courtesy light is in the cover. Looking up you will see two wing nuts remove them and the cover that they hold in place and the first filter can be removed. You may have to bend it slightly for removal and installation but they are made to bend. With needle nose pliers or something slim you can move the second filter over the opening and pull it down. Reverse the process to install. Hope this helps. Added thought blowing air backwards through filters can extend their life.

The panel is a laminated plywood with the walnut veneer on it. It is not bent much if at all when removing. Tape up a thin slot screwdriver and pry up gently at the back on each side, going back and forth. When you get the rear of the panel up a bit, maybe 1/2 inch, then pull it back to the rear and it slides out. Quite brilliant actually, and easy. You won't break it, the panel is quite tough. Regarding steering wheels, American Stitches in Dallas does Lexus wheels and they are fairly reasonable. They may do other internal parts as well now.