steviej

open the hood and stand next to the engine bay while someone starts the car several times. Try to pinpoint the sound. Is it a sheet metal rattle like a heat shield is loose? Is it an internal engine rattle? Is it coming from the belt area? do you see where I am coming from.....a little more information will be so much more helpful. steviej

P0171 is System too lean, (Fuel Trim) bank 1. Here are your trouble areas: -Air Intake hose, loose or cracked -Fuel line pressure -Injector blockage -Open or short Air/Fuel sensor circuit -Intake air flow meter -EFI engine coolant temperature sensor -Gas (exhaust gas not fuel) leakage on exhaust system -PCV hose connection hope this helps. steviej

thanks for the added hype. B) :D I posted it in every model forum including the IS forum, here. and in the Club Events and Meetings Forum, here. steviej

as you are new to this forum, please go to the Buy and Sell forum and read the rules and guidelines for selling personal items on this site. Once you have supplied the required information, I will move this post to that forum. Since your post count is less than 20, you are unable to post directly in that forum. If the required information is not provided within 48 hours I will have no choice but to remove this thread. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter. steviej ES/IS Forum Moderator

just out of curiosity, what treads do you have on there? steviej

I am assuming that you were able to get the panel off to get inside the door to replace the plastic thingie. I suggest that you take the panel off the opposite door. Use the exposed working door as your reference and make sure you have everything invovled with the locking mechanism hooked up right on the unworking door. steviej

for the parts try: www.car-parts.com Its a listing of parts from salvage yards rather than brand new from dealerships. can't help you on the salvage titling, sorry. steviej

sit in the back seat facing out the back window. grab the center stop light cover with two hands (one on each side). 1. move/slide the cover to your left as far as it will go. 2. tilt the edge closest to you up. This may stick a little so tug. Don't rip it out of there. 3. you should be able to tilt the edge closest to the window up now and then the entire cover comes up. this is according to the 2002 ES Lexus shop manual. steviej

excellent point amf1932, another possibility and a cheap fix at that. steviej

not to mention the Canadian ECU was $1750 in 2003 and Lexus was not popping for any of it. steviej

in order of your quote. 1. The 45k sevice is basically tranny fluid drain and fill, air filter and cabin filter replacement, oil and filter, remaining fluid check, tire rotation and some basic inspections/observations. I actually did my own in my driveway for a total cost of about $75. At least get the oil and filter changed as I stated before. It is 6 months old. Find out when the last tranny drain and fill was done. I would almost opt to go for the 45k if it were my car so that I would be starting out with the right foot knowing what was done and when. Use this as my new service reference point so-to-speak. 2. those serive statements are computer generated based on the national average of driving 15,000 miles per year. (hence 10k in 8 months). The computer cannot even make a good estimate until you have been logged into the service computer several times with recorded mileage. 3. I did not mean to imply your wife was the beater. I was responding to your comment in the first post of the thread that you get stuck with the beater car. steviej

first off, please refrain from using all caps as it is viewed as yelling and rude on this site. second, was the code Autozone obtained P0420? If not, do you know what the code was. third, I am moving this to the ES forum as there is another member with a similar problem. steviej

Josh, you need to size your pictures down some. you got us scrolling up and down AND left to right. Don't inconveniecne people if you want them to say nice things. (just a tip for future posting). enjoy your diamond in the rough. It's time to make it shine. steviej

try www.lexus-parts.com or www.irontoad.com steviej

I have always used premium (93 octane) and have always had the hesitation. I have learned to live around it. In general, salesmen will tell you whatever the buyer needs to hear to make the sale no matter how ambiguous it may be. steviej

three possible problems that are very common to Toyota/Lexus engines that cause what you describe. 1. your idle air control valve is dirty, most likely with carbon build up. Easily cleaned, moderately expensive to replace. Do a search on this as it has been discussed many times and several members have successfully cleaned there own. 2. the accordian like air tube that goes from the air box to the throttle body has a hole or a crack in it. Cheap and easy to replace. If it has a hole or crack, more air is getting in to the throttle body than the ECU thinks is. This will cause rough running conditions especially at idle. 3. your throttle body is dirty. same solution as #1. steveij

take it to Bay Ridge under your CPO warranty and get a new battery if it is covered. Better yet, go to Autozone and have them load test your current battery and test your charging system. If the alternator or battery come up suspect, THEN go to you service place and find out what if any is covered under you CPO. You may walk out with new battery or alternator or both. steviej

These are the suspect areas for code P0420 take from the 2002 shop manual (should be the same for your 99): -Gas leakage on exhaust system (i think they mean exhaust gas, not fuel) -A/F sensor (bank 1 sensor 1) -heated oxygen sensor (bank 1 sensor 2) -exhaust manifold steviej

maybe he is taking about the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor? steviej

the 10,000 mile check up is only a fluid check, tire rotation and oil and filter change. Was the 45,000 mile service performed by the previous owner? Some people feel that low mileage cars should have the oil changed based on time. I have heard at least every 6 months and others say at least every 4 months (I tend to go with 4 months). It would be a toss up to you. Cars were meant to be driven. Give the beater to the wife for the short runs. You should take the lex at least once per week and get some highway miles on her. This will also help lubricate parts and clean out carbon build up. steviej

search on here and on google for Toyota sludge. It is too big a discussion to fit in one thread. In a nutshell, Toyota has offered an extended warranty to the owners of cars with the 1MZFE engine, specifically 1997-2001. If the engine oil is left unchanged for long periods of time then the oil can slowly start to turn to a molasis consistancy, aka sludge. This plugs oil passages in the engine block, clogs the oil pump, and gets packed up in the valve cover and around the valves. It creates a major problem and even engine death. steviej

the trac light and CEL together usually mean the car has gone into safety mode. go to Autozone and get the codes in the ECU read for free then post the specific codes here. There are so many codes and combinations that will set off those two lights or put you in safety mode. No one knows until you get the codes read. steviej

sk its a 1995 (based on his post about ECU chips or upgrades). sj

no Army, you will be fine. Toyota T-IV ATF was not around when you tranny was built. Your tranny was built around the specifications of the tranny fluids available at the time (DOT-II or DOT-III). Mobil 1 makes a very good synthetic ATF as an alternative to DOT-II and DOT-III tranny fluids and you should be fine. However, if the car specifically calls for Toyota T-IV ATF then I would stay with that. I even asked Mobil 1 if I could be confident that their synthetic ATF would be a comparable alternative to T-IV and they have yet to get back to me in over 3 months. As a side note, they did post publically that they do not suggest that newer Honda owners use it when the manual specifically calls for Honda tranny fluid. I have to think that they will follow suit on the T-IV. steviej

I am reading more and more reports from owners with vehicles equiped with electronic throttle systems as having a hestitation. It may not be the same duration as that in the ES/RX but a hesitation nonetheless. It has been mentioned in the Lexus LS and Audi. Lexus will tell you that it is performing the way it was designed. The car accelerates and shifts ultra smoothly and quietly. They will not openly tell you that their design is flawed, and that they know it is flawed. See the pinned discussion about the tranny hesitation at the top of this forum. steviej