RFeldes

The fans will not come on until the cooling temp is high. They do not come on when you turn on the AC. There is a thread here that covers all of this. Type in "fan" and you should find it. Those fans only come on during high temp driving such as the Desert or in traffic congestion. The Lexus was designed for the world so you can see where in certain extreme locations on earth, they would be invaluable.

Amazing or should I say "Dazzling" thread. Very informative. Thanks SRK, and a beautiful ride. I feel you are "Impressed" with your LS as you well should be. Nice Car!!!

I would think the "Q" would be worth less in three years than the 2000 LS due to a higher depreciation which is due to higher maintenance because of reliability and the LS has a higher demand. Dollar wise the LS would be a better buy. Pride of ownership is another factor, especially if you are in a "Q" and pull up beside an LS at a red light. Just a thought.

These would be the connectors to your battery positive and negative. See if you can twist them by hand.

re-check all your connections, see if you can twist the connector.

When was the last time you changed the battery?

The button on mine is not on the shifter. It is down to the left on the shifter base plate by the ashtray. Anyways, there must be a switch in line with the brake pedal underneath the dash. If you find it, go get some contact cleaner at Radio shack and spray it well as you push it in manually. It appears to be sticking if you have to keep pressing the pedal in order for it to dis-engage. Good luck and maybe someone here knows where the sensor is but it definately has to be somewhere in the pedal fulcrum movement. Let us know.

On my 1990 you have to have your foot firmly on the brake to go into reverse. There is also a button on the console, top left of shifter, to over-ride this.

Thanks Canopy, How true and very astute of you. Well done!!. The connectors are always the first thing to diagnose, especially in summer, after winter, due to expansion and contraction during seasonal changes.

Also, If Monarch jumps in, he is the resident expert on this forum. If you follow his advice you will be well on your way to cooler days. Good luck.

Hello Zippys, You are correct, if the compressor locks up, you will get a blinking light. If you are out of freon the compressor will not turn, no blinking light. It is on the driver's side. Since your fan speeds are not blowing in the cabin, and I assume that is what you are referring to, and there is no code, I would start looking for a bad fuse or ac relay. Hopefully, you have an owners manual and can find the fuses and or relay. It could also be your ac control module. My suggestion would be, if you have trouble locating the fuses, is to take it to a shop and have them give it a look. If you are referring to the fans in front of the condensor, under the hood, they won't kick in until engine temp goes above normal. If those are the fans you are referring to, you will have to see if the compressor is turning when you turn on the ac. Right below and to the left of the battery. If it is not turning then you are out of freon and that means a leak. I am not sure if you get an error code with a bad compressor clutch. Let us know.

My Goodness! I sure hope no Feds own Lexus and belong to this forum. The reason R12 was banned is the exact reason you guys are doing this absurd thing, releasing that into our air. Obviously you have a leak. That is why you should go to a Certified AC shop, such as Toyota or Lexus and have this taken care of. They are trained and certified to take care of these problems and as a rule, are governed not to release the R12 into our atmosphere. Openly falsyfying reports and going about your business is not cool. That's all I have to say about this!!!

Hi johnw991 or in your case 911. Relax, and take your car in monday to toyota and skip the hype. Do yourself a favor and have a good weekend. Time is too short to take all this advice and your medical bills will pile up. These guys mean well and try to help. But it's hot and you need to take this off of your plate. Good Luck and follow your original intuitions.

Does the $100.00 include a new drier and o-rings?

I'm sorry, forgot to mention that if it something other than the compressor, condensor, or coil, I would let them fix it and be done with it for less than say $1,000.00. My leak was a high side return line under the compressor. $180.00 part, plus labor and freon. Could be as simple as an O-ring and usually located in front of the passenger side, under the hood by the low side fill.

I would bite the bullet and take it to Lexus, find the leak and then determine my options. The conversion does not solve your problem and could add to your costs as a conversion is only an option (to me) when you have a hard failure such as a compressor. Then I would replace compressor, dryer and o-rings. Since your compressor is still good I would try to keep it R12 as designed. The used car mechanic, evidently did not find the problem or leak since I never heard of an expansion valve leaking. The Lexus guys should find it in a maximum of two hours and if it is the compressor then instead of allowing them to change it at an outragious fee, take the car home without the $300 freon charge and come back here for more advice.

Maybe I am wrong, but I see a bit of the Chrysler 300 there. The Japanese are very clever with trends. We'll have to wait and see.

Great job sha4000...Good for you...hopefully, you have solved your problem and I think you have. Only Red in a Lexus 400.

Hi sha4000, Did we help? Please post so we can all learn. thanks

Sounds typical when you convert to 134 without replacing the drier and all of the o-rings. Since 134 molecules are smaller, leaks show up more readily or become more severe. If you were a DIY the parts would run about $250 but the caveat is you have to pull the bumper to replace the condensor and I hear that is asking alot for weekend warriors. The price, though a little high will be monies well spent considering the condensor labor. I also like the one year warranty. I assume they will pull a vacuum and get all the old r12 oil out and that will help alot as well as add to the life of the compressor.

Sha4000, My advice to flush and replace with Toyota red radiator fluid plus change the thermostat is the best advice I can come up with. If you look for an opinion on this forum it is best to take it from experienced members. It is normal maintenance and could save you $$$ if you take it. There is no quick fix other than sound guidlines for maintenance for summer woes. Dirty, sludged radiators and worn thermostats are starting places and certainly good PM's. A good place to start or get ready to hit the "Deep Checkbook" if you keep letting it overheat.

I believe the 98 you have is a single fan but I am not sure if it is two speed. Maybe someone else here has a better idea. My 1990 with two fans really cook when it is hot. If not the fan, then a faulty radiator thermostat would be suspect. Probably a complete flush and new thermostat is in order. Make sure to replace with Toyota Red Coolant.

Did your condensor fan/fans kick in?

$5,500 would be fair IF.............it is flawless and documented. Drive it and after that, think it over, overnite. Good Luck

SWOE3...An Accolade well deserved..Doesn't mean I am going soft on you...But we may find common ground.. At least I hope so..