Tomj8

If fuel stands in the neck and yet the tank runs dry, the problem is in the neck. Its not a fuel pump problem - you wouldn't have gotten to the service station to begin with if the fuel pump weren't doing its thing. Is the fuel cap missing? Sometimes when a fuel cap gets lost or stolen people will cram rags, paper, etc. into the neck as a substitute. This stuff can get pushed all the way down to the tank eventually and shut off the flow of fuel. Check the neck first.

Check the battery cables first. Make sure the positive cable gets to the starter solenoid and that it isn't shorted against anything. Check the negative (ground) cable to make sure it is indeed still grounded. If no luck there, is it possible your battery may have been damaged in that front-end accident? Impacts in the right place can cause a cracked case or it could now have internal damage. But after 3 years sitting, even a good battery may go bad with no charging. An internally shorted battery can keep it from getting juice in spite of a charger or jumper cable. Get the possible bad battery out of the circuit by disconnecting it and substituting a known good one in its place with jumper cables. If there is still no action, your accident may have caused a large short circuit somewhere - like a battery or starter cable getting crimped up against a metal ground.

Dealers and garages often recommend replacement of rotors when turning them is all that's required, simply because there's more profit in selling a set of rotors. Your have 34k miles since the rotors were turned and now have only a small lip. I'd have them "miked" to see if they can again be trued up. Rotors are expensive and if they can be turned there is absolutely no advantage to replacing them. Just depends on whether there's enough metal left to turn them again, and if so, how many dollars you're determined to spend on the brake job.

No Draino!!! Not sure what causes the heater core to be suspect, but in general the symptoms don't fit. A heater core won't clog instantantly; you should have noticed a gradual and persistent loss of heating ability as the blockage built up if that were the problem. Does the fan still operate and the selected temperature still show up on the LCD display? If not, it may be the HVAC control module, if only the heat has dropped out, it may be the heater (hot water) control valve. Hard to say with certainty, but ditch the heater core idea unless there is some strong reason to think thats where the problem is. If the engine is running its making hot water. The other ingredients necessary to have a working heater are a heater core and hoses that allow the hot water to circulate, a working heater valve to control the temperature level, and a fan to move air across the heater core. No reason to suspect the HVAC if your LCD display is normal and the fan is working....that leaves the heater valve as the prime suspect since you've already flushed the system. Good luck - this isn't the season for heater problems!

Just some places to start - I assume you checked for dirty air filter and found it OK. A vacuum leak can cause uneven idle too. Have you run a compression check just to verify the valves are OK?

Difficult to connect the dots on all that - I doubt there's a common thread through all symptoms. One things sure, the starter solenoid or cables have a serious short circuit thing going on. If turning the wheels left or right caused the starter to hook up, that sounds perhaps like loose starter cables that may have pivoted to a position where they have shorted. Starter solenoid switch with welded contacts (worn out) can cause the symptom of being unable to stop the starter motor without disconnecting the battery. There is no likely connection between power steering, rough idle, not starting, etc. Concentrate on resolving the starter issue (being able to use the key to operate starter) before proceeding to try and sort out the other issues.

Very simplistically: Benefit of OD (in the ON position) is fuel economy. Its most beneficial at steady high speeds, as in highway/freeway driving. OD off position if you want a little more zip through traffic - just because tranny won't be in that tall OD gear when you need to call on it to move in a hurry.

Burnt transmission fluid is never a good thing. Don't know why it might be a bad time to flush it, although transmission, brake and power steering flushing has become quite a money maker for oil change shops and dealerships. Don't do any of those flushes unless there is evidence you need to but certainly don't ignore legitimate evidence - like burned tranny fluid.

It'll run on mid-grade and even regular but you'll notice a performance and a fuel mileage drop off. Don't know about you, but I would only do it in an emergency because I wouldn't want the performance deficit (hey, thats what these cars are all about!) and I certainly wouldn't want to run the risk of damage a steady diet of regular (for example) might pose to my car. If you're looking to save money, its most likely a very dubious investment to make.

I assume you can't see the leak. You might check the plastic coolant reservoir in the front of engine compartment. There is a level sensor which screws into it and sometimes cases a crack in the reservoir. Put a little soapy water on it and look for bubbles. Just an idea. Ditto, I assume you see coolant on the ground but can't pinpoint the source...if so, consider checking the radiator cap. As the engine warms up and pressure builds a bad cap seal or a weak cap spring can allow coolant to get past and out the radiator overflow tube. And I'm thinking the "smoke" you refer to is actually steam since the engine isn't running hot. It is possible for a headgasket to blow through the waterjacket and to the outside of the engine - a situation that can cause coolant in the waterjacket to be blown out onto the exhaust manifold causing steam. Need to find the actual point source for the steam.

Great steal at $600.00! The digital display is a common ailment, and may or may not indicate the climate control itself is kaput. When the control is working it is straightforward to operate, so difficulty getting the fan to run, etc. usually means the climate control unit is defective. You can buy one used on eBay or elswhere online but I'd recommend you contact Sammy Wu of Mikado Technology in Gilroy, CA to have yours rebuilt as I did (1995 SC400). A Lexus dealership who uses his services put me onto him and mine now works like a champ. It'll run $200-300 usually, depending on specific issues it may have but that's definitely better than OEM new at $1175.00 or so! Contact Mikado Technology at (408)848-5000 or sammywu@sbcglobal.net. Good luck with your SC400 - great car!

If you're certain it's coolant, there are several possibilities in approximate order of liklihood: 1) blown head gasket, 2) warped cylinder head, 3) cracked cylinder head, 4) cracked cylinder block. If its a blown head gasket, a compression test may yield a low compression reading on the wet plug cylinder but compression tests won't reliably show anything out of the ordinary on cracked head or block.

Wish I had something more concrete, but don't overlook eBay and online searches on your on. You'd be amazed how much you can turn up with a simple search like "Lexus Mass Air Flow sensor", for example. Lots of Lexus parts are available on eBay and many networked salvage yards are accessible online.

On the AC problem - definitely check for any open fuses in the fuse panel, but an open fuse will merely shut the module down; if the AC/Fan display has gone or is going to black, thats not a fuse....you're looking at replacing the AC module with a good used one or having yours repaired. If the display is blackening, I recommend you check eBay for used ones or contact Mikado Technologies in California to have yours repaired - many Lexus dealers use Mikado to do this repair on older Lexus models.

Several possibilities fit the description you give. Before all else, check all battery cable connections at the battery, starter solenoid and starter motor. Starter motors draw very heavy current, and loose, corroded or dirty connections can cause intermittent problems. Solenoids are heavy current switches that connect the battery to the starter motor when you turn the key to the "start" position. The click you hear is the solenoid being actuated - normally starter motor noise tends to mask the click but its always there if things are working right. However, even if the solenoid closes properly, it's contacts may be worn or corroded preventing the starter motor from getting the juice. Similarly, the solenoid could be sending power to a faulty starter motor. Starter motors have several field coils arranged around the motor shaft; if one opens up it can cause a dead spot where the motor won't respond when power is sent from the solenoid. But if the starter motor ends up in a "good" spot when it was last spun up, it will start OK. This obviously causes an elusive problem depending on where the starter motor ends up with respect to the dead spot. Since you mention working with the key and sometimes being able to get it going, I would suspect the solenoid has burned contacts as the most likely fault. Solenoids with dirty or worn contacts do often become intermittent and if you keep hitting at it it may eventually make good contact. Your suspects are the solenoid and the starter motor itself, probably in that order.

You mention RPM's; are you saying you're having to continually press the accelerator to prevent the engine from dying, or is the car not moving even with the engine being revved? After the minute or so you mention, does it then run normally, or is there still excessive engine speed to get or keep the car moving? These trannies are tough as nails, and they aren't cheap, so be careful of your diagnosis - engine or transmission. If the engine runs fine but the car doesn't want to move, it may well be a transmission issue. If the engine doesn't want to run, that's another issue.

You may have multiple gremlins at work, since there is no apparent connection between the idling problem as you describe it and the battery issues. The difference in engine idle between cold start and warm engine may point to the fuel injection control module which is designed to automatically adjust the fuel rich for engine start and cold running, then automatically readjust to a leaner mixture when the engine reaches normal operating temperatures. The mixture differences between cold running and normal operating temperature can be detected in exhaust emissions, and since emissions are monitored by the ECU it can't be completely ruled out as a potential bad actor either. As for the battery, be absolutely certain the new battery isn't defective! It's rare, but it happens. If it's OK, there is a significant short circuit somewhere in the system that is draining the battery. Try charging the battery to full and leaving the positive cable disconnected over night, then hook up the positive cable next day and see if the battery starts it. If it does, the automobile wiring or an electrical component has a significant short. Have you checked the alternator to see if it is charging as it should? Even shorted diodes in the alternator can drain your battery!

Depending on how badly it's stripped and how much room you have to work under there, you may be able to re-thread the fitting. The trick would be to find out what the correct diameter and thread pitch is (dealer inquiry unless you can use a pitch gauge to determine this) so you can buy the correct die. It is probably a metric size, but they can be bought from well stocked hardware stores, or online. You wouldn't remove the fitting from the line, but would thread the fitting into the die instead of the filter. Sometimes referred to as "running a "chaser" over the threads, the purpose is to cut out (or chase out) the debris caused from cross-threading. Otherwise, a used fuel line out of a salvage yard or off eBay would be in order.

Not sure how you developed the list of possibilities you're working with, but of the things mentioned only fuel filter seems a possibility. Based on what you've said, forget starter and flywheel - they'd have nothing to do with the engine not starting, except when the engine won't even turn over when you turn the key. Vacuum leak and spark plugs aren't likely to cause the symptom you describe, but if the fuel filter is very dirty, that is a possibility. In general, fuel delivery issues behave similar to your problem - check fuel filter, fuel pump and fuel line first. Fuel itself may be contaminated with water, etc, as well, so a drastic measure may eventually be to drain the tank. On the AC fuse, are you certain you're replacing it with the right size fuse? If so, is it possible the system may have been overcharged with freon so that the compressor is lugging under the resulting high pressure?

The climate control units for Lexus are NOT interchangeable, per the dealer. I'm advised the 92-94 models are, the 95-97 models are, and the 98-2000 models are interchangeable. The new climate control unit will run around $1100.00 from a Lexus dealer. If you take it in, they may well have yours repaired rather than put in a new unit. A local parts manager advised me of this, and told me how to contact one of their repair sources. The repair quote was $195.00, and I used them in April with great results. Contact Sammy Wu, 8840 Forest Street, Gilroy, CA 95020 or email sammywu@sbcglobal.net. Be advised, the climate display sometimes blacks out due to a component failure in the climate control board (as with mine) rather than just the display itself. If so, the repair cost can increase by another hundred or more. Sammy's company does business on eBay, as does another company out of New Jersey that offers a lifetime warranty on their work. Check it out before you spend $150 on a used one unless you'r confident its good, and that its compatible. I was surprised how many sellers of used surplus units couldn't say for sure the exact year model, or whether it was compatible with my '95 model SC400. Could be an easy way to waste a couple hundred if you don't do the homework, and it may be safer to have yours repaired for this reason.

Assuming it was running OK before replacing the water pump, there should be no connection with how the engine runs. Instead, check for vacuum lines or wires that may have accidently become disconnected or broken in the process of doing the work. If the engine did not run well before replacing the water pump, run a compression check to see whether a head gasket may be blown (common with overheating). Also check for evidence of water in your oil (oil not transparent but milky or foamy), which is another common symptom of a blown headgasket but can also point to a warped or cracked cylinder head - all typical symptoms of damage from prolonged overheating problems.

The lean code and flooded plugs don't seem to go together. The new fuel pump and ECU would seem to direct attention away from the fuel supply. Flooded plugs should indicate fuel isn't an issue...I'd look at ignition components serving the flooded plugs. Assuming the wet plugs are restricted to the left bank, logic would say it has to be a component common to those particular four cylinders. Ignition wires for the entire bank shouldn't all go at the same time, so focus on the distributor wire, distributor components or electronics for that bank of cylinders.

I recommend you take a look at eBay....lots of Lexus parts bought and sold there. Some are individuals, and some are nation-wide parts locating companies (salvage yards). Good for comparison, anyway. Just do a search for Lexus parts, or for a specific part you are looking for.

If you haven't already had a look on eBay, I'd suggest you check it out first; a lot of Lexus parts and accessories are bought and sold there. There are several national surplus aouto parts clearinghouses doing business on eBay that will locate the part you need, along with many individuals selling parts there. Do a "Lexus amplifier, or Nakamichi amp." search, etc, and see what turns up. If you don't see it today, check back in a couple days - there is lots of turnover. Hope this helps....good luck on your search - I've seen Nakamichi amps for sale out there in the past few months.

This is a very common problem, and will require replacement of the climate control unit, since repair is beyond the capabilities of average do-it-yourselfers. You can find good used CC units on eBay (verify it is for your model and that it is guaranteed to be functional), or you can send yours out for repair. If you bid on used ones, I'd first verify with a dealer which year models are interchangeable - not all will swap out. There is a company out of California that does a very good job and is used by many Lexus dealers to do the repairs. Do a google search for "Lexus climate control repairs". Do the same sort of search on eBay. There is also a company out of New Jersey that does the repairs; they are a little more expensive but offer a lifetime warranty on their work, as I recall and they are on eBay. Expect to pay $150-200 for repairs, or you can bid on used ones on eBay- sometimes for as little as $75.00.