xsaint53

I just got new rear tires for my '06 IS350-- the preivous one were worn down to slicks. I replaced my front tires at the end of August 2013--- my guess is about 20-25K miles on them. Also had a front end alignment when I had the rear tires installed, last Saturday. Ever since I got the new rear tires the car has been pulling both to the left and right-- not a real hard pull, but the sterring, especially at higher speeds 55+ MPH is a lot worse than before I got the new tires.
Do I need to also get new front tires? there is a decent amount of tread left on my fronts, but the car now handles like garbage.

First off my car is kept in a garage and is Tungsten Pearl--- I read the black
IS's seen to have a greater failure rate of the touch nave screen.
Here's my issue. Got in my car yesterday to do some errands. The
"Select Language" screen that pops up every time I start
the car pops up. THIS time the touch screen is non-responsive. I have some computer monitor wipes,
so I tried using those on the screen, no difference. I saw a thread
on CL about fixing it yourself. I have ZERO (!!) mechanical
aptitude-- other than maybe changing a tire or the most VERY basic
vehicle maintenance. The DIY fix that was one here is WAAAY over my
head. I never had an issue with the touch screen prior to last night.
The side buttons still work, but the screen itself is unresponsive.
Are there any other fixes-- like rebooting the system somehow.? I
restarted the car several times and still no response. Right now a
$1200+ fix is not something I can do. Any suggestions. And the car is
way past dealer warranty. Car is in in mint condition, but still it's
an '06 with over 125 K on it. Thanks.

Thanks.... I resolved the situation. Basically Pep Boys called it all wrong. While it's possible that It might be a good idea to have my head gasket changed, the "you'll blow up a new radiator immediately without changing your head gasket or getting a new motor" doom-and gloom they told me turned out to be all wrong. I went to another shop yesterday. The installed a new radiator and thermostat and flushed the cooling system. They also road tested the car. And they checked the engine. I told them what Pep Boys said, they laughed and said that it would not be a bad idea to change the head gasket, but I do not have a blown head gasket or anything close to blown. The oil was fine--no milky appearance or burning It was last changed about 1800 miles ago, but I changed it again yesterday. Also there is NO smoking of any kind--either from the exhaust or in the engine. There are NO leaks in the engine. I also found a place in Phoenix--Ankina Motorsportz-- that installs JDM engines (with about 30-40K on it) for about $1200-1500 INSTALLED, which is way cheaper than doing a head gasket. I've driven the vehicle more than usual yesterday and today---I normally drive around 12 miles a day, the last couple of days I drove about 30-40 miles each day in stop and go traffic. And NO overheating, no antifreeze coming out, no leakage. So it looks like the new radiator, thermostat, and cooling system flush did the trick. Thanks again for your feedback.

First a little background on my 95 SC 400. Bought vehicle in July 08 with 183K on it. Vehicle now has 197K on it. At 190K replace timing belt and water pump. Also have done other regular maintenence--oil changes, brakes, etc. NEVER has car run hot. Obviously I don't do a lot of driving--I have a work at home job--consulting. Here's the issue. Last night about 7 PM with the temp outside about 70--I live in Phoenix, AZ-- I was running some errands---had driven maybe 12 miles, when all of the sudden I noticed a strong smell of anti-freeze and noticed that my inside temp gauge--which since I owned the car I had NEVER seen go past the half-way point, was almost in the red. I immediately pulled over and let the car cool down and put water in. First thing this morning, I drove the car to Pep Boys had had them test the cooling system. They told me they found that I had a crack in my radiator on the top, they also said my radiator cap was not holding pressure. They also "Block tested the engine, and found a presence of combustible gasses detected." I have had a noticable--but not overwhelming--smell of gas for quite some time. I also get pretty bad mileage--I probably get 14 miles or so a gallon, and my acceleration is not what it should be. BUT Pep Boys, and subsequently another shop told me what that I need a new motor-since mine has a little over 197K and it would not be worth fixing i.e. doing the head gaskets and pulling the motor apart. They said replacing the cracked radiator and possibly a new thermostat would do no good without doing something about the engine--replacing it. I do not have $6-7 K for a new motor. Also, last night was the very first time I had overheating problems of ANY kind. I can afford $500-700 for a new radiator and thermostat, but $5-6-7 K is out of the question. And for that matter, if doing the head gaskets are in the $2-3 K range, I can't really do that either. I have NO mechanical aptitude, so a "do-it-yourself" fix is out of the question. I have to take it to a shop. I replaced the radiator cap this morning, and the car is still overheating even during my drive this afternoon from my home to my gym and to run errands----about 5-6 miles each way. So I know I have to do something. Any advice. Please help!!!!

That sounds about like normal range on a tank of gas to me. I get about 13mpg in the winter, and about 19 in the summer. If i drive straight highway i can manage 24... sometimes.

I would possibly check your thermostat. It may be reading that the engine is cool and dumping more fuel in to compensate. Does your car smell like gas at all when you stand behind it while its running?

Jason

Thanks Jason. Now that you mention it, there is a slight smell of gas sometimes. The car has never run "hot " in the 7 mos. I've had it. You say it's the thermostat.... I have not replace or checked that. I thought I read that guys were getting around 400 miles a tank.. I saw when I checked out the original '95 SC400 specs that it was rated 18/22 MPG...

Hopefully you guys can help me out.....My '95 SC400 is getting pretty low gas mileage... I'm getting around 325-350 miles from a tank of gas.... I don't do much city driving. Pretty much all highway type. Recently I had new wires and platinum plugs installed-- along with a new timing belt, water pump,and serpentine belt. Oil is changed every 3K. I use the Synthetic Oil. The car has just over 189K on it. I have a fairly new K&N air filter in good shape. I always put premium in the tank. I use a fuel injector cleaner --Lucas Oil or Chevron about every 3 or 4 tanks. I got the car with the "low profile" tires--I keep them around 35-36 psi. I don't "race" the car from a stop-- I don't drive like a "90 year old Grandma from Pasadena", but then again I don't try to qualify for NASCAR... With gas headed back up, and my new job around 38 miles round-trip everyday Mon-Fri.. I'm getting a little concerned about getting so few miles from a 20 gallon tank of gas. Also the only thing that I was told I need is new distributor caps and rotors. Not sure how much that would help the MPG..... If anyone has any idea why I might be getting such low MPG please let me know. Thanks.

You're going through a fair amount of fluid. I would make sure it's not leaking onto your alt. Some leaks bypass the alt altogether - that's lucky. If it's leaking onto the alt - that's unlucky. Large repair bill and you'll have to fix the leak as well or else you'll be replacing the new one shortly after. There's a thread about how to position a shield on the alt to protect it from such a leak. This would buy you some time to save enough to repair the leak without damaging the alt. I'll try to find it and post it later. In the meantime you can do a search on leaking power steering pumps and read up.

Thanks a lot!!! I'm not normally this tight on $$ but right before Xmas a client I did some consulting work for (I have a Sales Consulting Co. in Phoenix) declared BK -Chapter 7 --and stiffed my on almost $12K in fees I was counting on. So until Mid-February I'm kind of hurting. That would be great if you could post that link... But I'll warn you... I'm not very mechanical, any work besides THE most very very basic (adding fluids, changing/cleaning air filter,etc.) I have a mechanic do anything beyond those things.... Hopefully that shield is something that even the most "mechanically challenged" can do..Thanks again...

You sure it's not bluish smoke? I'd check your p/s fluid reservoir level. Likely the acv is leaking fluid into the manifold. Common issue. Make sure the p/s pump isn't leaking, otherwise you'll be dropping some more on a new alt. Lots of threads on this prob. Lookup "leaking power steering pump". If you don't want to spend any more, here's a link on how to remove the p/s pump. It shows you an option to cap the intake and replace the valve with a bolt:

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/steering/pspumpremoval.html

Thanks very much!! Matter of fact I have a leak somewhere in my power steering....I have to put in power steering fluid about once every 5 days or so.....I go thru a quart of power steering fluid in about 3-4 weeks...Right now I have to rough it since I'm tapped out after my last $1100 repair bill about a week ago. I'm just checking the power steering fluid level every few days... It steers fine, and no problem starting .. You hit it right on the head... Thanks very much!!!!

Need some feedback on possible issue.....I have a '95 SC400... When I start the vehicle up after it's been sitting for awhile white smoke comes out of the exhaust. It stops after it starts up, there is no smoke when I drive...The car does not run hot, and I have not noticed anything out of the norm --no knocking or hesitating to speak of.. I recently (Dec. 31) had the timing belt/water pump done along with new plugs (platinum/uridium) and wires. I check the oil level and it does not seem to be burning oil.Last oil change was about 2200 miles ago.. Also, always use 91 octane.. Any idea what it could be and how serious of an issue it is.... I dropped over $1100 on repairs about 10 days ago and I'm tapped out....Thanks for any help....

Everyone will charge you different on the replacement of the fuel filter. I think you can do it, if you have some basic tools and a jack. Even if you use the tire change jack on your car. I believe the threads are a 10mm or a 12mm size.. I would not take it to a Express Oil Change place and do it, thats my opinion, and from my experience. The ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit.. If I am not mistaking.

About the cold start issue, it could be a cold start injector, but double check on that one. The blue smoke is usually a oil leak from internal. I dont know too much on that topic, but I know the 93-98 supras were bad about smoking on a cold start. I forgot exactly what that cause was, but I remember it was a problem for those cars. Lastly, could also be a fuel injector leaking for the slight smell of gas.. Does it dissipate after a few seconds, or a few miles while driving.. Sorry I couldnt help you any more..

The gas smell does not dissipate...It's kinda noticeable, especially when I turn off the car....ALSO, about how long start to finish should it take for the fuel filter replacement?? Thanks again, I appreciate all your help!!

Oh, one more thing....... I notice a mild "gas smell"..... and when the car is cold and I start it. smoke comes out of the exhaust pipes for a second.. a"blueish" smoke, and only when I first start it up....the smoke stops after that....I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the fuel filter/injector possible issues....

First and foremost, you need to replace the fuel filter.. Its on the driver side behind the door , just before the rear tire. Just jack up the left rear side of the car and you will see it. Get a fuel filter from Autozone or Oreilys... Or the Stealership.. Be careful and DO NOT strip the brass couplings. Make sure you have a very good grip or ratchet when prying it loose and tightening it back up. You will need to disconnect the battery cable and let it sit for about 10 minutes, this will stop the fuel from running out the whole time you are trying to work with you under the car.. Some fuel will run out, this is normal.. If it keeps running out get a container to catch the remainder fuel in and reuse it... Try this first and see where you are at on the hesitation.. Lastly, run a can of Seafoam through the brake booster vaccuum line.. Does wonders.. Hopefully its not your fuel pump... Very uncommon in the SC400's. Might be you fuel ECU, but try the simple things first....

Thanks!! How much would a shop charge to do this?? Also what is the "ECU"?? As I said, I'm not mechanical. Thanks for your help...

I have a '95 SC400, I got it a few months ago... I took it in for an oil change a few weeks ago and the tech said that you don't need to replace the fuel filter in the SC400... I don't think it has ever been changed. Right now it has about 188K on it...Recently it has been running kinda rough... When I accelerate at relatively low speeds (20-40 MPH) it SEVERELY hesitates and almost feels like it's going to die out...Once I get going at a decent speed (40+ MPH), everything seems fine, but when I go from a stop or slower speeds, I notice severe hesitation.. I'm hoping it's the fuel filter, rather than the injectors or fuel pump.. Any help/advice is appreciated... (Note: I don't have tools and I'm not very mechanical..So any work would have to be done by a professional mechanic)... Just trying to see what I'm up against.....Thanks and hope everyone is having a Great Xmas Season....

How much would they charge to install the fuel filter? There's no way I'm messing with it myself.....

...Also.. I have not changed the Fuel Filter.... So don't know if that could be the problem....In terms of a Lexus Dealer doing the repairs--there's one about 2 miles from where I live.. Am I talking $200-400 work, or is it more like $1000+?? (if it's the injector), also what would they charge me to change the fuel filter? --I'm not mechanical, so there's NO WAY I'm messing with it....Thanks again...

Hope you all had a Merry Xmas...... Here's my question..I've been noticing an increasing smell of gas lately, that and it seems that my 1995 SC400 seems to be running kinda sluggish, especially from a stop.. I only use 91 Octane, and I've used Lucas and Chevron Injector cleaner..... Here's my question, IF I need to have a Lexus Dealer clean or replace the injectors how much am I looking at($$$)?? I've had the car since this past July, it has about 188K on it, and I think the injectors are the originals...Thanks...

I'm no mechanic, but I thought even I could figure out how to change a burnt out tail light bulb. Here's the situation: I have a'95 SC400, the passenger side taillight the right side of the tail light is not lighting up, only the left half. I figure a bulb is burnt out. Now for the dumb question of the decade: How do I change the bulb??? Do I need to remove the lens? I tried going inside the trunk but I can't seem to locate the bulb. Thanks for any help.