Mike Floutier

Ok, I bought a hand-held code reader off e-bay and plugged it in but it wouldn't work at all. I tried it in my wife's car and it works fine so I suspect my car is at fault. The diagnostic procedure is to check for a 9-14v voltage between TC and CG in the DLC3 and mine was ok. Next step is to "check and replace engine ECU" so unless anyone has any other ideas I think I'm going to ignore my engine light until I get an obvious problem. Interestingly, I had the car converted to run on lpg (liquified petroleum gas) and this involved installing an additional ECU so maybe this has had some effect; I'll have to speak to the installer. Mike

Thanks Slvr99LS, We have a public holiday here inthe UK today and I'm not working until this evening so I think I'll spend a bit more time trying to get the system to display codes on the dashboard display. After that I think I'm going to follow your advice and buy one off e-bay - there's certainly very little to lose and it would save trips to Lexus dealers (which are few and far between over here) Thanks again, Mike

Hi Slvr99LS, Many thanks for your reply. Yes, my steering wheel is as you describe; however I tried all these buttons but to no avail. The procedure for reading the codes is from the relevant year's workshop manual; it give separate procedures for "with hand-held tester" AND "without" so I was expecting it to work ok. The DLC3 on the LS430 2002 is located under the dash. Maybe I should invest in a hand-held tester as I drive for a living, do a lot of miles and expect to buy another LS430 so it would probably be a good investment. Can anyone recommend a suitable hand-held tester? Many thanks. Mike

Hi, My engine check light is on and I want to read what codes have been stored. In the manual I see that this can be done without connecting a "hand-held device". I have followed the instructions (jumping DLC3 and switching on) but I am stuck at the bit that says - "press the function key of the steering switch until EFI will be displayed on the instrument panel". This was exciting as the next bit reads - "Read the DTC on the instrument panel". Can anyone tell me what "the function key of the steering switch" might be as I have pressed everything in sight but can get no codes displayed. Many thanks. Mike

Very interested to read the OP's comments about a connection between a failing ignition coil and a "Check VSC" warning light. Today I had my "Check VSC" warning light come on and immediately I noticed that the engine was appearing to "miss", as if one of the coils had gone. The "missing" problem has gone at the moment - although I will check each coil when I can - but the warning light remains on - hopefully I can find out how to reset the "Check VSC" warning light. Kind regards, Mike

Hi, I'd very much like to get my Check VSC light to go out. Can you please tell me (in laymans terms) where to find the said "DLC3 Ts and Gc connectors" Many thanks, Mike

No it's better than that, I pushed the wires through the sensor and only lost 5mm in the splicing. It was easy to pull the wire back flsh into the sensor which I've re-installed so it should still work; not that I really care - lol.

Thanks CuriousB, To be honest, I didn't believe that the sensor was just a bit of wire that the disc breaks (pardon the pun); destroying the expensive sensor in the process. However, I followed your excellent plan with the soldering iron etc. and I now have a brand new sensor free of charge - and it works! No more passengers freaking out about the flashing red warning triangle on the dash AND no more "BEEEEP" every time I start up. Thank you again, that was so helpful! Kind regards, Mike

Thanks for your reply Jim. The rear pads were changed at 70k and 140k according to the service records. And now they are worn down to about 2mm at 172k which I guess is a surprise. The sensors over here retail at £93 which is around US$140. I'll experiment with the wiring and see what happens. It is strange about the pad wear though as I bought the car at 143k and I'm a very gentle driver. I'm wondering if they billed the previous owner for the pads and never changed them. I think they did the same with the diff. fluid change because when I went to undo the plugs they looked as though they had never been touched. I'll see how long these new pads last. Kind regards, Mike

Hi all, I just changed my rear brake pads as the wear indicator was lit and the pads indeed were pretty well worn out. However, I managed to damage the little sensor when I removed it and although it fitted back ok it was still giving the dashboard warning which is annoying as I'm a professional driver and it can worry some passengers. Can I disable the warning feature (eg by disconnecting the sensor wiring plug)? I'd like to do this as the sensors are expensive and I always make my own visual checks on the pad thickness when doing services. Many thanks! Mike

Hi, My front wheel bearings sound like they're on the way out and I'm just about to order the new hubs to swap - It's done 170,000 miles so I guess that's not bad. I'm just wondering how to get the speed sensors off the hub. In the manual there is an SST that looks like it grips the sensor carefully but I don't have access to that kind of tool. Is there another way I can get the sensor off or should I leave it to the workshop people. Any suggestions would be welcome - especially from those who have done it. Kind regards, Mike

Yes Steve, that's exactly when it happens - BUT In my previous post I mentioned that I had looked at the pedal sensor. In fact what I did was to wiggle it to ensure it wasn't loose or anything AND then I removed the multi-plug and re-inserted it. Since then I have just been for a two hour drive and I just realised that it didn't do it once whereas before it would have done it dozens of times. I did wonder if it was just a loose connection so maybe it was - I'll keep an eye on things over the next few days but it is very promising not to mention very much nicer to drive!! Thanks! Mike

Thanks Jim and YES, any ideas are very welcome. The problem doesn't relate in any way to the warmth of the engine or transmission - it does it all the time. I've looked at the pedal position sensor and physically it looks in good condition - I'll look at the link you posted about the tps. Another thing I'm going to try is disconnecting the battery and see how that affects things. Anyway, many thanks and any other suggestions would be very welcome - I will let you know how it goes. Kind regards, Mike

Hi, I've read a lot on the site about "throttle lag" but I'm not sure if this is what I'm experiencing. Firstly this is an intermittent problem. Let me describe. When it's working "normally" I can touch the throttle and the engine responds immediately powerfully and smoothly. When it's working "abnormally" I have to press the throttle down about half-way before I get any response - thereafter it accelerates smoothly but obviously hits the floor at half power (ie only 1 gear kickdown). The change from normal to abnormal (and back) occurs only when I take my foot of the accelerator - never when the pedal is depressed (which is a good thing!!). I just have to be ready for the change (which happens frequently - many times in an hour's trip) and adapt my pedal style. However, the frequency of this "switching" seems to be increasing so I'd like to sort it out if possible. Does anyone have any ideas? Many thanks Mike

Many thanks!

Hi, I'm doing some work on my wheel alignment and I can't tell from the manual whether the toe-in specs. are related to measurements taken at the wheel rim or the tire tread. Does anyone know? Many thanks, Mike

I've recently bought my 2002 LS430 with 150k miles and have much the same tire wear problems as the OP. The alignment is fine although I may experiment with opening the toes a little to see the effect - I can pick up very new part-worn tires for £20 which would be useful for experimenting. I liked your common sense suggestions eatingupblacktop; it's easy to focus on just the geometry. One possibility for this type of wear that intrigues me is the use of tire dressing (do you call it that over there? - spray on stuff for making them look very black and shiny). I don't use this stuff but I noticed when I tried it that it seems to "clean" by dissolving the surface layer of the rubber. My car was previously used "professionally" which means that it was probably subjected to this rubber dissolving fluid on a daily basis. I've also noticed that it's very common for the valeter to cover not only the sidewall but also the easily visible area of the tread; ie the very part that we're seeing this exceptional wear on. Could it be that this valeting process is actually weakening and eroding the outer edge of the tires and causing this wear pattern. Naturally this will be happening in conjunction with the other "wear factors" mentioned. My plan is to put on a good part-worn tire as a replacement for the worst one and, with no other alteration, see what happens; all it will cost me is £20 and it may tell me a lot. Will let you know how it goes. Regards, Mike

Thanks guys, Well, there's no metal in it and in terms of cost/benefit I don't think I'm going the boroscope route so I guess I'd better start hunting down the bit in the workshop manual dealing with heater dissasembly. I find the hardest bit is actually finding things in the manual, i wish there was a search facility. Thanks again! Mike

Hi all, With my old car I had the habit of keeping a biro stuck in the air-vent next to the steering wheel. When I got my Lexus I wanted to continue this but unfortunately it doesn't grip the pen quite as firmly and, yes you guessed it, the pen has fallen into the heating system and seems to be rattling - all very embarrassing! Can anyone help me out with any ideas as to how I could get it out; it's the vent next to the window. Many thanks! Mike

This is interesting. I just bought an LS430 2002 model with 150,000 on the clock. It loses a little coolant when the pressure is greatest, ie. if the tank is full or revs are high (I keep both low now and don't seem to lose any). There is also a noise from the area of the water pump so I'm inclined to go with the "replace the water pump when you do the timing-belt" theory. Only thing is that the belt was done at 125,000 miles so I'll be keeping a weather eye on the pump/coolant for the next 100k. Still that's only 18 months for me so I'm definitely going for the "pump with the belt" scenario and it'll soon come around. btw at a previous owner's Lexus service the "noise from water pump area" was reported and the consequent action was to replace the v-belt. Low coolant was also mentioned twice on service reports but the action was simply to replace the coolant. All this has really encouraged me to do most work myself. (not the belt though - or the suspension bushing, which I plan to get done around 250k) Thanks for all the info. - great site! Regards, Mike

Ok, getting back to my windows - hehe - I got the silicone grease and cleaned the tracks and applied it but it makes no difference (they were in pretty good order anyway). Now I want to get access to the moving parts to the window winding mechanism. In the manual I can only see how to dismantle the entire door and this is a huge procedure requiring riveting etc. Is there a simple way of lubricating the winding mechanism? Thanks Mike

I get a slight vibration through the steering wheel when the coolant fans come on. Is this normal or do you think I need to replace the fans? Thanks Mike

Thanks Thomas, I'll try that and let you know how it goes. The noise sounds like it's the motor trying to work against unusual resistance so that does make sense - now to find some silicone grease. Mike

Hi, My new LS430 has 145,000 miles on the clock and I have a problem in that the driver's window is slow and noisy in operation. Does anyone know an easy way to lubricate it? I looked at the workshop manual for dismantling the door but it looked very complicated. Thanks Mike

He-he! PS I hope he-he is ok.