curiousB

I see you are still having trouble with your keyboard and dictionary. Tri cleenin' da trottle bodie 'n stickee IACV

Well if the refrigeration system is working properly then it has to be the routing of the airflow. Perhaps the heater core is still hot and preheating air before as it passes through the evaporator. There is an electric heating element on the newer versions of these cars for warm up before the engine coolant heats up. Maybe yours is stuck on. If refrigerant is low the evaporator core can ice up. Then air doesn't get through. This takes some time to happen though so would not be noticed immediately. Anyway to get one of the infrared temperature guns ( http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact-laser-thermometer-96451.html )and point it to the evaporator core while running. It should be 20 degrees cooler than ambient. My guess is that some of the air routing flaps are either stuck or in the wrong position, dampers not working, linkages disconnected, and not routing airflow through the evaporator core. This assumes th refrigerant system is working and properly charged with refrigerant.

Is the compressor running? Is the AC clutch engaging? There is some pressure safety valve in the system to prevent the compressor from running if freon is too low. Or it could just be the solenoid windings are blown. Either way I'd confirm compressor and clutch before spending much time on other things.

Does it run poor on the road or is this just an idle problem? If just idle clean the throttle body and the IACV and be sure the IACV mechanism isn't sticky. It could be a clogged injector but that would show up at all speeds...

83K isn't much mileage for these cars. Maybe one the solenoid shifters is dirty and sticking leading to a sluggush shift. Its a bit of a pain to drop the pan to swap it so you might want to replace the ATF first and see if that helps. What did you top off the battery or the wiper fluid?? If the wiper fluid reservoir then maybe the float sensor is sticking leading to a false low setting. Also - my battery was low the other day and as a result my "Low Windshield Fluid" alarm came on...I know, seems strange, but thats when it happened. I topped off the reservoir (was already 90% full), still on. Removed the battery cable for 30m+, still on...thoughts on how to reset this alarm?

Can't understand your post so you might want to clarify and then you'll get more useful feedback. The better you describe the situation the more likely you'll hear something useful. Bcuz it real.ee hurd to fallow youz 1st poost. A clogged Fuel filter would be more noticeable at higher engine loads when EFI system is calling for more fuel. The starvation caused by a plugged filter would be more noticeable a high engine load. If it is only an idle problem then it is something else and it might just be coincidence that it appeared now. You mentioned you did a tune up. Did you do that before or after you started seeing idle problems? You seem to imply the fuel filter started the problems but its quite possible messing around with ignition components might have created the problem. Did you miswire a cylinder or two? A tune up doesn't typically include a coolant temp sensor. What caused you to change that? Give us more of the sequence of events and decisions you made and it might help point to the answer.

If it isn't starting at all I'd try to find out why before you throw a lot of parts at it. If you can borrow a timing light you can check to see if cylinder 1 is firing and timing is correct while cranking the engine. If one cylinder is firing and in time then you can be sure others are in time if their wiring is not crossed and wires are good. You can spray some starter fluid into air intake while cranking to simulate fuel being delivered. If the engine starts even just for a second then it points to fuel issues. Could be fuel pump, could be fuel pump relay, or could be filter (although I think you said you changed filter). You need to narrow it down a bit or you could drop a lot of coin swapping parts out.

Well I would stop randomly changing parts in hopes of it fixing the problem. That is a very expensive way to repair your car. I suspect your about $500+ into and have yet to put in a useful part. Based on what you have done maybe its fuel starvation caused by a faulty fuel pump. Get a can of starter fluid and spray some in the air intake as someone cranks. If the engine catches for a bit (don't expect it to run for long) then it points to fuel issues.

For a 4000 lb boat of a sedan?!?! Reminder this is a luxury sedan. Basically a comfy living room couch on wheels. NOS? :chairshot:

You better fix the PS pump leak that ruined your last alternator or you'll be needing a need alternator pretty soon. Many posts here about PS fluid damaging alternators.

Smoking is hazardous to your health. Haven't you read the immense warning label on Canadian tabacco products... not to mention the huge waste of money... As Billy stated use a longer breaker bar and use a 6 point socket. If you use a 12 point you'll probably round over the nut and then you've got real trouble.

Is it: 1) bad temperature sensor fooling ECU?----->>>>>>Maybe, pretty inexpensive to fix (there are two temp sensors replace the ecu one...) 2)rusted or stuck up cooling system( needed flush)? --------->>>> doubtful this would lead to overheating not slow heating 3)stuck up open thermostat? --------->>>>> maybe and easy and inexpensive to replace. I'd start with this 4)cooling fan working constantly (faulty on/off switch??) might be a problem but not the reason you are slow to warm up...

Whenever you use these FM transmitting devices for iPODs and the like it is important to find a frequency with no local radio stations on it. In large markets this is sometimes hard to do (NY, LA, Chicago). Once you find a dead channel park your FM modulator on that channel. If there is a weak radio station on the same channel your car FM receiver can get confused and jump from one signal to the other. FM radios behave on a principal called FM capture. They'll lock onto the stronger of two signals on the same channel.

Check for vacuum leak on intake ducting. If a duct is cracked or not fitted properly it will pass air that won't be detected by the MAF sensor and could mess up EFI trimming by ECU. You cleaned IACV but did you clean Throttle body too? If it is caked up with carbon that could add problems too.

Maybe break away the hot glue and get some fine threaded gauze like fabric to make a patch. Glue it over the tear with some rubber cement. Add a couple coats of rubber cement to strengthen the patch.

Another option if you think the disk is bad but don't want to buy a new one is to buy an old version of the maps from ebay. For $20 you can get an old genuine toyota disk. This would prove if its a disk or a module issue. If the disk fixes it you can decide if the maps are good enough or go buy the latest maps with more confidence in your purchase. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Used-Toyota-and-Lexus-04-05-06-Navigation-CD-works-fine-/320665421751?pt=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item4aa92607b7

sealed lifetime lubrication. There is no dip stick.

I doubt ECU instantly failed. I'd rule out other things first. Double check fuses. Get a wiring diagram and probe power lines at the ecu. Check crank position sensor. Look for firing primary on coils.....

You're probably going to have to take the hit and get the keys despite the cost. Its similar for domestic cars. You need two valid keys to program a 3rd. I've bought blank keys for a couple Fords on eBay, had them cut at hardware store for $1 and then programmed them in place on the car (not really programming its enrolling the key's electronic serial number into the car's ECU). The point is you have to start with two valid keys and follow a procedure to get the car into an enrollment mode and then it reads and saves the third key as new and valid. I got blanks for $10 each, $1 to cut them and dealer wanted $75 so I saved a bundle. I am not sure Lexus is the same way but I suspect it is. Since you have no keys they have to do a reprogramming of the ECU with special tools only dealer has. Thus you're stuffed. Maybe try a Toyota dealer. They are often cheaper than Lexus dealers.

Maybe open up the pass through door behind the rear seat arm rest and make some sort of stick and hook to pull the emergency unlatch cord inside the trunk...

Possibly but I have some doubts about this. Since the concept is speed variable steering there needs to be a speed input. This is likely a digital input from the engine ECU. Probably a pulse train proportional to the odometer. The output then would be to drive a solenoid value in the rack and pinion to vary the hydraulic power assist. Given the relatively low impedance of a solenoid valve this output is probably fairly beefy from a current drive perspective hence it rules out a potentiometer trim of the output. It is probably a pulsed to ground switch where the duty cycle of the switching determines how open the valve is (the IACV is controlled in a similar manner). So if you desire stiffer steering and the speed sensitive nature of the design is to back off the hydraulic assist with increasing speed then you just want more of that (more backing off that is). That can be solved by modifying the solenoid drive circuit to have it assist less or "trick" the ecu to see a faster pulse train so it thinks the car is moving faster than it is. Either of these approaches would take some work to design a black box to insert and modify the behavior. Of the course the easiest would be one or two lines of software code changes in the ECU. Unfortunately I doubt Lexus releases the source code for this so people can modify it!! A last solution might be to modify the hydraulic assist mechanicals. If there is a solenoid valve that opens and closes to vary assist maybe by making it permanent partially open or limiting it so it never is fully open you can peg the upper limit of assist. Maybe a hydraulic person can chime in on this. It’s an interesting concept but probably a lot more work than it is worth. Lexus never said it was trying to be like BMW. If you want that feel you bought the wrong car. This is a big lumbering comfy couch. Accept it for what it is.

Maybe a smaller pulley on the PS pump would achieve a similar result...

Here is the ECU but I don't think there is much you can do to it unless you can get is reprogrammed with an after market retrofit.

not sure what you mean by lose its sound. Can it completely quit or degrade in sound quality? Well both are possible. Speaker cones and the surround can get brittle and crack due to the intense summer heat. Voice coils can burn out due to over driving. Either problem usually means you have to replace the speaker. Amplifiers have large electrolytic capacitors in the circuits (particularly power supply sections). These can dry out due to over heating over long period of time and degrade. This can lead to various problems but most concerning is noise riding on top of power supply rails to final power output stage. This adds distortion and noise to the audio.

ditto. I'd start with wheel balance and see if that does it. The clue here is vibration at higher speeds. This is the mechanical resonance condition that "amplifies" the vibration at a certain (resonant) speed. Seems to always be in the 55-70 MPH band for these cars. If that doesn't do it search of steering column vibration. Some have posted a fix for that here. Lastly it could be worn out bushings in front end linkages but that would probably have other symptoms too so I am less convinced in this last one.