curiousB

Then you have to find why it’s dragging. The point for BIGAIR64 was to see if it was a dragging brake or some type of problem in bearing. Brake will be hot bearing won't be. If you have noticeably warm brake on one side then the rotor will likely warp if you don't fix it (not to mention lousy gas mileage you must be getting). It could be stuck piston in caliper (won't release properly) or it could be a master cylinder issue like it sounds could be the case with OP. My bet is sticky caliper as most likely cause. Simple fix is to buy a new caliper and bleed brakes. If you're more adventurous get a caliper repair kit and remove pistons clean it all up and reinstall pistons with new seals and boots. Replace pistons if they are scared or nicked (binding).

I think oldskewels releasing the bleed valve is a great test to perform next time it happens. Also if you detect it happening check the temp of the wheel and rotor (don't touch it just move hand close) and feel for heat. If the brake is really dragging that one wheel will be much hotter than the rest. If its something else like a seized wheel bearing then you will have seizing without the brakes being overly warm. My guess is if its a bearing then there would be some serious noise going on though. I'm a little skeptical of the brake hose as it would have to fail like a valve to pull off the pattern you see. That is it lets fluid through in one direction but not in reverse. That is possible I guess but seems a freakish failure pattern. Maybe a small pebble or bead of steel inside the line is acting as a ball valve? Possible but not obvious. I'd be sniffing around the master cylinder if it was me.

This test doesn't imply the battery is OK. It only implies the alternator is able to generate a proper output with the loads you have going. It says nothing about the reserve capacity of the battery which is most relevant for a starter. The starter motor will draw 200+ AMPs to turn over an engine. More if its cold. So if you have a loose or corroded connection or a battery with low electrolyte you could see a poor starting scenario. So I'd check battery voltage at battery terminals while cranking. If that is dropping below 8-9 volts say then you have a bad battery. Then if you can check voltage at the starter motor while cranking and if its significantly lower than the battery voltage then the wiring is suspect. My bet though is it is the solenoid has worn and the "contactor plate" is welded from repeated use it can't pass the current anymore. A common failure mode for these devices. In this case you’re going to “go in after it”. With the starter located where it is how are you feeling of Lexus’s choice to bury this where it is? I’m not a big fan of its location but others feel its nothing sort of engineering genius to bury deep in the intake manifold.

Could it be you are using a valet key that intentionally doesn't work in the trunk?

There is a large plastic pan under the car which could mean the spot where the drip is seen is not necessarily close to where the leak is occurring (i.e. oil falls onto inside of pan then flows to lowest spot and opening before dropping to the floor). This same pan will hold a bit of oil if spilled on during a recent oil change so it could be just a sloppy oil change dripping away and not a leak at all. Of course it could be a leak but maybe the stars will align and you get off easy.

Maybe someone reading this can chime in on the TPS sensor. I would be concerned if you've adjusted the linkage such that you are pulling the throttle plate slightly open as a substitute for a faulty IACV. Not sure if that was what you are describing. That's the way carburetors work (now I'm dating myself). There is a screw adjustment to slightly open the plate until you get the desired idle speed. If your only ECU code is the temp sensor then changing sensor would be proper but it could be wiring too so need to clear the code and see if it reappears to confirm that it is truly fixed. Given the engine stumbling you’ve seen intermittently I’d keep an open mind to ignition electrical issues as a culprit. Electrical problems can be intermittent by nature and that seems to be a pattern here (as annoying as that sounds). I was going to suggest to check the air mass sensor but I would think a code would be in the ECU if this were faulty. I'd read through some of the other thread on the failing of half of the ignition due to one distrubtor/coil but not the other. Seems to be a common problem and might match symptoms you're having.

You may be due for a trip to the dealer for a deeper dive. Maybe the IACV has been giving you a head fake and something else is going on. The fact it stutters when you press the gas pedal suggests problems beyond the IACV. A code reader isn't that expensive and if you plan to maintain this car yourself it may be a good investment. Someone recently posted a recommended source and price for one. I think it was only $20-30. The suggestion to check wires was good. I'm not sure if your model has the dual distributor that some earlier models have. I think there are cases where one bank goes dead due to bad coil, wiring, or distributor yet the car can still limp along. Maybe once you warm up one bank is failing and you have 4 cylinder with gas getting dumped into the 4 other non firing cylinders (eventually in exhaust and burning up there. My car is a little newer and has coil over plug system so no distributor.

Forgot to add my 0.2 cents

If the work was done by the dealer I assume he used genuine Lexus pads. I had a bad experience installing bendix pads on my own. They were a semi metallic (I believe OEM pads are ceramic) and I think this contributed to warping of the front rotors. I resurfaced rotors and went back to OEM pads and its been problem free for >8 months. I’d stick to OEM or a premium pad if you go non OEM.

www.parts.com has lowest price for true OEM parts I've seen. Check there it may be even cheaper (Than dealer) and to the point that you want to give it a go on your own. Lots of posts about PS fluid leaking into alternator and permanently damaging it so be aware. Not sure if your leak is getting any fluid in that area but be advised of the risk.

Maybe it’s not the IACV. That is solely for idling of the engine. How does the car run other than idling? If you start it and use your foot to keep revs up to 600-1000 can you get around OK without other symptoms? Too rich a fuel mix could be ECU, or other Fuel Injection factors. Also if ECU detects a problem it could have forced the system into limp mode which will intentionally run the engine on the rich side. Do you have a way to check ECU codes?

I believe the key is to have an ignition immobilizer which these cars have, and daytime running lights. I think a small dealer mod (might even be a software feature in one of the ECUs) will get you the lights turned on for daytime running. Nothing too scary here I don't believe.

Very good web site dedicated to this: http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html Should be pretty easy for an LS430

That dark ring/band is a little concerning. It looks like a portion of the rotor overheating rather than even heat across the entire cross section. Maybe just the photo and lighting. If you have plenty of pad left, no shimmy when you brake, and feel there is no appreciable drag when the brakes are not depressed then I guess no worry.

There are reason this is a poor choice: First starter motors are prone to failure, they have commutators, brushes, bearings, and solenoids. All wear items under significant stress. Second dismantling most of the engine intake to change an unrelated assembly is "poor design for serviceability". In fact you could argue there was virtually no consideration for serviceability. Third ask someone who's just paid a dealer to have this done how much they enjoy the so called performance benefits (of the starter where it is) when they plunk down the better part of a grand for a starter motor swap. Forth ask someone who's had to have most of the front of the engine removed to change a water pump if they enjoy the performance benefits of a concealed water pump. Fifth Lexus is not a Porsche.

Drive_belt.pdf Seems a little stiff. Now you know how they pay for the leather couch and cute muffins and coffee in the waiting room..... Belt is $35.87 at www.parts.com and procedure would seem to take all of 5 minutes. If you have to replace idler pulley and tensioner that is more.

Here's a good thread on one of the RX300 forum. Looks pretty relevant and good pictures of before and after. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=30723

I agree with Ruud. Sounds like connection from alternator to battery not sound and when you turn on an additional electrical load the voltage drops (because the battery is sourcing power since alternator current is limited by a poor connection). I would check ground strap and main +ve lead on the alternator to make sure they’re torqued down properly. If the dealer did it I have them look at it. If you have a DVM measure battery voltage at the battery terminals with the car running. Then turn on various devices (hi-beam headlights, AC on, seat heaters, blower fan on high, rear window defogger, …) and see if the voltage sags. If it drops below 13 then you have something wrong with charging system, hopefully just loose wiring, maybe slipping belt (seems unlikely), or they put in a faulty new alternator.

Not sure but I suspect it should be pretty quick (1-2 seconds max). The fact you have movement is a good sign. Didn’t you say it was fully seized when you started? Maybe keep dousing it with cleaner and force it to move to work in the cleaner. I think the principal behind this actuator is that there are a few coils in different positions and they are driven with a square wave signals. The duty cycle of that square wave (ratio of on time to off time) determines how open the valve is. So you probably can’t simulate this signal with jumper wires so your test is an open or closed test. That said did you check resistance of each of the coils per the test procedure for the IACV? If one of the coils is open circuit it could cause strange behavior. There is a pdf posted on this site with the detailed test procedure for the IACV in case you haven’t seen it yet. Just search for it.

Wow, that has to be about the dumbest place to put a starter motor. What were they thinking?! Combine this with the water pump and your could start a conspiracy rumor.

Well it sounds like you need to take off panel and get in there. Maybe just getting at motor and some spray on lube you can get it loosened up. The fact you can hear a faint click tells me the electrical portions are probably OK and its just stuck or a little jammed. I'd give you decent odds to be able to salvage this.

Well the fact that it makes some noise is a little encouraging. Sounds like it’s just jammed. Can you remove it from the car and soak the inside with some carb cleaner to loosen up the gunk and they try some WD40 or equiv to get some lubrication back into the moving surfaces (carb cleaner will kill all the lube). Maybe fill it up and leave it overnight to see what happens. From the photo it looks like the electrical actuator can be removed with a screw. Maybe pulling that off gets you to the linkage and you can maybe try to manipulate that by hand. I suspect if you get it started it will eventually break free. Also the part isn’t quite as nasty as $700. Parts.com has it for $456 and maybe you can get non OEM equiv for less at Autozone or the like. Maybe that lowers your pain threshold.

Well it could be a stuck door lock motor. That would likely result in it not working for either open or close. It could be the linkage from the lock motor to the latch is out of place or bent It could be a broken wire in the door hinge (repeated flexing caused wire to break over time). The broken wire could explain why you only get it working in one direction. The wire related to unlock may be broken. You could maybe try cycling the door lock and unlock with your key fob while wiggling the harness in the door hinge where the wires are. If it works sometimes while you are wiggling it they you have your clue. If that doesn’t pan out looks like you’ve got to take off the inner door panel and have a closer look. If you listen very close to the faulty door can you hear the lock motor trying to work (suggesting jam) or is it completely silent (suggesting broken wire, or dead motor).

Before you drop a lot of $$ on an alternator make sure you don't have some leakage current that is draining the battery. That could produce similar problem you are seeing. As for upgraded alternator make sure you need it. While audio gear may have very high power levels on average the power is only a small amount of the top end potential. The alternator only needs to deliver the average power not the total of the power of each AMP at peak power. If you size for that you're putting in a bigger alternator than you need. You could otherwise use the savings to buy some other goodies for your system. I believe the stock alternator is 160A so this is roughly 2000 Watts of output to power everything. A simple test would be the same one as before. Turn on car, power up everything possible. Crank the audio to mind numbing levels and then measure voltage at battery. If its stable at 13.3VDC or above you’re alternator should be able to cut it. I suggest ear plugs for this test. ;)

I think you need to do some testing to determine if you have a battery or alternator problem. If your battery is bad then it won’t hold a charge and you’ll have issues like unable to start car with cold engine and so on. Under normal conditions the alternator is powering everything in your car. Think of the battery as just a big capacitor that stores energy. The battery is storage, the alternator is creation of electrical energy from mechanical energy. If the alternator is faulty you will see battery voltage drop as you turn on more electrical items. If you have a good alternator the battery voltage won’t sag from these loads. So I would measure battery voltage at + and – terminals of battery with engine off and everything electrical off, Should be around 12VDC, then start up engine with nothing electrical on except engine, voltage now should be 13.6VDC or so. Now start switching on things like AC, blower fan to max, high beam headlights, rear window defrost and so on. If the alternator is working properly the battery voltage should still stay above 13.3VDC. If battery voltage drops to 12 or lower then you have an alternator output problem. If the alternator is bad you make be able to fix it as it is likely the brushes worn down.