curiousB

good to hear, and timely given changing weather in ND this time of year. Stay warm!

Good idea but be careful. Don't balance the starter on toolbox or small table unattended. A starter motor is 3-5HP! It draws a lot of current (and the peak current is when you first start it). It also has sizable weight. Use suitable wire gauge for something that has a peak current of >200A.... (think jumper cable or larger)

Never heard of HB going bad on these cars. Sounds suspicious, more like a guess by the mechanic. I am sure a junk yard would have them, same V8 that is on many Toyota trucks. A new one from Sewell Lexus is also an option... $208 at Sewell 13407 1340750020 CRANKSHAFT DAMPER SUB-ASSEMBLY 1 In Stock $341.08 $283.66 $208.06

Be sure to pickup a new gasket kit to reset the manifold. Best of luck. I suspect the leak is not under the manifold but getting it out of the way will make things easier to see. Maybe a dye like below and a UV light would help as well. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Quest-1-oz-cooling-system-UV-dye-bulk/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=210227

You may have an even easier solution. If the leak is the water inlet assembly on front of engine then you don't need to remove the intake manifold. It could be a leaky o-ring or there is a flush mating surface of the inlet that uses a form in place (FIP) gasket (RTV like gunk) you put in the space to make you own gasket. You can read about it on this thread as it is part of a timing belt replacement job.Not really too big a job and sounds well within your DIY capabilities. Stay warm in ND.... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64500&st=15#entry414144

2+ weeks for a TPS idle problem tells me its time to find a new mechanic. Maybe a trip to the dealer is in the cards so you can get back on the road. Its seems your mechanic is stumped.

Great news. Not that you have a blown gasket, that at least that you know what the problem is. Its funny how puzzling these things are until you finally diagnose it to root cause and then the picture snaps into perfect focus and seems obvious. I don't recall seeing many blown head gasket cases on this web so I don't think it is a rampant problem with Toyota/Lexus. I have had it happen to me twice with a couple of Ford vehicles I have had. Keep us posted on the reassembly process for the benefit of others in the future. This is one of the more involved repairs we see owners do themselves on this site. That isn't evident from some of the talking down you received. You have the last laugh though, since you've solved it! Congrats.

I can't follow your email. What are you asking? I can't tell if you have fixed the problem or not.

You seem very knowledgeable so I suspect you'll have no problem solving this. The white smoke from the PS fluid getting dumped into the intake manifold is a very common problem. You can either fix it with a new ACV (air control valve) or plug the lines. Lots of posts here on this problem. It might take a while for the fluid in the intake chain to dry out but it eventually will. You can take the ducting out and clean up with rags and cleaner if you want to speed up the process. The low compression on #8 can't be enough of a problem to cause the poor running. I'd park this issue to the side for now. A dead fuel pump (or broken fuel pump relay) will explain not starting. A weak fuel pump (or dirty fuel filter) will explain loss of power at higher engine loads. Rev'ing an engine in neutral is not a heavy engine load so I am doubting you have a fuel pump problem. The injector electrical isn't overly concerning. The ECU provides a switched circuit to ground to power the injector. The constant +12VDC (switch ignition) is expected and its easier to design the ECU to pulse the signal to ground instead of the +12VDC side. To me it sounds more like ignition. These cars are famous for coils failing and losing 4 cylinders and just running on the remaining four. You can tell this is happening because CATs will glow red in darkness because unspent fuel is getting burned in CATs. The ECU is not able to detect problems with coils so it won't pop a code. I am not sure why you have a CEL yet no codes. Usually when you clear codes the CEL is reset. One thought may be that there is a problem coming and you have a pending code that hasn't been written to the ECU log yet. See if it does pop a code in the next couple of days.

All your posts together: i washed my engine (CB: bad idea) on my 1992 ls 400 and im getting a bad misfire , i get the car reved up to 400 rpm then let go the idle drops then i kept my foot on the pedal and my cat on the driver side started to glow red (CB: because of dead ignition on one side dumping fuel into exhaust) ,then i checked if my spark plugs went bad and alll of them have carbon build up there brand new plugs , i dont know what this could be from do i have a bad coil or bad iac? -------------- I took apart everything got the spark plugs dry , there was no water in the dis cap or roter thank god I went to the Ralph's used auto parts picked up 2 new coil (CB: new parts from a used auto parts store?!?!?!) packs and a iac valve (CB: swapping a lot of parts randomly I see, an expensive way to fix a car) going to install this today and hope she fires up and runs smooth I also picked up engine electrical cleaner from Lordco. Going to get going on this and hope (CB: Hope is not a strategy) it work s ------------ I think it might b my mass flow sensor , fml (CB: why not you’re swapping a lot of things already, what’s another $100 part) ------------ Cuz I replaced the coils and lac and clean all my electrical clips with electrical cleaner and also bought a can of wire dryer from gunk and I'm still getting the Same *BLEEP* (CB: sounds like the car still isn’t running well despite you later saying the ignition is fixed, strange conclusion) my spark plugs have a black brunt glaze to them and when I plug my air sensor in and plug it out makes no diffrance I think it the mas has to b ! If not then I'm stumped (CB: yes that is clear) , and I did not clean my engine a few ppl in the paper cleaned my car at home bad idea they told me they used Crome mag cleanner I snapped , now they advoid me , bunch of chumps , anyone have any ideas , please help ----------------- I used the old cables and I had no water in the dis cap or rotor but still took everything apart even got coils and a used lac valve (CB: swapping a lot of parts, did you mess up plug wiring?) ------------- But it think my mas (CB: MAF?) is toast ad my driver side cat (CB: Now you suspect a CAT?!! What led you to this new conclusion?) ------------ Hey guys . got the car to work lil problum I think it's with the cam shaft possion sensor (CB: Now CS sensor? You are running out of components to check and replace) on the passenger side , when plug in I give the car a lil gas and won't let me pass 4ooo rpm but when unplugged. It lets me , anouther thing after the car ideals in cold when it get warm with the cam sensor plug plugged in on passenger side it wants to shut off but when I unplug it runs like a champ but check engine light comes on and trac. is my cam sensor is toast , anyone have this issue ? (CB: Again the car has a limp mode to allow you to drive to safety when various portion of the engine systems die. Disconencting a MAF or Cam Sensor will drop you into limp mode. It isn’t a fix it’s a temporary bandaide to get you to a dealer). -------------- Néw coils , it the cam shaft sensor I unplug --------------- No it's 1st . Cats are not red anymore ignition prob is fixed, cats don't glow red , and if you read my last post u know I would have fixed that (CB: you never stated it was fixed. In fact there is ample evidence it isn’t fixed) , that's the 1st thing fixed and never in my life I heard of lexus selling a bad coil , dude it's my cal shaft sensor , I did a scan on it , so please stop givingu false info , this is my 3 rd ls. -------------- Yes I replaced the sensor it had alot it lil cuts in the wire abd the sensor was dirty as hell . I took the driver side off abd cleaned it abd it work great , but still have to replace the cats don't know if I want to gut the insides of them or get them fixed (CB: OK -------------- Curious b stop giving fake info (CB: Your meandering story is very difficult to follow. Perhaps English isn’t your first language, if so I apologize. I don’t really know if you have a problem anymore or not. Your conclusions to change CATs seem about as poorly diagnosed as everything else in this thread. I was just trying to help. It sounds like you have changed; plugs, coils, CAM sensor, and MAF sensor. Your car still runs poorly and now you want to change, two expensive CATs. I am out of words on this one…… best of luck, I think “fake info”, whatever that is, isn’t the problem here…. )

Cam sensor isn't making the CATs red. Unspent fuel is. Still points to ignition. Maybe new coil (gone bad), bad plug wires, bad harness on primary of coil, bad ignitor circuit, bad plugs, wet distributor, dirty carbon inside distributor cap, .... many possibilities. Cam sensor is about #99 on my list of things to check first.

Unplugging something and having car still run isn't a very exhaustive test. The car has various fail-safe provisions so if certain parts of this complex machine fail it can still operate and get you home. So running like a champ is probably a "limp mode" to just get you home. Per your prior post red CATs is not normal at any throttle position much less idle. Red CAT's is symptomatic of an ignition problem and probably one of the ignition coils is bad and you are only running on 4 cylinders. The other 4 cylinders are dead and unburnt gas is being dumped in exhaust where it ignites and turns CAT red hot. To confirm this while the car is idling unplug one coil wire. If it doesn't change the engine running that is the bad coil. Reconnect it and then try pulling the other coil wire. The bad coil is the one where you pull the wire and nothing changes.

if you get a piece of 3/8" dia. or so tubing a couple feet long you can use this to "listen" for a vacuum leak. Just hold it near your ear (don't stick it in your ear) and move the other end around areas you suspect might be leaking. It works like a poor mans stethoscope. I used this method to find small leaks in an exhaust gasket. Worked surprisingly well. You can really pinpoint something once you get a confirmation.

There is a known problem with these cars of a broken ground wire in the rear trunk hinge cable harness. It is often suspected for strange electrical problems which otherwise don't make any sense. Search the forum on that and see if that could be your problem. Since you popped two unrelated codes I wonder if that has something to do with it. If he's changes the TPS I believe there is a procedure for alignment. See that he followed that. Poor idling is often related to a dirty throttle body and/or a sticky IACV. Cleaning these up is just good maintenance anyway as they get carboned up over time. Maybe as a gesture of goodwill, for a suspect job, the mechanic offers to clean these up on his nickle.

Are you low on freon causing the evaporator coil to ice up and block airflow? A common problem with ACs. After car sits for a few hours (i.e. ice melts) do you get good airflow but after driving for say an hour or so it loses air flow? Check motor per #2 above. Is the air inlet duct blocked with crud?

Congrats a wise purchase. You'll love it for many years.You can order the map DVD from Sewell Lexus in TX on line. Mention the lexus owner club for additional discount. They'll mail it to you and its an easy install. I would wait to October though. That is around the time they reissue the map DVD's each year. Ask the guys at Sewell when they come in. Bear in mind this only updates the map database. It doesn't add functionality to the NAV look and feel. That stays the same. I don't think you are going to improve over the ML sounds system in the car without a major cost and effort. I haven't heard anyone complaining the ML package is poor. Some complain about the base line audio but not the ML so much. In any event you'd have to spend a fortune and get little (if any) improvement. Probably better places to spend money, maybe an iPod/iPhone interface for audio? Upgraded rims....Have fun with her. The car that is.

Did you use a new gasket when you replaced throttle body? Did you clean the IACV as well? P1509 might be IACV related (it is for BMW, GM, and Ford). P0118 is coolant temp sensor and may just mean an open circuit. Given all this occurred at once whch that connections are clean and tight. No card cleaner as leached into any sensors, and you have a seal on all vacuum points, TB gasket, intake air duct and so on.

Unless you have an airlock in the system. I doubt it but worth a try. Top up the fluid reservoir and with engine running, turn steering wheel lock to lock a few times.

Well tread carefully here. These are great cars and very reliable. They do need repairs from time to time and if you are dependant on the dealer, repairs aren't cheap. So if a water pump, timing belt, or alternator repair will break the bank, look elsewhere. I've owned my '04 LS430 since it was new. My repairs are very modest (I'm now at 122k miles). A timing belt and water pump at 90k miles, new rear axle sensor (AFS light problem), 2 brakes jobs, one pads only, one pad and new rotors. A couple of new parking sonar sensors (still doesn't work right, argggg). A new O2 sensor (wasn't really needed in the end and a patch weld of the Y-Pipe on exhaust system. On my 3rd set of tires. On rear backup camera (was on warranty). I'm on my second NAV map DVD. Right now my biggest complaint is the cup holder won't stay retracted. I guess life is pretty good. I plan to keep the car several more years. Cost of ownership is low if you hang on to them for many years. This car owes me nothing at this point. Its all upside now.

Could be a bad wheel bearing. if it makes more noise as you turn one way over the other that would tend to confirm it (loading and unloading bearing). Could be sticky caliper pistons or caliper slide pin binding not allowing pads to release from rotor. Is rotor hot after a drive even when braking is minimal (don't touch with your hand rotors go up to 800 degrees under normal usage)?

Very fair price for that work. Its a long job even for an experienced pro. Be sure he changes (best) or at least checks (be wary) the cam and crank seals while in there.

Its a very slow leak. Coolant is creeping out and then water evaporates out leaving rest of coolant additives to crust up. Doesn't seem a serious problem yet but should be fixed eventually.

I did mine as well and would do it again. There are some good tutorials on this site and elsewhere. I bought my parts from www.parts.com but Sewell is also a good choice. Parts Dinosaur also sells TB/WP kits for Lexus. The main advice I would give is to be organized, use lots of sandwich bags and permanent marker to track parts as you take them off so you won't get things mixed up for reinstall. Make cheat sheets for bolts of different length for water pump and some of the brackets so you don't mix them up. It probably takes two days or one long day for a first timer. Better to do two days so plan on alternative vehicle so you aren't stuck if you have problems. don't forget to get all fluids (Toyota coolant) , FIP gasket material and new O-Rings for water pump tubes (the O-Rings don't come with WP kit for some reason). I have 30k miles on my TB so I guess I did it right..... www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/timingbelt.html www.shastaanesthesia.com/Lexus/Page1.html www.lextreme.com/timing2.html www.flickr.com/photos/landar/sets/72157622883357340/ http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64500&hl=%20curiousb%20%20timing%20%20july%20%202010&st=0

how is your gas mileage (MPG)? Dragging brakes would severely reduce MPG. I doubt face of tire would be much impacted by hot rotors and wheels. Tire rubber is a pretty good thermal insulator and the webbing nature of the sidewalls makes for a poor thermal route. I check brake drag with a non contact i/r thermometer. I go for a drive and then coast to a stop. I quickly shoot each rotor and see if they are about the same temp. A dragging rotor will show that ones temp well above the others. p.s. rotors can reach 800 degrees in use. That is super heated....

Why do you say you have a short? This is often cited as an electrical problem but seldom is it the problem. Wires tend not to jump out of their insulation and connect with others (unless there is some wire mating ritual I am unaware of). What is the symptom you have? Unable to start car, nothing works electrically with key in on position, battery goes flat a day or so after last trip, fuse X keeps popping, ... more description might allow us to guide you better. as for the radio maybe you tripped the anti-theft feature and you have to enter the code to awaken it.