jakeroux

Has anyone had any experiencing tightening or reattaching the rear view mirror? After being loose for several weeks, my is now dangling by a wire. The mirror housing has become unattached to the mounting plate (which is secured to the windshield), and there is no readily apparent way to reattach it. Thanks.

I've been experiencing similar problems on my ’92 with 190,000 miles. I tend to think it is not tire/wheel related (at least mine is not anyway) since I’m on my third set of tires since I’ve owned it and have experienced a similar problem with all three sets. Also, with mine you can feel the vibration get worse as you accelerate (greater load on engine) or as you go up an incline at highway speeds with the cruise on (again, creating a greater load on the engine as you maintain speed up an inclining grade). I’ve previously asked an independent mechanic and the dealer to check the engine and tranny mounts and both said they looked fine. Will post an update if I ever get to the bottom of it, but I was really hoping the most recent set of new tires and balancing would solve the problem.

Thanks again. In the interest of wrapping this topic up for anyone who may have a similar problem in the future... Since I was getting the first oil change (and general inspection) on it since I bought it a month ago, I just had the local mechanic (non-dealer) take a look at it when he changed the oil. He took the cover off, but said the airbag, column cover and horn contacts are all integrated into one unit, and the contacts could not be adjusted without replacing the entire unit (app $700 from Lexus). Needless to say, I didn't go that route; rather, just disconnected the wires from the horns under the hood so I won't be setting them off every time I turn, and will just hope I don't need them any time soon. Not the best solution, but better than going around honking all the time. He also said he has seen similar problems on other makes, and it usally is the result of someone over aggressively laying on or pounding the horn. Perhaps the previous owner had a bit of temper.

I'm having a rather embaressing problem with my 99 LX - the horn seems to have a hair trigger so that the slightest brush of the steering wheel center cover, or even heavy pressure on the wheel itself will set if off. Has anyone had a similar experience, or could someone walk me through the removel of the column cover and locating the horn relays so I could try to somehow "de-sensitize" them? Thanks.

Thanks for the info, Jim. Good to know that that there are "workarounds" if the electronic suspension suffers major failure. Since my offroading will most likely be limited to the occasional gravel parking lot, I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope that everything holds up for a good long while through normal driving. I did purchase the truck yesterday, so thanks again for the advice.

Currently own a 92 LS and considering the purchase of a 99 LX with app 90K miles, but trying to do a little homework on it first. Looking through the forum, it appears that the electronic supsension has the potential for much trouble and repair $ - is that true? If so, are there any early warning signs of suspension failure to look for before buying? Also, since that is a a feature not found on Landcruisers, is there any reason to take on this risk with a Lexus as opposed to just sticking with the Landcruiser (other than the Lexus name)? I know the displays on the 92 LS are prone to failure over time, have there been any similar problems appear with the electronic dispays on the LX yet? How about the A/C, have there been many probelems with the system on the LX? I've also replaced the Idle Speed Control Valve and need to replace the Traction Control Accumulator on the LS - any problems with those on the 99 LX yet? The one I'm considering is a good looking truck and in great shape, but I don't want the repair bills to match the purchase price over the first few years. Thanks in advance.

Well, this won't be much help, but for what's it's worth, I'm having the same problem on my '92, except the light won’t go off (meaning trac control won't come on). Similar to your problem, my switch does not click or appear to engage. When I asked the dealer about it at a recent visit, they informed me the “Trac Accumulator” (which I gather is the brains behind the system) had gone bad and I needed a new one at a cost of about $800. I passed. Would be curious to know if you find a fix though. Good luck!

Another thing to check for on the idle problem is the idle speed control valve (see "crazy idle" thread). It's about a $700 part and I'm looking at having to replace mine this week after cleaning and attempting to adjust it didn't do the trick.

Well I certainly don't want the dubious distinction of becoming the sunroof problem expert, but here's a little more info for future reference that I found when I picked it up yesterday. He was able to rig the roof mechanism to raise the height by inserting washers to act as shims on the bolts supporting the roof in the rear. He showed me that three shims to a bolt was about the max and what I had on the front bolts, but he was able to get a fourth on the rear to raise it. And although it tested dry when he soaked it, if this turns out not to fix the problem, he said I’d be looking at about five hours of labor (a $40/hr) to open up the headliner and raise the entire support mechanism. So, about $200 for a more permanent fix. Finally, he said that he rarely, if ever, sees any design or assembly problems on Toyotas or Lexus, so he’s really puzzled about this one. And he could not find any sign of previous wrecks or body damage where it would have been repaired incorrectly. But with a few others in the forum apparently having this same problem, and the fact that it apparently came from the factory with shims, it does make me wonder if maybe there wasn’t some sort of design or assembly problem on these early models that becomes a source of problem over time.

Just wanted to follow up on my experience with this problem in case anyone else runs into it. I did take the car to a mechanic to have them blow out the sunroof drain lines (among other things I was having done), but they suggested taking it to a sunroof shop to better diagnose the problem…so I did. His diagnosis was that the roof itself was sitting too low while in the closed position, particularly at the passenger side rear. This was allowing more water into the channel than could drain out. He was able to adjust the roof height up some using the adjustments (don’t ask me how- that’s why I paid him…) but said that it appears that the entire sunroof mechanism was mounted about 1/8 – 1/4" too low (design or assembly issue?). He tested for water after making the adjustment and all appears to be dry, but suggested that if the problem recurs, the ultimate solution would be to raise the sunroof assembly, which would get into more work, $ (I didn’t ask how much) and require the partial removal of the headliner while fixing. Incidentally, he checked for proper drainage while I was there by simply pouring about 12 oz of water into the channel near each hole (duh! guess the fact that I didn’t think of that is further testament to my lack of natural mechanical instincts). If the drains are clear, it should immediately drain out below the door sills. The car will need to be parked level or slightly downhill to test the front drains, and slightly uphill to test the rear. He also mentioned that squirting WD-40 in there (as I did) was not a good idea as this could attract and collect debris in the drain lines. Anyway, if you’re having problems with damp headliner and floor boards, would probably be a good idea to just test the drain lines first, then check or have the sunroof height checked.

Couple of questions for those who have had this done before I decide to have the mounts changed on my ‘92 to try to relieve the vibration problem: 1. Before you changed the mounts, were they noticeably worn or defective? I've had a mechanic check them, and he said they were fine. However, I guess if there is some sort or rubber bushing involved, that could be worn or hardened and not noticeable. 2. I've noticed that my vibrations occur only when placing the engine under some strain while cruising. For example, if I'm driving along at 70 and accelerate, I will get the vibration. Similarly, if I have it on cruise control and encounter a hill where the engine accelerates, it will vibrate. In both cases, the vibration ceases once the additional stress of acceleration is off the engine and I am just cruising normally. The occurrences seem to rule out any tire balancing problems. Thoughts?

Thanks for the response - sounds like a trip to a mechanic may be in order. I tried the squirt of WD-40 followed, by low pressure compressed air (aerosol keyboard and electronics cleaner with a long nozzle), but that didn’t seem to help at all, as the headliner was soaked again this morning after rains last night. I’m surprised that much moisture could even get in through the outer seal of the sunroof to need to be drained. Incidentally, for those of you who, like me, may have to search a while to find the drain holes, they are located somewhat vertically on the lip of the sunroof well rather than horizontally on the bottom of the well as I would have expected. And, I’m not sure if this is a related problem or not, but the passenger side floor board was also soaked yesterday after the rains. Any further ideas on the soggy headliner and wet floorboard would be welcome.

Saaarggg - Did you ever get resolution to this? I think I must have the same problem - no noticeable drips around the roof itself, but the headliner on either side is soaked and dripping. Please advise if anyone can confirm this is a symptom of plugged holes and what you may have found that works to unplug. Thanks.

Thanks - that's what I'm beginning to think too. I just assumed that Lexus logo = factory or dealer supplied, but finding out that's not necessarily the case. By the way, please catch a Van Morrison show for me there if you get a chance this Summer, the bugger never makes it through these parts.