hi, today i had lights come on the dash as i was driving home. the battery ended up dead but i got the car going again. the battery charge is 12volts running. the dash lights go out over 2000 rpm. i was thinking the alternator was broken but looked at the tensioner pulley and notice the pointer is to the left past the 3 marks. is it possible the belt has stretched? there is a bit of a whine when idling. i cant see any power steering fluid on the alternator.
any help you can give would be great.

Hi and welcome to LOC.
If the voltage is only 12 with the engine running it does sound like the alternator check the voltage on the battery with the engine off then recheck with it running at fast idle when it should be around 13.5 volts if it is still low suspect the alternator.
Some local garages do a free battery/alternator check as it could also be a duff battery.

The belt is self adjusting and noise is normally from the top idler pulley and is generally worse when the weather is colder but lessens when the engine is warmed up.

ok thanks. ill go today to get it checked out. great site by the way

i had my car taken to kwik fit who will try getting it fixed tomorrow but in the mean time i went to halfords for a quote on an alternator and guess what, thay cant get me one. whats the point of them having a parts desk if they cant get parts? im not exactly asking for the secret of eternal youth am i

If it's the alternator make sure it is completely dry. Any damp oil points to the power steering pump reservoir O ring which is the main cause of alternator failure on these cars. It's a £2 fix if you DIY.

the resovior is on the left looking towards the back of the car and the alternator is on the right. i take it the fluid goes along the pipe and drips onto the alternator? where do i get one of these o rings? i cant see any wetness on it but then i cant go crawling about my car too much which is why its still at quick fit taking up space because up here its mission impossible to get an alternator!

I would give these guys a ring, they got me some genuine parts cheaper then Lexus could.

http://www.cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk/

and DHL straight to you, but get a price check from Lexus first (but make sure your sitting down and have no sharp objects within reach)

good job i was sitting down. £488 inc vat!!!!!!!!!

quick fit want £800 to fit it. thats over half what i bought the car for!

What year is your LS as they moved the power steering pump on later models which sounds like yours as you say the ps pump is on the left and the alternator is on the right but are you sure you are not looking at the AC compressor on the right hand side of the engine bay.
As for the parts don't panic yet as they are a lot cheaper from the US even with import duties or you could consider reconditioning your own unit locally.

trouble is im utterly screwed for getting to work. i live basically in the middle of no where in north scotland there are some steel pipes above the alternator. on the left of engine is the power steering resovoir. would an 80 amp unit i saw on flea bay be usefull. its a damn siught cheaper and would have to fit it myself i suppose. i dont have any mods on car except a shiny new stereo so hopefully current drain wont be too bad?
HELP!!!
its a 1995 n reg

apologies for the bad grammar above. its been a long day!

The steel pipes sound like A/C connections so you are probably looking at the compressor. The alternator on my 96 is on the other side. BTW, left and right on a car are always viewed as if you are sitting in the drivers seat. Paul

ah right. shows how often i get under a car. thanks

btw where can i get the o rings from. sorry for being a pain.

You can get the "O" ring from either Toyota or Lexus dealers for around £3.00 the part number is 90080-30040.

smashing. got that bit coming by post. got thew alternator for £140 however i cant get the bottom bolt off now and its started to round off a bit. anyone want to buy a car in bits