88b

Being new to auto boxes can someone enlighten me as to why a torque converter would need to be changed on a GS300 with about 90k on clock? The reason I ask is that just having acquired a 300 i find it struggles to accelerate from a standing start. The engine seems to rev happily but I don't feel that the power is being transferred to the drive as it should. (I got burned-off by a pug 206 this morning ) If the Torque Converter was 'worn' (sorry if that the wrong term) would it be like a worn clutch on a manual box?

In my search for 300's last week one I looked at was a 2001 model and the garage proudly anounced that it had just had its Torque coverter replaced under the Lexus warranty. The car has 83000 on the clock?

If not the Torque converter would there be any other reason for the car being reluctant to accelerate?

Wear and tear on the trans and torque converter will depend on driving conditions, if the car has done 100 k on motorways, there will be little wear,. How ever if t's done 50 k in stop start traffic it like doing 200k +. The problem with changeing trans oil is that you can only ever change half of it, and the only way to change the oil in the converter is to remove it unless it has a drain plug. Automatic transmissions work by oil pressure applying clutch's and brake bands, as these wear the fluid becomes contaminated ( which is why Colin stated it should be red ). Contaminated fluid could even be almost black from burnt friction material.

I worked for over 25 years in R&D for Fraud motor co. I will never forget the first LS400's, we had eight as "test cars" in reality for management to drive. Nothing yet has made me change my opinion the Lexus is very good, BMW's are over rated, Mercedes unless you get the million pound models are cheap and nasty. Honda are under rated ,Nissan does what it says on the tin.

The only down sides I can see with Lexus is , for some reason Merc/ BMW owners look down on them ( snob value ? ) and they lose a lot of risidual value early on. Unless I win the lottery I will never buy a new car again, not even a Ford that I get at 25% discount. Let someone else get kicked in the nuts.

or if u cant find it anywhere go to any garage and they can remove it in a few seconds

or ask any yoof standing on a street corner. Most tyre places have the tools to remove locking wheel nuts, they might destroy them but without they tool they are useless

This is my first post so please be gentle. I have a 2001 GS300 Navigator and it is due the big 60,000 mile service. I must be brave as I'm going to have it done by Lexus Woodford. One thing I want to use is this Castrol Edge 0-30 oil with this service. I know it's expensive but I want the best for my prode and joy. Will Lexus let me supply my own oil for this service or will there be a chance that I hand over 2 cans of the stuff, find someones gone home with it and run the risk of having the normall stuff put in?

Also want to say I'm a Gold member and am really impressed by all the usefull info on this site. Also more impressed by the car. This is the first Lexus I've owned and will certainly have another.

All you can do is ask them, or better still tell them your having the oil analysed. They'd be stupid if they didn't use it then if they agreed to .

exhausts

Would you Go for it?

Is it a good price?

As randy says shipping is a bit steep

Do you need a new exhaust system ? one thing I like about my GS is the silence, it's not as fast as the Soarer but it can carry four big adults in comfort and cover a lot of distance traffic permitting very quickly.

On the other hand I'm the man who spent a fortune on a new Harley exhaust and then paid out for custom made ear plugs .

Small world... your brother just mentioned this over on TIF.

I was impressed that you persuaded the dealer to lend you the service tool :)

Like I said I know the work shop foreman, he offered it I didn't ask. Mind you I didn't ask if I could take pictures either :winky:

I'm a firm believer in what goes round comes around, I get a lot of people out of trouble with transmissions or Ford stuff and info. This time I was lucky.

I've had my GS since August last year, and the new cam belt since about two weeks after I bought the car It's a 98 registered Mk1 ( must have been sitting in a dealers for some time ) and had a genuine 16800 miles on it last Aug. it's up to 21k now. Monday morning I thought I'm changeing the belt, two and a half hours later I still can't get the crankshaft nut undone :tsktsk: and the Autodata book says it's a 2 1/2 hour job. I tried the old breaker bar and scaffold bar over it wedged on the ground and hit the starter, just got clunk clunk. Rubber plug out of the sump and a bar in the drive plate, then strapped the bar to the suspension ,two foot Snap On breaker bar on the crank nut and 15 stone + of me holding the roll bar and both feet on the breaker bar . Decided it was time for a break, got in the Fiesta and drove to a friends garage, he couldn't suggest anything, so I drove up to Lexus Southend. I sort of know the workshop foreman there, told him my sorry tale and he loaned me "the Lexus tool" . It's a tube that bolts to the crank pully with two 8 mm bolts ( I couldn't see the bolt holes as they are recessed ) you then fit a holding bar to it with a pin. The bar sits on the chassis rail under the air filter box, you then put a deep reach 22mm socket through it onto the crank bolt. Same again Snap on breaker bar both feet, can't move it, jacked the car up even higher ( the exhaust tips are now almost on the ground ) put a scaffold tube over the breaker bar and BANG. I didn't want to look, I was expecting broken oil cooler pipes or a hole in the rad. Took the socket out and undid the bolt with my fingers . The rest of the job was easy, after I got the pully off.

I took some pictures of the tool and all the relevant dimensions, but on reflection you don't need anything so complex as the official tool. Either a piece of thick 3" angle iron or probably better a piece of flat metal about 75mm x 10 mm about 600mm long. 2 8mm clearance holes drilled in it at 65 mm centres and a large hole to get a 22mm socket through centrally between them. I'm going to make one, because once I have it I will never ever need it again

Any chance of putting a picture up of this tool :winky:

If only I knew how to, doesn't seem any easy way on this site. if you give me an e mail address I'll send them to you

I've had my GS since August last year, and the new cam belt since about two weeks after I bought the car It's a 98 registered Mk1 ( must have been sitting in a dealers for some time ) and had a genuine 16800 miles on it last Aug. it's up to 21k now. Monday morning I thought I'm changeing the belt, two and a half hours later I still can't get the crankshaft nut undone :tsktsk: and the Autodata book says it's a 2 1/2 hour job. I tried the old breaker bar and scaffold bar over it wedged on the ground and hit the starter, just got clunk clunk. Rubber plug out of the sump and a bar in the drive plate, then strapped the bar to the suspension ,two foot Snap On breaker bar on the crank nut and 15 stone + of me holding the roll bar and both feet on the breaker bar . Decided it was time for a break, got in the Fiesta and drove to a friends garage, he couldn't suggest anything, so I drove up to Lexus Southend. I sort of know the workshop foreman there, told him my sorry tale and he loaned me "the Lexus tool" . It's a tube that bolts to the crank pully with two 8 mm bolts ( I couldn't see the bolt holes as they are recessed ) you then fit a holding bar to it with a pin. The bar sits on the chassis rail under the air filter box, you then put a deep reach 22mm socket through it onto the crank bolt. Same again Snap on breaker bar both feet, can't move it, jacked the car up even higher ( the exhaust tips are now almost on the ground ) put a scaffold tube over the breaker bar and BANG. I didn't want to look, I was expecting broken oil cooler pipes or a hole in the rad. Took the socket out and undid the bolt with my fingers . The rest of the job was easy, after I got the pully off.

I took some pictures of the tool and all the relevant dimensions, but on reflection you don't need anything so complex as the official tool. Either a piece of thick 3" angle iron or probably better a piece of flat metal about 75mm x 10 mm about 600mm long. 2 8mm clearance holes drilled in it at 65 mm centres and a large hole to get a 22mm socket through centrally between them. I'm going to make one, because once I have it I will never ever need it again

Have just heard about my aristo tt from mkiv store, oil pressure switch gone, plus big end shells will be looking at a bill of £2000, oh dear

Sorry to hear that, I'd be worried about the turbo's if the ends have gone

Are you having to top up the power steering ? it may be auto trans fluid from the cooler

Just wondered, in my V300 if you take the Aristo mats up on the carpet you'll find a mechanism which flips up with another accelerator pedal connected to a bar which pushes down on the factory accelerator located to the right of the brake - therefore you've got two accelerators - one on the left of the brake, one on the right..

Is this standard or an aftermarket modification?!

Thanks in advance

I bought a Seat Alhambra a few year ago that had a left foot throttle, turned out the previous owner only had one leg :duh: You cannot believe how hard it is to drive with the throttle on the wrong side, especially when your reversing. It lasted about two days.

Nice looking car

Would be interesting to see what your mate actually gets at the end of the day

I'm desperately trying to talk him out of a Porsche 4x4 Cheyene (sp ?) you know the thing they hit with an ugly stick on the end of the production line

Mind you, can you picture this. Two bikers pull up outside a Lexus dealer. Park up two cruisers. Go inside. Drink tea. Have chat. Take test drive in FULL LEATHERS.

AND get treated very well by EVERYONE there, not just the guy we know.

WELL DONE AND THANK YOU, LEXUS.

(I can't see that happening at Mercedes, can you??)

I had almost the same thing at Lexus Southend, pull up on the Harley walk inside and they are falling over themselves to help. Offered me a days test drive. I think they realise if you have have £15 k to spend on a toy you can aford a Lexus.

Now one of my friends has / had the hots for an XK8 pull up at the Jag place in Brentwood , I thought they were going to ask us to leave. Big mistake he's got the cash to walk next door and buy an Aston Martin. He's still decideing what to buy now.

The reason most systems stop working or don't work as well as they should is low pressure, just adding a can is unlikely to over pressurise the system. A lot of vehicles have the pressure and weight of refrigerant on a label somewhere.

I was getting a car MOTed yesterday and one of the yoff's employed to bugger up customers cars was recharging a system. I had to walk away in the end, I couldn't bear to watch any longer.

A WORD OF WARNING anyone thinking of trying the Halfords method ( and I would ) wear protective gogles refrigerant can freeze your eyes.

I imagine it's linked to your flashing O/D light.

Probably pulling away in 2 or 3, by manually selecting the gears you bypass parts of the trans.

It's a 4 speed box, pressing the button which brings on the light on the dash board cancells 4th ( OD ) gear. It also brings in engine braking in the lower gears. Being an AUTOMATIC transmission it senses load by various means and selects the correct gear for the circumstances ( or as near to it as Mr T designed into it ). It's an electronically controlled box linked to the ECU so even engine temp could affect shifts or possibly stop 4th gear engagement if it was very cold until the car warmed up.

the key is apparently 125 squid !!! plus coding. did see a website in the US that was selling the key for $90.. and gave instructions to code it to work as long as you have the master key.. any ideas anyone???

Check out some local locksmiths, I got a key cut and programmed for £50

Common fault with this model sir, I came out from a blood test on Wednesday to find an elderly lady bent over trying to look under mine. I thought she had hit it in the car park at first.

get a "GAITOR GRIP" from a motor factor.

Its a socket with pins in, that takes on the shape of any nut.

I have used it when I misplaced mine on a different car - could carry on using the same nuts by using this everytime the wheel had to come off.

It was only a few quid.

heres what it looks like pic link

That would work if the key part is external, but if it's internal I doubt it will. The tool I'm thinking of goes over the round outer and has a thread like an easyout that grips the nut.

I have lost/misplaced my locking wheel nut for my GS300 Sport, anyone know if these are available from the dealers and if there are numerous types of locking nuts.

Anyone help please

There are going to be a lot of different ones, probably the easiest thing to do is go to a tyre shop . Most of them have tools that will remove locking nuts without damageing the wheel, and if you buy a new set from them they may not charge.

just came back from having a new screen fitted, but it is making a noise, sounds like rattling or crackling, it's coming from all over it, i'll give it a day or two to see if it is the seal settling or something, if not, they can try again.

I'd tell them now, if you leave it a few days they will claim the problem happened after and they are not at fault.

was sent a link earlier today

http://www.pipelinecard.org/

I've seen it several times. the only people that it will help is the customer so it has to get past the government and retailers. Don't hold your breath.

Sounds like a bargain, especially with the LPG Conversion :)

Just needs a bl**dy good clean inside and out !

Sounds like a result, the LPG conversion alone would be more than that.

Forgive what may appear to be a daft question but is it a quirk of Lexus that my car will tick-over at 1300ish rpm from a cold start until it's warmed up? I've not experienced this since the bad old days of carburettors and chokes! Drove home 15 miles from works - parked the car - went back out 2 hours later and high revs at tick-over. Strange

Mines about the same, so is the Soarer and that's a Jap only car. I don't like it on the Soarer because of the turbo's and it doesn't do the auto box's in either of them any good engaging gear at higher revs. Both of mine idle at the usual revs after about two miles.

Personally, don't let the tank get too low, otherwise all the dirt and sediment at the bottom of the tank gets sucked into the engine

Dirt and sediment should sink to the bottom of the tank, and that's where the fuel pick up is. That's why the fuel filter is inbetween the tank and engine.