imperial1952

I had a similar problem a few years back on my Lexus. It turned out to be a problem with my Brake Disc.......it had a hard piece of metal (same size as a thumbnail) in the casting (back face) which was not wearing down evenly as per the rest of disc face and as a consequence was slightly proud . The problem it gave me were similar to what you are experiencing. It might be worth you checking this out on your car........good luck.

I had a similar problem a month ago. My juddering started after about 10 minutes of motorway driving and felt like the wheels were seriously out of balance. Finally i stopped at a lay-by and STUPIDLY decided to check the heat of each disc in turn with the back of my finger. Everything checked out ok until i touched the front nearside disc where i received a second degree burn to my finger - it was F*****G Red Hot and confirmed that i had a sticking caliper which i renewed a day later. I have had no problems since. Hope this helps. PS:- Learn from my mistake and do'nt use your finger to check for heat build up in your Discs - use your spit instead! Let us know how you get on.

You'r not far off with 29 mpg - but it's actually 27.925981 mpg (28 mpg when rounded off). I worked it out as follows:- Firstly work out how many gallons there are in 35 litres by dividing 35 litres with 4.54609 (that is how many litres there are in a UK gallon) = 7.6989236 gallons. Secondly divide the miles travelled which is 215 miles by the petrol used 7.6989236 gallons = 27.925981 mpg.(28 mpg when rounded off). 28 mpg for an IS200 is excellent. On the odd occassion (light throttle and motorway driving) the best i've had out of my IS200 is 33 mpg but i get a genuine 30 mpg quite often if i keep my foot off the loud pedal. :winky:

Ha! could be... I have a strange affinity for North Wales. I was up your neck of the woods last weekend, My beloved had never visited Wales and was amazed and impressed at how widely Welsh was spoken Welsh speaking in North Wales is now on the up and up due mainly to the Welsh Language Act which was introduced in the 1980's/1990's. I was born in 1952 hence part of my Display Name, and up to the age of 12 my main spoken and written language was 90% Welsh. When i started Secondary school things changed dramatically as then my main spoken and written language was English 95% of the time (i only spoke welsh at home and in the playground and my written Welsh stopped altogether). This was a shock to my system and i suffered academically because of it for the first year or two. The Welsh Language Act changed all that as it stated that if one parent of a child was a first language Welsh Speaker and the other parent was a first language English speaker then any children the couple produced had to go through the Welsh Stream in their Primary and Secondary years with no exceptions. I have two children 30 and 25 and they were both educated through the medium of Welsh throughout their school years. The act also stated that children who had two first Language English speaking parents were allowed to attend the English stream but had to have compulsory Welsh lessons as part of their schooling. That's enough History lessons from me so here endeth the sermon. Nos da pawb (Good night everybody). PS:- I'd rather be talking about cars anyway. Whose going to start another argumentative topic like this one next; as i enjoyed and had a few laughs following the threads on this one. :winky:

No problem my pleasure. This is what an Owners Club for me is all about ie:- members sharing information and giving advice/help & correcting incorrect information (with the proviso of course that they follow any advice given at THEIR OWN RISK). Spending the £297.53 saving on the Missus or ARB's is a tough decision - rather you than me :winky:

I stand corrected LEXYNIK i've just had a look in my engine bay. You'r right, there was a thin metal gasket between the Waterpump and Block that after cleaning and de-burring i re-used following smearing with silicon type non hardening sealant. My age i'm afraid is catching up with me!

I like your outlook on life and what you say is very true what is it that you love doing ? HERE HERE a man after my own heart. Are you the long lost twin brother i never knew i had??????????????????????????? :winky:

I have recently replaced the Cambelt + Associated parts and given my Lex it's Full 60,000 mile Service . I detail below what the parts and labour costs were:- Items supplied by JAPARTS (OEM Lexus/Toyoto parts supplied) TOTAL COST OF £287.47(includes V.A.T) ie:-Tensioner + Idler + Cam belt + Waterpump + Bypass pipe + 2xseals +3 No Belts (A/C; Alt & P/S). Items supplied by OPIE OILS; TOTAL COST OF £70.60 (includes V.A.T) ie: Fully Synthetic Engine Oil 5w-30 (Motul 8100 Eco-energy) + 6 No Denso Iridium IK20 Plugs. Items supplied by LEXUS Chester; TOTAL COST OF £10.75 (includes V.A.T) ie: Oil Filter + Sump Washer. As this was the first time i had done this type of work on a Lexus it took me about 5 hrs in total at my home address (anyone with a bit of mechanical know how; a basic tool kit and a set of axle stands could quite easily carry out this work). If you are not mechanically minded you could scource the parts yourself and then get an independant garage with a good reputation to fit them for you. You then only have to pay for the 5 hours Labour costs?. Note:- 1) I did not require an Air Filter as i have a re-useable K&N one fitted and the Gearbox Oil (Redline MT-90 fully synthetic) + Diff oil (Redline 75w 90 fully synthetic) + Pollen Filter were changed on the last service in 2008. 2) You can save quite a bit of money on part costs by specifying that you require Pattern Parts and not OEM parts 3) You can also save on oil as you do not have to use Fully Synthetic oils in the Engine/Gearbox/Diff. Hope the above helps and safe motoring everybody. Hi Imperial, my 2004 200 Sport is coming up for its cambelt change & I will do the waterpump at the same time, so your post was really useful. Like you, I'm buying the parts from Japarts. I've got the cambelt , idler, tensioner & waterpump, but I can't find the "bypass pipe" and "2 x seals" (highlighted in your post above) on the Japarts website - please could you post the Japart part numbers? I can guess what the "bypass pipe" is but what are the seals for? Also, what about the gasket for the waterpump - the new one from Japart does not seem to come with a replacement gasket. Very grateful for any help you can give. I dealt with a very helpfull person called Ravi Hirani at JAPARTS and looking at my Invoice from them the part numbers and costs are as follows:- J1626870031 By Pass Pipe @ £4.51 +VAT J9030117016 2 Number Gaskets for By Pass Pipe ("O"-rings) @ £2.88 each +VAT. If JAPARTS cannot supply them (when i ordered my parts Ravi as a favour got them for me from a Lexus dealer just up the road) then buy them from your nearest Lexus dealer-simples eh. When fitting the new By Pass Pipe with fitted "O"-rings smear some rubber friendly grease (do not use a petroleum based grease as it eats/perishes all rubber items - same rule applies when using condoms you have been warned ) on the "O"-Rings and inside the holes they go into so as to ease its assembly. As regards a gasket for the Waterpump you don't need one as it's metal to metal contact. All i did was clean the face of the Waterpump and the part of the block it fits onto with a fine carborundum stone to remove any burrs etc (a fine flat file will do the job just as well) and used a thin smear of non hardening silicone type gasket sealant on both faces before bolting the Waterpump in place. Good luck with your Cambelt change. PS:- What are you going to spend the £297.53 you've saved by doing all the work yourself? :winky:

I think that the £585 inc. vat for PARTS and LABOUR quoted above by Lexynik are the costs for Cambelt change plus associated parts only (refer to my thread above for a cost comparison ie :Items supplied by JAPARTS total cost of £287.47. You are therefore paying them £297.53 (£585 - £287.47) to fit them.The 60,000 mile service costs would be extra. Note:- Local colleges run excellent Car Mechanics courses which would give you the know-how, confidence and skill to enable you to service yor own car at a fraction of the costs charged by the STEALERS. If we all did this they would then have to bring their Labour costs down from an eye popping £80/£95 per hour (their Skilled Technicians only receive a small fraction of this as wages) to a more acceptable/down to earth level. Wishing you all a Happy and Cost effective motoring experience the 585 was for waterpump and bypass hose as well Please see below a part copy of my original thread. "Items supplied by JAPARTS (OEM Lexus/Toyoto parts supplied) TOTAL COST OF £287.47(includes V.A.T)ie:-Tensioner + Idler + Cam belt + Waterpump + Bypass pipe + 2xseals +3 No Belts (A/C; Alt & P/S)". As you can see the £287.47 i quoted also includes Waterpump + By-pass pipe (or Hose whichever you prefer) therefore your still paying £297.53 Labour charges to the STEALERS. The 60,000 mile service costs (which is everything else i detailed in my original thread would be extra. Wishing you all a Happy and Cost effective motoring experience

I think that the £585 inc. vat for PARTS and LABOUR quoted above by Lexynik are the costs for Cambelt change plus associated parts only (refer to my thread above for a cost comparison ie :Items supplied by JAPARTS total cost of £287.47. You are therefore paying them £297.53 (£585 - £287.47) to fit them.The 60,000 mile service costs would be extra. Note:- Local colleges run excellent Car Mechanics courses which would give you the know-how, confidence and skill to enable you to service yor own car at a fraction of the costs charged by the STEALERS. If we all did this they would then have to bring their Labour costs down from an eye popping £80/£95 per hour (their Skilled Technicians only receive a small fraction of this as wages) to a more acceptable/down to earth level. Wishing you all a Happy and Cost effective motoring experience

I have recently replaced the Cambelt + Associated parts and given my Lex it's Full 60,000 mile Service . I detail below what the parts and labour costs were:- Items supplied by JAPARTS (OEM Lexus/Toyoto parts supplied) TOTAL COST OF £287.47(includes V.A.T) ie:-Tensioner + Idler + Cam belt + Waterpump + Bypass pipe + 2xseals +3 No Belts (A/C; Alt & P/S). Items supplied by OPIE OILS; TOTAL COST OF £70.60 (includes V.A.T) ie: Fully Synthetic Engine Oil 5w-30 (Motul 8100 Eco-energy) + 6 No Denso Iridium IK20 Plugs. Items supplied by LEXUS Chester; TOTAL COST OF £10.75 (includes V.A.T) ie: Oil Filter + Sump Washer. As this was the first time i had done this type of work on a Lexus it took me about 5 hrs in total at my home address (anyone with a bit of mechanical know how; a basic tool kit and a set of axle stands could quite easily carry out this work). If you are not mechanically minded you could scource the parts yourself and then get an independant garage with a good reputation to fit them for you. You then only have to pay for the 5 hours Labour costs?. Note:- 1) I did not require an Air Filter as i have a re-useable K&N one fitted and the Gearbox Oil (Redline MT-90 fully synthetic) + Diff oil (Redline 75w 90 fully synthetic) + Pollen Filter were changed on the last service in 2008. 2) You can save quite a bit of money on part costs by specifying that you require Pattern Parts and not OEM parts 3) You can also save on oil as you do not have to use Fully Synthetic oils in the Engine/Gearbox/Diff. Hope the above helps and safe motoring everybody.

No probs - glad to be of service. That's what an Owners Club for me is all about; ie: sharing info and helping each other out. If you require more info/details just ask :winky:

get the tensiner and belt done , dont need the idler as it is only for the freek Don't agree with you on the "DONT NEED THE IDLER AS ITS ONLY FOR THE FREEK" comment. I speak from experience as i did the Cambelt + Tensioner + Idler + Waterpump + By-pass Pipe & Seals + A/Conditioning unit Belt + Alt Belt + Power Steering Belt + 60,000 service to mine yesterday. When i removed the Idler and checked its bearing (spun it by hand and listened to the noises it made) it was obviously on the way out as it sounded rough and would not have lasted another 60,000 miles before giving up the ghost with possibly catastrophic cosequences to the engine and my Wallet If only for piece of mind and the cost of £50 it must surely be worth replacing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Following on the theme of costs etc i detail below what the part costs to me were:- Items supplied by JAPARTS (OEM Lexus/Toyoto parts supplied) TOTAL COST OF £287.47(includes V.A.T) ie:-Tensioner + Idler + Cam belt + Waterpump + Bypass pipe + 2xseals +3 No Belts (A/C; Alt & P/S). Items supplied by OPIE OILS; TOTAL COST OF £70.60 (includes V.A.T) ie: Fully Synthetic Oil 5w-30 (Motul 8100 Eco-energy) + 6 No Denso Iridium IK20 Plugs. Items supplied by LEXUS Chester; TOTAL COST OF £10.75 (includes V.A.T) ie: Oil Filter + Sump Washer. NB: I did not require an Air Filter as i have a re-useable K&N Filter one fitted and the Gearbox Oil (Redline MT-90) + Diff oil (Redline 75w 90) + Pollen Filter were changed on the last service in 2008. Hope the above helps and safe motoring everybody.

If as you say it comes from the back it could be :- 1) Out of balance rear tyres (get them checked and re-balanced). Pressurise all four tyres to 35 P.S.I. when cold and not when hot. 2) Warped/Buckled wheel (as suggested try swapping front wheels with back wheels or maybe use spare wheel ie fit on near side first and do a road test then fit on offside and carry out another road test). 3) Sticking Caliper (check this by jacking up rear end of car and spin wheels by hand-each wheel should turn freely). 4) Propshaft out of Balance/requires new bearings? (get this checked out by a Garage). Your comment "It is worse when i decelerate" to me points to Propshaft problems as above? Hope the this helps. Good luck and keep us informed of the outcomes. :winky:

Hi I have been using an ISOFIX car seat in my IS200 for my grand child since he was born (he is now 14 months old and we are on the second babyseat, a Halfords supplied DUO PLUS one) and i have the scratches and dents in my leather seat to prove it. I have tried using the supplied plastic shields/guides that hook onto the ISOFIX bars but they dent the leather even more, especially the one nearest to the centre of the seat. Can anybody recommend a solution to this problem ? I ended up barring my son from my Lex until he was heavy enough for this seat Although I still use TWO seat protectors underneath (on the rare occasion I treat him to a ride in my beloved ) Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Based on all the negative feedback, i have decided that until our Grandson is big enough to sit in the Lexus without requiring a car seat he will have to travel everywhere with us in the wifes Toyota Yaris which accomodates his car seat without the scratching and denting problems associated with the Lexus.

Hi I have been using an ISOFIX car seat in my IS200 for my grand child since he was born (he is now 14 months old and we are on the second babyseat, a Halfords supplied DUO PLUS one) and i have the scratches and dents in my leather seat to prove it. I have tried using the supplied plastic shields/guides that hook onto the ISOFIX bars but they dent the leather even more, especially the one nearest to the centre of the seat. Can anybody recommend a solution to this problem ?

Hi "cooperman435" and welcome to the forum. I have just fitted a non removable WITTER towbar to my LEXUS and can forward a copy of the fitting instructions which include all bolt and thread sizes and lengths + sketch drawing to you. Only problem is it's in PDF format and i have failed to attach it to this reply. If you forward you're e-mail addy to me ( jlgriffithsj@aol.com) i will forward a copy to you. The four bolts you refer to which are attached to existing nuts fitted to the car should be M12x40x1.25mm PITCH METRIC FINE threads and not standard COURSE PITCH 1.75mm metric threads. As regards the electrical side of things i am a MORON so i got an expert from WITTER to do it for me. It cost £80 which included all the electrical bits & bobs + fitting + VAT. He came to my home address to fit it - got his details off the WITTER site (they have agents all over the UK). You also need to be aware that the MAXIMUM weight (this is the combined weight of the towed vehicle and what maximum weight of cargo it can legally carry) that you should tow with an IS200 is 1,200kgs anything heavier than this and you are breaking the law. I use my IS200 to tow a three berth caravan whose plated weight is 1,000kgs and i can therefore only carry a maximum of 200kgs of extras ie clothes, spare wheel, water carriers, television etc etc. Look forward to hearing from you. PS : I doubt that your Towbar is an OEM part as originally TOYOTA did not recommend that you tow with the IS200!!!!!! something to do with gearing ratios and lack of low speed power/grunt i think. I,m sure i will be corrected by wiser peeps on this forum if i am wrong.

I'm now totally confused!!!! "Is the is200 a "non-interference"or an "interference engine" ???? Can somebody within our ranks who is in contact with a friendly LEXUS workshop tech give us a definitive answer. As regards your 6 damaged pistons and having to replace them all; methinks that some of your valves also require replacement as these are the items that have damaged your pistons in the the first place ! The easiest way to check valves without removing them whilst the head is off is to pour some paraffin carefully down each inlet and exhaust tract - make a note of the paraffin level in each tract. Leave the head on a flat surface for an hour or two/overnight. Following the allocated time then check the paraffin levels of all inlet & exhaust tracts - any levels that have gone down is a sure sign that that valve has been in contact with the piston and is bent beyond repair. Good luck and please keep us informed of progress.

I can see posts from you at those times in this thread, post numbers 23 and 28. Can you still not see them ? Yes i can now! When i checked previously they wer'ent there for some reason?? Could be a problem with my computer system ? Another thing i've noticed is the way that these threads now detail all replies as one liners which you have to click on to see the full info and not the full replies in date order as previously. Can i change this as i preferred the old system. Sorted - i worked out how to change the format OPTIONS-DISPLAY-MODES-STANDARD. :winky:

I can see posts from you at those times in this thread, post numbers 23 and 28. Can you still not see them ? Yes i can now! When i checked previously they wer'ent there for some reason?? Could be a problem with my computer system ? Another thing i've noticed is the way that these threads now detail all replies as one liners which you have to click on to see the full info and not the full replies in date order as previously. Can i change this as i preferred the old system.

Picking up on your comment "If it is a warped disc you may notice a pulsing as the wheels rotate as you come to a stop on a smooth bit of road". This was the problem i had about 3 months ago and i also thought it was a warped disc at the front. I then proceeded to strip the N/Side front first and checked it for warping/runout with my trusty D.T.I. and found it was well within the 0.002" (two thousandth of an inch) tolerance zone quoted in the workshop manual. I also cleaned and checked the brake pads and calipers - all was in order. The only issue i had was a wear lip on the disc of approx 2 to 3mm on the outer and inner radiouses-this is caused by normal use ie:-the brake pads wearing the disc material as the brakes are applied. I checked how much meat was left on the disc and found again it was within tolerance so thinking that maybe the lip was the cause i carefully ground them down to the same level as the rest of the disc using my hand grinder (not recommended for peeps with a nervous disposition or shaky hands). I then carefully put everything back as the manual states in reverse order using Copper Grease in the appropriate areas. I then stripped and checked the O/Side front - this checked out exactly as per the N/Side so i carried out the same work as above and then went for a run - S!!!t the problem was still there. Next i proceeded to strip the O/Side rear - again eveything was in good order and as per Workshop Manual tolerances other than the wear lips on the disc which also received the same treatment as the fronts. Finally i stripped the N/Side rear and to my relief immediately saw the cause of my brake pulsing problem - i had a faulty disc - the disc forging had a hard bit of metal embedded/cast into it (approx 10mm wide x 30mm long). The pulsing was caused by the hard metal ie the softer metal either side of it had worn down by normal use of the brake pad leaving the hard bit protruding slightly. As the brakes were applied and the wheel was turning the hard bit intermittently came into contact with the brake pad which in turn caused the pulsing. I will upload my photos detailing this fault if someone can explain to me how to do it ?? To get the car back on the road and to see if i had sorted the problem i carefully ground the hard bit of metal down to slightly below the level of the softer part of the brake disc and put everything back and went for a run - the pulsing had gone and i have had no problems since - job done. Moral of the story is 1) don't assume its the fronts that are at fault 2) Always check everything carefully and 3) You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds sorting it out !!!!! I apologise for the lengthy nature of this post but maybe my experience will help others in the future. Here as promised is a photo of my faulty N/Side rear disc. Fixed the link for pic ;) you missed out the first [ before IMG Thanks M8. Can anybody out there explain to me why two of my posts have disappeared from this thread? ie Sep 18th 12:09am and Sept 18th 10:40pm Have i been a naughty boy and been saying something i should'nt have???????????

Picking up on your comment "If it is a warped disc you may notice a pulsing as the wheels rotate as you come to a stop on a smooth bit of road". This was the problem i had about 3 months ago and i also thought it was a warped disc at the front. I then proceeded to strip the N/Side front first and checked it for warping/runout with my trusty D.T.I. and found it was well within the 0.002" (two thousandth of an inch) tolerance zone quoted in the workshop manual. I also cleaned and checked the brake pads and calipers - all was in order. The only issue i had was a wear lip on the disc of approx 2 to 3mm on the outer and inner radiouses-this is caused by normal use ie:-the brake pads wearing the disc material as the brakes are applied. I checked how much meat was left on the disc and found again it was within tolerance so thinking that maybe the lip was the cause i carefully ground them down to the same level as the rest of the disc using my hand grinder (not recommended for peeps with a nervous disposition or shaky hands). I then carefully put everything back as the manual states in reverse order using Copper Grease in the appropriate areas. I then stripped and checked the O/Side front - this checked out exactly as per the N/Side so i carried out the same work as above and then went for a run - S!!!t the problem was still there. Next i proceeded to strip the O/Side rear - again eveything was in good order and as per Workshop Manual tolerances other than the wear lips on the disc which also received the same treatment as the fronts. Finally i stripped the N/Side rear and to my relief immediately saw the cause of my brake pulsing problem - i had a faulty disc - the disc forging had a hard bit of metal embedded/cast into it (approx 10mm wide x 30mm long). The pulsing was caused by the hard metal ie the softer metal either side of it had worn down by normal use of the brake pad leaving the hard bit protruding slightly. As the brakes were applied and the wheel was turning the hard bit intermittently came into contact with the brake pad which in turn caused the pulsing. I will upload my photos detailing this fault if someone can explain to me how to do it ?? To get the car back on the road and to see if i had sorted the problem i carefully ground the hard bit of metal down to slightly below the level of the softer part of the brake disc and put everything back and went for a run - the pulsing had gone and i have had no problems since - job done. Moral of the story is 1) don't assume its the fronts that are at fault 2) Always check everything carefully and 3) You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds sorting it out !!!!! I apologise for the lengthy nature of this post but maybe my experience will help others in the future. Here as promised is a photo of my faulty N/Side rear disc. IMG]http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp77/jlgriffiths/LexusBrakeDisc006.jpg

There's a handy guide here Thanks for the guide. Will show it to my computer literate daughter and she i'm sure will understand what you're talking about and upload the photos on my behalf. Hi To cut a long story short my daughter tried using PHOTOBUCKET as per their site instructions and my computer went nuts - to stop it going bananas i had to switch the power off and re-boot again. She also tried your second method ie click on IMG code below photo- this we also failed on as i don't have this code below any of my photos. All my photos are .jpg and kept in files under MY PHOTOS in my computer, Can you suggest another way that will work for me!

There's a handy guide here Thanks for the guide. Will show it to my computer literate daughter and she i'm sure will understand what you're talking about and upload the photos on my behalf.

Hi If you are able to safely remove a road wheel and have the correct tools ie a D.T.I. (Dial Test Indicator reading in thousands of an inch) cost £20 ish and a magnetic base holder cost £25 ish you can very easily check for disc warpage/runout yourself. If there is an interest i will detail how i did it by taking a series of step by step photos and upload them (once i've mastered how to upload photos) for use by peeps on this site.