Haylands

Let it warm up fully, a good 20mins then just let it sit and idle, a good indication of cylinderhead gasket failure is if there is steam coming from the exhaust at tickover not revving it up. If nothing then as said earlier, get it pressure tested at a garage, very simple and pretty cheap Good Luck Pete

Hi all If your like me you don't often look around the rest of the LOC and you might have missed this http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...=49478&st=0 There are a lot of IS owners going but only me at the moment with a LS Anyone else want to come and join in? I haven't been to one before and have never met anyone from the forum so would be nice to put faces to you all... apparently we just hang about and admire each others cars.. So go on come along it could be a laugh Pete

Hi Can I come or is it just for IS owners? And what do you "do" at these meets.... never been before Pete

Hi Right, been out in mine, got it nice and hot, sat on the drive with it in gear with the front and rear aircon off and the tick over is around 600rpm, put aircon on and there is absolutely no difference in rpm, the needle does not even quiver, the engine note stays the same, tried it with front/back and both aircon on, although I don't think that will make much difference as its only got one compressor. Put the car in neutral and the revs rise to about 850rpm, again try the aircon and there is no difference in rpm at all, switch it on and off and wait for the compressor to cut in and the revs stay the same.... Turn aircon to cold and check it works!!! and yes it does, check compressor and with my head under the bonnet I can hear the electric clutch on the compressor cut in so that is working... Now back to the story, with the car ticking over at 600rpm I can just, and I mean just feel the wobble you are talking about, if you close your eyes to heighten the senses and sit perfectly still I can feel the diesel type shimmer, and my wife can feel it as well, it is incredibly slight and is rhythmic. So now you have broken mine as well so I'm not playing any more........lol Anyway, thoughts. I recon it’s something to do with the lambda cycling, at idle the pre cat lambdas cycle between rich and week and adjust the mixture accordingly and I recon what you feel is the Ecu changing the mixture slightly, this is probably getting more noticeable as our cars get a bit older and the rubber mounts start to harden a bit. I tried it on petrol and LPG and it makes no difference. LPG needs a very good spark to ignite it as its flash point is twice that of petrol so any deteriation of the ignition system and you will notice it far more on LPG than you will on petrol. So I recon it’s just one of those things and we will have to put up with it. And by the way I know a guy who is an aircon mechanic and, although he doesn't want it to become common knowledge, he advises that you leave your aircon on all the time winter and summer, he asks every owner of every car he fixes and virtually all of them turn the aircon off because they think it saves petrol. Well it might save 0.1% of petrol but it costs loads to get it fixed when the seals have dried out and its sprung a leak.... anyway I haven't turned my aircon off in any car I have owner for the last 10years and I have never had an aircon leak and they have always worked... So my 2p worth is stick the aircon on and forget about it Pete

No, only when warm. If the engine is cold the idle speed is raised sufficiently to mask it. About 600rpm, however on the GS the rev counter at the very bottom has condensed markings making it a little difficult to be accurate. Usually I don't run the AC this time of year except to clear the screen etc. Also, since it only happens when warm, what I did the evening before I don't think matters especially. Engine has usually been running at least 15 minutes before I notice it, and then only when waiting at lights, queues etc. The only thing to add is this - I only get it when the engine is idling at the lowest speed possible, ie Drive is engaged (pulling down revs), AC is off, and the cold-start rev booster is disengaged as the engine is warm. It's really very subtle - the closest thing I can think of is when you shut down a diesel engine, and the car shudders briefly. It's nowhere near as strong as that, but the sensation is the same. I think what's happening is the ECU is detecting the engine is running too slowly and fractionally increases revs for a second, then lets them drop again, so every couple of seconds you get a very slight wobble through the car... You don't see the rev counter leap up and down though, it's not that bad! Mike What an excellent description of a symptom.... I know exactly what you mean, I'm off out in a bit I will try mine and report back Pete

Nelson That’s fine if you trust the mechanic and he knows the cars, my point was that with these "complicated modern cars" (that I can't fix with a hammer....) if you leave the servicing to any garage you will probably end up paying more money in the long run.... Check with your local dealer first and see what his price is, a lot of the time it is not as bad as you think. Nicks £753 service must had had a lot of extras to get that high, if you tell the dealer you just want the service and to speak to you about any additional work that is needed then you can judge what needs dealer work and what doesn't. Also just because a car is worth less than the service doesn't mean you should cut corners or use cheap parts..... A Lexus is not a cheap car to run but it can be kept in top condition and reliable with only a small premium over other cars... You seem to know about cars, there are those who think they can run an old executive car for the price of a Fiesta, it can't be done if you want to keep the reliability and safety that it had when newer... Pete

Hi I take your point but do independents do the same job cheaper.... Time and time again on here we are getting posts from people who have either done jobs themselves or had another garage do it and they are in trouble, yes go for it if you can spare the time to rectify any problems but most of the time it will work out cheaper to let "them that know" work on your car and do it right first time. Personally I don't want just any old mechanic fixing or servicing my car that I drive with my most precious possesions in (my family) I want to know that jobs have been done correctly and the parts used are to the correct standard. In my opinion the additional amount to get the dealer to fix/service it is worth it. So the question should be "Can you afford to let someone else fix/service your car?" Pete

Hi Do you mean are you allowed Hid on low beam and normal on high beam? If you are then yes that is how they are standard, Hid bulbs take too long to "warm" up and get bright for them to work as a high beam bulb, flick the switch and it will be darker for a few seconds untill they get going... Keep meaning to change my standard high beam bulbs for a whiter one as its weird changing between the two.... Pete

Hi Cars with Hid's as standard have an auto leveling system that has ride height sensors and then automatically compensates for a loaded car.... that is why they are so much money when bought as an option. When I turn mine on they are at there lowest position, you see them rise up and then drop down and level out, you can also see this when driving up steep drives and the like... They are very very good though. Pete

Hi So this "wobble" happens when cold? What engine speed is the rev counter showing when you get the wobble and how long has the engine been on? And when you say it goes when you turn the a/c on, does that mean you turn off the a/c when you get out the day before? Any other parameters to bear in mind? Let me know the above and I'll see if mine is any different. Pete

Nick So if my maths are right thats 32p per mile....(and the tyres and disc will last longer than a year) a bit better than the LS460 rated at £1.43p per mile by What Car.... Well done..... Pete

I state this many times with a V8 and the LS versions. Change the plugs,leads,rotor arms and distrubitor caps and that makes a whole world of difference to the car. These items should be around £100-£150 all in. You'll have to fit them yourself which is not too hard. Loads of online information on how to do it. Doing this way first will save you pounds in the long run in trying to find a miss on the car or another problem which might be there. Get rid of the obivious first. Baz This is a 430 it hasn't got plug leads , well not high tension ones anyway, it doesn't have a distributor, so no cap or rotor arm, they have a coil on top of each plug and the ECU controls when each plug fires, this has done away with the troublesome part of the high tension circuit, the coil packs do fail but this is easy to find as the computer will store the fault code, Alex has problems with a lumpy engine AFTER he changed the plugs..... Pete

Alex Just a shot in the dark here..... Could it be that when Lexus change plugs, they do it during a service when the battery will be disconnected and the ECU will lose its memory, then have to relearn when connected and so learn whatever it needs to, to compensate for new plugs???? If that makes sense. I know the gearbox ECU learns your driving style, maybe the engine ECU adapts for worn plugs and then needs re-setting when you change them. I could of course be talking out of my arse but maybe worth disconnecting the battery for 30 mins and see what happens.... don't forget to reset your seat memory when you reconnect it or you will lose it. Pete

My rears are wearing pretty quick as well, tyres just don't seem to last so long these days, remember the old Michelin advert "lapped the world not once but twice with tread to spare" so 48,000 miles, their latest advert says they will go NEARLY round the world.... 22,000 miles I think its acombination of heavy car and subtle traction control, I'm sure mine spin a bit before it cuts in and you know how easy it is to spin tyres from the earlier 400 without traction... Pete

Hi Another tip would be to start them off by hand, not a ratchet, if they are deep in the head just use the extension bar, that way you will not cross thread them, they should wind down very easily to start with before they bottom out and get tight, if you cross thread them they will get tight after about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn, if they do, take them out and inspect the thread, any damage discard the plug... It is very easy though and a good place to start, saves some money as well Go for it and good luck, you will have a great sense of achievement when you’ve finished Pete

I agree with Oracle. Sounds like one of the wires could have been damaged. Have a check of each of them to check the resistance levels. Plus, I read somewhere that plug wires should be changed at some point too according to age and mileage. Maneesh The 430 doesn't have plug leads it has a coil on top of each plug.... Pete

Alex How many miles has it done? What petrol do you use? If highish miles or you use ordinary, cheap supermarket petrol you may need to use some injector cleaner. Little known fact.... don't use more than one dose per oil change as it thins the oil and can cause damage if used repeatedly And whereabouts in the southwest are you as I'm down that way the week after next and could meet you and compare engines..... (this is getting slightly anorakie now!!!) Pete

Hi My LS430 does about 22-23mpg as well, if there is a missfire the check engine light will come on, and codes will be stored, most garages now have OBD11 readers and for a small fee will check for any faults stored, the system also stores latent faults as well so you can be confident if it is all clear. The LS430 doesn't have plug leads as such it has a coil for each sparkplug which is part of the plug cap. Did you torque down the plugs properly you have to crush the washer to ensure a proper seal and tighten to the correct torque or you will get an air leak, but this should also show up and bring on the check engine light.... Let us know what happens Pete

David I really don't like to be specific about other systems, all I will say is that I would not fit anything other than Prins to a top end car such as Lexus, the quality of the kit and the peace of mind is worth the extra, when I worked for the installer we had about three "repairs" a week comming in and maybe two services, I worked for about 18mths and only ever had to service Prins, all the repairs were on other makes. Pete

Hi I used to work for an approved LPGA installer a couple of years ago when "between jobs" Just converted my own LS430 to LPG see this thread http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=49175 I would not consider any other system available at the moment other than the PRINS VSI it is beautifully made, very easy to set up, stays set up and in tune and comes with a 24mth warrantee. The OMVL is the next best but they don't stay in tune and the quality of the parts is much cheaper. The 300 engine will suffer from valve seat recession if you do not fit a Flash Lube kit. You can also get insurance against valve recession to ease your mind. I have not put this on to advertise conversions and I will not do one for someone else but if you have any questions I will answer if I can. Mine has just done over 1000miles since conversion and is running well There are no kits currently available that will make your fuel computer work and show LPG MPG, the computers work by measuring fuel used via petrol injector opening times, these are in milliseconds. It then does a simple calculation against distance travelled. When on LPG it is still measuring opening times on petrol, the ecu still thinks the car is on petrol so the display shows petrol MPG. The signal to the injectors leaves the ecu after “speaking” to the fuel computer, it is then “robbed” by the LPG emulators and transferred to the LPG injectors via the LPG ECU, after upping the opening time by about 20%. So as you can see it cannot give you LPG MPG (that is a very basic description) LPG MPG is about 20% less than petrol MPG due to its lower calorific value, I get 23mpg on petrol and 19mpg on LPG. Go for the conversion you will not be sorry Pete

Thanks for the help, I have checked the fuses for the drivers cig lighter and although it is sound, the lighter doesn't work. Hi Is it the lighter thats faulty or the socket has no power? This is a common place to get a feed for phone kits etc, it could be the wireing has been left badly if a previous owner had a kit removed. If you want to know how to remove it let me know I will post details Pete

P.M. Sent to Newbie and JellyBean I was trying to be funny!! but I guess it didn't work very well..... Sorry Pete

Hi Welcome Just been looking at the wiring diagram for your car and it seems there are three 7.5 amp fuses that take power in different forms to the center console, and two relays, I'm not that good at reading these new fangled diagrams so can't actually tell you where they are. They could be in either kick panel, under the bonnet, sorry hood, or in the boot sorry trunk.... Anyway just have a good look for a broken fuse and if you can't find one you will have to go to the dealer, over here they have a standard price for diagnostics which is about £55 so probably around $100. Would be worth it for the air con!!!!! Good Luck Pete

How does that saying go.... if you can't say anything helpfull then p*** off........ ssls400... sorry to hear of your poor running, can't offer any direct help, wouldn't have thought a lambda would give the symptoms you describe, might be worth taking it to a garage who can read, clear and interpret what the fault codes mean, there can be associated failures that bring up an incorrect fault code so you have to "know" the fault and symptom to arrive at a fix. It will probably cost less in the long run than just replacing parts till its fixed. Missfires like this are usually to do with the high tension side of things so if you want a guess it would be coils/leads/plugs..... Good luck Pete

Hi and welcome.... Bosch copper core..... oh dear. The original ones are Denso iridium plugs, they are very expensive and for a good reason, they last about 100,000 miles and work properly with a spark twice as powerful as a normal plug. There are cheap things for a Lexus and there are good value things, use cheap and the car will suffer, but you don't have to pay dealer prices, there are many other outlets now for Iridium plugs including lots on the american ebay site www.ebay.com (not .co.uk) they will send to the uk and for a reasonable price as well. You have bought one of the best cars in the world but you have to use the right stuff to keep it that way so if in doubt ask on here first... Good Luck Pete