k33rjd

a common fault regarding poor starting on the 220d is the injectors- they get a build up of soot on the tip of the injector and this causes an incorrect signal to be sent to the engine control ecu- this in turn stops the correct fuel ammount being injected and thus prolongs the start-up. if in any doubt visit your lexus dealership and ask to have the injectors checked for sooting and production date. there is product reports regarding this matter.

dont go looking for the 2 holes though :D the manifold is different on the ale20.

by the sound of it, u have an issue with your bulbs- if your cape-able, with ignition off and battery disconnected (due to high voltages) remove your hid bulb, (dont touch the glass part of the bulb). if the center bubble of the hid bulb has any clouding- then it will require a new bulb. the bulb will light up but go out again as it isnt air-tight. the fact that it lights up to start show that it isnt the starter packs. hope this helps.

starkey 444 - please revisit your lexus dealership and ask them to speak to andy in lexus technical if your fault has re-appeared. the fault lies with-in the vvti units. its not a major issue and can be easily fixed.

so do we regarding car tax being based on it (",)

this would work and i would imagine that it wouldnt need anything doing to the ecu because of it. the only thing is, this helps reduce your emissions and can help performance aswell as hinder it at times. i would imagine if you did do it, you may have a few issues with starting and the legalities of doing it.

when a fault appears in the ecu (in your case the 2 oxygen sensors and ecu) it brings on the vsc warning aswell. this is because the engine or other system isnt working as it should and so it shuts down the vsc as a precautionary practice. (if the engine or other system isnt working correctly, then it wouldnt be able to operate the vsc correctly as it needs the other systems to be in full working order to do so) hope that makes sence to you.

so does this work in relation with the gps and fuel/distance/mpg information?

you will find that the cheaper pads not from toyota/lexus have the smooth/complete pad face. the groove in the middle is to allow the gases that are caused from braking to escape, along with rain/moisture. you will also find the the genuine pads have a more chamfered edge on both sides, this helps prevent brake squeal and guide away debris/water/moisture from the pad. the wear indicators on the pads are the small metal clip on the bottom of the inside pads, when the pad wears down it reaches this clip and this rubs on the face of the disc, causing a nice squealing metalic noise when you brake. hope this helps your understanding.

hi all just wanted to share sum info- most noises/knocking noises from the front end when going over bumps are the shockers AND the TOP MOUNT. these wear together and can cause some strange dull thuds when travelling over rough roads. if the shockers are in good oreder-i.e. no leaks, then id recommend changing the top mount first (ive done loads of these over the past 7 years). these top mounts hold the bearings encased in a rubber mount, the dull thud is the bearing case knocking on the mount body. if problems still persist then change the shocker too, these can wear in one place -some1 previously mentioned about the oil seal inside the shocker- this is what wears and the shocker piston itself has too much laterial movement first before its up-down motion when hitting a bump. other nocking noises (if a more definate knock is heard) are commonly from the top and/or bottom ball joints. easily checked and replaced (though abit expensive to buy). these should be picked up on any free VSR from any lexus garage. hope this helps.

the chain tensioner is controlled by oil pressure -so its 'automatic' or self adjusting. the chain tensioner presses onto the chain slipper and there is no service intervals for these.

mubz- ur fault relates to an air/fuel sensor for the engines ecu. this is covered under warranty if u are in the 60k/3yr bracket. the sensor itself sits in the exhaust manifold and measures the ammount of unburnt oxygen in the exhaust fumes and sends a signal back to the ecu. these sensors normally break-up (the join between the 2 signal wires breaks, thus stopping any signals getting to the ecu) due to the different temperatures they are exposed to when used. hope this helps ur understanding smelly air-cons- there is a recall on some models please ask at lexus dealership if your having this issue to see if they can do anything for you under warranty. this smell is normally an occurance from the air-con being used for short distances- getting cold and damp and then sitting there warming back up and growing into mould. to help this if your only doing short trips try not to use ur air-con, or if you can use it for a longer period (on cold) so it has time to get really cold and kill off any bacteria and stopping it from smelling.

like most lexus engines nowadays - both IS 220 and 250 have chains theres no need to worry about either regarding servicing. just ensure you keep your oil and filter changed at the 10k/1 year intervals and it should be problem free.

the alternator fuse is a large plastic covered fuse. this is bolted onto the fuse rail in the fuse box. the proper way to remove is to undo the 10mm alternator wire on the end of the rail, then unclip the rail (theres a number of clips holding the rail down) and pull it up carefully. then you can undo the 2x 10mm bolts holding in the fuse. another way to do it (a bit quicker and easier but i wouldnt recommend) is to drill a small hole in the side of the fuse box to gain access to the 10mm bolts holding the fuse in, and then just remove.

yes it is clipped in at the bottom half of the mirror with 2 clips. carefully push the mirror up (so its tilted upwards), then pull the bottom of the mirror out. it should pop off and then slide down and out. the wires are just clipped on becareful as they can go brittle and may break.

dont buy it lpg conversions are a right nightmare, ive never seen one installed safely yet, for example- they all have gas pipes running through parts of the body without the proper gromets etc also these cars arent designed to be ran with lpg, a common complaint of running them on lpg is a misfire, this can sometimes be sorted with a new set of plugs but on some occasions because its running hotter it can burn the valves out. please check the vehicle properly before you part your hard earned cash.

if you take your car to a lexus dealership they may (i say may as some IS models dont allow it) be able to adjust the settings of your auto headlights so they come on at a different lumen level.

it may also be your plugs, the irriduim plugs used in the IS only just last over 60k. if they get wet with fuel it wont start and have trouble running. if you've disconnected your coil packs the codes will be stored as faults and it will cause your engine light to stay on continously untill the codes are cleared. so as said you may have a number of coil packs gone and this in turn would have caused your plugs to be fouled with petrol. get your codes cleard and re-checked and take it from there.

no not unless they are leeking- if you look at the shocker and see that they are wet on the bottom half of the leg then it will need replacing as this is the oil leaking by the seals. thus making the shocker useless.

75w90 should be used in your gearbox, 85w90 in the diff. mobil oils are recommended.

the GS and the new IS are very similar in design in regards to the front suspension, the LS is partially similar though is a much bigger vehicle. this is why the fault is similar on all models. when the tyres wear to a certain limit (especially a hard compund like conti's) the tyre will skip and make a noise when parking. this can be simulated by driving forward and backward on full lock in an apporpriate space (carpark). you may notice that there is a rumbling noise, if there is check your tyres. if they are worn on the edges/ or feathering or just low on tread- below 2mm-1.6mm then this is the cause of the noise. recommend a change of tyres and possibly a full wheel alignment depending on how the tyres are worn.

unfortunately the part in question is a small potentionometer that moves up and down with the vehicles n/s suspension on the front and rear. these can be easily checked by placing the car in front of a wall. turn the headlights on and open the boot, then apply some weight to the boot - this can be done by kneeling on the boot opening. by doing this the headlights should move down and back up as the weight is removed. in itself its very simple but it is open to the elements in its position thus water ingress is a common fault for these to fail.

your IS200 should only have coolant in it, water can react with the alloy in the cooling system parts and cause corrosion. after having your water pump changed, the tech should have ran your vehilce up to operating temperature and checked for leaks and correct operation of the fans etc. after this is all ok the vehicle should be left to cool down and the coolant level checked via the header tank on the radiator.- topped up if neccessary.

this is why the belts must be checked every 10k after the 60k service. the tensioner pulley wears and as you can see pushes the belt onto the cover, wearing it down to nothing. ive never come across one thats snapped yet but i have found them as small as 9-10mm!!!! so do please check your belts its easy to do. using a 10mm socket and rachet (1/4 drive is good enough for this as its small and the bolts shouldnt be over tight) remove front air duct- air box (need a long extension to reach the 10mm bolt at the back) take care and pull this up slowly and remove the oil breather pipe also- and the top engine cover (take care with this also as it can become brittle and break). then still using the 10mm socket and rachet remove the top half of the cambelt cover- two bolts at the top, one near the by-pass hose/water pump and one the other side which is partially covered by a bracket but you should still be able to remove it. then the cover is ready to be taken off. now a visual check of the belt can be made- look at the belt - has the smooth side got any marks on it (such as a constant wear mark that runs the whole length of the belt), is the belt a similar thickness as the pulleys? (if not, is it sitting to far forward or near the block?), is the belt in good condition? (i.e. has no cracks or perish marks) the belt should be sitting evenly and and be in good order, have no cracks or contamination. if in doubt ask a professional. but an early check can save you alot of problems.

i would always recommend single hex sockets as they fit better. also you should only need the longest breaker bar (the longest bar fits snuggly into the chassis leg crumple zone) for undoing the bottom pulley bolt when changing the cambelt. there are no other 'tight' bolts that cant be undone with a standard 3/8ths rachet. altough i do agree that the medium length bar comes in handy for other jobs.