tonyT

Fingers crossed! It seems to be getting worse so I'm hopefull the cause should be apparent.

Thanks Barney and Ashar. If I have time I'm going to jack up the car, take the wheels off and let it down onto stands to give it a good coat of looking at! I used to be a mechanic years ago (now work in photography) and an MOT tester so I know what to look for. Many years ago Rover SD1's suffered with this and it was the X-member bolts coming loose so I'll be checking those as well. I'll let you know if I find anything.

Any news ref this? I recently bought a 2002 is300 S/C and it has the same problem

My 2002 IS300 sc front suspension 'knocks' badly on uneven road surfaces. Even a small ripple across the road makes it knock. I've done a search here and although this seems to be a common problem, there doesn't appear to be a definitive cause- rather it could be anything or a mixture of faults! My mechanic has given it a quick look over but can't find anything obviously wrong. The steering feels fine, very accurate with no play. Also the ride feels good, well damped with no play. The front pads and discs were replaced when I bought the car, just a month (1000 miles) ago. I have read that if the pad retaining springs are missing then the pads can rattle, but the springs are in place. I read that the caliper slider pins can wear causing the caliper to knock when the car is driven over bumps. To test this I drove the car over a road that always causes the knock, but rested my left foot on the brake pedal to slightly apply the brakes.- Instantly the knocking stopped! I've since noticed that under braking there is no knocking noise, So, does this mean that the slider pins and caliper bushes need replacing (I have seen an overhaul kit with all the parts needed) or has pre-loading the suspension by lightly applying the brakes stopping whatever is causing the noise to stop ? What a dilemma- I don't want to start diagnosing the fault by systemically replacing components until the cure is found! Sorry for the long rambling post- but can anyone help?

Thanks Pierre- just what I wanted!

Thanks for the replies- I did wonder if the inner wing would have to come off/moved to one side.

OK, so does it have to be a Lexus wiper rubber or will a replacement from Halfords work?

As title, mine is noisy. Needs replacing/adjusting- but how on earth is it removed? Like nothing I've seen before!

As title- how are these removed to change the bulbs? Different design to the 200 saloon, that had 2x 10mm bolts that were easy to get to. On the sportcross it is different- no gap to to the inside of each light to get a tool into. Anyone know the trick?

Pierre your schoolenglish is just fine- my schoolswedish is non existent apart from Absolut! Thanks again for your help!

Hi Steve- take your point- The other fluid levels are fine and I have had 2 new tyres fitted so that's all ok. The wheels are not that good, so I'm looking at replacing them with something more suitable and up to date. The service stamps are all up to date and it will be a few months until It will need another service. I think the depleted washer bottle is more a reflection of the crap weather we've endured since before last Christmas! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to respond!

Well done Pierre! The tank took over 4l to top up. And yes- now they work- I know becuse I leaned into the car to press the button to test them whilst looking over the bonnet. Got a faceful of water :))

Long time since I was here- used to have an IS200, but got seduced by a 3lt Shogun, then an SLK 320, but missed the IS so much I bought a tidy 2002 IS300 Sportcross the other week. Now to the problem- the headlamp washers don't work (the car has HID lights btw). With the lights on and the wipers working, when I press the headlamp washer buuton on the dash the pump runs but the washers don't pop up to wash the lights. I've done a search but can't find out why this should be. Anyone had this happen and how was it fixed? thanks in advance!

OMG could it happen again?? Caused a few panics at chez tonyT I can tell you. Thank heavens for an old ('91) Pajero !! (am I allowed to say Pajero here )

Thanks for all your replies- The car is now running :D I think I may have caused this myself..... On Saturday I moved the car 20' (from a cold start) to another place in the drive to allow access, and 'blipped' the throttle then turned it off. Total engine run time from cold? 30 secs max. I seem to recall reading that this is a very BAD thing to do as it cokes up sensors in the exhaust. So a little while ago, having re-run in my mind what I did previously, I went back to the car and cranked the engine with my foot hard on the throttle. (old fashioned way to clear a flooded engine) and guess what, after a few seconds cranking the old girl coughed a couple of times then roared into life. To celebrate we went for a little drive- no problems, sweet as a nut. I think the fairies have come back home.....

Quick update. I removed the top cam-belt cover when I got home- all ok. Belt present and correct, properly tensioned. In fact I turned the engine over a couple of times with a socket on the camshaft nut and all is well. Tried to start it again, the engine turns normally (you hear when each piston hits TDC as the cranking speed momentarily slows) but it doesn't fire. You can smell petrol in the exhaust so it looks like the ignition has failed. So what next. I'm an old time mechanic who doesn't understand engines without a distributor (got out of thr trade before this electronic gubbins came in). So has the ignition fairy left home? or is it a simple case of a blown fuse? If so where might it be. The handbook is no use. Any ideas anyone? Or recommend a good garage near Crawley/East Grinstead/ Gatwick.

The engine turns over ok, just doesn't fire. The cam belt is due for a change in a couple of thousand miles (100k). Hope it's not that. I'll take off the cover tonight and look inside. If that's ok then anywhere else to look. It souded like it ran out of fuel. It just slowly died, no mechanical noises.

Been a long time since I was on here last... Need some helpplease. Went to start the car this morning, turned the key and the engine started as normal. After no more than 2 seconds it stopped and now won't restart. I was running late for work so had to jump in the old 4x4. Anything I should check when I get home later?

Jugging by the pattern of wear it seems the cambers are \ \ ... since you have visible wear and handling issues a Geometry looks like a wise move. Can you e-mail me details- not too far to get to you- cheers Tony

Sorry for the slow reply- been away from the pc for a couple of days! Tony- Tyres wearing a little unevenly, osf on the inside and nsf on the outside. It does'nt appear to pull, but is heavy straight ahead. If you pull out of a junction the initial turn is heavy then it gets light and feels like it is oversteering- does that make sense? Tony

Hi everyone- not been on here for a long time- but now I've got a problem I hope someone can help me with. About a month ago the steering on my IS became stiff and reluctant to self- centre. As it happened the lower ball joints were worn so in it went to my local (non- Lexus) garage. They replaced the ball joints and checked the tracking. I thought this would cure the steering problem but it didn't. The fluid level is fine, it looks clean, the belt tension is fine, and the tyre pressures are ok. Has anyone any ideas what the problem is? I've done a search and found a couple of other guys with the same problem, but no idea how it was resolved. Btw, the car is absolutely standard. Tony

Thanks for that- seems more complicated than I thought- I've never yet had to compress a spring in situ. Normally I've always removed the whole strut and attacked it on the bench. Anyone know if that's possible? Cheers Tony

Advice needed guys I need to change the shocks on my IS200. I've purchased a set (£183.00 inc del for all 4) and I hope to fit them myself. This is a job I'm very familiar with on other cars- but never done an IS yet. Has anyone any handy hints to save me time? I'm ok for tools, spring-compressors, axle stands, trolley jacks etc, just need the procedure. TIA Tony :D