KevQuirk

Thanks for the info Exdee, I'll go back to my mechanic with that and see what he says. @normski - it's been an absolute nightmare but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whilst I didn't have my Lex I was borrowing a 2003 basic model Ford Ka from a friend. I have to say, even without the PS it's like a whole new world having my car back haha. I'll let you guys know once we have more news. Thanks for the comments! Kev

Sorry about the delay on this posts guys. I've had nothing short of an absolute nightmare on this. I took it to my local dealership who told me that the head gasket was gone. Luckily I have a good friend who is a very good mechanic so I took it to him to double check and, if necessary do the gasket. He confirmed what Lexus said and we went ahead and did the head gasket. Once everything was back together the P/S (Power Steering) light was on and I had absolutely no power steering. So, my mechanic though that this was simply a problem with the computer because the batter had been off for a few days. He tried numerous computers but they just wouldn't talk to the ECU. He took it back to Lexus and their computers couldn't talk to it either. More investigation from my guy found that there was an after market ECU on the car and what looked like a tracker (I assume the previous owner was a company car). So he took that out and put the electrics back to factory - still no PS and the computer still won't talk to it. So, back to Lexus - they still couldn't talk to it either. They deduced that either the rack or the ECU had gone and needed to be replaced. They said if the "had to bet" they would go for the rack. So we went away and put a new rack in. STILL no PS!! We got back on the phone to Lexus who told us that it just needs a "15 mile run" and the PS will reset itself. Sound like rubbish to me but we took them on their word. I've now put about 35 miles under the wheels and the PS still isn't working. We've agreed to give it another 50 or so miles just in case and then we're going to look at replacing the ECU also. Five weeks in and the original issue of the head gasket is resolved but there have been so many other issues. I'm sure most of you can understand how much this has cost me as well. Hopefully replacing the ECU later on this week (if the PS doesn't reset itself) will fix the problem, but I am massively out of pocket and very frustrate by the whole saga. I'll update you all again once the ECU has been replaced to let you know how things are going. Has anyone else ever had anything like this?

No nothing like that, and I've been keeping my eye on the oil to see if it's going that horrible grey colour when water gets in, that's fine too. Hopefully Wednesday will bring me good news!

Yeah I know, I'm quite concerned. I really hope it's not the head gasket! Mind you, its a 2007 with less that 110,000 on the clock so I should be covered by the extended warranty. I've booked it in for a diagnostic at my local dealer on Wednesday. I'll update once I know the results. The mechanic I spoke to said it's probably just the pump. But it's not out of the realms of possibility to be the HG. :(

Hey guys, My car seems to be losing water, on looking at the water reservoir at the front of the engine bay I can see that there is a small hose coming off the top of the reservoir which isn't connected to anything. The hose is around 2-3 inches long but I'm not sure if it should be connected to anything or if it is a deliberate thing for overflowing. I assume the cap has a pressurised vent on it to let water/air out should it need to so I really am in two minds as to what this hose does. Thanks in advance. Kev

I've managed to fix the problem with a new battery (CR1620 3V). I posted on here as I didn't think it was the battery because the detected the fob fine once I was inside. I tried your suggestions first, moving to the other side of our road, then I nipped out on a whim to get a battery. That's fixed it anyway. Thanks for the replies guys and have a great Christmas!

So I've just finished a night shift in work and when I arrived back home I get out the car as normal and press the rubber button on the handle to lock the car up. But nothing happened. So I then pulled out my smartkey and tried from that, nothing. The battery seems ok as I can get in the car and it detects the key and the engine starts just fine. Has anyone else had this kind of problem and do they know how to troubleshoot it? Thanks guys! Kev

What Normski said :) I also work in IT funnily enough. However, except for the last two I've owned (my Lexus obviously, and previously a Honda Civic) they've always been old bangers so I've done all the work on them myself. Luckily it means that I've got a fairly good grasp on cars. Just as an update, my motor has been brilliant for the last 3 days now - lovely and warm in the mornings and hasn't even got close to over heating. I'm off work for a few days after today so I'm going to strip the cooling system down and service all the hoses. If any are broke/degraded then I'll fit replacements. I'm really glad it's nothing big like the heard gasket. Didn't fancy stripping the head down myself on this car! Good luck "LexusLusher".

Thanks for the reply Normski. I've read the same thing on this forum in fact. The new ones are around £250 I believe and I really begrudge paying that for a glorified remote control. I may just play it safe and pay for a new one at my local dealer though. I'm sure I would begrudge it more if I lost my one and only key! Thanks again, Kev

I know this is an old thread, but this link might help for anyone else looking for the manual: http://www.manuals365.com/mfgcat/lexus_cars.html?page=3

This may sound like a stupid question guys, but where is my ignition? I have an IS220d with keyless entry, however the fob does have a detachable key, which leads me to assume that there is another way of starting the engine apart from the start/stop button. For example, if the battery goes on the fob? I've looked everywhere in the car but I can't find an ignition anywhere. I've always wondered this, so I thought I'd ask. I'm shopping for a spare fob at the moment you see, so that's what spawned the question. If it doesn't have an 'old school' ignition then what's the point in having the 'old school' key as none of the doors have a slot for a key either. Thanks guys, Kev

Thanks for all of your comments guys. The good news is that I've fixed the issue, the bad news is that I'm really embarrassed that I didn't look at it sooner. So last night after work I decided to spend some time working out what the problem was. I had already checked my oil for water and it looked fine so I don't think it's the head gasket (should have mentioned that in my original post, sorry!). So I then took the thermostat off and looked at that - it was fine too. So finally, I had a look at the heater matrix (yes it was a late night!) that wasn't clogged and seemed fine. At this point I was at a bit of a loss as to what the problem could be. On a whim I looked at the water reservoir and it was completely empty, bingo! So I nipped down to the local garage, got myself a couple of bottle of anti-freeze, filled the sucker up and took it for a test. Instantly there was lovely warm air flowing through the cab. On my way into work this morning the engine temp was also fine. I'm obviously going to keep my eye on it over the next few days as the system must have emptied somehow. Probably a cracked hose or something. I'm really relieved to find that it's something so simple, I was clearly just over thinking it. Thanks again for all the help guys, I really appreciate it. Kev

I thought that might be the case, nice to see that others are following my rationale. I've already ordered a replacement thermostat, since they're so cheap and it's a quick job to replace it, I might as well. Pending any other replies from other members, I'll let you know how I get on.

Hey guys, I'm new to this community but it seems like a great place to get to know people. If only I had come across this site when I got my first Lexus a few years back. Anyway, I digress...I currently have a 2007 IS 220d that's developed a fault. I've noticed that it's stopped pushing out hot air through the fans, whether it be with the A/C on or off. If I go a little faster, say 50MPH or more (motorway driving for example) then a little hot air gets through but certainly not the normal amount. This morning on my drive into work (around 20 or so miles on the motorway) I noticed that the temperature gauge was creeping up, it got to around 3 notches away from the "red zone" then started to fall back to normal levels. After which it started to rise again. I assume that the fluctuations in the engine temperature is due to the fan kicking in in order ot cool the engine when it gets to hot. This couple with the lack of hot air coming in leads me to believe that the thermostat may be shot on the car. I've also done some research on the heater problem prior to this morning (which is how I found this site) and I believe a blocked heater matrix is common on the 220. So, after my very longgggg story I was wondering if anyone has had any similar symptoms on their cars and what the cause was? Thanks in advance ladies & gents. Kev