exsentric

Can anyone tell me if there is a way to switch off or dim the back lighting on the sat nav screen on LS430. When driving at night and not needing to use guidance I would like to dispense with this screen, but can find no way to do this. I like to have bright well lit instruments, but find the large centre screen somewhat of an unnecessary distraction (as does my long time navigatress/instructress!!) Thanks. Richard

Don't know too much about this problem so might be talking rubbish, but it seems to me that in order for a telescopic action to take place ther would have to be a sliding spline arrangement in there somewhere and if that where dry and seizing up I would imagine it would only be possible to lubricate it by completely dis-assemblig it. Maybe you have already tried that, if so please ignore this suggestion. Richard.

Thanks again Pete, I'll act on your suggestions and see. Is it possible to poodle about in one of these cars? Personally I have doubts about that - I like to see the countryside in a blur! Never go over seventy of course! As far as I can tell everything on the car works as it should, only issues I have with it this adiction to smoking and a feeling it might benifit from having the alignments checked, so though neither are desperately urgent prblemsI am keen to get them sorted. Richard

Thanks Pete for your input, recently had the oil changed by my local garage, but don't at this point know what they put in - probably whatever came to hand or they had on the shelf (that may be doing them a dis-service!) however, I must say I had a suspiscion the problem was more frequent after the oil change! Can the oil used make that much difference? I'll gladly change it again if it's likely to be that simple! Also interested in the engine treatment you mention - any chance of some more detail on that? Should tell you that my ability to do complicated procedures(I know how to open the bonnet...!!) is rather limited so have to rely on my local garage for much of the work that needs doing. They are very good and I trust them (in the main!) but it must also be said that they are not exactly snowed under with large Lexus models so their experience is somewhat limited. Would consider a Lexus agent, but the car has been gassed so I gather they wont go near it and my occasional contacts with them to date have not filled me with confidence. Final point, do you know if the PCV valves you mention are accessible and recognisable? It would be nice to be able to point the garage in the right direction and that might save yours truly a tad of readies if they don't have to spend hours hunting for them/it! Thanks again for your trouble. Richard

Thanks for that suggestion, though I seriously doubt my ability to 'whip' out the spark plugs - probably take me half a day to find them! Going to go and have a chat with local friendly garage next, might get some idea how big a mortgage I need to sort this out. Richard

Thought it was time I gave the promised update on my blue smoke issue. The news is not good - today for the first time I had the problem while driving. After a 20 minute run down the motorway I had to stop at traffic lights near home after about best part of a mile on overrun so no throttle for several minutes then lights changed so pulled away uphill leaving blue fog for some 100 yards before it ceased. It's not done that before!! Have had gas checked and given the all clear and PS is not loosing any oil nor is the brake master cylinder so am now convinced it has to be valve stem oil seals. Not an easy fix I gather, but trawling the internet brings up much discussion on the matter, some saying they never give trouble, others saying they often give trouble!! Fact remains I've got a problem with this engine which I need to address. If there are good and bad ways to go about it I would be grateful for any input from members who have had experience - or just opinions on the subject. Loving the rest of the car! Richard

Sounds plausible to me. Anybody fancy starting a research program into this? Seems logical that the failure rate will then be much higher in vehicles with f.... lets say more robustly built owners!!! Good luck with that one. Richard.

Hi Richard, this may be of no help to you, but just in case here is my saga with steering tilt/tele motors. The tilt motor was not working so some 4 weeks ago I removed it, opened it up, found it was shot so ordered a new one. In order to use the car I replaced the tilt motor and while doing so discovered I had removed one more 10mm set screw than I needed to so duly replaced it in the position I thought it came from. I now found that the telescope motor that had been working no longer was! New tilt motor arrived this week so today I again removed the duff one and replaced it. While carrying this out I noticed that the tele motor was trying to work and while watching it I saw that the end thrust bearing was swiveling in it's clamp and thus jamming the rotation of the screw drive. The reason for this was my previous inadvertent replacement of the 10mm set screw in the wrong location. instead of through the lower end of the thrust bearing bracket which was now only attached by it's top fixing. As the bracket in question is fairly deep in the dash and the fact that there is an adjacent unused but tapped 10mm hole make this error somewhat excusable ( at least that's my claim!!) Upshot is all is now working fine, but as I say this may not apply in your case - particularly as mine is an LS430 and may have a completely different set-up. Good luck with it anyway. Richard

Ordered a tilt motor from this company and the the part arrived within two weeks and is the correct part and cost under half price quoted by local dealer!! So I'm well chuffed. Richard.

Got a load of Druids camped just over the river from here - hence the weird rituals!! Heard someone down there is collecting discarded cam belt - he heard how long they last so he's planning to convert them into chastity belts and market them to the local lads for when they march off to Twickenham and have to leave their wenches at home! Nice that you are interested in my anti smoking campaign, and I will keep reporting on my efforts, but can't promise how often as just at the moment I'm in a less healthy state than the car - however, I reckon I should be able to try a couple of the suggestion out - check for disappearing brake fluid (Pete) and shut off steering pump vacuum pipe (Ian) Thanks for those gents. Richard

Thanks for that Ian - I do hope you are right as that would be an nice easy fix, something I could try out in any case. Not usually my luck to have something that simple, but here's hoping! Think I might need to re-assess my opinion of rubber bands, but in fairness I did say 'glorified' and that has connotations of worship doesn't it???? TIC!

Gotta come clean here! No news yet I'm afraid, I had intended to check some stuff on it today, but had forgotten that I was on a course today and tomorrow so wasn't/aren't able to do it yet and Friday I start another course so it will be the weekend at least. The first two course were/are golf courses!! Unfortunately Fridays course is at our local hospital - not quite so enjoyable!! So the Lexus must languish in it's garage for a while - at least it's not smoking in there!! Richard

OOps, apologies to all the belt fans, you're probably right - I'm a bit of a dinosaur I guess - set in my ways - if you study my little motif up in the corner you will notice it depicts the ark!! Thats the transport I arrived on! Richard.

Interesting, will check the brake fluid today - would never have thought of that one! Beginning to consider doing the cam belt myself and checking these other things while I'm in there. Been reading up about it and it seems having it done professionally (?) doesn't guarantee no horrendous outcome. Used to do all my own repairs and servicing on all the Senator I once owned, though they didn't have cam belts - that's something that baffles me, I have a Toyota Yaris Verso (virtually a dodgem car!) of exactly the same age and it has a timing chain - (so I'm told!) Yet Toyota build a top of the range,luxury flagship with practically every gadget under the sun, then stick a glorified elastic band in the motor??????? Does that make sense? Richard

Oh well, if they're going to be picky............... Backstreet here I come! Did dig out online the other day, how to do it yourself, but not sure if I'd sleep nights if I went down that road - that is unless a heap of members tell me they have done it and it's a doddle????????