OJWM

Turns out that the obvious issue was the fix and that, indeed, Lexus don't design spare wires into their throttle connectors 😉

I reseated detached wire today (with Battery disconnected obv). On turning car back on, no code, stable throttle. Relief...

48 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

I find it extraordinary that a so called mechanic can find a wire in the throttle body that was connected to something and diregsrd it as irrelevant.These cars are electronic minefields and the designers at Lexus do not leave anything to chance ,so a loose wire as been doing a job they are not put in for decoration.

Take it to a  qualified up to the mark technician before you end up with a absoloute morass of pain and anguish.

I was probably wrong to say he discounted it. When he found it, he was confident it was the issue but lost that confidence when he couldn't find any voltage going to the wire. I suspect that was because ECU shut that relay down when it first found wire wasn't connected.

Asking this question to make myself feel better / more optimistic...!

In an earlier thread, I had asked some questions relating to coolant issues. In the end, it turned out my LS460 needed a new water pump (and also suffered the infamous broken radiator connector in the process... meaning I got that replaced too).

To add some insult to injury (the above work being complete and 'successful'), car now has an unsteady idle, a dashboard lit up like the proverbial Christmas Tree, is in limp mode and has thrown codes relating to TPS sensor circuit (P0121 and PO123).

Mechanic attempted to solve, but couldn't. He did discover a wire within the throttle body connector had come unstuck. He seemed to almost discount that wire as a cause when he found that no voltage was going to connector's power wires...

Having thought on it, I think (and hope) that the below might fix issue:

• Rewire loose wire
• Disconnect Battery for 20 mins / pull ECU fuse to reset it
• Restart car + cross fingers

Does anyone know though (just so I can adjust level of optimism accordingly) - can the ECU decide to turn off power to certain wiring looms if it is suitably upset (as presumably it would have been in this instance)?

Thanks v much all for the responses (and sorry for my own belated reply)!

It turned out that the main culprit was the water pump. Got a mobile mechanic to fit gasket - he found that the pump is wobbly and was showing quite a leak...

Also had the radiator's 'nipple' decide it was time to shuffle off this mortal coil (I now understand it is infamous for doing so)...

So now I've sourced replacement parts, various necessary tools, the factory mechanic manual and watched various YT vids (incl car care nut) and am planning to replace parts myself on Fri/across the weekend 🙂

@donkmeister - I've bought hose pinch tools for the lower hoses going into the rad (which I understand are transmission fluid). Assume you replaced the fluid so didn't need to, but I don't want to enter into more complexity than I need to. Do you think I'll be OK with the pinch tools?

Believe radiator is original, so that's a great shout - thanks. Mileage is 112k and it's a 57 plate.

Hi all,

At the weekend, my '07 LS460 was emitting a reasonable amount of steam from engine bay after a 2 hour motorway run (with engine temp creeping up in the short piece of town-driving after motorway).

Seems that a coolant leak had developed. Engine bay rather wet. Got a breakdown person out to it who was pretty confident that I have a failed Water Bypass Gasket. 

So I'm curious on a few fronts:

• Has anyone else experienced this?
• Would you advise I get anything else done at the same time this is being fixed?
• Breakdown person thought it was quite an easy fix - is he correct?

As a bonus, if anyone has any recommendations re: mobile mechanic services (Kent-based) that could help with this, that'd be amazing. Having a struggle finding any company that even answers its phones!

You could also fit a system like the GROM Vline 2 which effectively upgrades the factory navigation unit  and touchscreen to have full Android 'tablet' functionality (as well as Android Auto and CarPlay). NB though - it won't update any factory screens (incl climate etc...) to English language, just give you an English language option for music and navigation.

You'd want to make sure that it connects to a Japanese car as easily as it does to a UK one by speaking to their support team, but it's a great system (just don't accidentally 'saw' into airbag wiring when installing it. as I recently did)...

Had some time to take a further look at things on the weekend:

- Boot was indeed because I'd accidentally pressed the trunk lock in the glovebox (as Exdee suggested). Doh.

- Another strange issue I was experiencing (couldn't control rear blinds from front) was because I'd not properly plugged relevant cable back in. Doh again.

- Airbag issue persists, despite disconnecting Battery for 10 mins.

Re: airbag, the code being thrown is a B1816 which means, 'Open In Front Passenger Side Squib 2nd Step Circuit'.

Are there any resources through which I could find out where the wiring for that circuit is? Would help me in narrowing down what I could take another look at (or get someone more accomplished to take a look at)?

Thanks for all help so far - much appreciated!

16 minutes ago, Razor61 said:

Mmmmh, not familiar with the LS460 but I had an issue with the electrics and ECU’s on my 1998 LS400. I did something while driving which confused the electronics, central locking didn’t work, most of the windows wouldn’t work, steering adjustment didn’t work plus other bits. Disconnecting the battery for 5 mins and connecting again reset everything and all was good after. It will have reset the numerous body ECU’s that were confused by what I did.
Maybe installing the Grom thing has had a similar effect and disconnecting the battery for a while and reconnecting will sort it, if not already done and if it’s ok to do this on an LS460 without causing any issues.

Thanks very much - that's good to know. It's entirely possible I confused the car with what I did. Definitely confused myself with it at points 🙂

Haven't tried disconnecting Battery, but it's on the list!

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

I can attest to that as I used my little knowledge to install a GROM Vline 2 in my 07 LS460.

It was a partial success in that the system is working and is great.

It was a small disaster in that I have:

- Triggered a dashboard warning for my SRS Passenger Airbag

- Somehow made it impossible to open my boot via any button (now have to use manual key slot)

I think I must have either:

- Blown a fuse (though I've looked up fuses and can't find any that obviously fit the bill)

- Cut / pinched some wiring (not impossible as I manipulated glovebox a little, which has an airbag panel in it)

So I've got a some questions.

A general one - Is anyone as dense as I am (with experience of having done similar and fixed it)?

A more specific one to help me troubleshoot - When you turn your LS, do both passenger airbag lights illuminate (i.e. 'Passenger Airbag disabled' and 'Passenger Airbag enabled, adults only')? Mine both illuminate at first, and I'm not sure if that's new.

Best,

Oli

Hi all,

I'm considering selling my x5 rare silver LS460 wheels (in favour of standard SE-L five spokes) and am open to reasonable offers. NB Wheels could use a refurb particularly one of them (although the spare is spotless) - happy to arrange that myself if desired. I'm based in London.

I'd never seen them on any other LS, so originally assumed that they're aftermarket. However, they're actually OEM (here's a link to the chrome versions - https://parts.lexus.com/p/Lexus_2008_LS-600h-L/19-In-15-Spoke-Chrome-Finished-Alloy-Wheels/69520987/0845750810.html)

Wheels are part number: 08457-50812

Here's a shot of my car with them (happy to provide more):

Here's a shot of the Ls600hl Neiman Marcus Launch Edition with the chrome versions:

Don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions etc.. 

Best,

Oli

4 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

any good ?  

 

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately not, no - have encountered that video on my travels but it isn't for my type of wiper blade. 

Hi all, 

Sorry to start another 'wiper blades' topic... 

Despite many efforts and some research, I still have no idea how to remove my LS 460's wiper blades. 

The current blades seem to be a less normal type. They have a small section that opens above what I think is the hook. I open that but can get no further - can't find a button or tab to press in, can't slide blades along, can't find any videos of similar blades and don't know what this type of blade is called...!

Could anyone point me in the right direction, before I admit defeat and take car to Halfords? 

Best, 

Oli

3 minutes ago, GS3UK said:

My car drives and idles perfectly , however it will not engage gears 4,5 and 6. Smooth changes from 1, 2 and 3 and that's it ! so limited to 35ish mph 

Error codes suggesting shift solenoid C , had this changed and refilled twice of fluid but still the same issue . No longer shift solenoid error code

Was advised to swap gearbox but after reading many forums it seems it could be faulty ECU and so im in the process of trying this before either swapping the gearbox or something else more costly 

If all else fails, move to London - you won't be able to get anywhere near 35mph regardless 😉

Got an update from Lexus dealer slightly earlier - they've advised that my solenoid issue (though code reports it as being solenoid C) is actually with an S3 solenoid... Not that I'm sure what difference that makes. Hopefully it'll be cheaper to remedy, but I somehow doubt it...

Best of luck with your issue!

On 1/4/2022 at 5:24 PM, GS3UK said:

It will be an expensive job !

Any update on this ?

Ive been having the same issue , error was shift solenoid C and so i first did a drain and refill of the gearbox fluid and this did not cure it after which i had it booked in with a gearbox specialist who advised that changing the solenoid may not cure or may just cure it for a while this was because there was a lot of metal shavings in the drain pan and so i took the risk of changing the solenoid anyway 

After doing this the garage have said that the fault is still there ! and that it is from the actual moving parts and so a full strip is needed to see what the fault is ...

So its either that or a used gearbox if wanting to keep the car 

I've got the same issue (code being thrown for Shift Solenoid C). Car currently in with Lexus (for second time, given I stupidly cleared the codes ahead of the first time). Will see how many zillions of pounds they tell me it'll be to fix.

How does your issue manifest itself? My '08 GS300 drives perfectly, apart from behaving like it's in a high gear just after starting up when cold. That clears up within a minute or two, then it drives normally.

UPDATE:

I used a different OBD reader and have discovered some more codes... Felt strangely happy about that given I've been speaking to a couple of garages who suspected a transmission issue.

Codes are:

• PO430 - Bank 2 catalyst below threshold
• PO500 - Vehicle Speed Sensor Circuit Malfunction
• C1201 - Engine Control System Malfunction or ECM / TCM Malfunction
• C1241 - Low Battery Positive Voltage

I begin to think that all codes are related and causing my startup issue. I wonder if there's a problem with my brake actuator which is related to the speed sensor problem and that is triggering the ECU to enter a fail-safe condition, which means I can rev as much as I want while the car barely moves (until the car decides there isn't a problem any more, which is eventually does)....

I do think it's unlikely that my issue is transmission related - once car sorts itself out, it shifts totally normally. Issue is also intermittent.

Has anyone experienced anything at all like this? Though I've been looking over plenty of LS460s on AutoTrader, it'd probably be a lot more sensible to fix this car (and keep some optimism that I can, for the moment at least)....

Hi all, 

I have an odd issue - wondering if anyone else has experienced similar... 

For context, I currently have a P0430 code (bank 2 catalyst below threshold). It's the only code and repeats reasonably quickly if cleared. It's not a surprise as I was aware the cat was on its way out... 

My issue is that on a couple of occasions recently, I've started the car and it has been *really* low on power for a couple of minutes - i.e. I can rev to. 3000-4000 and barely move.

After a couple of mins and a bit of revving, the issue disappears and the car drives totally normally for the rest of the journey, whatever gear it's in... It also doesn't do this every time it has been started recently. Both times have been cold starts. 

Has anyone experienced similar? I've spoken to a couple of Lexus specialist garages over the phone. Both thought it wouldn't have been the cat, but was more likely transmission, or torque converter. 

Thanks all. Had it checked out and looks like Battery has gone bad - holding at 8.3 volts apparently. Given how many times it's drained recently, I can probably accept it's taken some damage...

3 hours ago, sorcerer said:

Was it installed correctly? Is it faulty?

Looking at it logically, if everything was alright before this was installed and things have only gone to hell in a handbasket since installation, then there's a strong chance it has something to do with that. You really need a multimeter at the very least to do some measurement and testing but I'm guessing that you haven't got one or you'd have given us the results of your tests. In the absence of that, I'd be inclined to go to a proper auto-electrician rather than a general garage or mechanic - auto electrics are a very strange beast to deal with.

Thanks very much - hadn't thought of that route, but it seems a very sensible one! Shall brace myself for yet more expense... :)

Hi all,

My MK3 GS300 has been having some issues recently, off the back of some cold weather and installation of a telematics box...

• Initially, it failed to start following a couple of weeks of not being used in cold weather - before that, I'd probably taken it on a few quite short trips with heated seats, windows etc..
• Following that, I used a Battery pack jump-starter to get it running and took it on a 1hr+ circuit to get some proper charge back into the Battery
• On a subsequent drive, a whining sound developed, along with burning smell and a hazy smoke came through the A/C vents
• Took it to a garage, who told me the alternator was shot and replaced it (at great expense)
• All seemed fine following that - two non eventful 2hr+ drives, until I tried to start it yesterday, after leaving for a week - same ticking and failure to start that I had at the very beginning of this process...

...which is just a little upsetting. Does anyone have any tips on resolving / probable cause. If there's a problem that is, for instance, draining my Battery and causing alternator damage, I'm not all that keen to repeat the above steps...! Battery is only a year old, btw - so shouldn't really be draining after a week...

Many thanks in advance..!

Hi all,

I wondered if anyone knows how to go about replacing an individual LED bulb in the GS300 MK3’s third brake light assembly?

Lots of vids on YouTube about the MK2 but can’t find any relating to the MK3.

Would be v grateful of any pointers :)

Ha, I've found similar, though all my issues to date have been with wheels / running gear - would be OK apart from the fact that the price is obviously multiplied by up to four (depending on how many corners are affected). Have had TPMS x3, shocks x4, brake pads x2, tyres x3 (x1 of those being to replace a brand new one, punctured by a nail). All ultimately wear and tear but never cheap!

Would love to be of more comfort, but TPMS valves have also been both tedious and expensive for me too. Got some replaced by Lexus (expensively) after some corrosion on the stems and tried to get another replaced by a branch of National Tyres on a separate occasion - they used a third party (fractionally less expensive) replacement which failed to work, so had to take that to Lexus to resolve too...! One of those things you just need to grin and bear I think - you will, at least, get rid of the warning light! :)

Pretty sure you will have TPMS. Deflate one of your tyres below 30psi or thereabouts and you'll find out :)

I'd transfer your sensors to your new wheels - TPMS is obviously handy, and you'll probably have an ever-present warning without them...

Based on my own experiences with my 123k mileage '06 model, have a look at / enquire about the shocks and tyre valves (TPMS means they're expensive and a pain to get anyone apart from Lexus to replace properly!).