rdwarr

Hi,

I have a 1996 GS300 Sport which has been extremely reliable in the eight years I've been its proud owner. However, coming home from a meeting today the dash lit up like a Christmas tree so I pulled into a garage. Having stopped the car wouldn't restart as if the Battery was flat.

Anyway, the guy who turned out to rescue me diagnosed a faulty alternator as only 10.5V was going into the Battery before recovering me the 25 miles home and charging me £200 (fortunately I can claim it back).

Any ideas where I can get a decent recon alternator for this or is the choice simply between new and used? Is there a chance it could be anything else other than the alternator?

Of course I had the annual service and MOT last week!

Many thanks for any advice.

I can't close my bonnet :o

It just bounces back up again like I've pulled the release cable. I've had a look inside the catch and it appears that there's a small spring that's broken in there - presumably the one that holds it closed.

I have no idea what to do next. Any ideas on who may be able to fix it?

Many thanks.

Hi rdwarr,

How did you get on with the Radiator?

Well, it's all OK now :)

Probably took about four hours on and off over the weekend. The worst bits were the spring clips on the hoses which took ages to get off and the transmission fluid leaking everywhere, especially as I hadn't tightened a nut on properly. Plus the cost of the coolant.

Best bits was the self-bleeding, the cost of the radiator and the fact that I actually managed to finish the job; first time I've worked on the car in six years!

Hi rdwarr,

How did you get on with the Radiator?

Thanks for asking.

It's down as a project for the coming weekend :) I'll let you know how it all goes though.

oh by the way the system is self bleeding i spent an hour looking for the bleed screw at the highest point before i had to ask so just pour the coolant in run and top up

Thanks, hadn't thought of that.

I thought it may be an idea to give it a flushing out and renew the coolant if it's dirty. Is there anything special I should be putting in there or just a mix of water and antifreeze?

EDIT : Oops - just noticed the mention of the Toyota Forlife product. I'll use that or similar.

Austin,

Thanks for the really helpful reply. I'll make a start tonight. I love tinkering with cars but the GS300 rarely needs anything doing to it. Be a good warm-up for getting my Jag XJS nice though :)

Hi,

My 1996 GS300 Sport has a leaky radiator. It was recored about four years back but is now in "full spray" mode again. Car is approaching 100,000 miles and this is the only thing ever to go wrong.

I've bought a new one from AZMotors on eBay and am trying to decide whether to fit it myself or consign the job to my local (non-Lexus) garage. Has anybody done one of these or does anybody know how easy it is?

I'd describe myself as an "average home mechanic" with a decent toolkit. Any tips gratefully received!

I finally got my wheels put on and they've totally revived the look of the car (I har worn, buckled standard alloys on before). Still not sure if I prefer them in Chrome:

or Silver:

What's your preference? It may be nice to have a matched set, but few people notice otherwise!

Thanks, Rob, that's s good tip. It has been a bit damp in there. I'll give it an airing with a hairdryer :)

I have a Mk1 GS300 Sport with the standard 12-disc changer. Whenever I try to access the CD Player the display jus comes up with "Err". The CDs seem to load OK from the caddy, but I get the error regardless of how many CDs are in there, or which positions in the deck are full or empty.

Any ideas what could cause this? If it is the autochanger, is it possible to fit another unit (different make) in its place but retain the other excellent components of the stereo?

Or I can record them all onto cassette ;)

One did play a few days ago but it was Robbie Williams so no use at all. Even that one won't play now.

Jac,

Thanks for the note - I can see where you were coming from but obviously needed to clear things up - was getting a bit "complex" :)

Mudz,

Reason for not putting these on was that I came across the Team Dynamics set which I quite liked. I'd also seen some scare stories on tyre wear here since joining and am running the car on a budget for a while.

Been getting lots of questions tonight including a nice comment from the current high bidder. One person has suggested I take the tyre off to see if the rim is buclked and take some photos of it. Is this a good idea?

Sorry Jac, why is it so hard to believe that I'm telling the truth???

I did say "I'm currently running on two round and two square wheels and am waiting to fit a set of Team Dynamics ones I got cheap on eBay." I still have them on the car - they are all 18x8 wheels. You're welcome to come round and check.

I said that I had never had the older 10" wheel on the car. I never have. Are you suggesting that I've been running around with ONE 10" on it?

For the record I have the following wheels:

2x 8x18 Lexus Square - On car

2x 8x18 Lexus Round - On car

2x 10x18 Lexus - on eBay

4x 8x18 Team Dynamics - waiting to fit

I also have an eBay profile of 790 with 100% positive feedback. I am NOT tryting to con anyone here and resent any accusation to that effect.

I'd hate anybody to be disappointed and will do what I can to make sure that doesn't happen. Let's stick together here.

Mudz, no problem. Wasn't sure of the protocol here but am an eBay pro.

It would be worth asking to view them before bidding. The old one does look damaged although it may just be the picture/corrosion that makes it look that way.

I don't have a problem with that at all. Anybody is more than welcome to come round for a chat and a look, or I can do more photos if required.

i think he stands a lot better chance of selling them as a pair

Obviously. I was advised to that effect here. However, if the older wheel is revealed to be totally beyond redemption then I may relist as a single item.

the crap one as well ,buyer beware me thinks

As stated, I've never run that wheel and don't know its true condition. Bid accordingly, but it doesn't deserve a slagging off.

I had to have mine recored after it failed spectacularly on the M25. Was possibly due to leaves collecting in the area in front of the rad, (so good idea to keep it clear folks).

I think I was charged £300 for the replacement plus fitting.

I did have a warranty which covered the radiator. However it didn't cover damage due to water! Tip - don't bother buying warranties.

I filled mine up with Helium. Trouble is, my car keeps floating off now :winky:

I'm not convinced of their virtue myself. I've had trouble finding good tyres for the 8" rims (currently on Avons) and have heard some scare stories about the 275/35s.

Still, if you're not doing a high mileage it must look great :)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?vie...item=2465429571

Wonder what the reserve was? I know Lexus charge a lot for these but £150 for one wheel on eBay can't be bad

That "first drive home" feeling is wonderful, isn't it?

I'd take the wheels to a good tyre place to have the balancing checked and get a report on "roundness" (I'm sure there's a technical term for it). I'm currently running on two round and two square wheels and am waiting to fit a set of Team Dynamics ones I got cheap on eBay.

Only other tip is to keep the radiator area clear of leaves, especially down the front. I let a few build up once and the radiator rusted through.

Some guy in Welwyn has got my plate, R1 CKW.

On a Chrysler Voyager!!!

I'll dig it out of the shed and check it out for condition. From what I remember there was a decent-looking P Zero on it.

It's my first post here, so I'll start with a bit of history. I've had my P-Reg GS300 Sport for just over three years now. When I bought it I took it to Lexus for a service. They described two of the wheels as "square" so I bought a couple of new ones from them (8.5x18 all round although the spare was a 10"!).

Now I have one out of shape and one buckled again. Vibration is very noticeable in the 60-70mph band. I bought a set (I say "set", there are two chrome and two silver) of Team Dynamics Goodwood alloys (same size) and am looking to fit them now.

Does anybody have experience of these or a similar make? Is it worth getting the old ones sorted out to sell? I'll end up with 5 8.5" and one 10" in various states of repair.

I'm currently running Avon ZZR tyres which seemed cheap for a "proper make" compared with Michelin and Pirelli. Seem very good but don't go out in the snow! Have previously had Dunlops (not good) and Michelin (good if you can get them cheap) on there.

Many thanks - hope to help out other members in the future.