MUDGUTS

This subject comes up every year. Every motoring website has a similar thread. I have seen lots of overpriced screen wash for sale everywhere from Halfords to Tesco & various filling stations. The only ready-mixed screen wash that seems to be good value is the stuff from Lidl: If you can get it. Alternatively you can mix your own. The information below will hopefully help those who are prepared to help themselves. I have read over & over again that German screen wash products are very good, so thats either the ready-mixed type in small bottles from Porsche or VAG or the concentrated type that has a vessel at the top to measure the required quantity. Two appear to be very good value: Sonax Einszett Kristallklar Either product works out about 30 pence per litre when mixed with water which is fine for summer use. When it comes to winter, all you have to do, when you mix up a load in your 5 litre container, is add some Ethanol / IPA / Isopropyl Alcohol / Isopropanol (Chemists will explain the difference, Im pretty sure for the purpose of screen wash they are all fine). See below for suitable concentrations. I got mine from eBay & it worked out about £2.50 per litre, so even at 40% concentration, when combined with Sonax Clear View or Einszett Kristall Klar its around £1.30 per Litre. That would be good down to -23 oC 10% Ethanol = Freezing point of -4 oC 20% Ethanol = Freezing point of -9 oC 30% Ethanol = Freezing point of -15 oC 40% Ethanol = Freezing point of -23 oC 50% Ethanol = Freezing point of -32 oC 60% Ethanol = Freezing point of -37 oC I hope this info helps folk avoid paying excessive amounts for that blue water.

EML was on again this morning, once I was out of the drive I had a go at selecting gears manually. The car would not go into '2'. As I pressed the buttons on the steering wheel I got two short bleeps each time I tried. Later on after a couple of miles, it was possible to use all the gears. When I got home from a short journey and scanned this time just P0763 (Shift Solenoid C, Electrical). I've cleared it.

From what I have read & understand of this issue it should still be down to Lexus to sort this out. 1) A Lexus technician carried out some recall work but did something incorrectly. 2) Lexus have put this right but in doing so, if you are correct, another fault has developed as a result of this work. Although the customer service is good, Lexus still have a lot to learn, I believe. Check out my tale of woe from years ago (below). To cut the whole story short Lexus MK did quite a bit of work and in the end could not diagnose the issue. (It was a clamp on the fuel line, affecting the fuel pressure) someone in the US LOC suggested this & in the end an independent found it after merely checking the pressure. When I complained to Lexus GB I got the brush off. They were quite patronising in fact and as the car had little service history with them I didn't have much of a chance in challenging this. The moral of the story is to give 100% clear instructions as to what they should do. If necessary include the phrase 'please check and carry out xxx in accordance with Manufacturers specifications and procedures'. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/73960-1997-ls-400-wont-rev-beyond-4000/

Thanks, it shifts ok and has those buttons on the steering wheel to change up and down manually, they also work perfectly, however I have observed it never goes down to '1'... Up and down through the gears 2 -5 ok otherwise. I think I read that this is normal. I have a quote from Lexus to drop the pan and change the filter etc. and check the solenoids at the same time, so I might well have to do this and have that solenoid replaced. As always, I'll keep you all informed.

Thanks Colin, I'm going to monitor this. If it becomes a problem I'll have to let Lexus deal with it, will have them change the filter etc. at the same time.

Yep level is good. Checked today. It looked very slightly low after a run, so I added about 75-100ml of type 4 then went for another run and checked again, this time it looked slightly high so I think the level is fairly good.

Hi Colin, I'm going to re-check this, this afternoon but I'm pretty sure that unless it's lost any (no signs on the drive) it will be 100%. Each time I drained (always cold) via the sump plug on the Transmission pan, I measured what I had drained and put in exactly the same amount. After a few weeks of doing this I did one final check and it was OK. The level was good before I started this process.

Hi, I have a 2004 GS 300 with about 135,000 miles on it, reasonably new to me. A month ago at the start of a trip across town the EML came on, I ran a scan for codes after driving a few miles and got P0763 (Shift Solenoid C, Electrical). I completed the journey and then after parking up for five minutes when I switched the car back on the EML was off. When I got home I cleared the code and all was well until yesterday when it came on again. I cleared it again and drove the car for a trip into the country and back but today it's back on. This time when I scanned I have: P0763 (Shift Solenoid C, Electrical) & P0715 (Input / Turbine Speed Sensor A Circuit). Incidentally the day before the light came on the first two occasions I have had the car jacked up and have been working on the rear brakes. It has occurred to me that when I have tightened the wheel nuts after refitting the wheels that by the wheel rotating slightly whilst off the ground it's triggered something in the transmission. This could be a coincidence though. The P0715 first came on today. Looking for a bit of info. The car drives OK. Sometimes it's noticeable that you have to rev slightly when first starting off before the transmission takes up the drive but other than that it's fine. ATF has been drained and refilled 2 litres at a time a few months back, it's in good condition now. What's the worst that could happen?

I cannot imagine why Lexus do not recommend changing the Diff oil. There has been some talk on various forums about changing the Transmission fluid but that's another matter. I recently changed the Diff oil on my GS 300. There are some notes in the owners manual about what grade to use, references to a sticker on the diff, etc. Mine didn't have that. I used 2 Litres Fuchs TITAN SINTOPOID SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Oil, it was about £24. I used new seals / washers that cost a couple of quid from Snows Motor Group. If you are doing the job yourself, it's just possible to get under the car to the Diff if you can raise the rear by a couple of inches. My garage floor is slightly lower than the drive so I just parked the car with the rear wheels on the drive and as the floor is lower I could squeeze in without any jacking / axle stands. Make sure you release the full plug before draining and you will need bottles with those pointy ends on or a syringe to put the new oil in. It takes about 1.4 litres but get 2 to allow for spillage etc.

Not wishing to appear sad, I'll answer my own post for the benefit of anyone else who finds this. I bought the fitting kit from brakeparts.co.uk. For the front there are a total of 8 clips and 4 springs. I bought some discounted brake cleaner & grease from Eurocarparts on a 'click and collect'. I used a combination of the brake cleaner, wire and soft brushes to clean everything and used some Lithium grease for the Calipers pins. It was just a case of taking everything apart and after cleaning and greasing the Calipers pins, reassembly. One thing I would advise is to take some pictures of them before you strip the brakes so that you can be in no doubt as to how it all goes together and also buy plenty of brake cleaner.

Hi all, I'm planning a (front) brake service on my 2004 GS 300. A while ago I had new discs & pads fitted to the front as the old discs were quite warped. One of the things mentioned at the time was that I could get a 'Fitting Kit'...there are little springs fitted with the pads and they are either worn or weak etc. and the pads can move more than usual in the calliper creating a clunking sound when I apply brakes after reversing or vice versa. I've noticed the clunks at other times also. I plan on getting the fitting kit and some brake cleaner and giving them a good clean at the same time. I have some Copper grease. Any suggestions as to where best to get the fitting kit from and what is in it: Those little springs, I guess. Also any other advice as to how to proceed with this or is it just a case of stripping down and rebuilding.

Thanks Gents. I've asked Lexus to quote for replacement. Their quote for the O2 sensors was quite high and in the end I did them myself. I think this job however is a Royal PITA so can't see myself doing it. Fuel consumption is quite good and it runs very well.

Hi, I have a printout of the service history (Lexus Oxford) for my 2004 GS 300. By the look of it the Spark Plugs were changed at 68,000 miles. The service at that time was a 'Full 60,000 miles / 4 Year Service'. The car is now on 133,000 miles and runs well. Under the bonnet is a sticker stating that only Iridium Spark Plugs must be used. As the service was at a Lexus dealer I guess these were fitted. What I'm interested in is the lifetime of these plugs. Any advice welcome, I plan on keeping the car for another 40,000 miles.

Quick update: I traded the old bird in last month for a GS 300. Sad to see her go.

As predicted the EML came back on after about 30 miles. So I checked and the fault code for the heater circuit on bank 1, sensor 2 was there. I've fitted the second sensor today. When I checked the resistance of this one it was 16.7 Ohm. As before I checked and cleared the single fault code first and this time I don't expect it to come back. Hope this thread is of use to someone who passes by looking for info. Thanks again for your help, Colin. The job is quite easy, provided you have the right tools. Finally, shame on the local (Northampton & Daventry) garages who just couldn't be bothered to email me with a price for this job. Consequently I did it myself and proved how simple it is. They have lost income as a result.

The sensor has arrived. Yesterday I gave the old one a quick tweek using the special socket and 45cm breaker bar and it came loose quite easily so I replaced it today. The first thing I did with the new one (branded Walker, £72) was check the resistance of the heater circuit (pins connected to the black wires). It was 16 Ohm, so within spec as described by Colin above. I checked again for codes, and they were both there, so I cleared them. Incidentally some fault code readers can set off the VSC & TRC lights. I found some info as below and cleared them also, see pic. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/84168-vsc-light/?p=837673 The new sensor came with some clips for the cable and a small sachet of copper grease. It was easy to fit. I checked again for codes afterwards and they were BOTH gone but I would expect the code for O2 Heater Circuit Bank One, Sensor 2 (P0141) to come back on in the future, as I know that sensor heater circuit is open.

Thanks for the input Colin, I've ordered a Bank 1 Sensor 1 sensor from Eco Lambda: http://www.ecolambda.co.uk/main/ecosale/price.pl?item=250-24137 This is the easiest of the two to get to and I have the special socket and a large breaker bar on the way. I'm also getting a Butane torch to get some heat on the area if I have to. Assuming it all goes well and the fault clears I may well give the resistor fix a try as the cost will be so low. If that doesn't work I will look into changing the other sensor. Will keep you all informed.

I was thinking, before I go ahead and replace these, as it's only the heater circuit in each sensor that has failed (verified by fault codes and checked with a multimeter as open circuit), could I just join the heater circuit wires up to fool the ECU and clear the fault code? I've heard about O2 Sensor resistance values of 12 Ohm, is this for the actual sensor or the heater? Even if that were the case, could I buy a 12 Ohm resistor from Maplin and put that in?

I fixed a squeak on my old LS 400 using talcum powder. I just dropped a little on the offending area then wiped away the excess.

Thanks for this info Dave, I'll have a word with a local parts supplier, Denso seems to come up in search results quite often, so I think these could be a reasonably priced alternative to the Lexus originals.

Excellent advice Colin, I tested the resistance at the plug. I used the two black wires. Both o2 sensors indicated open circuit. Given that the sensors are quite easy to access, I'm going to replace them myself. What I'm looking for now is a reccomendation as to where to source. Obviously Lexus will be quite expensive.

Sadly the light is back on. I'm going to live with this for a while and monitor fuel consumption, which seems OK at the moment. I'll keep you all informed.

Thanks very much for the info Colin. Incidentally I needed to have the Battery replaced this morning as the old one was flat again (RAC checked it and discovered one cell was not working and it was not taking a charge) anyway... I've no idea why but the Check Engine Light has now gone out. I don't know if this could be related to the battery change, in any case I checked again for fault codes and discovered none. The VSC light and another were triggered by this but I managed to clear them by bridging the two pins as in the guide by TigerFish. I'll keep an eye on this and report back. I'll probable end up getting it looked at.

Hi, I've recently bought a 2004 GS 300. Before that I had an LS 400. I'm impressed and it's running well apart from the Check Engine light. I used a code scanner to find the codes: P0135 & P0141 fault codes (O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Bank 1 Sensor 1 / 2) I've cleared these but the light has come back on as I expected. My question is about a fuse for these sensor heaters? I've done a bit of research on the web and suspect it's something common like a fuse but I can't find any reference to where this could be. If I can rule this out them I'm left with a wiring problem. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

...still going strong at 201,000 miles Going to break or scrap it before the MOT is due in September.