arnaudfabs

Hello everyone,

I am encountering an issue lately with my LS400 when i insert the key and try to start the car.

1 time out of 20 or 30 tries the car won't start and I hear a metal click sound coming from the starter. A friend of mine told me it was the solenoid. Another "friend" who works at a repair shop confirmed this.

I searched for help and found a video on how to change the starter but it looks really hard since the starter is really hard to reach (below the engine on the far side)

Anyway, my car starts randomly and I noticed that sometimes the car starts without any problem after the stereo is activated. The first friend told me that there might be a conflict with that anti-theft alarm.

Is it something anyone know about?

Could it just be the starter?

Thanks for your help!

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

how many miles do you have on the car? starters are commonly replaced at around the 150-200k depending on usage. it does sound like the starter is going bad unfortunately, and yes the entire intake manifold needs to come off to replace it (big job).

i would check to make sure your battery terminals are tight first before venturing into starter territory.

arnaudfabs

Last time it went to the repair shop they wrote down 144,000 miles (my dashboard screen does not work)

Last time they wanted to charge me $3000 to change the MAF, 4 injectors and the ECU. I search and found the ECU capacitor leaks and fixed it. (it was 4-5 months ago), saved $3k

The car just started again tonight, i posted today because i gave up trying today and hearing that metal click was painful

I can't do that job by myself as i have almost no tools and no garage.

I am going to check the baterry and make sure they are tight enough, thanks @timmy0tool

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

it is a big job, but it is NOT a difficult job for a DIY person.. if you have it done, replace the starter if YOU do it, replace the solenoid contacts, mine have lasted over 6 years, starts like new.. you need to be alert not a super mechanic...

jaaa

I'd also take a good look(personally I'd just change it) at the egr pipe at the same time the starter is changed out. All steps necessary to change it out is already done. My starter and EGR pipe went out within 1k miles of each other.

arnaudfabs

I know i could do it I found the tutorial for it and a couple videos and i have the time for that job and a friend who is willing to help me at his house with space and tools. The thing is i am really unsure if it is the starter or solenoid. I do hear the metal click when it fails to start but it does start randomly. Yesterday, it started twice with no problem.

Could it be the ignition key switch that has a problem?

I do not want to be doing this big job and realize afterwards that it did not fix the problem

jaaa

When my starter started to go out, it just got progressively worse. Started with first try was one click. Then it started. Went to two clicks, five clicks, ten, 22. You get the picture. When I got up to 47, I was scared the car would get stuck at some random store, so I changed it out. Normally, you have to make sure it isn't a bad battery, or connections right at the battery. I changed out my battery with a known good one before I just changed out the starter. But, everything you have said sounds like a classic starter going bad. They aren't that expensive and I just bought a new one for the install.

arnaudfabs

@Jaaa thank you for your post, it did not fall on deaf ears

Im sure as most of us, i am trying to manage the money i will spent for this awesome car, so i know i will have to do something, either change it now or when i have no other option. For now, surprisingly, it does start every time again... Why? i can't tell...

I am also facing, since yesterday another problem that came back to bite me, the ECU i replaced for leaking capacitors is failing and my car does not run well anymore... I took it out and saw the leaks... it's never ending!

arnaudfabs

Could it be the starter relay or the transmission safety relay?

Yamae

Judging from your 1st statement, you only have replaced only 1 capacitor. There are totally 6 QAS capacitors in your 96 ECU and you need to replace them all.

arnaudfabs

Yamae! I bought a used ECU that worked for 5 months. Now i have a new problem with the starter and trying to fix this before i go on to work on the ECU again. I do plan on replacing the 6 capacitors this time instead of buying another ECU.

btw, i posted on the huge thread talking about the capacitors leaks 2 weeks ago, i went to chose the 6 capacitors online and asked if they were the right one, but no one replied fr now. I want to buy them and do the job but i want to be sure the links i posted are for the right caps.

Here it is: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...acitor-89.html

Thanks

Yamae

As far as LScowboy has investigated, he wasn't able to find any ECUs that were fixed using good capacitors. Yours may be so too.

At the moment, all I can say is that use the recommended capacitors in the 1st post. Many people were saying happy using those. I can't say any without evaluating new capacitors.

valex

My '99LS has 220K miles. Recently I started having this problem - when I turn the key to start it, it clicks once and doesn't crank, silence. I turn the key back(counter-clock) a bit and try starting it again and it starts normally, if I shut the engine and try starting it again and it cranks slowly. I seems like its only the first time in the morning when it happens, no problem with subsequent starts during the day.
Is it the starter failing? How soon do I have to change it before I cannot start it?
Alternator was changed long time ago at 106K miles, battery is less than a year old and has 16K miles on it.

If it is the starter, what other thing would you do while having the manifold off?
Is the solenoid an integral part of reman starter or sold separately?

Thanks,
Val

RA40

iTrader: (6)

No set number, you'll only get some many starts before it gives up. Could be 1 could be 20+, either way get it fixed ASAP.

valex

Ordering a Denso reman from Rockauto, anything else you would replace/do , considering the age and mileage as preventive measure, since lots of parts will have to come out to reach the starter? '99LS 220K miles.
Throttle body gasket? Clean it at least real good, clean everything I take out...