ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion - LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006)

Headlight Lens Replacement

Ralo14 — Tue, 26 May 2026 05:37:37 GMT

I'm looking for input from people who have done the job. If you did not use the Lexus replacement, what brand did you use? How did it hold up?

Have a really interesting one I can�t seem to find anyone else deal with

Carrolldudde — Mon, 25 May 2026 16:19:49 GMT

I have a 2002 LS 430. The only way my AC will work with the auto button being held. It drops my RPMs down and fluctuates RPMs. When I�m driving holding the auto button, the car is sluggish and hesitates.

If I let go of the auto button, it immediately shut the compressor off. When AC is blowing, it is ice cold.

Freon is not low.

I have a new AC compressor, pressure switch, relay, VVT solenoids camshaft positioning sensor. Just had a new check engine light come on for o2 sensor.

Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Help Diagnosing Whirring Sound 2002 Lexus LS430

gospel — Mon, 25 May 2026 09:57:10 GMT

Whirring sound near front area of engine that I can't figure out where it's coming from. Was hoping a different set of ears or anyone familiar with this noise on the LS430 can help me figure it out before I pay for a diagnosis at a mechanic. (broke college student)

Work I did before was install oil pan & transmission spacers, and an oil change. During installation of the spacers, existing power steering leak must have flexed making the leak huge. At the time I thought it was old oil pooled from an oil leak I used to have that spilled by moving the engine so I started up the car to clean and it sounded normal. It only started making the whirring noise the next morning and that's when I saw the huge pool of ps fluid. I don't know if ps fluid got on the alternator but a bit got on the serpentine belt (Ran a test, don't think that's the cause).

What I fixed/tested already:
-Replaced power steering reservoir, suction hose, and hose for return line.
-Made sure to turn wheel to get rid of any air and topped the fluid as it dropped.
-Don't see loose panels/parts vibrating and engine oil/ps levels are good.
-Took off serpentine belt and started car. Whirring still there but maybe a bit faster and slightly higher pitched?

Notes:
-Loudest near serpentine belt area/drivers side wheel.
-Whirring speeds up with rpms.
-Turning the wheel does not affect the sound.

What I believe it to be:
1. Timing belt (pretty close to where it's loudest)
2. Power Steering Pump (maybe fried by starting it w/o enough fluid but idk how a failing ps pump sounds)

Attached Files

Pulley Area Looks Normal.mov (4.73 MB)

Whirring Still Without Belt.mov (928.3 KB)

Whirring Sound.mov (2.31 MB)

Sound Changes w RPMS.mov (1.46 MB)

Fixing proximity unlock ("smart access") feature? Door handles interchangeable?

Badgedeletr — Mon, 25 May 2026 04:38:29 GMT

I have a Facelift UL model, with smartkey. All smartkey functions work fine *including smart access* (i.e. the feature where if you have the key in your pocket and put your hand in the handle the vehicle unlocks) EXCEPT FOR the driver's door. On the other three doors, if I have the key in my pocket and walk up to them, it unlocks on its own. If I press the black square button on the door after exiting, it locks the door. On the driver's door it is unable to unlock when I put my hand in the handle, amd it does not respond when I press the black square on the door. I've identified the apparent part number from another forum:89783-50082 AMPLIFIER, TRANSPONDER KEY W(SMART KEY SYSTEM), however this part is $$. Has anyone had this issue and resolved it? Does anyone know if all handles are the same and therefore interchangeable? As in, can I simply switch one of the less frequently used handles (e.g. rear driver's side) with the driver's handle? Thanks

Any DIY instructions for replacing antenna base?

smbstyle — Sun, 24 May 2026 19:58:30 GMT

Welp the dealer broke off the antenna when it went in for a brake fluid exchange, likely when it got their "complementary car wash" and messed up the antenna base, so its gonna need replacement. Didnt realize it was broken until today, a few weeks later, when I went to wash it and noticed its missing (and seeing my driveway cam I left for the dealer with the antenna installed, and came back with it gone).

Im very OCD about keeping everything original so I dont want to put a shark fin cover over it, and would like to replace it with another OEM unit. From what I see its just 2 screws and a clip underneath, however it looks like the rear section of the headliner needs to get lowered... any tips or tricks from anyone who has removed/replaced this in the past?

Keyless Start Can Turn The Car On With-Out Key

WansLS — Sun, 24 May 2026 09:20:37 GMT

Hi Team,

I'm trying to work out if this is a normal thing or if I have something broken/missing on my 2003 pre-facelift LS430.

It is an Australian delivered vehicle with Keyless Entry / Start and I thought everything worked OK but today I learned that something odd is going on.

If the vehicle is already unlocked - WITHOUT the key in your pocket or the key anywhere near the car it can be turned onto ACC and you can crank the engine but not start it. It DOES give the "Key Not Detected" warning but everything still works (except actually starting the car).

SO, that means that if by some chance I left the vehicle unlocked anyone could jump in and turn it onto ACC, run the radio and AC ( though of course it won't cool) and wind down windows, open sunroof etc.

Is this normal or should the ignition switch be locked unless the vehicle detects the key? Today I had the battery disconnected due to unrelated repairs and I checked - even with the battery disconnected you can turn the ignition switch!

This does not seem like normal behaviour but maybe I just don't know the car well enough. I guess no one can start the car and drive it away but I would have expected the ignition switch to be locked unless you had the key.

Anyone shed some light on this one?

Keep in mind this is a pre-facelift and I don't know if the keyless system in the post-facelift works the same way.

Cheers! :)

2002 LS430 p0300 - p0309 after timing belt change

tdsilk — Sat, 23 May 2026 17:42:26 GMT

Hello,

I hope someone is able to point me in the right direction on this issue. Here's the situation...
My friend has a 2002 ls430 that was running just fine and they asked me to change the timing belt.
My skill level is basically that of a DIYer that can figure out most auto repair issues watching YT videos.
I found a few video that I used to do the job and after setting the the CR to TDC and the LCAM and RCAM
marks appropriately all was well.

That said, after adding putting everything back together I constantly get a CEL w/ P0300 - P0309
misfires on all 8 cylinders after about 30 seconds then it cuts off. It will usually restart after the
codes are cleared, but the same issue reappears.

So far I have run a smoke test for leaks (none were detected) and checked the plugs and coils.
Not sure what else could be causing the issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Custom metal fenders!!!

04LS430518 — Sat, 23 May 2026 10:35:35 GMT

Here is teaser pick of the fenders I had made for my car they are on there way back and should be here Tuesday

Huge huge shout out to Sal the owner of sarona for getting these done and doing such an amazing job.

They are OEM fenders that where modified so no flimsy garbage fiberglass that does not fit correctly, these are metal OEM fenders.

Part number for rear door handle clip?

funcrusher — Thu, 21 May 2026 20:08:58 GMT

This is the drivers side rear door on my 06. Lexuspartsnow is having a Memorial Day sale so I wanted to get it in my moonlight pearl color, but I only see FRONT door handle parts. Anyone know the correct part # I need? I believe I have to buy the entire door handle

Can't find sports rear sway bar 4881250130

wmbinford — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:49:23 GMT

Searched the web (for hours) and the forums. 2006 LS 430

Any help appreciated. Found the bushings.

LS430 Pulling Knock Sensor Codes

newmannoah1 — Wed, 20 May 2026 21:17:59 GMT

2001 LS430 idles great, when i give it like 1/4 throttle it pulls a knock sensor code and cuts power quite a bit. Just replaced knock sensors and same issue, any ideas?

P2610 & C1201 Codes

LatinLS430 — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:49:03 GMT

I was driving home and the TRAC OFF light came on and then the Check Engine light and the car drove fine all the way home.
Went to Autozone and got the codes P2610 and C1201.

I searched and P2610 didn't pop up for the LS 430. There was a tread with the LS 460 and the OP replaced the battery.
I checked my battery and it was 12.7 with engine off and 13.6 with engine running. The battery is 1 yr old from Costco.

I disconnected the negative last night and the light didn't come on this morning on my way to work.

Engine Won't Spin After Water Pump

430Project — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:26:01 GMT

I try not to post too much on this forum now because I believe there are lots of people who need help more than I do, but I'm now clueless on what to do, so I would like some help.

Just to catch everyone up to speed on my project. I bought my LS430 in November of 2023. It has always been a project since the day I got it, having problems here and there, but nothing I couldn't fix. Enjoyed it for almost two years, putting over 10k miles on it, again with it always having some small issues. In late January of 2025, I was on my way to work when I heard the chime that I'm sure a lot of LS430 owners are familiar with. Usually, it's not a big deal, but this time the display told me that I had no oil, so I put the car in neutral, pulled over, and turned the car off immediately. Later, I was able to put oil in the car and drive just fine. I decided that I was tired of my car constantly having problems, so I decided to park it until I could solve almost all of its problems. It has been parked for over two years and was just recently moved out and back in without the engine running for unrelated reasons. So far, I have replaced the water pump, timing pulleys, cam seals, spark plug tube gaskets, and lots of other parts. Now to my current problem. I have been stuck on a confusing problem since October. A friend of mine helped install the water pump back in October, and it seems we did everything major correctly. We put the belt on, and he spun the engine over several times by hand to ensure the timing was correct. Later that month, I went to turn the engine to ensure timing again, and so I could work on replacing my cam seals, but it only took a couple of turns with a breaker bar for the engine to just stop. No weird sounds or anything, just full on stop. I have checked with a borescope and madesure that no valves are making contact with the pistons, and everything seems ok.I removed and reinstalled my camshafts since then, and the problem persists, so I'm almost certain it is NOT my camshafts or something on the top end, and I can't take off my oil pan as of right now, so I can't inspect the bottom end. Also, unless it really comes down to it, I will not take the car to a shop or sell it; I am very much determined to get this car back on the road. Thank you to everyone for your help.

I will hopefully be making more posts in the future about the work I'm doing on my car, and since I've been insanely meticulous about the process and steps I used to work on my car, I want my account to be a good spot for anyone also working on their LS430.I'm aware that there are already multiple good threads about the work that I'm going to do.Ijust would like to add to the pile of wisdom already on this forum, especially because there is a lot of conflicting knowledge out there, and I would like to steer people in the right direction.

01 LS430 Starting issues

SakuraCelsior — Tue, 19 May 2026 15:47:43 GMT

Good morning!
long time reader, first time poster. I need help.

2001 Celsior (LS430). Ive had a few intermittent starting issues, stemming from last summer. No start, with chatter. I assumed it was the starter acting up. Battery died a couple times, and also assumed battery. 150k km. 3 year old battery.
2 weeks ago car wouldnt start. Cranking producing chattering sound from the starter. Went immediately and bought a new battery. Same result. Decided, its starter time, and i better do the timing belt while im feeling adventurous.
replaced starter with aftermarket, and timing belt kit.
Went to start it last night, same starter chattering.
Starter gears/flywheel NOT worn.
So, NEW battery, NEW starter, battery cable looks good. Connections clean.
What im considering, bad chasis ground?
Bad aftermarket starter?
The chattering when engaging a starter is typically indicative of a voltage issue, weak battery, corroded terminals.
Also.....take a look at this 25 y/o timing belt......i got lucky.

P1349 Code

alextv — Sun, 17 May 2026 13:30:33 GMT

Thought I would share my experience with the P1349 code which is Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system malfunction on Bank 1. The fix for this can be several things. Cleared code several times and it would always come back after engine got to operating temp. Getting to the screen to clean is difficult so did not start there. Removed the solenoid valve and checked. Oil looked very clean and did not see any varnish which would lead to sticking. Put 12v on and even pulsed it and seemed to work perfect and coil measured 104 ohms exactly like new one. Everything with valve checked out perfect. Put new one in and fixed the problem. Bench testing does not really test this under real conditions like hot and maybe fast pulses. If this didn't work I was going to do the techstream test. Just goes to show that even though it checks fine it can still be bad.