whats up everyone!
hows everybody doing??
my 99 GS300 started to act up about 2 weeks ago, i would have to turn the key about 4 times to start up the car. The first few key turns have no crank, noise, or anything. The after about 3 or 4 times trying it would start up. after it starts up it drives fine. it has about 140k on it, and got a water pump/timing belt change not too long ago and a optima battery about 5 months ago. any ideas what it may be? i did a search and it maybe my starter contacts but most of what i read were 1st gens. any comment will be great!

Next question!
i think it's time for a major tune up, last time i did plugs was about 65k. Other than what i mentioned early, nothing else has ever been done other than oil changes and fitlers. i'm thinking i need a valve adjustment. what should i should i be doing? how much am i looking at to get it all done by the dealer?

THANKS

 

I have had the same problem start about a month ago on my 98 GS 4 @ 320,000 km. It is a starter issue because that is what all my machanic friends say and they have seen it act up, my lexus dealership says the same thing.

 

As you got a new battery, that helps out quite a bit--it's more than likely your starter based on the cycles that your are describing. Probably just the solenoid, but to be safe, you can just replace the whole unit for long-term durability's sake.

Quote:

Next question!
i think it's time for a major tune up, last time i did plugs was about 65k. Other than what i mentioned early, nothing else has ever been done other than oil changes and fitlers. i'm thinking i need a valve adjustment. what should i should i be doing? how much am i looking at to get it all done by the dealer?
THANKS

First, I'd replace the spark plugs. I'd replace the air filter, do 2 to 3 A/T fluid drain and refills (get some crush washers for this process), drain and refill the rear differential oil (probably the first and last time it will need to be done--also get 2 crush washers for this), change the A/C incabin filter, change your coolant, bleed your brake fluid (depends on it's condition), and get your timing belt changed (and the water pump replaced) as well if you haven't done that. That's probably the brunt of it.

Here's a website that will have a lot of good info to help you with the above (if you are a DIY-er):

http://lexusmodz.netfirms.com/

Give Carson Toyota a call for all of your Lexus parts needs (at 20% discount!): www.carsontoyota.com
I've found them to be top-notch, courteous, and helpful.

 

thanks for the replys!
should i be using lexus diff oil or amsoil? which is better? also are there anything to adjust like valves? thanks!

 

Before you go through all that starter replacement stuff, check the battery terminals for corrosion. If you find white powdery stuff around them, take them apart and clean with a solution of baking powder (or is it soda? the Arm and Hammer stuff in the box). Be careful not to get the solution on the painted surfaces of your car, its acidic. Wipe up carefully with paper towels when finished. Apply silicone spray or white lithium grease to the post and clamp and reassemble.

*** Edit
As stated below baking whatever and water is not acidic. It is a base which is used to neutralize and dissolve the acidic corrosion on the terminals. The resulting solution is caustic and should be thoughly cleaned up/rinsed away. I don't want it on my paint but you feel free to splash it all over yours if you care to. In the furure I will be much more exactling in my descriptions.
*** End edit

George

 

Baking soda/water is not acidic - it's used to neutralize acid, or in other words, it's a base.

The main problem is probably the starter solenoid. There was a thread in the CA Supra mailing list about someone else having the same issue just 2-3 days ago. Someone knowledgeable recommended three Toyota parts that can be used to repair just the solenoid. The parts I'm listing are for the 4th gen Supra's starter, but I think it would be the same as the GS300's since they have the same engine block.

28235-55050 Plunger Magnet Switch
28226-64200 Starter Kit, Battery Terminal
28226-74070 Starter Kit, Motor Terminal

You will need to remove the starter to repair the solenoid, so if you can't do it yourself, you may want to just buy a complete starter and save the labor cost if the solenoid isn't the issue.

 

George, good point on the starting system--definitely check ou the battery terminals first, as sometiems the simplest solution is the most elegant answer. If, however, your battery terminals are corroded, then it's a pretty safe bet that your starter will need replacing.

As for the rear differential fluid, Lexus does not make their own gear oil. They sell a regular manufacturer's fluid. My dealership was selling Amsoil Series 2000 75W-90 gear oil, so I bought 2 quarts (at 9$/quart). Mobil 1 also makes synthetic 75W-90 gear oil as well for a similar price. Personally, I'd use the synthtetic gear oil over the dino gear oil for longer term durability and higher performance. Nonetheless, to change it, just remove the lower drain plug and let all the gear oil out, then plug up the drain hole (including using a new crush washer), open up the top fill plug and put in gear oil until it starts coming out of the hole (should take about 1.5 quarts), and then close up the fill hole (with a new crush washer). Lastly, to fill the drain hole, I highly recommend that you use a large syringe-type device (about $10 from Schuck's) to fill the drain hole. If you use the screw-on bottle cap with a clear fill tube, it's too hard to manuever it high enough to get it to drain into the fill hole--found out the hard way. Getting the syringe pump will be the best $10 you'll ever spend.

There are some procedures on adjusting the valve clearance, but it's bit more involved. I'd leave it for the dealer, but if you need instructions on it, let me know.

 

thanks a lot for the replys! if i choose to use synthetic can i just drain and refill? will it mix okay with the little bit of dino oil on the gears? also seattle said to unplug the drain hole, drain, plug back up. then unplug the fill hole, fill, plug back up. SO i'm supposed to unplug the drain hole again and fill from the drain hole with a syringe pump? wont the new oil come back out? am i missing something?

 

You should remove the fill (top) plug first, then remove the drain (bottom) plug to drain the fluid.

After the fluid has been drained, insert the bottom plug and fill from the top plug until some liquid dribbles out. Make sure the car is level while doing this.

When fluid starts to come out of the top hole, that is enough. Insert the top plug and road test the car.

 

Doing a drain and refill of the rear differntial will get almost all of the old fluid out (at least 97%+ of the old gear oil out). The synthetic gear oils are compatible with the dino oil, so you'll be fine with the tiny mixture.

As for the drain and refill procedure, PhantomZX has it right--sorry for the initial confusion. Bottom plug = drain plug. Top plug = fill plug (hole). Again, when filling, use a syringe-type pump to get the fluid into the top plug (aka fill plug) until it starts to drip out of the top hole (which will take about 1.5 quarts).

 

Lastly, once you have all of your new gear oil in the rear differential and have sealed all of the plugs up, it's recommended that you slowly drive you car in about 6-10 tight figure eight circles to evenly distribute the gear oil into the rear differential.

I know that it sounds weird, but it's what you need to do to get the new stuff to all parts of the rear differential.

 

hey thanks for the instuctions on replacing the diff oil!

my starting propblem still exist...
the mechanic thinks it is the ignition cylinder. they took it apart, and now the car starts when we turn the key BUT after we take the key out it makes a noise like the starter is slightly cranking...like it doesn't have enough juice to start up the car. to stop the noise we had to pull the battery. is the cylinder fixable? or do we have to order a new one and all new keys? that sounds unecessary and expensive!!!!! HELP CL!!

thanks in advance!