Hello everyone, I have a 1999 Lexus GS400 that I need a bit of help with. I have not ran the car for 4+ months, and I now have a no start condition that I need help diagnosing. I bought the car 8 months ago as a project car. Here's what I can tell you about the car when I bought it, and what i've done to it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
1999 lexus GS400 - 93,000 miles
Car ran beautifully when I bought it.
Strong engine and trans - but the interior was disgusting and the exterior was neglected.
Gutted it in november, replacing all the trim pieces, all the seats, 2 door seals, the carpet, center console pieces (armrest, hatch thingy, shift ****, bezel), and the thing behind the rear seat.
Took the gear selector out, replaced the shift linkage and the rubber boot, cleaned the mechanism up with a probe, some compressed air, and sprayed with Teflon.
Basically, without taking the dash out, I did a near full restoration of the interior. To keep this brief I'll leave it at that, there was much more that I did though.
Fast forward to now, when the interior is in and i'm trying to start the car. Here's the rundown:
THE CAR CRANKS BUT WILL NOT START
-key goes in, wheel telescopes, gauges light up and all lights go on like they should
-the check engine light does not come on like it should in the on position, only the vsc light, the oil light, and a few others come on.
-The light for the gear indicator on the dash (p, r, n, d, m, 3, 2, 1) does not light up and it did when I bought the car. (Talking about the gauge, not the led in the gear selector housing.)
-hooked a voltmeter up to the plug for the fuel pump, and there is 12v power.
-changed the fuel pump and nothing happened
-pulled a spark plug and grounded it while I cranked, there was no spark
-fuel pump does not emit an audible noise when key is in on position
-changed the engine controll computer and had a matching transponder - made no difference
-put 5 gallons of 93 octane in
-the red light (security) blinks when car is unlocked
-There is no fuel delivery to the cylinders
-tried 2 OBDII scanners, both say there is no communication with the computer

To reiterate for those who don't want to read all of that. . . . . . I GUTTED THE CAR, REPLACED THE INTERIOR, AND NOW THERE IS NO SPARK, NO FUEL, AND A SCANNER WILL NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE CAR
thank you.

 

Check all your fuse on the driver side kick panel, passenger side kick panel and on the motor compartment. Maybe a few fuses blow out. Good luck

 

BTW BigDill,

Welcome to the club and forum.

 

That happened to me when I had a new key cut at the dealer but the RFID part hadn't been programmed. It was able to physically unlock the door, but when I turned the key it would just crank endlessly and never fire. So maybe it's a problem with the lock ecu or some other security feature. Not sure if that's what you mean by transponder

 

Thank you Mcon, I appreciate that.
I checked all of the regular fuses in both the driver and passenger side kick panels for continuity with a multimeter. They were all good. I did the same for all the regular (by regular I mean the little guys; 5 amp, 10 amp, 15 amp, etc.) fuses in the engine compartment. The relays are good too, they click just like they should. What I didn't check yet is the larger fuses, like the "main" and the other larger (~50 amp) fuses.

 

Thank you for this, this is another thing i've been considering. The one remote I got with the car never worked for unlocking, locking, or opening the car. When I say transponder, I mean the little 3 button insert that goes in the key fob. My buddy gave me an engine control computer with a remote insert that he said matched. I don't know much about integrated systems like this, I'm 19, this is the first car i've ever wrenched on, and I'm better at just looking at mechanical kind of things and fixing them than I am at diagnosing complicated electrical issues.

I'm leaning toward some sort of security lock out, because the car was in perfect working order before. Anyone have any ideas on how to reset the security system in the car???

 

How's the fuel pump?

 

I think it's fine. I've heard the fuel pump in these cars are fairly reliable. I know it worked fine when I bought the car. I'm getting 12v at one of the wires to the pump. Didn't hear it turning on so I put a different one in, and it made no difference. I know this probably means nothing but the line out of the pump (or intothe pump, I don't know which was the return) was pressurized when I took the original out. Shot gasoline directly into my eye

 

Yesss, your are right. Is one on the battery area but is 40amp and not 50amp. Is a pita to change it. You need to take all the fuse box out and release it from the bottom of the box. Happen to me one time. Is not so expensive not mare what look just a little bigger. Is just a few dollars at any auto part. Don't buy on the dealer. Dealer want like 15 to 20$ for it. Is just in case need to buy.

 

Well, I got a suggestion, when you did the whole interior thing did u swap out your bulb in the ignition with a different bulb? Or perhaps replace the ignition's cover? There's a magnet there attached to the cover if I'm not mistaken and if the little clear plastic ring that goes around the ignition is not in the exact correct position the car won't start. It's a security feature that had me out of driving my car for a week when I did an LED swap there.
Hope this helps!

 

Thank you so much foob, I did not touch the ignition but I'll definitely take a look. You gotta try everything at least once! ( Get your mind out of the gutter lol). I can't selectively look at things, I have to exhaust every single option until there's nothing left. Something I learned from diagnosing problems with digital electronics, check everything, including the things you think you don't need to check.

 

So I'm gonna check out my key later. Can anyone tell me what the cheapest easiest solution is if the chip in my key is malfunctioning?

I put a new engine control computer in and had a matching remote, that did nothing.

But now that I think of it, the car only came with one key and the remote never worked. So if in fact my remote broke even more, and the passive RFID isn't being read or transmitted what should I do? Would a new key fix this? Do I have to pull the computer out and reflash it? Program a new key? From a dealer or locksmith?

 

Perhaps the battery in the key is low? I know someone posted the procedure for programming a key on here as well. I know it seems foolish. but try a fresh 3v battery in the key. And look up the procedure for programming the key.

 

Check this thread. Key programming. Good luck.

632723-key-programming-for-98-05-gs300-400-430-a.html

 

holy hot dog, try checking the fuses.