The car is a '99 LS400, fully charged new battery, good alternator, 80,000 miles. THE SITUATION: About 5 weeks ago the car wouldn't start with the first turn of the ignition key. Dead silence. Not even a click. Turned the key to off position and tried again. Got a faint click but no start. Tried again. Click was a little stronger but still no engine turn over. Tried again, car started immediately. Started easily every time for the next few weeks. Then, last night, same thing happened. First, no click, no start. Dead silence. Tried a couple more times with the same scenario as just described and it started without hesitation on about the 3rd try.
Any of you ever experienced this before? Or does anyone have a clue as to what the problem might be?

 

Hey, sir! Sorry you're having trouble. We'll get one of the moderators to move your question into the LS section of the site; that should get you to the right folks who will hopefully help you troubleshoot.

This section of the site is more for general car conversations.

Good luck!

 

Sounds like the ignition switch is wearing to the point where you aren't getting a good contact every time you turn the key. Don't be surprised if it has to be replaced...after all, it is 25+ years old.

If the key and switch are working properly, then it could be in the battery terminals, ignition coil, or voltage-regulator.

 

Your symptom reminds me of an uneven wear of contacts built in the starter. The + side wears faster and this causes your type of problem. The photo below is not from an LS400 but this type of uneven wear is often seen among aged Denso starters. To access these contacts, you have to remove the starter from the engine but it's a time consuming job. One simple way to confirm is to measure the current to the starter using a clump type current meter. The reading values are varied every time you try to start due to the unstable resistance.

 

Thank you.

 

Thanks for the info. Others are saying it could be the starter motor. I guess the only way to know for sure is to have it checked out by a mechanic. In any case, I'm also guessing it's gonna cost a fortune.

 

Thank you for responding to the problem. So if this is the cause then I assume the starter condition will just get worse and will eventually fail completely. Do you have any idea what having a repair shop fix the problem would cost?

 

When the uneven wear is getting worse, the no start condition becomes inevitable more and more. It is not easy to see how those contacts are wearing since you need to remove the intake manifold and then disassemble the starter. A smart guy will simply use a clumping type current meter setting it to the battery cable and read how much current goes to the starter. A good starter provides the current value quite stable/constant. Unfortunately, many mechanics are not quite familiar to do this type of method.

 

I went through this same scenario with my LS400. I started with the simple stuff first; 1) starter relay, 2) ignition switch, 3) starter. It ended up being the starter solenoid contacts.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...condition.html

 

Thanks for your input. Too bad they hid the starter in a place so hard to get to. Even if it's just the solenoid that needs replacing it'll probably cost me $1200 just for a mechanic to actually put his hands on it. I remember the good old days when the starter was where it could be easily accessed. Man, I guess I'm really old!

 

i too suspect the starter. yes the location has always left me scratching my head as to why lexus/toyota chose to put it there. likely for packaging as the engine bay is pretty tight.

sadly yes the job does require intake manifold removal, plus the part itself (i would replace the entire starter with a reman Denso unit) so you are looking at over $1000.

 

I paid a little over $ 1,000 to have the starter replaced in my '98 last year and it is a fairly involved job, very hard to reach bolts. If you have a shop do it (not a DIY for most folks) make sure they use a genuine Denso starter. It should last another 30 years. They don't last forever and frankly its pretty much an expected repair at this point for these old cars. Well worth doing in a low mileage '99 car.


For those DIY inclined, there was a YT video posted not too long ago where a DIY guy took off the intake manifold and replaced the contacts shown in Yamae's post WITHOUT removing the entire starter. Makes the job somewhat easier in that you do not have to access and remove the two bolts holding the starter in. I think it was in a LS400 but it might have been a LS430 which has the starter in the exact same place and the exact same procedure is involved.

 

That happened to my 99' LS at 108k back in 2008, first owner was complaining of a no start in the technicians notes for the work order and they ended up replacing the starter at the dealer. I think it was $800 back then.