I have a 2006 LS430 with about 110K miles. Every once in a while, get into car to start with key fob in pocket, and turn key, absolutely nothing. Thought it was the battery in the FOB, so replaced it, and it seemed to work ok for a short time. Back again, and when I say nothing, I mean you get in, turn the ignition switch to on, and then to start, and nothing. Let go of switch, and retry and 99% of time it starts. Last weekend, it took three tries to get it started. When the starter engages, it turns the engine over rapidly and it starts right up.

I suspect the ignition switch, but am asking for other causes.

 

If you can can turn the ignition switch to the "START" position, then the problem is not with the FOB. That said, the 3 main causes for "nothing" to happen are:
1) The PNP switch is defective, misaligned or has a poor connection. This switch is adjusted such as the starter will operate only when the shift lever is in "P" or in "N".
2) The starter solenoid is defective, failing or has a poor connection. The starter solenoid is a magnetic switch which provides power to the starter motor and thrusts the starter gear forward to engage the flywheel to turn the engine.
3) A bad starter relay can also exhibit the same symptom as you described.

 

Next time you experience the "nothing", try moving the shift lever to "N" and back to "P" to see if the starter would move.

 

My gf had an intermittent no start/no nothing exactly as the OP described, although all the lights, radio, etc were functional. When it happened to her the 1st time, she called me in a panic and said she had a dead battery. I said REALLY? I told her to settle down and try stepping on the brake (because it had a brake interlock on the transmission selector), then to place the transmission into NEUTRAL, but I actually had her keep the car in neutral, and then turn the key all the way as if she's starting it. VOILA! It started.

The neutral safety switch was going bad on her Accord. It was mechanically linked to the transmission cable. Of all places inside the wheel well of the driver's side front tire! Cost was about $30 and 30 minutes of my time.

Is the PNP switch the same animal as what I'm calling the neutral safety switch? Would it be a better test if the OP simply tried starting his car while in NEUTRAL, instead of shifting to and from? Why not leave it in neutral and see how it starts?

 

Apparently the PNP is the same as the neutral safety switch.

Here's a shopping link... https://www.stockwiseauto.com/standa...f786647f10860&

If you're able to start the car 10 or 20 or 30x with it in neutral, you'll know it's the switch for sure. You can always source the switch online yourself and install or take to dealer and sip good coffee while they do it. This is 1 case where there's no need to use Toyota parts. In my opinion, ANY aftermarket brand will work fine. Then again, if price difference isn't that significant, I might stay with Toyota, lol.

Here's another link to troubleshooting it on the LS400...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...djustment.html

 

An update, it's happening 4-5 times when trying to start. Removed the battery cables, and they are clean. Battery cells have water on them and battery was replaced in 2014. I can hear the click of the starter solenoid when she hits start. SO my thinking is if it was the battery, it would turn over ever so slowly, but ours turns over fast when it kicks in.

So I'm now thinking starter. Can a Toyota dealership troubleshoot this type work, or does it have to go back to Lexus?

 

Hey I remember when I replaced my battery, I didn't like the way the negative side clamped....and when I wiggled it after fully tightening, the car went dead. I had to loosen and choose a different position and tighten again--this isn't the case on the + side....any chance that's happening?? Just another thought....I know you already cleaned...

 

If you can hear the starter click (but not the machine-gun da-da-da-da-da sound) when you turn the ignition switch to START, but the starter fails to engage, the most likely culprit is a worn starter solenoid. You can pickup a starter solenoid repair kit for around $15 which comes with all the necessary parts and gaskets, or check out the YouTube video below for a fix using your existing parts - a very easy DIY project. To get the starter out of the car is a whole different story!

 

Took the Lexus into the dealer this morning, and they say it is the starter. So one is currently being installed, will pick up the car tomorrow. Currently driving a loaner NX-200 SUV looking vehicle.

Out the door price will be around $1500. Will find out tomorrow for sure.

 

Ouch. Most of that cost is the labor. A reman starter costs about $200. https://www.mylparts.com/oem-parts/l...QtM2wtdjgtZ2Fz

Besides the total cost, what's more disappointing is that it's an 06 with only 110k miles, although the mileage really is irrelevant.

Original owner could have started the car 20x a day depending on occupation, or could have been a total starter holder-grinder like my GF's daughter AND son. lol or simply could be a total fluke. I don't think I've ever read of a starter failure until this post. Sorry to hear about this one.

 

Most dealers opt to replace faulty parts rather than to repair them. In this case, it is probably a smart move because the starter is located under the intake plenum, and you have to remove a bunch of stuff to get to it.

Consider the cost of an OEM starter is less than $250, the remaining of the $1,500 Lexus quoted goes to labor and other incidentals such as gaskets, coolant, sealer, etc.

 

Sorry for your starter problem. I'd agree that using OEM starter is best given most of the repair cost is labor. Unlike a lot of cars where the starter is underneath the engine and relatively accessible the starter is in a terrible location on the LS430 engine. There may be more posts on starters but I can only remember one other post on a starter failing in last 8 years I have been participating on the forum.

 

Picked it up Saturday, cost was $1388. Listed below are the parts they used, plus labor, and since I scheduled the service on line, they had a 10% discount.



Total charge was $1388. Most of it labor,
PARTS------QTY---FP-NUMBER---------------DESCRIPTION--------------------UNIT PRICE----JOB
# 1********** 1*****28100-50110-84******* REMAN STARTER *** ********334.74 *******334.74
JOB # 1*****1 *****28100-50110-84 ******CORE RETURN *******************30.00******** -30.00
JOB # 1**** 2 *****17171-50020 **********GASKET, INTAKE MA ************42.76 ********85.52
JOB # 1 TOTAL PARTS 390.26 and $1104 for labor plus

 

We are the original owners, basically my wife's car, and she treats it well. Just had new brakes put on around 103K and only did it because I could not believe OEM brakes could last that long, and I didn't want to hear that squeal when the metal touches metal. Come to find out, the LS430 has an electronic warning.

 

Ooch! If you don't mind me asking, did the bill show how many hours of labor you were charged for this repair?