I woke up to a surprise this morning , the car earlier had this kinda issue where i would press the start button and it would not start and only make "Click" sound .. and after few attempts it would usually start and then this issue went away for few months for unknown reasons

Today it returned back i didnt move the car for 2 days over the weekend down here

I tried to start the car all it would do is Click sound but this time a very faint sound not like earlier where it was much louder .

I am assuming its the starter ?
Has any one replaced the starter them selves ? Where is it located ?

I see remanufactured starters on the internet how good are they ?
What i read online and see could be just a bad starter selonoid .

Thanks

 

Check the battery cable connections for tightness first.

 

checked they seem fine and connectors are clean

 

Could be a weak battery, I would get it tested.

 

its a new battery like 3 months old .

Does any one know where is the Starter located ?

 

Sorry if I'm posting this wrong. I can only figure out how to post by replying to somebody else's post. I know I'm an idiot, so don't bother telling me.

I changed the spark plugs in my LS460L because the dealer said it was overdue (90,000 miles). When I did, I ordered "OEM" plugs from Rock Auto, which I installed before I noticed they're about 1/4" shorter than stock. When I started the car, it sounded like it was making gravel, so I stopped and pulled a plug to see that they aren't even close (Thanks Rock Auto, I'm done buying car parts on the internet).

I went to the local store and bought what looks right, but doesn't have 3 tabs. I put them in and my car sounded like it was crushing rocks for a bit, then smoothed out and threw a check engine light.

Why would it do that? What do I do? I'm about to tow it to the dealer and have them charge me $500 for $50 worth of spark plugs. Of course, if the car won't run when I change my own, then I just need to pay. Please advise.

 

Starter is located on passenger side under the exhaust manifold. It took me a few hours to replace.

 

Thanks a ton , did you access it from the top or from the Bottom , any pictures if you do have will be very helpful .

Thanks

 

so i Tried to jump start the Car but still doesn't Start . so i guess its the Starter which is dead ?

 

Just guessing, but could the alternator have failed? Are you near to a repair shop that could diagnose the problem?

ETA: You could also try searching this forum. For example (remove the quotes):

"site:clublexus.com/forums/ls460-ls460l-and-ls600h start problem"

 

if its the alternator it should crank . but not charge the battery .

 

Not the symptoms of an alternator, so we can discount that (unless the battery is just discharged and hasn't been getting a charge). These cars are not as simple to diagnose as older vehicles. A car not turning over is not neccesarily a battery or a starter. Could be any number of relays or even the start switch. Bad grounds etc are also culprits. You need to have the battery load tested to see if it's truly dead. A jump start is not necessarily going to rule out the battery, as there are also other factors at play (gauge of jump wires, contact, loads etc).

Assuming it is the starter however, the starter (as already noted), is on the driver's side and is accessed from underneath. It isn't the easiest to get at, but definately a reasonable DIY job. You'll have to remove the stabilizer bar, exhaust manifold and a few other things. Lexus charges 4 hours labor, so I would use that as a guide to how your day will go, That's a six pack at least. Even if your DIY skills are novice, you can do this.

On the positive side, it's better than the LS430.....that required a major operatioon to aceess the starter, as it was mounted at the rear of the engine under the intake and a MAJOR headache to change,. Fortunately, starters are not all that common a repair on these cars,

 

Oh...almost forgot. Here's the best price for a genuine Denso starter:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DENSO-280-0370-Remanufactured-Starter-/321740008492?fits=Model%3ALS460&hash=item4ae932ec2c&vxp=mtr
That's almost a quarter the price of the dealer, but keep in mind it is a reman. I have no issue with that, but some do and prefer to use a brand new part.

 

Based off what you wrote, this isn't an easy change for a DIY. Removing the sway bar means possibly cutting the links. And if you actually have to take the sway bar out? Those don't always maneuver as easy as you'd think. And taking the exhaust manifold doesn't sound hard, until you account rust, broken studs, using a torch, snapping bolts, etc. I wouldn't do this job on my back, that's for sure. And I imagine torquing that exhaust manifold is very important, you'll need the specs, a torque wrench...and I imagine it's done in multiple torquing steps applying an angle after...not impossible, but a guy who just changes his oil and does the occasional brake job is going to have a hard time.

 

I think we need njumongkol to respond.
I hate to say it but often the service manual asks you to take off too many things to gain access. But I agree that removing the sway bar end links can be a pain especially if they have rusted out. Been there one to many times only to have to use my cut off tool and source new end links.