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My LS didn't want to start last year when I was in Vegas and after changing out the battery it still didn't want to start. I kept pushing the start button and it eventually started. Drove back home to LA and hasn't had a problem since. Wondering if the connector wiggled it's way back into a working position... Great info, I will check the connector if it happens again.
Does anyone know if you will still get the single click sound when trying to start the car if the harness has wiggled off or will you hear nothing when trying to start the car?
Does anyone know if you will still get the single click sound when trying to start the car if the harness has wiggled off or will you hear nothing when trying to start the car?
Old thread but I'm curious of this as well. Anyone hear a click when testing by bypassing the starter solenoid if the connector came loose? My assumption is no since the sound we hear is more than likely the solenoid on the starter yet the starter isn't turning over. Mine was intermittently working until I tried multiple times by bypassing the starter relay. Not it just clicks.
Depends how dead the battery is. The battery can be so dead that it wont even engage the solenoid. Conversely, it can be "just dead enough" that it trips the solenoid (click) but doesn't have the jam to turn over the starter.
thank god they didn't put the starter in a stupid and terrible place like they did in the 400. as an Ls400 driver the one part you don't ever want to have to see, touch, or hold in your hand is the starter. lol
thank god they didn't put the starter in a stupid and terrible place like they did in the 400. as an Ls400 driver the one part you don't ever want to have to see, touch, or hold in your hand is the starter. lol
Yes indeed. They now mount them in the traditional spot at the bottom of the engine. That said, it's still a fairly involved job to remove. One needs to remove the front exhaust, the dipstick, and disconnect the front stabilizer bar. It's deemed a 6 hour job to Re&Re. Still.....better than the silly place they mounted it on the previous model.
Last edited by roadfrog; Dec 16, 2016 at 11:41 AM.
My starter went kaput about a year ago. I replaced it myself and in the process broke the retaining clip at the top of the harness that locks it into the female portion on the starter itself.
Without it the harness can slide right off the connector rendering the starter totally inoperable. It was very cold the day I did it so I wrapped the connection in electrical tape to get finished and get out of the cold (7 hour job for me)and the way the harness rides on the starter assembly itself and after installing all the other adjacent parts back on it didn't seem as though it would be easy to back off its been 13 months and she's still holding up (fingers crossed)
Depends how dead the battery is. The battery can be so dead that it wont even engage the solenoid. Conversely, it can be "just dead enough" that it trips the solenoid (click) but doesn't have the jam to turn over the starter.
In November of 2014 I went out to my car after work to go home and it would not crank. I had just changed the battery so I knew it had to be the starter. After about 20 minutes of trying it finally started. I immediately drove it to a lexus dealership to get changed. They told my the starter by itself would be $700 so I told them that was outrageous. so I brought a starter from AutoZone for only $125 bucks!. Lexus told me they would charge me $740 in Labor so at this point i was stuck so I said go ahead and do it and they gave me a loaner ES. After only 7 months the starter went out again and I had to get it towed ****ing $100. At this point there was no way I was going to lexus again so I decided to try to put a new one on myself. After countless hours of searching for a DIY i finally discovered that the starter is located under the passenger side exhaust manifold. It is not under the intake manifold on the LS460 big misconception on the forums here. After removing the passenger side wheel,removing the two little small plastic covers in the firewall I then bent the two heat shields out the way and BAM! There was the freakin starter. I then proceeded to hit with a hammer but that didnt work. I then reach up on top of the starter and what do i ****ing feel? The damn starter connector had rattled out of the harness clip after re-attaching the starter connector wire to the harness the car fired right up. It seems that these cars have a defective starter connector harness and overtime can rattle off or loose overtime!. Below are some links that I hope help explain this!
This could save you $1000 of dollars and if you take it to a mechanic they will not tell you and take your money for no labor.
This problem will also give you the same symptoms of a failing starter due to the harness making connection barely and moving around!
is the starter connector in the same place on the awd?
I broke the starter connector cable cover. Does anyone have any suggestions? I called Lexus they don't sell the part. I called recyclers they don't either.
If you can't find at a wreckers or on eBay you will either have to mcgyver something or go without it, probably lots of them driving around without that cover.
Toyota and Lexus Join Mille Miglia For The First Time
Slideshow: A five-car lineup spanning more than five decades of Toyota performance and engineering will tackle one of Italy's most celebrated automotive routes.
