genius149

Yesterday I got the old Bank 1 pre-cat lambda sensor swapped over. It took the mechanic about 20 minutes and a few curses about how awkward it was. There was even more cursing when I cleared the codes using my fiver chinesium OBD2 reader and my phone. No more check VSC and hopefully the economy will improve a bit.

A couple of (the hottest) months (on record) and no, it was a private sale. Having looked at it in daylight, there's the front sensor which is probably fine but if I can get it out to clean and test it, I will. The rear, which is in the corner of the left hand speaker (correct me if I'm wrong) has the sensor cap wedged right between the glass and the parcel shelf so something's definitely afoot there. Annoying because it's probably a nightmare to get to - any advice on how to get to it gratefully received! Do I need to be looking at the room temperature sensor as well? There are some conflicting opinions in this thread and whilst I can see the "Solar sensors have nothing to do with AC" logic, my research into other threads regarding air con and the fault codes I have make me come to the conclusion that the solar sensor does have something to do with it. Edit: just read your post John and that makes a lot more sense. I ought to add, that I've checked all the fuses and they are all ok and that the revs change when the AC is on so that's good too.

That makes sense - My auto lights work fine and after seeing where they are, I'm not worried about those codes now. I admit to avoiding them whenever possible but I would disagree that all their technicians are useless. If they had ruined my car then I'd agree but they haven't so I'll still reserve my judgement. Thanks for this, the first one I shouldn't need but this is a good place to start. Tomorrow's the day for tinkering.

Well that was my logic but this clublexus thread on the rear makes me think differently. I'm confused! This is a diagram of the front...even if it is somewhere on the top, it's what's underneath that I need to look at and investigate.

My LS430 facelift is giving me even more headscratching problems. I had it booked in for a regas at Halfrauds today and they kindly filled it but unfortunately it still blows warm air through. The advantage of this is that they said they couldn't charge me so I've saved myself £40. They ran their diagnostic on it and it came up with codes B1421 and B1428, front and rear solar sensors accordingly. It's a start, but where are they so that I can check them and clean or replace as required? I've read other posts that say the front one is under the driver's side dash - if it is, how easy is that to get to? 😱 I've no idea about the rear either. Also, can I run some sort of self diagnostic test and is it better to do it on a sunny day or a cloudy day? I may have loathed my A6 but at least the air-con worked!

Thanks guys. I had my suspicions but it's good to get them confirmed 🙂

A not uncommon fault of the Bank 1 Sensor 1 lambda sensor by the looks of my search on here. My question being unknowledgable of such things is...what side is it? I'm sure anyone reading this knows that it is a RHD car so is it the Driver or Passenger side sensor I need to buy and hopefully change? My beast also runs on LPG and has nice, new shiny spark plugs in it. There are no other fault codes in the system and I've reset it a couple of times to make sure.

Suffering from a knackered shoulder I have to get my car done in a garage these days. However thanks to youtube and the hint of using two 3" extension bars (I bought a wobble bar for added flexibility) and I've managed to change my spark plugs in cylinders 5 to 8 (driver's side). I thought I'd get the tricky side out of the way first and hopefully the other four will go quite smoothly tomorrow. Pollen and air filter change was easy-peasy and although I could do an oil and filter change, I'm gonna be lazy.

Rumour has it the job was contracted out to a third party. An unwitting apprentice made the mistake of contacting the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. The rest, as they say, is history.

I expected the fault codes due to the LPG system, but being ignorant, I ignored the massive misfire it has when it's on petrol and the complete lack of history. It has got low mileage and the MOT tests back this up but I wasn't observant enough to notice that it spent a few years abroad (Nor'n Ireland maybe?). It had only been in to Lexus in NI to have the seats checked. The starter crunched each time it fired up and is now not catching at all. It's booked in to have a new one fitted next week (I've been quoted £168 for the labour) and I've supplied the gaskets and new starter myself (Thanks Lexus Parts Direct and Ebay) and a new set of NGK spark plugs. It hasn't got a spare wheel, the smart key system doesn't work and my locksmith mate who can do 99% of cars can't do this one. I had the timing belt done by Lexus and got a clean bill of health from them...then the starter motor went! I'm hoping it will run more economically as it's nowhere near as efficient as it could be. Torque tells me there's a misfire on cylinder 8. Which one is cylinder 8? I'm hoping it's a knackered spark plug rather than a coil-pack.

After buying mine last month and letting my heart rule my head, I thought I had better post this here to help any other potential purchasers. The majority of this is from something that someone else posted a while back (thanks whoever that was) but I've added to it with some of the issues that have affected my car. As an aside, I'd recommend buying a cheap OBD reader and installing Torque on your phone so that you can check any hidden fault codes. I'll use mine with any car I potentially buy now. Here are a few pointers when viewing potential purchases: Make sure it has a full or at least a good service history which includes the cambelt change. The cambelt should be done every 100k miles or every 10 years. It should start quietly and quickly. Any graunching noises indicate the starter motor is on the way out. This is not an easy job as you need to remove the inlet manifold. It is also worth changing the Vacuum Switch Valve if you need to do this job as they are sometimes prone to fail. The engine should run quiet and smooth. Any rumbles could be a misfire which means it needs at least the injectors cleaning but I’d budget for a good service. If you are lucky enough to have an LPG system, make sure it runs smoothly on gas and petrol. Any misfire could be as simple as needing the injectors cleaning but don't bank on it. Make sure you have a spare wheel in the boot! On driving the ride should be quite smooth comfortable with no noises or creaks from the suspension. Gearbox changes should not be noticeable Upon starting the steering should tilt and retract - test and make sure the mechanism works as motors are very expensive Braking should be quiet and smooth - if you get a groaning noise when coming to stop that’s a sign of cheap aftermarket brake pads - they will need replacing. Check colour of gearbox oil it should be red with no smell of burning. Radiator “fix” should be done. Note that facelift models do not have an ATF dipstick. Check colour of coolant - it should be the correct Toyota red - ensure no oil in the bottle Check all electrics work. Check Air Con works. No air con could be a simple re-gas or it could be the compressor or the pump that need replacing. Check the Sat Nav works - there have been reports of some failures Check the sound system properly to ensure no blown door speakers or woofer. Check the air suspension works - when the switch is flicked the car should rise about at inch slowly - and the compressor does not make any noises Check the bonnet struts hold the bonnet and the boot struts hold the boot. Check for rust around the doors near the plastic trim and around the boot area Check rear quarter panel glass for cloudiness - this indicates the glazing has failed (pre face lift) Ask if the cabin filter has ever been changed - these are often over looked. Note that Euro Car Parts equivalent does not fit so best to get genuine – The air filter from ECP is a perfect fit though. Check the bonnet pull works as it should - some of them fail Check the lock between the bonnet pull and boot pull works Check toolkit is present (with tools!) Make sure there are no warning lights lit in the dash (see OBD note above) Ideally you want 3 remote keys Check the car has a matching set of tyres and whether they are branded or not - this should give an indication whether the car has been pampered or neglected Before driving off make sure you have the sat nav code and locking wheel nut key. hope this helps

I'm just trying to work out if mine has this particular fault. This video was enlightening 🤣 https://youtu.be/aJXVEcblFI4

I managed to install Torque and... So now I've cleared my codes but need to do a bit of investigation.

I didn't have the space on my phone for Torque but I've got Obd Arny which had some good reviews in the Playstore. The bluetooth is on and active - that's how I managed to pair it, but it's just not connecting. There are three lights on the reader: PC, OBD and Power; the PC light is lit when it'd plugged into the car.

Thanks John, The ebay seller replied saying the same thing this morning. If all goes well I'll get Windows on my old (3 years!) HDD. It wouldn't reinstall Ubuntu so I bought an SSD to replace it so the old HDD is connected to my PC and if all goes well I can put Windows on that. If not, either the kids or the parents have got an old laptop I could borrow. Annoyingly, my OBD reader arrived today & paired with my phone but for some reason won't connect to it. Now where's that emoji that denotes banging a head against a brick wall? I've unpaired the car bluetooth, tried it with the ignition off, on and acc. Do I need to have the door shut and seatbelt on or something or is it one of the quirks of these things made from chinesium?

I've just ordered a cheapy OBD2 reader from ebay to find my codes but I'd also like to get the techstream software & cable so I can do whatever I need to do properly. My problem is that my laptop runs Ubuntu rather than windows and I haven't been able to find anything that says "yeah, it'll install on there" on the interwebs. Does anyone know?

As someone who used to list parts for vehicles on ebay for a living, I can tell you that the compatibility is done by the seller and although you (as a seller) can sometimes put the reg in from the car you're breaking but as well know, try buying a front fog light for a 2003 LS430. That was changeover year and you could quite easily get the facelift version when you have the older version or vice versa. If buying new then always go by the part number. At least your seller gave you the correct part number.

Hi Tom, I too have my eye on this but you're a lot closer than me and I'm not quite in the position to buy yet. Here's a checklist someone posted in a thread a little while ago and I copied it into a document to take with me when viewing cars. Here are a few pointers when viewing potential purchases: Make sure it has a full or at least a good service history which includes the cambelt change. On driving the ride should be quite smooth comfortable with no noises or creaks from the suspension. Gearbox changes should not be noticeable Upon starting the steering should tilt and retract - test and make sure the mechanism works as motors are very expensive Braking should be quite and smooth - if you get a groaning noise when coming to stop that’s a sign of cheap aftermarket brake pads - they will need replacing. Check colour of gearbox oil it should be red with no smell of burning. Radiator “fix” should be done Check colour of coolant - it should be red - ensure no oil in the bottle Check all electrics work Check the Sat Nav works - there have been reports of some failures Check the sound system properly to ensure no blown door speakers or woofer Check the air suspension works - when the switch is flicked the car should rise about at inch slowly - and the compressor does not make any noises Check the bonnet struts hold the bonnet Check the car has the correct Toyota red coolant Check for rust around the doors near the plastic trim and around the boot area Check rear quarter panel glass for cloudiness - this indicates the glazing has failed ( pre face lift) Ask if the cabin filter has ever been changed - these are often over looked. Check the bonnet pull works as it should - some of them fail Check toolkit is present Make sure there are no warning lights lit in the dash Ideally you want 3 remote keys Check the car has a matching set of tyres and wether they are branded or not - this should give an indication wether the car has been pampered or neglected Before driving off make sure you have the say nav code and locking wheel nut key. I made a couple of amendments to suit myself but also left in the duplication of the Toyota red coolant - I figured if it needs mentioning twice then it must be important. Good luck with whatever you buy.

It's the bits that weren't minor that worried me. The state of the gear oil was shocking and the rest of the fluids didn't look great either. So yeah, I could do all you suggest as well as changing the gear oil, a matching set of tyres etc. but the fact that the car just didn't look straight and it was very neglected. It needed rear discs and pads too. I just haven't got the time. Bit gutted as the Stag is a nice LPG system, although when you're spending 60p a litre it doesn't matter too much what system is in it.

The underneath wasn't too bad, but it didn't look great either. It also had four different types of rubber on each corner. Depending on what you want for it Mark, I could be tempted. I'd prefer a facelift but if a pre-facelift comes along at the right price then I'm sorely tempted. I've got to factor in another £1700 give or take on an LPG conversion as well hence why I'm after a bargain. PM me with a price if you're interested. Ooh, I think I've gone a bit Mike Brewer!

I'm sure I'm not the first person to have spotted this LS430 on ebay but today I took the train to Brum to have a look, armed with a checklist that someone had written on here in another thread and here are my thoughts. The car has a Stag LPG system (One of the best from what I can gather from reviews) with the fill nozzle built into the petrol tank flap bit. It ran very sweetly and quietly but I couldn't drive it myself to test it properly - the chain-smoking salesman took me round the local industrial estate and used all the horses he could. Fast, smooth and quiet but I'd have liked a good 5 mile drive to get it warmed up properly and to test the cruise control. Now for the bits that put me off... The electric windows worked, but were very slow. Probably just needed greasing up but as with all electrical things, you never know. The mirrors folded in as they should but the auto-dip when you select reverse didn't and neither did either of the motors to adjust the mirrors. The steering column adjusted for reach but not tilt. I couldn't get the boot to open using the key (that could just be me though). The bonnet struts needed replacing and should there have been something to pull in the boot so that you can open the petrol flap if there's an electrical failure? It wasn't there if there is supposed to be one. Not only was the rear bumper damaged, the parking sensors didn't work, the front passenger door seemed to not fit right at the bottom and the headlights could've done with a polish. There was no history with it and when I checked the gear oil, it was the colour of the Submit Topic button just below where I'm typing, well a bit darker to be honest but you get the idea. It's probably worth £1300 (that was his offer price) to somebody as a runaround or for spares but a bit too much for me. He also said he got it straight from the Lexus dealer on the estate...there was a definite whiff of Arthur Daley but more cheap woodbines than cigar smoke. That said, it was good to have a good look around it and to learn what to look for.

What Mr Lovebucket wants, Mr Lovebucket gets

Hi John, I'm looking for a 430 but depending on price, history, toys etc then I might be tempted by a good 400. My overall consideration is the cost-effectiveness of an LPG conversion considering how long I'll potentially keep it etc.

Bit late in the day, but could you not have tried it at 36psi, let them cool, try again at 33 and then maybe 30? If I had half a day or day spare then I'd have tried that.

Vlad in old times before he bought a lexus