2012 Lexus GS350 engine

6666-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)
CAUTION
When the engine is hot
Do not remove the engine coolant reservoir cap or the radiator cap. (P.
830)
The cooling system may be under pressure and may spray hot coolant if the
cap is removed, causing serious injuries, such as burns.
NOTICE
When adding coolant
Coolant is neither plain water nor straight antifreeze. The correct mixture of
water and antifreeze must be used to provide proper lubrication, corrosion
protection and cooling. Be sure to read the antifreeze or coolant label.
If you spill coolant
Be sure to wash it off with water to prevent it from damaging parts or paint.

667 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)Check the radiator and condenser and clear away any foreign
objects.
If either of the above parts is extremely dirty or you are not sure of
their condition, have your vehicle inspected by any authorized
Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped
professional.
Check the battery as follows.
Caution symbols
The meanings of each caution symbol on the top of the battery
are as follows:
Radiator and condenser
CAUTION
When the engine is hot
Do not touch the radiator or condenser as they may be hot and cause serious
injuries, such as burns.
Battery
No smoking, no naked
flames, no sparksBattery acid
Shield eyesNote operating instruc-
tions
Keep away from chil-
drenExplosive gas

669 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)
Before recharging
When recharging, the battery produces hydrogen gas which is flammable and
explosive. Therefore, observe the following before recharging:
If recharging with the battery installed on the vehicle, be sure to disconnect
the ground cable.
Make sure the power switch on the charger is off when connecting and dis-
connecting the charger cables to the battery.
After recharging/reconnecting the battery
The engine may not start. Follow the procedure below to initialize the sys-
tem.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Open and close any of the doors.
Restart the engine.
Unlocking the doors using the smart entry & start system may not be possi-
ble immediately after reconnecting the battery. If this happens, use the wire-
less remote control or the mechanical key to lock/unlock the doors.
Start the engine with the engine switch in ACCESSORY mode. The engine
may not start with the engine switch turned off. However, the engine will
operate normally from the second attempt.
The engine switch mode is recorded by the vehicle. If the battery is recon-
nected, the vehicle will return the engine switch mode to the status it was in
before the battery was disconnected. Make sure to turn off the engine before
disconnect the battery. Take extra care when connecting the battery if the
engine switch mode prior to discharge is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multiple attempts, contact any autho-
rized Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped profes-
sional.
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671 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)If any washer does not work or
the warning message appears on
the multi-information display,
the washer tank may be empty.
Add washer fluid.
NOTICE
When recharging the battery
Never recharge the battery while the engine is operating. Also, be sure all
accessories are turned off.
When adding distilled water
Avoid overfilling. Water spilled during battery recharging may cause corro-
sion.
Washer fluid
CAUTION
When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the engine is hot or running as washer fluid
contains alcohol and may catch fire if spilled on the engine etc.
NOTICE
Do not use any fluid other than washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine antifreeze instead of washer fluid.
Doing so may cause streaking on the vehicle’s painted surfaces.
Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer fluid with water as necessary.
Refer to the freezing temperatures listed on the label of the washer fluid
bottle.

675 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)
Initializing the tire pressure warning system
The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
When rotating the tires.
When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when
changing traveling speed.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current
tire inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in a safe place and turn the engine switch off.
Initialization cannot be performed while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. (P. 850)
Make sure to adjust the tire pressure to the specified cold tire inflation
pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will operate based on
this pressure level.
Turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode.
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6766-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)Press and hold the tire pres-
sure warning reset switch
until the tire pressure warn-
ing light blinks slowly 3
times.
Wait for a few minutes with the engine switch in IGNITION
ON mode and then turn the engine switch off.
Registering ID codes
The tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is equipped with
a unique ID code. When replacing a tire pressure warning valve
and transmitter, it is necessary to register the ID code. Have the
ID code registered by any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or
another duly qualified and equipped professional.
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677 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)
When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to expose the
fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage
A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size or
location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or
another duly qualified and equipped professional.
Replacing tires and wheels (vehicles with the tire pressure warning system)
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not regis-
tered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driving
for about 10 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1 minute and
stays on to indicate a system malfunction.
Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even if it
has seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation pres-
sure checks. Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of your routine
of daily vehicle checks.
When rotating the tires (vehicles with the tire pressure warning system featur-
ing a tire inflation pressure display function)
Make sure that the engine switch is off. If the tires are rotated while the
engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode, the tire position information will
not be updated.
If this accidentally occurs, either turn the engine switch to off and then to
IGNITION ON mode, or initialize the system after checking that the tire
pressure is properly adjusted.

6806-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
GS350/250_EE (OM30C36E)
The initialization operation (vehicles with the tire pressure warning system)
Make sure to carry out initialization after adjusting the tire inflation pres-
sure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before carrying out initialization or tire
inflation pressure adjustment.
If you have accidentally turned the engine switch off during initialization, it
is not necessary to press the reset switch again as initialization will restart
automatically when the engine switch has been turned to IGNITION ON
mode for the next time.
If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not neces-
sary, adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level when the tires
are cold, and conduct initialization again.
Warning performance of the tire pressure warning system (if equipped)
The warning of the tire pressure warning system will change in accordance
with the conditions under which it was initialized. For this reason, the system
may give a warning even if the tire pressure does not reach a low enough
level, or if the pressure is higher than the pressure that was adjusted to when
the system was initialized.
When initialization of the tire pressure warning system has failed (vehicles
with the tire pressure warning system)
Initialization can be completed in a few minutes. However, in the following
cases, the settings have not been recorded and the system will not operate
properly. If repeated attempts to record tire inflation pressure settings are
unsuccessful, have the vehicle inspected by any authorized Lexus dealer or
repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional.
When operating the tire pressure warning reset switch, the tire pressure
warning light does not blink 3 times.
After carrying out the initialization procedure, the tire pressure warning
light blinks for 1 minute then stays on after driving for 10 minutes.