The Wrench

well, for starters..... a Merccrappies driver started it. so they know. buy both today? the 1uz will last longer.

Yeah, I had to get it up on a lift. Best way to see what I got to work with. Glad I did. Now the car is back in the game. Just need to adjust the front links. so i can better calibrate the height controller. as it has an aftermarket controller, and i am not sure if i want to stick with it. there is still plenty more messing about left to do. the adventure continues.......

Well, the parts arrived. And I didn't want to be at work. So I called in some of my owed lift time at a local tire shop. And here they are: You can see the differences, and the similarities. - can be adjusted to OEM length. same mounting bolt sizes, only with more thread, which is a plus. one of the rods was broken in the fun and games at the Toyota Dealership. brought my excursion tool bag, and some tools. (forgot the 10mm, facepalm) This is the broken part before i removed it. you can see how it connects the sensor to the suspension arm. The new parts are not only adjustable, but if left loose, swivel too. a fully articulated actuator arm. with the rods set at low, and mounted at the lowest point available. the cat has got an inch and a half drop in the rear. now to adjust the front. air suspension is a funny thing. but not difficult. hopefully this has fixed my suspension. for $80. not $1,000. saved some money with this, and am happy with the result. good times.

ask the tech to remove the gas. replace the part yourself (big job, but better not paid for) ask him to gas it for you. when you get into it, post some pics and questions. i will do my best to help.

that's the most peculiar problem i have seen in a while. Relay?

a few reasons, i had a similar issue with a Subaru. when the air flow sensor, and o2 sensor are not working right, the car can either "Lean out" causing detonation or fuel starvation, or can run rich, bogging it randomly. also check your plugs, sounds funny, but after running with bad sensors for a while, it ruins your plugs. replacing those, for good measure, and checking the fuel system is one angle i would start with, - the other being a replacement air flow sensor,o2 sensor, and throttle position sensor. first using an electrical circuit tester with a voltage meter to check for drops or climbs in values. one by one. essentially seeing when they work, and how. (find the faulty one, or 2) These engines are robust. however, the ecu can only run it with the information it gets. and i'd bet a punch in the arm, the ecu is getting the wrong information. and you have bad plugs as a result. the only issue a friend has had with the same engine, is the Throttle position sensor. his car would suddenly drop out on him. fixed it, and has had no issues since. so go back to basics, -spark,fuel, ecu inputs. haha, might as well do a service while you are doing all this. my own car is starting to act up. our issues could be mirrored. so i have a vested interest in this topic. keen to know what you find.

voting throttle position sensor, or air flow meter/02 combo.

Tell me you wouldn't buy this car, for a fair price, and give it all it needs. . . .

welcome. The car party is here. need help? post it up.

Welcome. you are right. the pinnacle of Engineering for the time. and unfortunately, companies no longer push the limits. so the LS400 is special. -it is to luxury sedans what the NSX is to mid engine sports cars. glad to see you are proud of your car. enjoy it. * remove the seat side trunk lining. condensation can build on the tank. re: cold fuel, warm air. worth a check. the dash? LED kits are available. bit of a faff. but can be done. or slap the dash and see it that works. (stale connections) Stereo? buy a head unit, the correct adapter for your loom. and redo it. here for anything you need to discuss to work out issues. as we might have the same. oh. pics?

Hi there Jeremy. I reached out to an expert in the field for you. here is his answer to your question. Dude needs to add capacitors. He probably pounds the subs. They are drawing too much current to satisfy all of his power-hungry components. In addition, adding another yellow top to the back would help shoulder the load. And the closer the stiffening caps are located to the sub amps, the better. Hope this helps.

many companies offer aftermarket solutions. not sure what is close to you. but look into "Superpro" bushings on ebay. they make almost any bushing you could ask for. an email directly should get your needs sorted.

agreed. nice choice.

Thank you sir. wait until it meets my satisfaction. .

i'm going to just come in and tell you all that you are wrong. Each car should be judged on its merits and faults. with all the information available. granted, a thorough inspection is also of equal importance. Including service and registration history, service intervals, and comprehensive mechanical inspection. - A low kilometer car can still be driven often enough to keep it fresh. having tires/filters/fluids changed as per usual. These are the cars to find. however. they might suffer from sun fade, spiders,corrosion, and bad seals (including doors and trunk) if left by the wayside. -A high kilometer car can be maintained to an impeccable standard. and will still need attention. like drivers seat wear. and parts that tend to wear out with use. (brakes,clutch,etc) even drive shafts and suspension. No matter what car you buy. it will need something. any car guy worth their License will: Change the oil,coolant,plugs,filters,trans oil,diff oil,brake pads,brake fluid,check the light bulbs,detail inside and out. - on ANY car they buy. factoring in the cost to do so. regardless of the car, and the results of your pre-purchase inspection. A well preserved example of a car. using this way of thinking, can present with the better buy. having fresh interiors, and less body damage, including rust. the more used car, having it's own benefits, will often need paint correction, and interior parts replaced. how do i know this? apart from being a wrench. i have purchased 2 cars in the last 3 months. at opposite ends of the spectrum. judging each car as an individual. case 1. - the low mile car. a Subaru Forester St/B Sti. 2001, 27,000 kilometers physically? interior smells like a new car. engine bay had never been cleaned.zero rust. all i had to do was polish the lights and change the bulbs. after purchase servicing will have this performing like the new car it really is. Case 2: the high kilometer car. a 1997 Toyota Celsior (LS400) 144,000 kilometers. it has service history, inspection was good,has no rust. but? it will need a complete respray. due to years of parking lot dings, a previous bad detail,and a mismatched rear door respray. needs a front bumper, and a trunklid/trunk seal. had an issue with the suspension that was a cheap fix.and the interior needs some stuff sorted out. A handsome car. with plenty of life left in it. but the wear and tear is obvious. i would have paid double for this car with half the wear and tear on it. without flinching. i am happy with it. and will enjoy the repair work. - if you are not a wrench? i recommend the low mile car. or at least know what a car's faults are. and decide on what imperfections you can live with. Cars, new or used, will ALWAYS cost money to meet your satisfaction. unless you buy somebody's personal car fully sorted. (Rare) be diligent. be educated in your purchase. prepare for what it needs. the car for sale in this thread? i would buy it. knowing it needs 1.5k of maintenance after purchase. a stellar example of the breed. if the seller understands this, and wants it to go to a good home, for a fair price? a great buy. -Dave the Wrench.

Agreed, check the TPS, if you can, reset the ecu. because if you changed any inputs, it has to re-learn its parameters. also see fuel pressure, pressure regulator, and Air flow meter/air intake for any suspicious leaks or blockages. stumbling when you press the gas can sometimes be from either too much, or too little air.

Well, when you consider the Toyota 'Crown Athlete' wagon. the Celsior's, and the current Crown's? A Modern 'Crown Athlete wagon' badged as a Lexus, could sell surprisingly well. have seen first hand, Crowns are as luxurious as any car you can ride in. I think they would be a fantastic addition to the fleet.

1. 2. 9.5/10 cars are hard to come by. sadly for you. the LS400 is the greatest car you can buy on a budget. meaning you can hope to get 4k cash for it. that doesn't mean they get no love. as you can see, a portion of the car community views them as the greatest saloon car ever massed produced. 3. A car like that really does belong with the right owner. an enthusiast. whether an obvious car guy, or the low income Dad who wants to have something special. somebody who will respect it as you do. but maybe enjoy it more often. you have a genuine hard to find car on your hands. set a fair price. choose the buyer. give it to the right home. my 2 cents.

After drinking my complimentary coffee. I asked the parts department lady if I can discuss the car with the techs. she says "sure, go out to talk to them" . one old schooler is in the car, with the diagnostics machine. running codes. with two lads looking on. i tell them about when it failed. and asked if it was a fault with the rear sensors? like water might have gotten into it? we took it over to the pit. where the problem was found. the lad in the pit held the sensor in "low", so the car would raise, then put it back on the lift to assess the damage. One of the brackets for the height sensor had clean snapped off. causing it to always think it was up. when in fact it was down. they sell the whole assembly (including suspension arm, actuator arm,sensor) for $500. i asked, can't we just tack this on with a MIG welder? lads agreed. $0 or $500. haha, they get paid hourly. and the consultation is free. so they were happy to explore the mysteries of the LS400/Celsior air suspension. tacking the bracket back on. but what caused it to snap? making the whole rear of the car fail? These actuator arms. both Left and Right had seized up. at both ends. not only causing the sensors to act up. but placing tension on the brackets because they have no movement. But why would i want to pay $1,000 for a whole kit (left and right), when it's just these 9.5cm rods with ball joints on the end,6mm thread, and 10mm nuts? when i could buy these adjustable ones...... fully adjustable links from the headlight assembly in the later Gen Celsiors/LS400's. strong enough for the load bearing needed. and fully adjustable to set the sensor height at whatever height i choose? (drop 2 inches) meaning i can run stock setup at a custom height? no brainer. @ $30 a piece. And for all their help? i didn't pay a cent. Big thanks to the lads at the Toyota Dealership. and the parts lady. they were patient. adventurous. and let me get involved. a fun time was had. - they understand that some parts i will buy used, or aftermarket. and some new parts from them . Excellent people. Thumbs up Toyota, you guys are awesome.

Definitely electrical. The car was fine, drove it through a car wash. And 20 minutes later it was "stanced" lol. So today I took everything out of the trunk. And found a fish pond. Cleaned all the couplings in there with electronic parts cleaner. After draining the water out. Got in the car. Messed with the switches. And got brief action with the system. But still no power to the rear suspension. Had to order a new trunk water seal. So I drove to my local Toyota dealer. And asked to talk to one of their more enthusiast friendly techs. Waiting on his findings. Also checking the cost of new height sensors.

Well? It's that time. when the car decides it wants to sit on the ground. and the air suspension is not responding. ah. i am going to dig into this in the coming days. got any points to start from, or diagrams, etc to reference? post it up. it's time to tame the car's weakness.

Thanks.

yeah, changed them. like night and day. only at a cost of $100 had an indicator fail before roadworthy testing. must be an earthing issue. as others have found. the only issues with these cars is maintenance.

if his car was Japan built. it has factory tint on the rear window. and as far as i know, all Celsiors/LS400's were. his is sunbaked. time to replace it. at cost of window + install.

yes. Smack the dashboard. it will work. or you have bigger issues. had this last week. smacked the dash. and it has been fine since. just old electrical connections.