Adam8g Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Ok – really silly question. I just bought a 96 LS400 from a close friend. I picked it up in southern California and drove home to San Francisco bay area yesterday. Two things I need some help with… and some other advise First – the car in mushy and wallows some. If it has standard suspension I suppose new shocks (advise??) will manage the dampening – It seems this yr. came with optional air suspension (?) How can I tell if my car has this option? and in case it has Air Suspension - what do I do? Second – at about 80 the car vibrates….tires are good shape. About a year old, so I’ll rebalance and rotate…any other ideas? The car has 95,000. I bought from the original owner – always maintained at dealer, great shape… I want to do a thorough mechanical / cosmetic renovation. On the mechanical side, what do you suggest I do – look over? What are the know weaknesses I should be looking at? Thanking you all ahead of time… Adam
1UZ-FE Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 first, have you ever driven other LS's around that year? the LS, especially the older ones like my 94 just have really soft suspension. my car nose dives when braking and the opposite when accelerating; the same concept with turns, quite a bit of body roll if you take them quick. the most easiest way to tell if you have air sus. is to look to the left of the shifter right above the ECT power/norm switch. im not sure if it is labeled "height control" but it will say "normal" and "high". if for some reason you are unsure what i'm taking about, look in your owners manual on the first few pages. it shows pictures of guage cluster, and instrument panel. these switches are labeled on these pages.
blake918 Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Congrats on the car and welcome! :D If you have air suspension, you will see a switch right infront of the ECT power button on the gear shifter plate. See the pic below; excuse the 5th gear; this car is a '99, but the air suspension switch will be the same. Also, you must remember that the LS is no Porsche 911. This is a smooth, quiet touring machine with a roaring engine hidden under the hood. B) The car should feel controlled, but it will roll, so don't expect firm, linear reactions through the S turns. lol I suppose new shocks would help you if you do have the regular suspension since there's a chance that you are riding on the origional shocks. If you do have air sus. and you don't want it any more, you can put regular shocks in their place...many have done this mod to aviod air shocks that are $700+ a piece. I hate to give to you the run around, but the 80mph vibration, could be a bunch of different things: lower ball joints, tire problems, drivetrain problems, mounts-engine or tranny, etc. However, if I had to pick one(after a tire rebalance), I'd go with the lower ball joints. ;) Known LS problems are pretty much limited to leaky p/s pumps, front suspension componet failure(bushings, ball joints, etc.), and dead LCDs. Other than that, keep up with the tranny fluid and engine oil, and you'll be good forever! See the detailing forum for all cosmetic issues.
1UZ-FE Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 another thing that i'm interested in learing about is the "snow" position on the ECT switch. i fully understand and know what "power" does but what does "snow" do? lock the rear diff? that would be nice.
Adam8g Posted June 28, 2004 Author Posted June 28, 2004 Thanks everyone! :D My goodness – I have found fellow car (Lexus) geeks! NEAT! Looks like I have standard suspension and I called the X-owner, I am riding on original shocks / struts. I think the dampening can be significantly improved with new units… What’s out there for my ’96 LS400 and any opinions on what to get, cost? Thanks again
jzz30 Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 stock shocks. engine and tranny mounts are a good start. after you change those you can pin point other suspension details. yes the car gets smoother strut arm bushings go out lower ball joints, rear trailing arm bushings go as well. oh and balancing tires are a good thing to do.
90LS400Lexus Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Thanks everyone! :D My goodness – I have found fellow car (Lexus) geeks! NEAT! Looks like I have standard suspension and I called the X-owner, I am riding on original shocks / struts. I think the dampening can be significantly improved with new units… What’s out there for my ’96 LS400 and any opinions on what to get, cost? Thanks again I would feel lucky if my car has suspension as soft as you describe your car has, as I prefer a super soft suspension. I had new OEM Toyota struts installed on the rear of my car, which provides a soft, comfortable ride, but (even thought it may sound stupid) I would like to have a extremely soft ride- that worn out struts would provide. But your idea of very soft suspension may be the same as my car currently has- its just what you are used to I guess. Like Blake said- it is not a sports car, so expect a soft ride and forget about the "sport sedan" handling. Even though handling is not bad anyway- it is still a heavy Japanese car and not a smaller German sports car. Some advice about struts if you decide to replace: I would stick with the OEM Toyota struts. The prevoius owner had installed heavy duty "KYB GR-2's" on the rear of my LS400 and the ride was actually very firm and very un-Lexus like. I actually still have them and planning on selling them. I guess if you like a very firm ride, they would be OK, but if I wanted a firm ride, I would have bought a Porshe 911, or a Corvette or something. :P Another common problem with the 96 LS400s is the needle lights in the instrument clusters. Good luck.
blake918 Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Another common problem with the 96 LS400s is the needle lights in the instrument clusters. Good luck. They fixed this in '95 with the resdeign. After 9 years of service and 231k, and my needles are 100%. :D
mbpgawest Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Adam8g, when you repalce the struts you may also want to replace the springs at the same time. This will help restore the original ride feel. I'm going to be replacing mine this summer. Just got my spings from lexus on Friday.
99lsguy Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 stock shocks. engine and tranny mounts are a good start. after you change those you can pin point other suspension details. yes the car gets smoother strut arm bushings go out lower ball joints, rear trailing arm bushings go as well. oh and balancing tires are a good thing to do. Adam8g, I agree with jzz30........ BTW - Killer Avatar (SR 71?)
90LS400Lexus Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Another common problem with the 96 LS400s is the needle lights in the instrument clusters. Good luck. They fixed this in '95 with the resdeign. After 9 years of service and 231k, and my needles are 100%. :D Hmmm.. I seen a 1996 LS400 on e-bay the other day and the needles was not illuminated on the end. Looked like the same problem like some of the older LS's have.
ZachB Posted August 2, 2021 Posted August 2, 2021 On 6/28/2004 at 7:14 PM, 90LS400Lexus said: Hmmm.. I seen a 1996 LS400 on e-bay the other day and the needles was not illuminated on the end. Looked like the same problem like some of the older LS's have. Mine is a 1995 and the mph tip of the needle just went out about 5 days ago at 184,000 miles lol
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