How Long Can A 91 Ls400 Go?

91ls400 · November 30, 2003

I recently recievied a 1991 ls400 with 155k miles. Before I got the car it had standard work done on it, replaced timing belt, water pump, fixed power stearing leak, oil change, and oil filter . Beside from other not so important problems like the blacked out clock, broken remote entry, no electric trunk release, partially working stereo, and worn out seats there isn't anything seriously wrong with the car. Several people have remarked that a car with that many miles is very unreliable. All I have read on this site is that this car will last much longer. Is there any problem I should be concerned about and how much longer will my car last without needing huge repairs. All of the work on the car has been done by a Toyota or Lexus Dealership.

tds · November 30, 2003

My 1991 LS400 has 180,000 miles on it. I had to replace my lower ball joints (you may want to check yours soon), and I have an intermittent problem with the ABS/TRAC system, but other that that it runs just fine.

I stitched my driver's seat by hand and then applied leather sealant to it, so it is back in shape again. You will find that your drivers side interior door lock switch will probably break shortly...mine did a few months ago. I took some duct take (a small piece) and placed it on the inside and then took a dab of silicon sealant (the clear kind) and placed it into the middle of the switch before gently pressing it back into place. The silicon flexes enough to still operate the switch and also keeps it in place (cheaper than a new one from the dealer :) .

My clock is blacked out, my stereo is partially working (although the is another post in this forum with a link on how to remove the LS400 door panels and replace the speakers...I may try this soon). My remote entry still works, although the range is about 3 feet. You can try taking your key to the dealer and have him replace the battery. Also, may sure that the remote on/off switch (on the dash to the left of the steering column) is set to the on position. There is a manual trunk lockout beside this switch as well. If it is pushed in you will need your key to reset it to the out position.

The lexus is a really great car and I really enjoy driving it.

You made a good choice. :cheers:

Dan

ToddLS400 · November 30, 2003

You might as well put your LS400 in your will. They last a long time.

michaelsn · December 1, 2003

I've seen LS400s on ebay with 225,00 miles on it. Someone also posted an article about an '89 LS400 with 500,000 miles on it and still going.

99lsguy · December 1, 2003

I expect to get 250,000 miles MINUMUM from my LS..

I've had 2 honda accords (4cyl) that each got 225,000 so the LS with V-8 had better get more.

Actually, if I don't get 300k I will probably be dissappointed.

1990LS400 · December 1, 2003

I sold my 1990 LS400 last Wednesday to a much younger co-worker after driving it for 13 1/2 years and 183,500 miles. It was and still is a wonderful automobile. The main thing is to keep on top of repairs and maintenance. My 1990 had very few things "wrong" but all could be easily corrected. The remote locking functioned only below 32 F. degrees and two radio button lights were out -- that's all. Virtually no oil consumption (Mobil 1 synthetic since 50K) and the cloth interior was in almost perfect condition. Probably helped that the car was garaged except during the day and that I always had the retractable rear window shade up and a removable folding shade in the windshield - winter or summer - and that I had the side windows slightly tinted a few years back. All this does wonders to preserve the interior, especially where it exceeds 100 F. in the summer. The early LS's seems to get some flack for its smaller brakes but I am convinced that the main shortcoming in the tires.

Substituting 225/60-15 for the original 205/65-15 tires does wonders to improve handling and especially braking and also preserves speedometer accuracy. 225/60-15 tires fit just fine on the orginal 6 1/2 inch wide wheels - just don't overdo the tire pressure. And the early LS's seem, at least to me, to handle better, or at least be more balanced and predictable, than the later ones - I can't imagine trying to do a four wheel drift in my 2000 LS but it was great fun in the 1990 LS.

How long your LS will last is largely up to you and also how long Toyota/Lexus continues to supply all the necessary parts.

90LS400Lexus · December 2, 2003

A little over a week ago- I also bought a 1990 Lexus LS400. My car already has 225,500 miles and it still runs like new. 225K, 250K, or even 300K is not the stopping point for a LS400. The engine in my car is still so smooth and quiet- I have to look at the tachometer to see if it is still running. Since your car has 155K- I would say that it is just getting broke in- if it was cared for. That is the key for a long lasting car. Mileage is not that important. I would rather have a high mile, well-cared for car, than a low mile abused car. One of my grandfathers is a fanatic about mileage. He will not keep a car past 100K miles and when he buys a used car- it has to have less than 50K. I think differently, as I have owned very high mileage Toyotas and Hondas. I think you first have to have a well built car- and then make sure it has been cared for. I also have a 98 Taurus with 245K, with a perfect running engine, but weak transmission. My father has a 1988 Nissan truck (V6), with 260K and it has not had any mechanical problems. My uncle bought it new and it did not even receive good care until my father got it at 202K.

My LS400 was a 1-owner car and it was very well cared for. The leather interior is still like brand new (including the seats) and all of the instrument cluster lighting still work perfectly (needles and backlighting), as does the "LCD" on the climate controls and my remote entry still works fine, as does the radio and all other electrical systems. My only problems with lighting systems is that my "airbag" and "door open" lights do not illuminate (taking to dealer Thursday to have checked/repaired) and some of the illumination lights on the air mode buttons on the climate control do not illuminate at night. My car is also still 100% squeak and rattle free- which is impressive for a car with 225K and 13 years of wear. In addition- my old 1993 Toyota Camry LE had 212K and it was also still rattle/squeak free. The only other problem with my car is that it has a slight power steering leak at the hose (which will be repaired) and I am going to have new Lexus struts replaced on the rear and do away with (sell) the "KYB" struts on the car now. Also, some say bad things about the brakes on the 90-92 LS400s - especially the 1990s, but the brakes on my car are about the best I have ever seen. They are very powerful and smooth.

The main problems I hear about the 90-94 and even 95-97? LS400's are problems with the instrument cluster lighting & power steering leaks. Still with that- they are one of the best built cars in the world.

So, if your car holds up like most of the 90-94 LS400s, that have been well cared for then at 155K, you should have at least 100K-150K before needing any major work, if you care for the car and keep it maintained. Good luck.

ToddLS400 · December 2, 2003

How did you put 245K on a '98 Taurus? That's about 50K/year?

90LS400Lexus · December 2, 2003

How did you put 245K on a '98 Taurus? That's about 50K/year?

It was a company car before I bought it. It was on the highway constantly. Definetely a lot of driving in 5 years. Engine still runs like new. Really unbelievable. But like I said, that transmission in the Taurus is getting harsh.

41superc · December 3, 2003

Hello Lexus owners:

One of my customers has a '92 LS 400 with 122,000 miles. He thinks the timing belt is original. Does anyone know when the belt should be replaced? Does anyone know about how long they last?

Thanks

--Paul Smith

Cary, N.C.

mejojo · December 3, 2003

Lexus says it should be replaced at 90k, but some have said to have gone 150k and more without changing it.

It could last well beyond 122k, but it will likely break sooner or later. Best to pick a convenient time for replacement rather than have to rush around when it does break "unexpectedly".

Joe

gaknut · December 3, 2003

Paul, I had 165,000 on my 92LS before changing the belt and it still looked OK. I made the mistake of not replacing the water pump at the same time though and it seized up and destroyed the belt 30,000 miles later. STRONGLY recommend replacing the belt and both idler pulleys at the same time. Cheap insurance!

90LS400Lexus · December 3, 2003

Lexus says it should be replaced at 90k, but some have said to have gone 150k and more without changing it.
It could last well beyond 122k, but it will likely break sooner or later. Best to pick a convenient time for replacement rather than have to rush around when it does break "unexpectedly".

Joe

I agree. Some timing belts will last a long time. For example: My father has a 1988 Nissan truck, with the bullet-proof Nissan 3.0L V6. My uncle bought it brand new. My dad aquired it in 1999, when the truck had 205K. My uncle told him after he bought it that he had never changed the timing belt, despite the 90K mile interval recommended by Nissan. My father changed it. Needless to say- it was getting to be in very bad shape. My dad changed it himself in a couple of hours. Still, the truck has never had any problems at all. It now has 260K and the only thing he has had to do aside from the belt is new brakes. Really impressive.

I also understand that the 90-94 LS400s have non-interference engines- which means the engine will not be destroyed if the belt breaks. On many cars- if the belt break, the engine can be severely damaged.

braheem · December 7, 2003

I had ~279K miles on my 91 LS400 before I gave it to a family member 1 year ago, it may be over 300K by now.

Only thing ever done to the car was timing belts and freon leaks.

Here's a pic of it at ~275K.

mobilyte · December 7, 2003

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mobilyte · December 7, 2003

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jimH93 · December 8, 2003

Read through the responses and I got to admit with my 93 LS400 having 120K it is still a great car. I like doing a lot of my own work on my cars and the timing belt should be done according to the scheduled maintenance in the manual. As well as a valve adjustment. Has anyone ever heard of a timing belt breaking on a LS400? If so what else was did it damage when it broke. For those of you that have changed one what should be a fair price to pay for the work? Or has anyone ever replaced on on there own?

Jim H 93 LS400

braheem · December 8, 2003

My timing belt broke on a 91 LS400, it damaged nothing. The mechanic did however tell me the "newer" models (he was thinking in the 1995 range) and above did damage valves when they broke.

michaelsn · December 9, 2003

jimH93,

You can do a search using "timing belt" and find a lot of very interesting and useful posts. Refine your search to include "any date" otherwise it defaults to posts during the last 30 days only. Here's a few:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=timing+belt

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=4&t=2392&st=0&

I believe it was VMF who replaced his timing belt by himself and also posted pictures of it. Very inspirational. Too bad I can't find that post, seems like it disappeared when the server crashed.

bluethunder2008 · December 10, 2003

My car is 98' and now is running over 130K miles and it is performing well in Saudi Arabia , even we have hot hot weather and having alot of traffic and sometimes bad weather, totally diffrent type of fuel :D .

the only point I can tell , by the time , the interior of my car start to be noisy because of bad roads I drive though it , may be if there is a way to fix it will . but otherthings is working perfect.

99lsguy · December 11, 2003

JimH93,

Yeah, the post by VMF was stunning! I took 8 hours with couple extra hands. About $450 in parts - (thats replacing all the stuff you should because its a BIG job and better take care of everything you can while the engine is halfway APART!)

Lexus Dealer for my 99 is around $1100 and good import shop is around $800.

Let us know if you attempt this.....

tansupplyman · December 11, 2003

Look in the gallery pages 18 and 19 to see all the VMF pixs of the timing belt change and comments.

90LS400Lexus · December 11, 2003

My car is 98' and now is running over 130K miles and it is performing well in Saudi Arabia , even we have hot hot weather and having alot of traffic and sometimes bad weather, totally diffrent type of fuel :D .
the only point I can tell , by the time , the interior of my car start to be noisy because of bad roads I drive though it , may be if there is a way to fix it will . but otherthings is working perfect.

Hello. What exactly do you mean by "noisy interior"? Do you mean it already has squeaks and rattles?