Somewhat New To Lexus!

[stylz]

thank you to all for your acceptance to the club!

here's my story, i'll try to keep it short.

i bought my LS about a year ago for $1500. it now has 139,000 miles. at first i tired to sell it because it needed a few things and wanted to make a quick buck. no one bought it due to gas prices and now i'm kinda happy no one did...it grew on me!

the car was sitting for about 2 years before i bought it. the car was stored very close to the inter coastal (by the beach) in a covered parking lot. even though, it still got damaged by the elements of salt. along the crome trim it has salt built up which i don't know what to take it off with.

things that i replaced:

things that need to be replaced:

1. battery

1. antenna

2. fixed instrument cluster

2. cd changer

3. front brakes

3. driver door latch, to keep the door from swinging

4. belt

4. hood struts

5. rims

5. taller tires to fit better with the sc rims

6. new emblems

i'm willing to take any suggestions that anyone may have to better my new LS and to prolong its life for as long as possible.

i'm still new to this forum and this is my first lexus so sorry if i ask stupid questions!

[landar]

Welcome! They are neat cars as you are finding out.

For $1500, it sure looks like you got a pretty good deal.

If it were me, I would be changing the transmission fluid, brake fluid and rear diff. fluid, pronto.

The timing belt might also need changed depending on previous owner(s).

[stylz]

landar, thank you

when i changed the serpentine belt i had the mech. check the timing belt and he said it was good.

i guess the previous owner had just changed it. at first i thought it was a good deal too but parts

are so expensive for these cars.

thanks again

[eatingupblacktop]

No apologies required and no such thing as a stupid question unless you already know the answer!

After checking/replacing all the fluids, first thing I would do is get as much history on this car as you can. This will tell you when vital services (such as the TB) were done. About the TB, looks can be deceiving. Always better to know when it was last changed. Next time you do it, make sure to change the idlers, tensioner, WP, seals and use only distilled water in the coolant mix.

Next thing I would do is read up on your car. There's a mountain of info on this site. Sections on Maintenance, tutorials, stickies, etc. Get familiar with the car and what regular service you should expect.

Since you're in a hot zone, I would also cool down the car before shutting it off, (idling for a few minutes) especially after using the a/c. If you're parking in a garage, I would even crack the hood for at least a half hour on a hot day. This way you prevent deterioration to wires and components from heat soak. Good luck and keep it smooth.

[stylz]

thanks, eatingupblacktop

it seems like you know alot about these cars. in regards to the TB the mech. told me that even if the car sits it still wears with time, as far as info on the car i couldnt get any from the owner cause they were snowbirds and he had pasted.

what im experiencing now with the car is while im driving at different speeds is a sudden decrease in the rpm. if i let off the gas it corrects itself but if i push the gas more it rocks back and forward as if its choking and does not go faster until i let go of the gas pedal. and when i push on the gas pedal i would have to push it very easy and slow.

did you hear of anything like this before?

[jcrome04]

Trunk Wire Harness B)

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lighting/bulbout.html

[eatingupblacktop]

what im experiencing now with the car is while im driving at different speeds is a sudden decrease in the rpm. if i let off the gas it corrects itself but if i push the gas more it rocks back and forward as if its choking and does not go faster until i let go of the gas pedal. and when i push on the gas pedal i would have to push it very easy and slow.

Could be any of several reasons. Fuel delivery/pressure, ignition - plugs/wires/caps/rotors, dirty tps/maf sensors, dirty air filter, vacuum leak, dirty throttle body. Are you getting a cel? Are you running rich? Not sure if the trunk harness could cause these probs, but it's easy to check.

[MR. LEX]

Parts are not expensive for a LEXUS. At least not on EBAY. If you have an TEC. that will use your parts you bring in then all you really have to look at is labor costs. On my 97' ES300 I had all gaskets, but the head gasket changed, Timing belt,Water pump, Full tune up. Tranny fluid, Full brake job, done for $800 bucks. And the parts was $200. And my 97' ES300 runs like new with 145,000 miles on it right now. Just about anything you need for a Lexus of and kind it on EBAY. I pick up a few things for my LS400 also.

[stylz]

thank you very much lander for your post.

i didnt know that the rear diff. has fluids that need to be changed.

...did you change it before? how much does it cost?

do you have anymore info on that can help me, please?

I am experiencing something weird while im driving. In the middle of driving, at different speeds sometimes it just looses a little power or just kinda shakes back and forward as if its choking? if i let go of the gas it goes back to normal, if i push on the gas more it gets worst and chokes, rocks back and forward. sorry, dont know if im expressing myself good?

i was just wondering if that could be from the rear diff. fluid like you said?

thank you

[landar]

thank you very much lander for your post.

i didnt know that the rear diff. has fluids that need to be changed.

...did you change it before? how much does it cost?

do you have anymore info on that can help me, please?

I am experiencing something weird while im driving. In the middle of driving, at different speeds sometimes it just looses a little power or just kinda shakes back and forward as if its choking? if i let go of the gas it goes back to normal, if i push on the gas more it gets worst and chokes, rocks back and forward. sorry, dont know if im expressing myself good?

i was just wondering if that could be from the rear diff. fluid like you said?

thank you

No, the rear diff fluid would NOT cause the symptoms that you describe. The rear diff fluid is not very expensive or hard to change but I dont have

any hard costs ...maybe $100 at dealer and $20 DIY? You can call and ask the dealer.

There is a wealth of information in this forum if you can do a simple search and have the patience to wade through multiple posts. For instance, I did a quick search for

"differential" and found this useful thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...hl=differential

I cannot stress this enough...the one most basic thing that you can do to get help and resolve problems is to learn how to use the search engine on this forum. It is your best friend! :D

As eatingupblacktop mentioned, your car's problems could be many things. However, from the description, it sure sounds like a fuel delivery issue.

If you want to do most of the work yourself, you will need to dig in and learn about the various aspects of your car. To begin with, you might want to

check your fuel pump and fuel filter to make sure you are getting good fuel feed to the engine. This does not mean these items are bad, just

suspect.

[stylz]

ok heres what i did...

i gave the car a tune up, air filter, sparks, and gas filter,

put gas additives and injection cleaners, checked the throttle body,

and its still choking if i push the gas pedal to fast...kinda as if it has a governer?

what i also tried is i put the car in neutral and pushed the gas pedal fast and it didnt choke.

i dont know if that says anything?

dont know what else to do or try?

please help, thanks

[eatingupblacktop]

ok heres what i did...

i gave the car a tune up, air filter, sparks, and gas filter,

put gas additives and injection cleaners, checked the throttle body,

and its still choking if i push the gas pedal to fast...kinda as if it has a governer?

what i also tried is i put the car in neutral and pushed the gas pedal fast and it didnt choke.

i dont know if that says anything?

dont know what else to do or try?

please help, thanks

Are you doing all this yourself or using a shop?

There is a wealth of information in this forum if you can do a simple search and have the patience to wade through multiple posts.

I cannot stress this enough...the one most basic thing that you can do to get help and resolve problems is to learn how to use the search engine on this forum. It is your best friend! biggrin.gif

If you want to do most of the work yourself, you will need to dig in and learn about the various aspects of your car.

Next thing I would do is read up on your car. There's a mountain of info on this site. Sections on Maintenance, tutorials, stickies, etc. Get familiar with the car and what regular service you should expect.

cheers.gif

If you're a diy, then as both Landar and I have suggested above, there's a ton of info and threads from people having similar probs to your own with various solutions. You would benefit from reading these and checking some of the possible causes for your prob I listed earlier, before throwing parts at. If you're not a diy, then I suggest taking the car in for a diag and giving them as much info as you can. I would still read up before taking her in. You might also want to read my post regarding getting service for your car: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...st&p=343752

Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Of course if you need specific info and can't find it, you can always try here with a follow up post.

[stylz]

thanks once again eatingupblacktop!

i am actually doing alittle bit of both, doing what i can myself to save money and using a mech.

the mech. said that the spark plugs were original...could that be at 140k miles? they came out looking light redish and the tip was at a sharp point like a pencil. he also said that he never saw plugs that looked like that before! the fuel filter would not come off due to the fittings being rusted so he cut the line and used a hose with clamps. the filter was also original! little by little im finding out that the former owner didnt to much or very little to maintain the car. as far as throwing parts out, i think that the car needed them badly. this mech. is reputable, has been doing this for a long time. he works on various cars, foreign and domestic and he's also a good family friend.

i would be interested in getting a code reader for my car because unfortunately the mech. doesn't have one. apparently my car is too old!

were could i get one and is it expensive?

i did try to do searches for that but i couldnt come across anyone with similar prob. maybe im not expressing myself correct or maybe im not using this site the right way, im still getting familiar with it.

thank you very much for your insight and patience

[landar]

i would be interested in getting a code reader for my car because unfortunately the mech. doesn't have one. apparently my car is too old!

were could i get one and is it expensive?

Since you have a 93, you have the OBDI system which you can read using a jumpering technique. No need to buy a reader.

Here is how you do it ----> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

[eatingupblacktop]

Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier, but Landar's link will get you there. Glad to hear you've got a trusted family friend helping out. There's an advantage to doing much of the work yourself - you get to know the car, and there's the satisfaction of knowing the work has been done properly (not always the case with mechanics you don't know).

As nice as it would be to get an antenna, cd changer, emblems, etc that you mentioned intially, I would suggest spending the money on getting the car running up to spec first. Good luck and let us know how things go.

[stylz]

I noticed that there are two knobs almost like the one that dims the dashboard lights underneath the hood lever.

Does anyone know what they are for?

I turned the lower one while I was driving and it made sounds and chirps just like a radar detector.

Could it be a build in radar detector?

I don't think a 93 LS came with one? Does anyone else have one?