Nashtally Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. THe two things the car is missing is the volume/stereo knob that basically controls the stereo...this is kind of annoying because I can't control the volume or turn of the stereo other than putting it on CD. I am also needing a pwr lock switch on the driver side. Just the plastic cover seems to be missing. Other than that the car seems to drive like a champ. Man these things are smooth! Even for a 17 year old car it drives amazing. My only other issue is the check engine light will come on for about ten miles the go out for the next 30 miles or soo...it just comes on randomly and then goes off usually the next trip. Although I haven't even gone through a tank of gas yet. I hope its nothing to worry about as I just bought the car. O well. Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Any help with the knob/switches would be appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousB Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stroker Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I have a 91 LS 400 and had it retrofitted to use the R134 for I think 80 bux including the freon or you can do it yourself by buying the kit at Wally World for 32 bux (its only the fittings you have to change) and a few cans of freon (R134) @ about 4 bux a can, the cans come with the necessary oil for the conversion...I did my other car myself and didnt have to evacuate the system because it was totally empty.. If it had any R12 left I would have just released it from the system.. Not environmentally correct but it works!!!! B. Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousB Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I have a 91 LS 400 and had it retrofitted to use the R134 for I think 80 bux including the freon or you can do it yourself by buying the kit at Wally World for 32 bux (its only the fittings you have to change) and a few cans of freon (R134) @ about 4 bux a can, the cans come with the necessary oil for the conversion...I did my other car myself and didnt have to evacuate the system because it was totally empty.. If it had any R12 left I would have just released it from the system.. Not environmentally correct but it works!!!! B. Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Also that the system had to be flushed with some type of solvent to remove the old oil (R12 compatible) as that oil isn't compatible with R134. Furthermore I thought you had to run system on a vacuum pump to draw out any air and humidity before recharging it. I'm not an AC guy maybe someone more knowledgeable in these areas can chime in. If its just changing a couple of fitting and filling it with R134 charge then that sounds pretty straight forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stroker Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I, myself am not an A/C guy but someone suggested it to me and I tried it and it worked....On my LS though, I had a garage do it and Im sure they used a vacuum pump to evacuate the system.. but the conversion only cost me about 80 bux so I dont think that it was that involved, versus over 200 bux just to add R12. They told me they had to evacuate the system even to just add R12. They say the R134 is not as cold as R12 but I live in South Florida and it keeps me nice and cold!!!! B. I have a 91 LS 400 and had it retrofitted to use the R134 for I think 80 bux including the freon or you can do it yourself by buying the kit at Wally World for 32 bux (its only the fittings you have to change) and a few cans of freon (R134) @ about 4 bux a can, the cans come with the necessary oil for the conversion...I did my other car myself and didnt have to evacuate the system because it was totally empty.. If it had any R12 left I would have just released it from the system.. Not environmentally correct but it works!!!! B. Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Also that the system had to be flushed with some type of solvent to remove the old oil (R12 compatible) as that oil isn't compatible with R134. Furthermore I thought you had to run system on a vacuum pump to draw out any air and humidity before recharging it. I'm not an AC guy maybe someone more knowledgeable in these areas can chime in. If its just changing a couple of fitting and filling it with R134 charge then that sounds pretty straight forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Hobbs Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I, myself am not an A/C guy but someone suggested it to me and I tried it and it worked....On my LS though, I had a garage do it and Im sure they used a vacuum pump to evacuate the system.. but the conversion only cost me about 80 bux so I dont think that it was that involved, versus over 200 bux just to add R12. They told me they had to evacuate the system even to just add R12. They say the R134 is not as cold as R12 but I live in South Florida and it keeps me nice and cold!!!! B. I have a 91 LS 400 and had it retrofitted to use the R134 for I think 80 bux including the freon or you can do it yourself by buying the kit at Wally World for 32 bux (its only the fittings you have to change) and a few cans of freon (R134) @ about 4 bux a can, the cans come with the necessary oil for the conversion...I did my other car myself and didnt have to evacuate the system because it was totally empty.. If it had any R12 left I would have just released it from the system.. Not environmentally correct but it works!!!! B. Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Also that the system had to be flushed with some type of solvent to remove the old oil (R12 compatible) as that oil isn't compatible with R134. Furthermore I thought you had to run system on a vacuum pump to draw out any air and humidity before recharging it. I'm not an AC guy maybe someone more knowledgeable in these areas can chime in. If its just changing a couple of fitting and filling it with R134 charge then that sounds pretty straight forward. There are many reasons why your A/C system may not be cooling the car well. Low (or too much) refrigerant is just one. No, you absolutely can not add R-134a to R-12. The conversion to a reliable, durable R-134a system is not simple. But you can add R-406a to an R-12 (Freon) system as a drop-in replacement. It isn't really hard to do but you will require a license even to do your own car's work. They aren't difficult to obtain. But you should really get an accurate diagnosis first...several opinions...from A/C specialty shops. I would advise you to read about A/C systems and learn as much as you can so that the questions you ask your tech. are sensible. You're less likely to be cheated that way. Guess that's a general truth in life, for better or worse. Oh, Freon isn't always as expensive as it used to be because there is relatively little demand for it any more. Would always avoid the stuff from Mexico, which I'm told is often not R-12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just hanging on Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I, myself am not an A/C guy but someone suggested it to me and I tried it and it worked....On my LS though, I had a garage do it and Im sure they used a vacuum pump to evacuate the system.. but the conversion only cost me about 80 bux so I dont think that it was that involved, versus over 200 bux just to add R12. They told me they had to evacuate the system even to just add R12. They say the R134 is not as cold as R12 but I live in South Florida and it keeps me nice and cold!!!! B.The rules might have changed but back in 2000 when I got my license to handle Freon, no license was required to service your own vehicle. However, if you're doing A/C work on others vehicles for pay, you must have a license. One also is required to have a license to legally purchase Freon. There are as many theories on how to convert from Freon 12 to R134 as there are stars in the sky. There's no consensus even among technicians as to the one correct method. I've heard from techs, whom I believe, who say they have successfully simply refilled R12 systems with R 134 and they worked perfectly. I'm not advocating this method, Im just sayin".... I have a 91 LS 400 and had it retrofitted to use the R134 for I think 80 bux including the freon or you can do it yourself by buying the kit at Wally World for 32 bux (its only the fittings you have to change) and a few cans of freon (R134) @ about 4 bux a can, the cans come with the necessary oil for the conversion...I did my other car myself and didnt have to evacuate the system because it was totally empty.. If it had any R12 left I would have just released it from the system.. Not environmentally correct but it works!!!! B. Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. .....Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Also that the system had to be flushed with some type of solvent to remove the old oil (R12 compatible) as that oil isn't compatible with R134. Furthermore I thought you had to run system on a vacuum pump to draw out any air and humidity before recharging it. I'm not an AC guy maybe someone more knowledgeable in these areas can chime in. If its just changing a couple of fitting and filling it with R134 charge then that sounds pretty straight forward. There are many reasons why your A/C system may not be cooling the car well. Low (or too much) refrigerant is just one. No, you absolutely can not add R-134a to R-12. The conversion to a reliable, durable R-134a system is not simple. But you can add R-406a to an R-12 (Freon) system as a drop-in replacement. It isn't really hard to do but you will require a license even to do your own car's work. They aren't difficult to obtain. But you should really get an accurate diagnosis first...several opinions...from A/C specialty shops. I would advise you to read about A/C systems and learn as much as you can so that the questions you ask your tech. are sensible. You're less likely to be cheated that way. Guess that's a general truth in life, for better or worse. Oh, Freon isn't always as expensive as it used to be because there is relatively little demand for it any more. Would always avoid the stuff from Mexico, which I'm told is often not R-12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400Lexus Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Im not sure... my 91 LS was already converted when I had bought it. As far as the check engine light, you need to have the code read somewhere... places like AutoZone, Advance Auto, etc usually do it for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasha1 Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Hello I recently purchased a 92 ls400 with 147k miles on it. Seems to be in really good shape considering the age. THe two things the car is missing is the volume/stereo knob that basically controls the stereo...this is kind of annoying because I can't control the volume or turn of the stereo other than putting it on CD. I am also needing a pwr lock switch on the driver side. Just the plastic cover seems to be missing. Other than that the car seems to drive like a champ. Man these things are smooth! Even for a 17 year old car it drives amazing. My only other issue is the check engine light will come on for about ten miles the go out for the next 30 miles or soo...it just comes on randomly and then goes off usually the next trip. Although I haven't even gone through a tank of gas yet. I hope its nothing to worry about as I just bought the car. O well. Sometime I will need to get the AC recharged as it is not blowing cold enough...i know R12 is a pain. Not sure what i will do. My brother said r-134 wouldnt really hurt it.... Any help with the knob/switches would be appreciated!! Looks like you have answers to the engine light and A/C issues. Here is a link to the stereo knob part number: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1991_LEXU....html?hl=86120A You can use www.toyodiy.com to find various OEM part numbers for the parts that you will need while you own your LS400. Then, after you have the part number, you can order it from, e.g., www.parts.com or www.lexuspartsonline.com. There are other sites, also, but I find parts.com to be the least expensive, even with their outrageous 15% shipping fee tacked on at the end when you checkout. It looks like the knob is available and costs about $9. I did not search for your door lock, but I am sure you can find it using the approach just described. Sometimes, though, the part you need is part of a larger module and you have to buy the larger part. For example, if you only wanted OEM bushings for an upper control arm, too bad. You'd have to buy the entire upper arm for $400+. Hope this helps. Good luck with your LS400. My first one was a 91 LS400 and I drove it to about 220K before it was totaled in an accident. I was sorry to see it go. I had no intention of getting rid of it because it was still a great car even with the high mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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