New Owner W/ Questions

[sanstoetter]

To start with I just picked up a 1994 Lexus LS400 w/174,000 miles to be my daily driver so I can retire my 240sx from DD duty. Anyway I've had it for two weeks, and last night I noticed the check engine light come on for about 2-3 minutes, and during that time the traction control light was lit up. I know that you can jumper the diagnostics port, but I didn't know if I'd get anything since the light went out. Other than that I also noticed the 6 disk cd player seems to skip pretty badly, and gives a lot of errors... eventually it'll load a cd, and work a bit better (still skips a bit). The car didn't have a magazine so I picked up one off ebay... has anyone noticed the non OEM ones not working as well? Besides that the car seems to be pretty rock solid... doesn't even have a PS leak. Here are a few pictures... let me know what you think.

Steven

[Ross W.]

Congratulations!

See if you can borrow or rent a scan tool from an auto parts store. For your CD changer, try a cleaning disc. Mine used to skip from time to time, and that seemed to help. Sometimes condensation on a cold morning would fog the lenses up too, but after awhile that would go away.

[sanstoetter]

I'll see if I can grab a cd cleaner, but I thought the scan tool was only for OBD2? I've always heard that you just needed to jumper the scan port, and count off the flashing check engine light, abs light, or traction control light. Today I also realized that the heat doesn't seem to really get very hot... feels luke warm. If you recirculate the air in the cabin it seems to get a bit warmer, but not in any sense of the word... hot.

[sanstoetter]

Another thing that I just remembered... is there an online retailer that sells interior switches? I need the switch/toggle that goes in front of the pwr/normal button... to the front left of the shifter gate. Mine for some reason was missing that, and is it common that the clear coat on the back part of my console woods clear coat is cracked... just under the cup holders.

[1990LS400]

Another thing that I just remembered... is there an online retailer that sells interior switches? I need the switch/toggle that goes in front of the pwr/normal button... to the front left of the shifter gate. Mine for some reason was missing that, and is it common that the clear coat on the back part of my console woods clear coat is cracked... just under the cup holders.

Are you talking about the little shift override button? I think 1993 was the first year that the shift override button was recessed similar to like it is on my 00 LS400. The button on my 90 LS was not recessed. My 00 LS400 has a snap-in blank that covers the recessed shift override button. Does it look like yours should have a snap in blank to cover the button? More importantly, does pushing the button allow the shift lever to be moved out of "Park" without inserting the key into the ignition switch?

The clear coat on the console wood cracks fairly easily. The clear coat on the console wood on the 90 LS I had was even cracked when the car was hit fairly hard in the back when I was stopped at a traffic light. My 90 LS is long gone but I still have the old console wood with the cracked finish on a shelf in the garage.

[sanstoetter]

I'm guessing it is the shift override switch, and I'll check in the morning if it allows me to move the shift lever w/out the key. From memory it's an opening about 1/2"x1/2" with an unfinished looking white switch.

[billydpowell]

I'm guessing it is the shift override switch, and I'll check in the morning if it allows me to move the shift lever w/out the key. From memory it's an opening about 1/2"x1/2" with an unfinished looking white switch.

show us a photo

[sanstoetter]

Here's a picture of the spot I'm talking about.

[billydpowell]

Here's a picture of the spot I'm talking about.

yep, that is the shift override

[Ross W.]

......but I thought the scan tool was only for OBD2?

OBD 1 as well. It was part of the Federal mandate that data logging fault codes would be part of computerized engine controls from 1981 or '82 onwards. Handheld scanners came to be about ten years later. Before that the smog machine or a PC with the appropriate software showed it, or more commonly, jumpering certain pins on the diagnostic port would cause the check engine light to flash the codes. Your car is that way. But I like the scan tool better!

I noticed that you mentioned not much heat from your climate control. Check the engine temperature guage. Fully warmed up, it should read about 1/8" above the midline on the guage. If not, replace the thermostat. Use a genuine Toyota 'stat! I've had too many aftermarket ones fail in my travels to trust them.

[steve2006]

Hi,

Have a look at the link below for access to the codes and what they mean.

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

[1990LS400]

Is the 1993-up LS400 supposed to have a little removable plastic cover for the recessed shift override button like my 00 LS400 has? See attached photo.

The shift override button on the 90-92 stuck up quite a bit. All the 93-94 LS I've seen have a shift override that look like the one in sanstoetter's 94 LS. Surely they couldn't all be missing the little plastic cover over the button.

[93ls400walt]

you can order one from a Lexus dealer around $8.00. Yes it's crazy to cost this much!

[VBdenny]

Mine has a button you can depress to allow you to shift the car while the ignition is off. Exact spot.

[Blk Blood]

1. nice car, looks just like mine ;)

2. what the hell is the shift overide? i didnt know that was even a switch Lol

[Blk Blood]

Nevermind that question, after a little thinking.....

[Just hanging on]

If you still want to SCAN TOOL the data port, just go by an AutoZone store, they'll do it for free!!

[sanstoetter]

I'll go ahead, and take the car out to have the codes checked in the next day or so. The temperature gauge reads just a hair over the middle line... so it looks as if it runs at full operating temperature. I'll probably hold off on the $8 cover for the switch, but glad to know whats supposed to be there.

I've now run across more issues though... the AC light will come on for a sec, and then start blinking. Does that mean my compressor is dead? Other than that the CD changer in the trunk seems to give me errors until I've rotated through the cd's for a few minutes, and after that it works fine... other than skipping a bit. I tried to run a cd player cleaning disk, but its thrown an error every time.

[OmarG]

I made a cover for mine. Used black plastic from from motor oil quart and some black electrical tape. Later when i found a 90 LS400 at the junkyard I just took the whole PRND cover. I like the button.

[sanstoetter]

Well now I'm down to 2 issues that I really want to have fixed.

1. My AC quit working in the last week or so. When I turn the system on the light stays solid for a good 5 sec or so, and then the light will just blink... you can feel the compressor clutch disengage when driving. I've always done my own mechanics work, but this is the first car that I care to keep AC in. So I need a little help diagnosing the problem.

2. Whenever I want to listen to a CD the screen says Error. I can usually rotate from CD to CD as soon as it says error, and eventually (10min or so) it will start to work. At that point itll show the cd#, and track number, but it will just sit there for 45 seconds or so then throw an error. Once its done that a few times it will play a CD. Once the system is working it will keep working fine for the rest of the trip, or if I take a short stop it will keep on working. This has happened with burned cd's, and store bought cd's. I've tried my cd player cleaning disk more than a few times which does not seem to have any effect. Is there a known remedy to this, or is there another cd changer that works with the factory pioneer stereo?