What To Fix First...

[southomaha]

I brought a 91 LS400 in 06 with 170K miles. I had it looked over and had some minor work done (power steering hose, replaced a tail light, etc). I drove the car from Nebraska to AZ without a problem, it actually GLIDED to PHX :).

I get to AZ and about a month after being in AZ, the rack, a couple of gaskets and oil pan went bust and according to the mechanic the hoses (the one I had just put in) was no good, about 4K worth of work because he ONLY puts in new parts brought from Lexus. I didn't have the money at the time so the car has sat in my yard, Yes I know not a good thing. Yes, it sat for about 4 years. Now I need tires too and of course a battery :).

Now I'm ready to fix it and get it back to it's former glory....I'll leave the inside and the paint job for later :(.

What do I fix first, can I buy the parts I need off of ebay or some other place?

Thanks

[curiousB]

First thing I would do is get another mechanic. The list of ailments sounds like a fishing expedition to do a bunch of repairs. Very suspicious.

Lets face it a 1991 car doesn't have enormous value so fixing everything that is wrong might not be a good idea. Don't get emotional "restore to its former glory"... Its former glory is gone, it will always be a 1991 in the year 2010 ( and soon 2011).

That said they are terrific cars and if the repairs are modest enough you can get her back on the road again.

So what is really wrong with the car? Unless your went offroading I don't understand "busted oil pan". The rack, a few gaskets, and hoses didn't all fail at the same time. Do you have a lot of liquid spilling on your driveway? Is it coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid or PS fluid? Can you live with the leak? I doubt all fluids are leaking. Is it minor spotting or is it more serious requiring regular top up? Do you have steering problems?

I guess I would try to break down the problem to what needs to be fixed to get it on the road, and what might be fixed to correct an annoyance.

[southomaha]

I actually took it to another mechanic because my brother (mechanic at UPS)said the same thing and since I had 3 mechanic look at it before I left Omaha; the AZ mechanic was suspect :)

No emotional attachment, it's a second car, I have a 05 Honda that is just fine. I only paid 1K for the Lexus and the repairs I had put into until now have been about $500. Since the car is known to last a long time and I wanted a second car to have it seemed like a good idea to fix it up. That is why I said I'll worry about the inside and outside later. Plus there are a few other minor errors I'm not worried about. I just want a solid second vehicle.

But to answer your question, no, no off road, so again I'm not sure what the guy is talking about regarding all of these leaks and such. I literally drove it and parked it. Drove it once a weekend to the store just to keep it running. Then the oil leak started. Yes, the oil is in my driveway. The other mechanics did agree on the rack because they said that was obivous, but what was not, was the other leaks the first mechanic claimed.

I've found a rack and pinion for $200 and someone that reparis hoses for about $10. The labor for the rack ranges from 200 - 500 total. Some mechanics use one book that claims its a 2 hour job and other mechanics use a different book and it says 4 hours. If I replace the powersteering hose, I want to find one on ebay or aftermarket or something because that hose cost me over $200 the first time I replaced it, assuming the guy can't repair it for me.

And thank you for respondin :)

First thing I would do is get another mechanic. The list of ailments sounds like a fishing expedition to do a bunch of repairs. Very suspicious.

Lets face it a 1991 car doesn't have enormous value so fixing everything that is wrong might not be a good idea. Don't get emotional "restore to its former glory"... Its former glory is gone, it will always be a 1991 in the year 2010 ( and soon 2011).

That said they are terrific cars and if the repairs are modest enough you can get her back on the road again.

So what is really wrong with the car? Unless your went offroading I don't understand "busted oil pan". The rack, a few gaskets, and hoses didn't all fail at the same time. Do you have a lot of liquid spilling on your driveway? Is it coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid or PS fluid? Can you live with the leak? I doubt all fluids are leaking. Is it minor spotting or is it more serious requiring regular top up? Do you have steering problems?

I guess I would try to break down the problem to what needs to be fixed to get it on the road, and what might be fixed to correct an annoyance.

[southomaha]

I actually took it to another mechanic because my brother (mechanic at UPS)said the same thing and since I had 3 mechanic look at it before I left Omaha; the AZ mechanic was suspect :)

No emotional attachment, it's a second car, I have a 05 Honda that is just fine. I only paid 1K for the Lexus and the repairs I had put into until now have been about $500. Since the car is known to last a long time and I wanted a second car to have it seemed like a good idea to fix it up. That is why I said I'll worry about the inside and outside later. Plus there are a few other minor errors I'm not worried about. I just want a solid second vehicle.

But to answer your question, no, no off road, so again I'm not sure what the guy is talking about regarding all of these leaks and such. I literally drove it and parked it. Drove it once a weekend to the store just to keep it running. Then the oil leak started. Yes, the oil is in my driveway. The other mechanics did agree on the rack because they said that was obivous, but what was not, was the other leaks the first mechanic claimed. The only fluid that is leaking is power steering and it must be topped off EVERY time I take it out of the yard. if I drive for too long, maybe 30 minutes or park, I have to fill the PS fluid up. Even when it's full it's almost impossible to turn the steering wheel.

I've found a rack and pinion for $200 and someone that reparis hoses for about $10. The labor for the rack ranges from 200 - 500 total. Some mechanics use one book that claims its a 2 hour job and other mechanics use a different book and it says 4 hours. If I replace the powersteering hose, I want to find one on ebay or aftermarket or something because that hose cost me over $200 the first time I replaced it, assuming the guy can't repair it for me.

And thank you for respondin :)

First thing I would do is get another mechanic. The list of ailments sounds like a fishing expedition to do a bunch of repairs. Very suspicious.

Lets face it a 1991 car doesn't have enormous value so fixing everything that is wrong might not be a good idea. Don't get emotional "restore to its former glory"... Its former glory is gone, it will always be a 1991 in the year 2010 ( and soon 2011).

That said they are terrific cars and if the repairs are modest enough you can get her back on the road again.

So what is really wrong with the car? Unless your went offroading I don't understand "busted oil pan". The rack, a few gaskets, and hoses didn't all fail at the same time. Do you have a lot of liquid spilling on your driveway? Is it coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid or PS fluid? Can you live with the leak? I doubt all fluids are leaking. Is it minor spotting or is it more serious requiring regular top up? Do you have steering problems?

I guess I would try to break down the problem to what needs to be fixed to get it on the road, and what might be fixed to correct an annoyance.