Engine Noise

[kuziwk]

there is a squeling noise coming from the right side of the engine, its comes and goes i hear it on the highway slightly sometimes since the car is so quiet with the music off. When i first start the car i usually hear it, im guessing its a pulley bearing, has anyone experience this before or know a fix?

[wanderson]

First thing I'd investigate is the belt tensioner. If you want to isolate whether it's your accessories or the engine itself, remove the serpentine belt and run the motor for a minute or two and listen.

there is a squeling noise coming from the right side of the engine, its comes and goes i hear it on the highway slightly sometimes since the car is so quiet with the music off. When i first start the car i usually hear it, im guessing its a pulley bearing, has anyone experience this before or know a fix?

[steve2006]

You don't say which year LS400 you have but normally on the RHS of the engine there is the AC compressor,does it make the same noise with AC on and off?.Also is the sepentine belt OK?

[kuziwk]

You don't say which year LS400 you have but normally on the RHS of the engine there is the AC compressor,does it make the same noise with AC on and off?.Also is the sepentine belt OK?

Im not sure about the AC compressor, since the AC does not work. I know this because last summer i tried to refill it but i wasted the gas and was too cheap.....anyways the AC use to turn on for second raising rpms than shut down due to low coolant. The year is 1992, the serpentine belt is the drive belt right?? Im not sure but i couldnt see any cracks, but its very hard to tell without remove the belt. How do you remove it and adjust the tensioner?

[steve2006]

The belt is automatically tensioned,the tutorial for replacement is below

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/maintenance/drivebelt.html

Once the belt is off spin the tensioner and idler pulleys and listen for any noises or roughness.

I did hear one LS400 with the sound you are describing and it was the AC compressor clutch.

[kuziwk]

The belt is automatically tensioned,the tutorial for replacement is below

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/maintenance/drivebelt.html

Once the belt is off spin the tensioner and idler pulleys and listen for any noises or roughness.

I did hear one LS400 with the sound you are describing and it was the AC compressor clutch.

in the case of the ac compressor cluth, what was the procedure. Thanks a bunch for the info aswell. BTW on the LEXLS link you provided, on the last pic...the pulley next to the power steering resevoir is the one making the noise i beleive.

[landar]

there is a squeling noise coming from the right side of the engine, its comes and goes i hear it on the highway slightly sometimes since the car is so quiet with the music off. When i first start the car i usually hear it, im guessing its a pulley bearing, has anyone experience this before or know a fix?

I guess it would be good to clear up the ambiguity of "right side of the engine". Normally, the "side" is as referenced from the driver's seat. So "RHS" would mean the passenger side of the engine compartment.

A really simple test for squeals is to spray a little (very little) lubricant like WD40, or silicone or teflon spray onto the belt while running and see if the squeal is affected. If so, its the belt. If not, you will have to "catch" the noise with a stethoscope or careful directional listening(very tough, thats why a mechanics steth is important for pinpointing noises). From your description, it could be the idler pulley. Some have also reported the fan clutch bracket pulley as making noise and needing replacement especially if you have a lot of miles on it (>150k).

How many miles on your 92 LS400?

[kuziwk]

there is a squeling noise coming from the right side of the engine, its comes and goes i hear it on the highway slightly sometimes since the car is so quiet with the music off. When i first start the car i usually hear it, im guessing its a pulley bearing, has anyone experience this before or know a fix?

I guess it would be good to clear up the ambiguity of "right side of the engine". Normally, the "side" is as referenced from the driver's seat. So "RHS" would mean the passenger side of the engine compartment.

A really simple test for squeals is to spray a little (very little) lubricant like WD40, or silicone or teflon spray onto the belt while running and see if the squeal is affected. If so, its the belt. If not, you will have to "catch" the noise with a stethoscope or careful directional listening(very tough, thats why a mechanics steth is important for pinpointing noises). From your description, it could be the idler pulley. Some have also reported the fan clutch bracket pulley as making noise and needing replacement especially if you have a lot of miles on it (>150k).

How many miles on your 92 LS400?

its more of a rattling than a squeling, like a bearing.

200 000 miles. So the idler pulley is the one next to the power steering resevoir? Honestly i love this car but all these picky small things like this are a PITA. Is it really worth it to replace all this, or should i just sell it?, so far i did my upper control arms myself, lower ball joints by the mechanic as i didn't have time, a bunch of small stuff not worth mentioning. Today im draining the rad to get to the distributer cap and rotor. Also i need motor mounts was hoping to do myself but it looks complex....I need brakes and rotors too. so again is it really worth it?, my dad keeps saying im putting so much money into it and it will break down. so i guess what im saying how much is this car going to cost me to keep it for the next little while?

[landar]

[

its more of a rattling than a squeling, like a bearing.

200 000 miles. So the idler pulley is the one next to the power steering resevoir? Honestly i love this car but all these picky small things like this are a PITA. Is it really worth it to replace all this, or should i just sell it?, so far i did my upper control arms myself, lower ball joints by the mechanic as i didn't have time, a bunch of small stuff not worth mentioning. Today im draining the rad to get to the distributer cap and rotor. Also i need motor mounts was hoping to do myself but it looks complex....I need brakes and rotors too. so again is it really worth it?, my dad keeps saying im putting so much money into it and it will break down. so i guess what im saying how much is this car going to cost me to keep it for the next little while?

Only you can decide if it is "worth" it. Given the 200k miles, the issues you describe are normal. And think about what would be a good replacement car. It is not going to be cheap. I know it seems endless and difficult to repair but you are gaining valuable experience in the process. I get a sense of pride, accomplishment and a tremendous confidence boost when I tackle difficult jobs. I would keep plugging away at the issues. Knock them out one-by-one. It is almost always cheaper to repair than replace the vehicle. The LS is built like no other.

[kuziwk]

[

its more of a rattling than a squeling, like a bearing.

200 000 miles. So the idler pulley is the one next to the power steering resevoir? Honestly i love this car but all these picky small things like this are a PITA. Is it really worth it to replace all this, or should i just sell it?, so far i did my upper control arms myself, lower ball joints by the mechanic as i didn't have time, a bunch of small stuff not worth mentioning. Today im draining the rad to get to the distributer cap and rotor. Also i need motor mounts was hoping to do myself but it looks complex....I need brakes and rotors too. so again is it really worth it?, my dad keeps saying im putting so much money into it and it will break down. so i guess what im saying how much is this car going to cost me to keep it for the next little while?

Only you can decide if it is "worth" it. Given the 200k miles, the issues you describe are normal. And think about what would be a good replacement car. It is not going to be cheap. I know it seems endless and difficult to repair but you are gaining valuable experience in the process. I get a sense of pride, accomplishment and a tremendous confidence boost when I tackle difficult jobs. I would keep plugging away at the issues. Knock them out one-by-one. It is almost always cheaper to repair than replace the vehicle. The LS is built like no other.

well i did replace the distributer caps and rotors today and just like the spark plug wires (which were laser etched 1992) they were the original or at least very old, A real pain though and had i expected it too be so complicated i would have allocated extra time. Your right though, i have learned a lot from this car about suspension and engine components. However, I believe when i was spinning the fan clutch assembly and the tensioner pulley they both didnt seem that smooth. I think its mostly the tensioner pulley, where can i get a replacement bearing?

[landar]

In addition to spinning you should also wiggle the pulleys checking for excessive "slop". Any noticeable movement or clunking probably means the bearing is worn. You do not replace the bearing itself, you just buy a new assembly either at the Lexus dealer or online if you want OEM replacements (recommended).

[kuziwk]

In addition to spinning you should also wiggle the pulleys checking for excessive "slop". Any noticeable movement or clunking probably means the bearing is worn. You do not replace the bearing itself, you just buy a new assembly either at the Lexus dealer or online if you want OEM replacements (recommended).

Alright, yeah there are some belt tensioner pulleys on ebay from refudable brands, ill probably get one. Hey is there any way of knowing when the timing belt was last done? It looks pretty good no visible cracks or frays but im not sure.

[landar]

Alright, yeah there are some belt tensioner pulleys on ebay from refudable brands, ill probably get one. Hey is there any way of knowing when the timing belt was last done? It looks pretty good no visible cracks or frays but im not sure.

There is no reliable way to tell how many miles are on the timing belt from a visual. The good news is that your 92 is a non-interference engine so if (when?) the belt breaks, it will not harm your engine. Just leave you stranded. All in all, not a bad deal. B)

[kuziwk]

Alright, yeah there are some belt tensioner pulleys on ebay from refudable brands, ill probably get one. Hey is there any way of knowing when the timing belt was last done? It looks pretty good no visible cracks or frays but im not sure.

There is no reliable way to tell how many miles are on the timing belt from a visual. The good news is that your 92 is a non-interference engine so if (when?) the belt breaks, it will not harm your engine. Just leave you stranded. All in all, not a bad deal. B)

haha nice, so its true than. Working on this car is a real pain the !Removed! though, i wont lie. i would hate to do the timing belt