92Lex

Just curious but how many MPG is everyone getting? I'm getting an average of 20mpg or 450 a tank.

Go to the tutorial section and look at the timing belt one I posted. Just follow those steps in the tutorial until you reach the distributor cap and rotors...stop once you get to that step and just remove and replace with the new ones.

o.k all most a year ago i got a 93 LS400.Nice car perfect in and out i love it. Now the car is near 300.000 miles. I have $6.000  and im not sure should i put this money into the car?Or sale it for what i can get off of it and use the money to buy a newer LS or GS with less miles. and if i do sale my car what kind of LS or GS could i get with this kind of money? If i keep my car what things should i do to it? thanks for any help

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What have you done to the car ever since you owned it? Does it seem like there are any areas that may need attention on this vehicle? Do you plan on working on your 93 yourself or is a repair shop going to do it for you?

In all of the years I have been buying and selling cars I have learned one thing - you can't generalize about car owners.  Some old folks ignore maintenance, some drive over curbs and hit things.  Some young folks maintain their cars to the point of obsession and refuse to drive them in the rain.  And then the opposite can occur.

The dealers are always quick with the service records - it is in their best interest to show them.

The independant car lots are usually the most suspect, because if the car was a good one either the private owner would have sold it, or the dealer would have taken it in trade with a view to retailing it themselves.

But you can't generalize too much.  In Canada it is far easier to take action against a dealer (who wants to protect a reputation) than an independant, and nearly impossible to take action against a private party, when something goes badly wrong.

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Well said.

I am a lexus sales rep.  When I bought my gs400 I bought a powertrain warranty just in case

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Just in case what? If a used Lexus has received regular preventive maintenance and has not been driven aggressively and abusively, never run low on engine oil or coolant, etc. it will have little mechanical wear and tear and therefore the powertrain warranty is a waste of money. That's why it's important for used Lexus shoppers to get to know the original owner which is not possible if they purchase from a Lexus dealer.

Every car maker offers certified cars and extended warranties and all of them have "certified" cars that actually have considerable mechanical wear and tear that can come back to haunt the used car buyer soon after the extended warranty expires. That's because cars that have considerable mechanical wear and tear can still breeze through the certification process and because the certification process is limited in its ability to detect whether or not a car has been driven aggressively and abusively, never run low on engine oil or coolant, etc. Furthermore, no dealer or dealer sales rep will publicly admit all this which is one more reason to steer clear of dealers when shopping for a used Lexus.

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What makes you so sure you'll actually get to know the original owner and his/her driving habits? They'll just lie through their teeth to get you to fatten their wallet.

Yeah, lookin' at that dead beat drunk w/ the cancer stick in his mouth makes my day better.

sup guys and gals, im new to the Lexus world, and i inherited 1992 LS400, and would like to know a couple things... first off where is the fuel filter on my LS400 and what can i do to mod it, i also own 2000 Maxima SE 5-Speed, so i am not new to modding just new to lexus. thank you all in advance.

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Look under the car...it's right by the rear left tire.

instead of buying the hex socket i hav used the actual ratchet head, if u have one bit enough, i cant remember if it was a3/8's or a 1/2 inch, but it work and you can save yourself some money.

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5 bucks?

I have no idea but if you find 1 piece headlights let me know.

Why pour 87 when all it really saves you is like 3-4 bucks per fill up? In the end you'll spend more on repairs due to the carbon fouled combustion chamber and clogged fuel filter and injectors...not to mention rapairs when your car fails a smog check due to the elevated NOx because you ignored the "pinging". It's not like Lexus is making money everytime you refuel.

Are you planning on replacing the leather or just patching?

I agree with both silvermate and 99lsguy....it sucks but it could be a number of things. Clogged air filter isn't really starving any fuel but the computer will see less air and in return reduce the pulse width of the fuel injectors...in the end you'll be running under the wrong load which will cause a low power problem. With the MAF sensor....if it's malfunctioning then there's a chance that it's not "sensing" as much air entering the system than there actually is....so the pulse width of the injectors is again shortened in attempt to keep a 14.7/1 a/f ratio..but he actually needs the pulse width of the injectors to be increased (acceleration). It could be many things but I guess the best thing to do is to check the easier stuff first and start eliminating them one at a time.

Expect less than you think you'll get.  There are always rare cases out there but I typically see cars sell for less or much less than KBB value  :whistles:, just my experience around here in MN.

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I agree....KBB is just the starting point for negotiations. I was just lucky to find my cars for well below KBB value. The buyer will most likely adjust the "asking" price based on the actual condition of the vehicle.

I had a 92 LS400 w/ 92k that I bought for $4,850 a few months back....I sold it about a month and a half ago for $7,200 but that's beside the point. Even though your car is probally in top shape it's going to be hard to get anything over KBB value for it because of the mileage...it's not much for a Lexus but it's still high though. Here in California I see LS' like yours go for about 5 grand.

If MistaG's throttle plate needed cleaning howcome his idle is steady?

Go to KBB.com to find out the private party value of your vehicle.

Mr. Clean magic eraser isn't all that smooth either. I wouldn't suggest for someone to use Mr. Clean or Fast Orange on a weekly basis...but believe me bro, it's fine on occasions.

Mr. Clean magic erasers do work pretty good but Fast Orange hand cleaner works 10x better. You could find this stuff ($12 for a gallon jug) at kragens...there's no petroleum or anything so it'll be safe for your leather. All you do is take a small glob of Fast Orange and lightly rub it on...then take a damp cloth and wipe it off...you'll be amazed how well it works. I've tried Mr. Clean magic eraser before and it was decent but you can't even compare it to how well Fast Orange works. This stuff works like a dream....trust me.

So this car has 108k kilometres on it, which is about 67k miles, and is OK then.  However I have heard that time is also a factor in the belt interval, and seven years seems to be the number.  Maybe it needs a belt soon anyways?

Thanks again.

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You could just take the timing belt covers off and inspect the timing belt before replacing anything.

Is it coming from the engine or is it the exact same "ping" as if your door was open?

Just a followup on another post. 

The 1995 LS 400 I bought for under $9K is here.  Less than 95,000 miles.  Haven't driven it much yet, but so far it's fantastic.  Seems smooth, and drives better than most new cars.  Clean, nearly new tires.  The guy who sold it seems to have been absolutely true to his word.  Looks in overall good shape, with only the leather looking a bit tired.  But I think that can be cleaned and fixed up with the right conditioners.  In the worst case, I'll apply Leatherique next spring.

Had it safety inspected and the mechanic said that it was in good shape overall.  He couldn't believe the price I paid for it.  Said it will make a good daily driver.

I'll have a more formal/Lexus inspection later.

Looks very promising!  I just have to use my PC and some sealants and waxes to get the paint back up to snuff.  But that will have to wait till the weather clears.  Dang!  I wish this car had arrived last week when the sun was shining!

But happy to be joining youze guys.  And crossing my fingers that this doesn't turn into an expensive albatross.  [That's my wife's theory.  She doesn't trust a 9 yr old car from ANYBODY.]

:whistles:

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Thats a great price, I paid about the same price for mines with 99k...it's a great car capable of many many more miles. Did the previous owner have the 90k done yet? Is the leather just dirty or is it actually a little worn out?

So there's low power on acceleration only? Could be a dirty air filter or low fuel pressure....check your air filter then fuel filter...then go from there. Let us know how is works out.

Take out the panel around the tool kit in your trunk...it's the little rectangle box in the corner with I think (2) 10mm screws holding it in place.

I replaced the oxygen sensors before the catalytic converters. From what you wrote, I understand that diagnosing this problem is not easy, but I’ll keep trying  :)

Thanks

Jacob

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PO420 would be catalyst system efficiency below threshold (bank 1)...the thing that would be likely to send this code would be your downstream O2 sensors (after the catalytic converter). The O2 sensors you replaced before the cats wouldn't really be able to tell you that the catalyst system efficiency is below threshold, simply because it's measuring oxygen content before the catalytic converters. The O2 sensors before the cats would be measuring oxygen content entering the cats but not anything coming out of it, the O2 sensors after the catalytic converters are the one's that actually "see" what comes out. Have the O2 sensors after the catalytic converters checked out. Hope this helps.

Did you change the O2 sensors before or after the catalytic converters? Yes, a vacuum leak can lead to those codes...maybe a vacuum valve assembly malfunction. The code is an indication that your cats just aren't working as well as they should at breaking down certain gasses. So let's say you have too much air somewhere before the O2 sensors...your catalytic converter wouldn't be as effective in breaking down the NOx..so it's not like your catalytic converters are bad so don't jump the gun and replace those. Like the others said, it may be your MAF sensor...but it can also be anything else from an EGR valve to excessive carbon build up in the combustion chamber causing higher combustion chamber temperature ----->> elevated NOx.