92Lex

I bought my pristine 94 LS with 99K miles, and decided to change the oil and filter with synthetic oil last May at 101K miles.  The car was tight, with no leaks of any kind under the whole body. 

I went under the car today to change the oil again-with 106K-and found a distinct seepage of oil from the area at the front of the oil pan.  There was also evidence of leaks on my new garage floor.  It looks like it's oil slowly seeping out all along the front of the pan gasket.  Like a dope, I went ahead and changed the oil and filter again-I had already dropped the 30 bucks or so for the syn oil and filter. 

So I guess I'm just giving out a warning to consider that maybe syn oil is too pure for older cars.  Yes, I may be wrong, but the drips on my garage floor, as well as the oil that is evident all along the parts near the oil pan, as well as the gasket, tell me I have a problem, Houston.  And I think it's the synthetic oil.

I'm going to watch what happens.  Your comments are appreciated.

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You might want to try to switch to a synthetic blend a few times before actually going with full synthetics. Try that first, after a couple of oil changes then go with the good stuff...you can't go wrong with Mobil 1.

I just drove the car this evening and the sound came from front almost like from behind the main panel. Also, the engine idle sound not smooth now. RPM is stable but engine sounds like "Bbb...Bbb...Bbb...Bbb..." BTW, what if I don't replace the heat shield or air filter? What would happen to the car?

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Sounds kinda like a very small diesel engine?

That’s true, I was told it was PO420 and 430 (both banks). As for the oxygen sensors, I have already replaced them with Denso first time fit (about $119 for two sensors). Replacing the sensors didn’t solve the problem but it increased the mileage from 15 to 17-18 mpg (mostly city driving).

Jacob

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I was gonna say there's no code for inefficient catalytic converter...the only way to know is if you're able to hook up a gas analyzer to it. So you replaced both O2S and you're still getting the same trouble code? What year is your car?

Are you positive that it's not coming from the inside of the car?

If you want OEM ride quality then the sure thing to do is to stick with OEM shocks/struts. If you are going to replace the shocks/struts then you might as well replace the control arm bushings.

Did you happen to know the exact code or did you let them tell you it had something to do with the cats?

I too like Lucas products, but if you're able to cough up the money to replace the steering rack and pump then by all means do so. A temporary fix is just a temporary fix...all the Lucas power steering stop leak stuff does is it swells up the seals in your system.

If there's a check engine light then can't you just hook up a scan tool to retrieve the code(s)?

I even changed the Denso plugs in the Lexus after only 30k miles, and put the NGK's in, just because I wanted to do a plug change, and have a look around. I probably won't keep the NGK's in there for the standard 100k either

i do the same thing :D

i like to change my plugs every year.......

i don't really know why i do that, as its overkill, but i just like doing it i guess, and i like have having clean plugs in the car <_<

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Keeping your car well maintained is never overkill, I like changing things well before the scheduled interval too.

Maybe just the heating element of the sensor. I wouldn't condem the O2 sensor as being the reason your car takes a little longer to reach a low idle...just a possibility. It's hard to say for sure unless you're actually able to hook up a DVOM to it and check it out for yourself. It would be a good idea to check those though...they'll go bad sooner or later.

I don't have any repair suggestionsl, but I can feel your pain...my '95 has a crazy low idle(in P and D4) when the a/c is off. It goes down under 500rpms, and hangs in the 400 range. The engine is perfectly 100% smooth even at that rediculous idle. However, when I turn the a/c on, the idle goes back to where it's supposed to be ~700rpms. The repair manual says the idle should be 650 +/-50. Here's a pic from a traffic jam the other day-I had the windows down because we actually had a nice day for once--a/c is off...

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Have you tried adjusting the throttle position sensor? The reason your idle goes up to 700 rpm's once you turn the a/c on is because your idle air control valve compensates for the a/c being on to keep it from stalling.

ever since i did my tune-up last spring, i noticed that it takes much longer for the idle rpm's to drop down to the 550-650 range. i had read that a dirty throttle body can cause this, but mine was clean even after 150K miles. anybody have any comments/ideas?

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From a cold start? Could be your O2 sensors not heating up fast enough so your car just takes a little longer to enter closed loop....it's no big deal though.

I don't have the receipt since I just got the car for only 1 week.  I think I'm going to change all the fluid on the car and have the EGR valve and the catalic check out.

thanks

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You should have a smog check and repair station do the diagnostic/repairs....that way they can guaranty you that it's gonna pass smog after repairs. Let us know how it works out.

The clear coners are always on Ebay...they go for 30-35 dollars. Just make sure to check the sellers feedback score before you order. I paid $37 for mines...shipping included.

All those questions we've been asking you have EVERYTHING to do with test results.

Georgia doesn't show O2 test results? O2 + CO2 are real important to help us determine your air/fuel mixture...I'm surprise they would test for NOx but not O2. Anyways, it's probally the EGR valve or catalytic converter....like SKperformance, I'm too leaning towards the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter is usually the last thing a tech would check...have your EGR checked out first, then have a test and repair station do a catalytic converter efficiency test.

Your test failure probally doesn't have anything to do with fuel, even though you failed for elevated HC (unburned fuel). If fuel related then your CO should rise as well, and NOx should drop down real low because of the richer mixture.

Do you have receipts on what has been done to the car recently?

Are you using premium gasoline or regular? Were there any trouble codes? How about the funtional section of your test results...did everything pass, did anything fail? What were the results from your O2 readings?

If your O2 readings are well above 2% then I think you probally have a lean misfire there. Lean misfires (too much air and not enough fuel) are commonly caused by vacuum leaks, dirty injectors or low fuel pressure.

If your O2 reading is at or below 2% then maybe your EGR valve or catalytic converter has gone bad. I'm leaning more towards your EGR or catalytic converter because CO2 @ 14.5% is fairly normal (12.5% should be the minimum).

If possible, can you scan the bottom portion (functional test and emission results) so I can see?

Yeah, if you don't like them just take them off and sell them to someone who does want them. No real loss there, at least you'll know how it'll work out.

Rims actually do make a difference...I just wish I couldn't tell the difference between mines and a genIII...haha.

Hi,

I just bought my ls400 1990 with 94k miles.  It just failed the emission test.  I couldn't believe it.

why did it fail?  How much will it cost for the repair?

Can someone help me out on this?

thanks

John

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Do you have the VIR printout they should of given you at the end of the test results? If you do then can you post the results on here....maybe I could give you an idea of what's wrong with your car (I'm a smog check tech).

Octane does matter when it comes to a smog check. If your car is designed to run on premium and you're actually running on 87 or 89...you might fail for elevated NOx.

yeah that looks really clean 92..........from what i get, i think the clears look a lot better on lighter color LS ie......white, beige, silver, gold ect...

than they do darker colors, like mine........but i dont know....... <_<

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I think they'll look great on your car silvermate.

BTW, nice rims!

I guess....uneven wear then.

Me a pro? Haha...that's funny stuff!!

I think keeping within only the LOC community is a great idea but there are others that just surf the web and never really come across LOC. We have to "increase our coverage area"...sharing is caring you know so I wouldn't mind having lexls post some of my tutorials on his site...as long as he has links back to LOC at the bottom of every tutorial. But yeah lexls...I do have larger pics...I just resized them so they would load faster.

If you really think about it...our community isn't really all that small...and it sure wouldn't hurt to make friends outside of this community either.

I sure am interested Matthew!! Please let me know the details.

I had the same thoughts when it came to how my car would look with the clear bumpers...I wasn't sure if they would look good on a Lexus. Now I think clear bumpers look good on any Lexus (orange just stands out TOO much). Here's a pic of mines:

Im thinking of doing this with my LS 400, its black. I don't know if it worth a couple hundred bucks though

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Couple of hundred bucks? You could find the clear bumper lights on Ebay for like 30 bucks bro.

assuming that your rotors arent warped you should check your trailing arms up front and rear. most likely the rear is gone. i did a trailing arm bushing replacement tutorial in the tutorial section, some of your questions may be answered there.

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alright, but rotors don't warp. I'll get my BMW friends to explain it again :P

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Rotors don't warp? Is there another name for it or something? Please explain.

Matthew, if you're serious about it then I wouldn't mind having my tutorials in there either! They're not the greatest but I guess it kinda gives some people the "idea" of what to look for and what to remove.

Thanks VB, I agree...everyone should take pictures of things as they work on their car..it sure would save a lot time for others. It doesn't take too much time of your own either. The hardest part of it was trying not to get dirt and grease all over the camera!!

Jzz, yeah...my car runs very smooth, now I just have that annoying ticking to take care of.

I agree, $150 is a rip for an alignment....even here in Cali where everything just seems to be getting more and more expensive.

But if alignment is something that is needed it must be done.