hughes369

I had my engine rebuilt in my 1994 GS300. I told the machine shop that i would assemble the engine. They forgot and i got the short block back and head rebuilt. I assembled the engine, did not check any clearances or check behind them, and ran it for about 500 miles on Castrol 30 weight oil, per their recommendation. During that time i had the upper radiator hose balloon like it was gonna explode. Also In that time span I hit a curb with the front crossmember kinda hard, i swerved to miss an idiot, and the heater hose got jarred loose from the heater valve which was already brittle and ready to break anyway so i didnt have a hose clamp on it. Of course all the coolant ran out that hose. I parked the car immediatly and plugged the heater hose thats off the back of the head and made it back to work, after i filled it up with coolant and water. Started noticing the engine vibrated at idle. Code 52 knock sensor code. So no power and plugged heater hose and retarded ignition timing. I made it home driving 60 miles at less than 2000 rpm. Replaced the upper hose, drained the coolant and filled it while car is inclinded on my car lift and replaced the heater valve. Put a bolt that was missing on the torque conveter back in, incase that was causing an imbalanced condition. Changed the oil to 5w-30 castrol also. Still have the code 52. I can idle the car all day long and the code wont come on until i rev it up a few times. The only problem i have fixed is the ballooning radiator hose, must have had a air bubble in the system to cause the expanding top hose. I verified that the head gasket was not blown by using the combustion gas analyzer kit from Lisle Tools that turns from blue to green if combustion gas is present in the radiator cap air space. Machine shop told me to change the front knock sensor and try disconnecting the torque converter to see if the trans is sending the vibration to the engine. Can i fix this without tearing down the whole engine again? Does the front knock sensor mean anything specific to one particular cylinder or area. If i take the engine out i want the least amount of teardown done as possible. Any advice is helpful. I have built many engines, but i was not planning on a redo this time, money is tight right now. Thanks.

Please do let us know, i have the same bulbs out on my 1992 LS400 with Air Ride Suspension 225K+ miles on it. thanks , THE SNAKE B)

Where is the Fuel Pump Control Unit? MY car is a 1992 LS400, i think mine is going south too. Relay checked fine. Pump checked fine. It runs then shuts off, starts right back up and runs, and shuts off. You get the idea. Thanks for any help. THE SNAKE

bringing the oil level up does not help the cars sudden shut down. It continues to shut down? No C E L yet, i have already pulled the fuse previously, but im sure it is only a matter of time before i have a code 71 and hopefully any more codes to work with that will tell me why its shutting down. Any help, let me know. THE SNAKE

Just curious if the low oil level sensor on a 1992 LS400 if below a certain level will shut the car off or "save" the engine? I can start the car and within a few moments, less than 30 seconds, the car shuts down. Fuel pump relay seems to be fine, and i have done all major replacements on this car, tbelt, wp, ignition wires, plugs, egr pipe, etc, etc.... Gonna go put some oil in it and see if bringin the oil level up makes a difference. Level came down when the front crankseal leaked after replacing it. Gouged up the crankshaft sealing surface, had to smooth up the gouge and replace the seal again before it would quit leaking. Now that the level is low in the oil sump, the car started to act up and die over time. I will let all know if this is possible with a low oil level condition. later THE SNAKE

I use an Autolifters 4-post lift with a 6000 pound capacity and runs on 110V. I highly recommend another brand though, this company is now out of business. The lift cost me 2795.00 plus 99.00 per jack bridge (i got 2 of those) and 250.00 for the phenolic castor kit to roll it around the shop or outside. (1998 prices) This lift is ok, but the Bendpak lifts have better pulleys and thats the main drawback with autoliters lift. I am eventually going to buy a BendPak lift and keep the Autolifters lift for lighter cars. It picks up my LS400 1992 just fine, and allows me to park my other cars or motorcycle underneath it. I have a 10 foot ceiling in my shop, so i have no problem parking another car underneath, just have to be careful when i open and close the garage door which its opening is 8 feet high. I hate working on the floor and had a Z-car fall on me, luckily i had a safety stand under the car to save me. I bought the lift after that fiasco, and its been worth every penny. All you guys who really work on your cars will do it more if its a pleasure to do and not a chore. The lift makes the work not like work. All my friends want to come over and use it though. The money you save by not taking your car to a real mechanic can be put into the cost of buying a lift and fixing your ride yourself. It pays for itself, especially if you work on cars on the side. I work on Nissan Z's and anything Lexus or anything High End. The money will come if you are meticulous and honest. later, THE SNAKE

Thanks for that file, I will try to follow the procedure. Mine has 211,000 miles on it, and its roaring like a Lion. THE SNAKE 1992 LS400 with Air Ride.

Sometimes the crankshaft pulley, or Harmonic Balancer comes apart, and the grooved pulley portion of the Balancer spins around the inner part of the assembly making an awful noise. Especially when cold, but may get quieter as the car warms up or the friction on the remaining balancer rubber grabs as it warms up and slips less. This will eventually send the grooved crank pulley in a forward direction and start damaging things. Same pulley as on SC300, GS300, IS300, or Toyota Supra. I just wish i could find the torque spec on this forum so i can put the new pulley on the car i am fixing which is a 1995 GS300. WTF, well, hope you look around the engine, cause sometimes this sounds just like a idler bearing or AC clutch bearing going out. THE SNAKE 1992 LS400 owner w/air ride sus.

Ok, so i must have had a burned out tail lamp warning bulb. Robbed the TRAC warning Lamp, which does come one each time you turn on the key to the "ON" position. Now just need to buy bulbs to replace at least those two warning indicators. Now i have a Code 71. I have already replaced the EGR TUBE, and cleaned out the EGR VALVE with a walnut blaster. So what else can i replace, or is my EGR VALVE really needing more than cleaning out and blasting to clear this damn Code 71? Any advice is great, but ill look in the posts also. THANKS, THE SNAKE

If i turn on the key to the ON position, without starting, all the warning lights should come on for a few moments, so you can see that they actually light up and are not burned out. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT does not light up when i do this. So either its the bulb or the signal to it is open, I am not sure, please post advice, THE SNAKE

I removed my engine from my 1992 to fix the rear crossover water manifold between the two heads. While the engine was out i replaced the EGR Tube, had the starter rebuilt, and cleaned the Intake Manifolds, upper and lower, especially the EGR Passage ways. Now my check engine light comes on with the trac light, which is expected. But then it would go off. Now the trac light comes on, with out the engine light coming on. I changed the bulb or swapped it with the Tail Light warning lamp, they both look the same and are only separated by the TRAC bulb. So after swapping those bulbs, to see if it was just a bulb burned out, it still did not light up. So maybe that other bulb was burned out you could say?. HMMMM. So now i need to figure out how to get a code with out a bulb that can blink..... I need the bulb to light up so i can count the flashes. Please help THE SNAKE What causes the bulb to light up in the first place?, and if i put new bulbs in there and it still does not come on, what next. I am gonna try one more bulb from the trac light operation light, the bulb that comes on when the trac system is operating. then I will wait for your posts. I need to check the computer for codes, and then go from there. I am a good mechanic, but need some short cuts from this forum again. I use this forum before i go anywhere, and i won' :o t take my car to a dealer.

I removed my engine from my 1992 to fix the rear crossover water manifold between the two heads. While the engine was out i replaced the EGR Tube, had the starter rebuilt, and cleaned the Intake Manifolds, upper and lower, especially the EGR Passage ways. Now my check engine light comes on with the trac light, which is expected. But then it would go off. Now the trac light comes on, with out the engine light coming on. I changed the bulb or swapped it with the Tail Light warning lamp, they both look the same and are only separated by the TRAC bulb. So after swapping those bulbs, to see if it was just a bulb burned out, it still did not light up. So maybe that other bulb was burned out you could say?. HMMMM. So now i need to figure out how to get a code with out a bulb that can blink..... I need the bulb to light up so i can count the flashes. Please help THE SNAKE

My parents just bought an LS400 1999, model, after hearing great things about my 92 LS400. It just has turned 60k miles and the other day had all the windows lower themselves down while my dad was opening and retrieving something from the left rear seat of the car, with that door open. He noticed that window started lowering itself down and he wondered what was going on with it. As he walked around the car he noticed that all the windows had come down, then he then noticed the sunroof had come open as well. If anyone has any input as to why it did this, let me know in a post. This car is also having a rear lamp malfunction warning displayed on the message display intermittely. Is there some kind of wire like on the 92 LS that breaks and cause a lot of problems? Or does anyone have any idea why this is happening. Any help would narrow down my trouble shooting before i tear into this nice car. This forum has helped me in the past, so i am trying it again. Thanks, THE SNAKE 1992 LS400 w/air-ride 1990 Z32 2+2 2004 ZX-12R Ninja 1999 LS400 (parents ride) 1998 ES300 (parents ride) (4-sale)

Temporary fix to leaking air struts on LS400, by Hughes369... I used a fitting off my old front struts to make a filling port for my rear struts that are now leaking. Remove the 19mm air line inlet fitting from a spare,old, airstrut. good luck finding one if you have not bought a new airstrut ever. Next take a brass valve stem from an old motorcycle tire tube and grind it down to fit down into this fitting. remove the valve core and use a rod of some sort to center it in the fitting and then braze some brass into the fitting where the airline would normally thread into the airstrut. After i did this, i had a slight leak in the valve stem cause its very weak and we were not careful, so if need be dab JBweld around the base of the stem. After it dries and you test that the fitting has no leaks, remove your rear or which ever strut you are trying to fix. Remove the fitting off the strut and put aside till later, you will need it back when you reinstall the fixed, previously leaking strut. install the fitting you just made into this strut with the valve core removed. Pour in about half a bottle of Slime, tire sealant. Reinstall the valve core into the valve stem and put about 15 psi of air into it and then roll it around to distribute the slime tire sealer inside the leaking strut. take the pressure up to 25 psi and keep rolling the strut around so that the sealer fills all the leaks on the airbag. Dont turn the strut upside down or sealer will get into the parts at the top that control the ride firmness or whatever the stuff at the top of the strut does. After about 5 minutes you should have a good sealed air strut. release the air from the strut and then remove the fitting you made and reinstall the one you set aside. At this point work fast and put the strut back on the car and reinstall the airline to it. Start the car and see if it holds air. Getting pressure back on the strut after you have let it all out to reinstall it on the car insures that the sealant continues to be pressurized to all the possible leaks. So far my struts are ok... this may buy you some time till you can afford new or rebuilt ones. Suncore industries sells reman airstruts for lexus. Peace out,,, THE SNAKE

I have the same probs with my ls400, 1992. I keep it on high and that works for a while. When it drops, i go open the trunk and unplug the rearmost plug on the air-ride computer. Plug it back in and out partially a few times, listening to the relay near the CPU cycle a few times then plug it back in all the way, listening to hear the solonoid valves on the floor of the trunk near the Right Rear Air Stut cycle and then hear air start to fill the rear struts again. Can someone explain to me why this works and only for about 15 miles or so, sometimes longer? Thanks, THE SNAKE

check the forum for posts related to this, i did,...... but there is a wire bundle on the drivers side trunk hinge that flexes and breaks one of the wires in this bundle. . this broken wire causes your reverse indicator to light up when the brake is applied and also feels like the transmission is disconecting or downshifting. Fix that wire, and your car will not jerk anymore when touching the brake. For some reason this fixes a lot of problems. I fixed mine, with a butt connector, but im sure that soldering the wire back would be cool too. later THE SNAKE 1992 LS 400 ←

check the posts, but there is a wire bundle on the drivers side trunk hinge that flexes and breaks. this cause your reverse indicator to light up when the brake is applied and also feels like the transmission is disconecting or downshifting. Fix that wire, and your car will not jerk anymore when touching the brake. For some reason this fixes a lot of problems. I fixed mine, with butt connector, but im sure that soldering the wire back would be cool too. later THE SNAKE 1992 LS 400

THats great that you got good service. But i did not. I was lied to, and i dont treat that as something to just blow off. But Arnott can blow some other things. I got my air struts from Irontoad.com and that guy Ryan over there is a first class salesman, and knows what the term "customer service" really means. And their prices will give Arnott a lot of competition. For factory parts at wholesale prices, you cant beat Irontoad.com and the parts are new, not remanufactured like those Arnott idiots. I have already put on my new struts from lexus, from irontoad, and will be buyin the rear ones from them next. And thanks for the offer lexls on the air compressor, i reused my comp. thanks THE SNAKE B)

My car does the same thing. code 71, i cleared it after replacing the vsv valve, and it stayed off for about 50 miles. then came back on. i pulled the code again, same code. after driving some more it went off on its own again, and then after a while came back on again. WTF.? what can I do? What part of the egr needs cleaning? is it the pipe from the exhaust to the intake or some other pipe? I am a mechanic and just need some direction on this. I am ready to tear into it if need be. thanks magnumpi300@yahoo.com 1992 Ls400 with air ride suspension.

i was told to get mine cleaned out to/ ported, and replace the VSV, how much does this cost for just the vsv valve, and what does the high code 51 mean when refering to air ride suspension. they said that operating relay was over-operating, WTF. thanks for all the advice, later, THE SNAKE 92 LS400

If anyone out there with an LS 400 that has converted from air ride suspension to non air ride suspension, and has their old air ride compressor in working order, i would like to take it off your hands. Just reply to this post, and we will arrange exchange from there. I dont have a lot of money, so a deal would be appreciated. thanks THE SNAKE my car is a 92 LS 400, incase you need to know. thanks

Wandawoods is right. Dont mess with the air shocks. You replace one and other will go bad. Its time they all go bad. Do the conversion and you will take care of this problem forever and I mean forever. I get about one email a week asking about my air shock that i am selling. I tell all me senders to do the conversion. ← Do you have an air ride compressor you want to give away or sell? Since you convert or know people who do, i would like to take an air ride compressor off of someones hands, if possible. if possible, ill give you my email address . later, the snake i have a 92 LS400, and want another compressor, i think i messed mine up, i want a back up incase i have. later :whistles:

The reason for me trying to figure out which wire is positive was so i could by pass the computer, and tell it to come on when i want it to. basically i need to get the codes pulled, but i wanted a way to manually run the pump, with or with out the computer controls. Does your manual say which wire going to the motor is positive and which is negative. And if so could you tell me that. that would be a big help. By the way, it worked fine before i started fiddlin with tryin to find out which wire was positive and which was negative. So i know it works, but does it work after i ran it backwards? Thats all i want to know. THE SNAKE ps does anyone who has converted their LS400 to non air ride want to sell me their air ride compressor? ill buy if the price is right. thanks

i guess no one wants to commit, maybe too many pro lexus parts guys are censoring me, oh well, i will find out what i need to know, and will be giving everyone an alternative pump soon. THE SNAKE