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95LS400Bob

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Everything posted by 95LS400Bob

  1. I think that price was an on line price from Lexusparts. Further searching I have found one made by Omega for $126. I have to pull it off anyway so I'll take it to a local hydraulic shop and see what they say. Parts prices for these cars is absolutely amazing. Lot of it doesn't make sense. I am a race car fabricator and engine builder with a machine shop. I may make some of my own parts at this rate.
  2. Had a check engine light staying on all the time on this 95 Ls400. Went to looking and found split vacuum hose at front of intake manifold plenum. Car idled normally and seemed to run great even with this vacuum leak. Replaced the hose and reset the computer. Light hasn't come on since. Just something to check.
  3. Either I am looking things up wrong or a PS hose for a 95 Ls400 is near $270. Mine has slight leak in rubber hose area section just before it crosses in front of the engine to the other side. I see no reason why the tubing couln't be cut and a hydraulic shop that makes hoses crimp in a new rubber hose section. Anybody ever done it?
  4. We only have had the car 2 days...so all we noticed was on the way home the wife siad it would clunk sometimes when on and off the brakes. If you could see how much fore and aft movement this thing has...you would understand the clunk easily. Hard bump could do the same thing. Just priced "strut rod" $91.94 each. Since it's really just a bushing...I may try to find a bushing to replace in the strut rod. Biggest joke of the day for me is power steering hose. $269.86 for a hose? I believe a hydraulic shop can build me a hose. Not gonna do $270 and change for hose. Sorry lexus.
  5. This might help you on the clunking noise. After I fixed the hood supports, I cleaned the engine off and traced the power steering leak. It's just a hose. Next I went after the clunk in the front end. Can't see much in the fenderwell, so I decided to have my wife move the car forward and back while hitting the brakes. Sure enough, the clunk is right side and the wheel moves forward and back a bunch! Then I check the other side...no clunk there but the wheel seems to move as much. Pulled the wheels off and got a good look at the lower front control arm bushings. Both sides are shot. The reason for my clunk on one right side is the control bushing is actually loose enough that the control arm slides sideways and hits it's mounting point. I used a big pry bar and a pice of pipe as a lever and moved the wheel for and aft...and made it duplicate the sound. You might check that out on yours.
  6. I read on another thread that Mighty Lift hood support part number C 95029 available from Autozone would work on the Ls400's. I just tried that and although they would fit my 1995, they were so strong that they might bend the hood if I tried to close it. I also tried to compress them with my 220 lb body weight and could not budge them. Perhaps they work on the 94 and earlier cars....maybe the hood is heavier or something. To make sure I hadn't got some defectives or something, I went to another Autozone and tried to compress by hand the same part number and again...could not budge it. So I ran all over town and tried every support I could get my hands on and I have found something that works. Pep Boys carrys Sachs brand lift supports. Lift -o-mat gas charged lift support. Part number SG304011 (92525) will fit the car. They are just a tad shorter..maybe the width of the ball pivot. I just installed them and they work perfectly. I have no idea of their intended application and neither does Pep boys. They were about $25.00 each. More expensive than the autozone dealios. Although these new supports come with some pivot balls that MIGHT fit, I cut the pivot balls out of my original supports. Hope this info helps someone like me who hates to pay the Lexus price for parts. :o This is a link to the original thread I went by for the Autozone Mighty Lifts. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...%20support&st=0
  7. From all I can read here, It sounds like his mechanic was wrong and there is no air ride. Actually car sits fine and at correct height. After seeing some pictures someone posted of air ride struts I am sure I don't have them. I think the clunking in the front end maybe the owner was thinking "148,000 miles and clunking..maybe I need new struts". Which brings to mind....how do we know when to replace these struts. If they are $50 each...I am gonna replace them just because they have 148,000 miles on them.
  8. Thanks for the tip! I went there and registered and signed up for the manual. :D
  9. Thanks! I am headed over there shortly to get some hood supports. Soon as I can keep the hood open (without the use of a golf club as a hood prop rod ) I will head over there and get the codes read. Much to do on this car.
  10. All we have by the shifter is ECT selector. Normal and Power. I don't even know what that is yet. I am missing a manual with the car. Just warranty papers and stuff. Here's the deal on my 95 Lexus. We went on a "Lexus Hunt" as we call it, actually looking for a one owner car with service records. We traveled Nevada, Arizona and California looking for a 93 to 95 Lexus Ls400. I had sold our 93 Cadillac Deville and wanted to try the LS400. $8500 was all I wanted to spend and price depending on condition. We found a lot of wrecks and junk out there. And a few we believe were odometer rollbacks. Miles doesn't bother me as I have had Toyota products before. So, we are traveling home and coming through Las Vegas and there is an ad in paper for 95 Lexus. Ad says needs struts and power steering leaks. $5200. So we go look at it. Owner says it has to have these certain struts that are over $800 each. I assume he is talking air ride. It's near dark when we are looking at the car..but with a flashlight...I don't see anything air related hooked to the struts. The guy comments that his mechanic has told him: #1. The car needs struts at $800 or so each. #2. The power steering leaks and probably is rack and pinion problem. #3. Check engine light is on and it is some sensor needs replaced which is about $100. #4. There is a clunking sound when hitting the brakes sometimes. Mechanic says it's a motor mount that needs replacement. About $100. He's very honest and has owned the car since 40,000 miles. The car now has 148,000 on it. The strut deal sounds a little strange..but hey...I am new to Lexus so I take it he and his mechanic know more than me. Since I am a mechanic (but not a lexus mechanic yet..give me a week) I figure I might be able to find some used struts from a wreck or the good people on these forums can route me to where I can get parts cheaper. Labor I can do. The wife likes the car and it drives fine. So, I ask him what the least he will take for the car and he says $4700, So, I buy the car and we drive the car 500 miles to home..no problem. I think that is pretty cheap for a nice 95...Pearl white, gold package and chrome wheels, new tires and brakes. Leather needs a little help on the driver seat. We have had the car 2 days now and here's my hit list: 1. Clunk in front end (struts or bushing I imagine. 2. Power steering leak (possibly rack and pinion,,leak is not bad.) 3. Cd changer (apart now and looking for a gear to fix) 4. We got all the lousy window tint off...that took a day. 5. need a chrome wheel...one chrome wheel is damaged. Spare is on. 6. Hood support "shocks" (today's project..read on here how to make some work.) 7. Check engine light (have to read codes). That's the majors...course I will be going over everything with fine tooth comb and fixing all problems. We are tickled to get the car...especially at that price. Again I would like to thank those on this forum for the eductation I took with me...while looking for our first Lexus. I'll be very active here and will help anyone I can. :D
  11. I'm new to Lexus but have been a mechanic all my life. My 95 also has a check engine light on and soon to be tackling that problem. So everything I say below is general and not lexus related as I don't have experience with a lexus. Yet. Give me a week. I fix everything myself and no car I have ever had goes to the dealer. You need a diagnostic code reader to determine what the "problem" code is. On most cars that seem to be running normally that have a check engine light on, the problem is more emissions related. I'll be hunting a low cost code reader and will report back here if I find one. Someone probably has a list of trouble codes here on the forum. In the meantime I say "drive it on."
  12. Newby question here. I just bought a 95 lexus Ls400 and one of the reasons I got it so cheap was that I was told it needed new struts. Owner said to the tune of $800 each..so I assumed air ride. But I do not see any type of air hookup at any of the struts and I do not have this switch you have just talked about. Soooooo....I just need regular struts then..correct? OEM of course.
  13. I have a 95 LS400 with glove box Pioneer Cd changer. Evidently a broken Cd jammed the changer and a gear is damaged and missing teeth. Unit is a Pioneer CDX-P8056 zt. I have a picture of the gear I need but not sure how to post picture on this forum. PIONEERSUBY, do you know where I can buy such a gear or do you have a connection since you are a Pioneer Factory Technician? Hopefully this link to a picture will work. Gear I need is the small black gear shown sitting slightly off it's shaft. Hard to see in photo but 3 teeth missing. http://www.hotboat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54644 Or if anyone else knows or has a bad cd changer for parts I sure would be interested. Thanks to all for information I have already learned from these forums as I "rebuild" this 1995 Ls400 I just bought for the wife.
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