Bill O'

My driver door check is making a loud click when the door is opened half way and again when the door is fully opened. Tried WD-40 with no luck. It sounds like the part is ready to fail. How big a job is involved in replacing it and how much will the part set me back?

The low oil level warning light on my '90 LS 400 has been coming on and off intermittantly for more than a year (oil level is fine). I assume it's the sensor in the oil pan but have not had the time or $$ to get it fixed. Next, I experienced the broken white-black ground wire in the trunk hinge problem with the strange transmission behavior and reverse light coming on when you step on the brake. I soldered the broken wire and the problem went away. Now I'm getting the Battery, Parking Brake, Coolant, and Bulb-out warning lights all coming on at the same time intermittently. I have a 4 month old alternator, have reset the ECU, bought a new battery (had terminals serviced and alternator checked by Sears at same time) and called Lexus to see if they had any idea what was up. Predictably they said “bring it in and we’ll see if we can troubleshoot it (and bring your checkbook). Any suggestions what I should try next?

Moved message to new thread.

Thanks to all of you who replied to my question. I'll let the LS-400's ECT do the downshifting from now on.

I drove a 5 speed VW for 23 years and used the engine extensively for braking. Wound up doing only two brake jobs and replacing two clutches over 250,000 mi. I bought a used '90 LS400 and noticed the need to really get on the brakes when coming down an off-ramp at high speed. (I understand the brakes were beefed up in '91 or '92). My question is will braking using downshifting on the LS 400's ECT cause any sort of damage. I've been using the button on the shift lever to drop out of overdrive to slow things down. Will dropping the trans into second and then first to provide breaking assist blow some seal or worse? In the few times I've done it, I keep the engine under 2000 RPM. Appreciate any advice or scolding.

The rad, hoses, coolant and thermostat were recenty replaced. I am able to get heat in the cabin by manually operating the valve on the firewall that sends coolant to the heater core. My guess is that there is some sort of actuator under the dash that connects to the cable that runs through the firewall to open and close the coolant valve. I'm thinking that the actuator has gone bad or there is some problem with the a/c-heater control unit. Does anyone know where the under dash actuator is located and how to troubleshoot? Is there any chance an ECU reset would have any effect on the climate control system? Does the cabin temp sensing circuit go bad? Fuses? -Thanks

The heater on my '90 LS400 suddenly stopped working. I've tried every combination of settings on the control panel. I removed the cable from the coolant valve on the firewall and by operating it manually I can get heat in the cabin. I had a friend push the temp rocker switch up and down and the cable that goes into the firewall does not move. Any ideas what I should do next?

Well I got the modulator cleaned, (filter was VERY dirty) and no check engine light so far. As a bonus, the car now idles at 650 the way it's supposed to after warm up. It used to idle at 1200 in N or P all the time. Is the modulator related in some way to idle control? Thanks again.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll give it a try tomorrow and let you know how I make out. As regards the 303,000 miles, I'm only responsible for logging 3,000 of them. I just bought the car from a Lawyer friend of mine who commuted from Pasadena to Manhattan Beach, CA Mon-Fri. It was garaged on both ends and dealer serviced for 14 years. Everybody says with proper maintenance these babies are good for 500,000 miles so I figure it's just broken in and will be good for 197,000 more miles of happy motoring!

I have a '90 LS-400 WITH 303,000 miles on it and am getting an intermittant Check Engine EGR code 71. I am beginning the troubleshooting process with the easy (and inexpensive) fixes. At the Lexls site there is a tutorial on how to inspect and clean the filter on the EGR Vacuum Modulator. It looks simple but the trouble is I can't seem to get the top of the unit off. I used a small screwdriver and then the tip of a knife to try and pry the top off but all I wound up doing was peeling the sticker back. Am I prying in the right place (right at the seam between the sticker and the very top of the plastic top) or is the lid seam further down the body of the unit? I also considered that being such an old part that there is no top to remove to get to the filter. The two part numbers on the sticker are: 25870-500010 and 139000-2880. Is's made by Denso. Thanks

Thanks very much for the info!

I have a '90 LS 400 with 300,000+miles. With the A/C "off", the temperature button set to "65", the air intake button set to "outside air", the fan speed set to "medium," and the airflow set to "bi-level", I get air from the vents that is warmer than the outside air temperature. If I increase the temperature button to "85", I get hot air as expected but I can't get cool outside air to to flow into the passenger compartment. I suspect the heater core valve may not be closing completely. How big a deal is it to confirm this or is there something else I should be looking for?

I just got the part from Lexus. The $87 switch controls both the forward/backward seat position as well as the seatback angle/headrest height feature. In order to install the unit, the plastic trim piece that wraps all the way from the front of the seat around to just behind the seatbelt retractor needs to be removed Can anyone who has access to the shop manuel or experience removing the passenger seat let me know how to remove the trim piece? I assume it's held on by clips of some sort but I don't want to start tugging and risk the possibility of having to trek back to the parts dept for a replacement.

The Passenger seat back angle switch on my '90 400-LS is damaged and needs to be replaced. Any idea how big a DIY job I'm looking at?

I got "THE LIST" from my local Lexus dealer on Friday. As predicted, the news was not good. 1. Rack leaking from side seals and fitting hose 2. High pressure hose leaking in two places 3.Lower control arms cracked 4. Leak from water pump 5. Drive belt cracked 6. Radiator top tank leaking 7. Oil pan leaking. Those are the big items. There were a host of other little items that together add up to a hefty price to correct. I'm torn between selling the car "as is" or fixing things over a period of time knowing that the car was dealer maintained for 14 years and should be good for many years to come. BTW the rotors measured 24.9 (minimum = 23) and the non Lexus pads measured 9mm (10 = new) so I'm still not sure where the high speed braking shudder is coming from (cracked lower control arms?). I'm interested in opinions about keeping the car or finding a DYI buyer who is looking for a clean well maintained car to nurse back to health.