kuziwk

I have an app for android that test's db's. My car claims to be at 68 db's at 60mph....i thought it's suppose to be 58 or something like that?? I heard windnoise around the front windshield and side windows but that is expected right? i have all the bottom floor plugs in.

Outer control arms on your steering rack. You replaced the lower ball joints and the noise went away for a while. YOu have to mess with the outer control arms to remove the ball joints, which probably reset them a little. Now, they've settled back down from the work, and you're getting the noise.

Or, the upper strut bushings. Does the pop noise sound like it's coming from the front of the car, or from under the car.

If you haven't replaced your lower strut rod bushings yet, I'd be willing to bet they're toast, no matter what they "look" like. At your age, no way they're not showing significant wear. Look under the car in the front. See the control arm that reaches to the front corner of the car? That's your strut rod. See the bushing at the front? That's usually the first of all bushings to wear out.

Another possiblity is when the control arms you replaced were all pieced back together in the system, the bolts along the lower control arm where everything comes together weren't tigntened enough, causing control arm to control arm contact movement, but this is rare.

Top three causes in my book, in order - outer steering control arms, front strut rod bushings, upper strut mount bushings (open the hood and look where the shocks bolt to the car).

I will check when it warms up again. Weather has been not to bad here but i took it back to the mechanic the second time, he said there is nothing wrong as he drove the car and proceeded to use a pry bar on all the bushings. Funny now because the car is not clicking at all now when turning, unless it's possibly he tightened a few bolts. Are the upper strut rod bushings hard to change? i couldnt find the arms anywhere just the bushings, and im betting the arms are easier to change. Honestly, how much work should one put into a car with 200,000 miles?? How do i know how long the engine and tranny will last, you know?

Mine use to smell like bad B.O. from the airvents whenever i washed it. Since than ive cleaned the carpets, used air fresheners, scrubbed the leather with vim (yes they were very grimy and black), cleaned all the cigarette ash out of the door panels. Eventually the car stopped smelling, and now smells like leather due to the cleaner/conditioner i use.

i have some winter tires but i got stuck a few times and had some good tire spins, now there is only 30% tire tread left. I never did put sand bags in the back but i can tell you that this car is alot better in the snow than a 2wd truck. The trac system is a nice touch when it works that is... i have to bleed the brakes as well as the accumulator...it was good all winter until now the trac light comes randomely. Most of the crap winter is almost over now anyways.

Seriously though this car has never let me down and it doesnt even have a block heater!, the only problem is the engine undercover falling off due to an idiot uncle pulling me out when i was stuck one time in a 3 foot snow drift...some zip ties fixed that until i find some washers and bolts. Also when its really cold it doesnt warm up too well in the cabin...i think it has a summer coolant temp sensor....There are two sensors basically, they allow the engine to reach certain tempuratures.

Have you checked your front struts (shocks)?

I had the same problem on my old 95 LS400 and the bushing on top of the struts were bad. Sometime it is easier just to replace the whole shock. Good luck.

I was thinking lower control arm...Oddly enough i took it to my local mechanic again. He said everything in the front of the car is nice and tight, the bushings were a bit loose but thats the way they are supposed to be appearently. I dont understand so i asked if he wanted to go around the block for a ride and the car was not clicking at all. It was alot warmer when we drove it and its alot warmer now, perhaps there was ice stuck or something frozen a bit out of place and defrosted when it was in the shop. I have no idea but for now the car seems to be fine, its also very hard to tell because all the roads are *BLEEP* covered in jagged ice so it could even be the car sliding but i swear it was doing it in the parking lot a week ago when turning very sharp.

Ball joints, Replace them now

I just said i already replaced both upper control arms and the lower ball joints :(. I didnt get a wheel alignment though, would this matter? it seems to track straight.

I live in the North East USA and as of Jan 3 2011 my Lexus 1997 LS400 has been under snow and shall stay that way as far as I am concerned. I can't imagine driving this thing in this snow even with the stock type tires. I am driving now my daughter's Jeep Grand Cherokee which I hate but it does get me around!! I am looking forward to cruising around in my hopefully still rust free LS400 in the spring. Hang in there you guys!

Gimme a break and man up.., just drive it....I live in alberta, canada and have only been driving for 3 years and i have no compaints. Sure i got stuck a few times but thats because there was so much snow it lifting the car from the ground and the wheels couldnt make contact.

The !Removed! car doesnt even have a block heater but it still starts in -40 :)...Barely but it starts...

So here is a rundown of my problem. In parking lots or when i make sharper right turns there is this annoying popping from the left wheel. Also when there is really unlevel bumpy roads such as ice and snow, i can hear the popping while going straight from that same side. I had both upper control arms replaced including bushing and ball joints via myself. I took the car in telling him to look at the lower ball joints as i didnt have time, sure enough they were done. After replacing the lower ball joints a few weeks ago the car was fine, but now the popping is coming back and is getting worse. Does anyone know whats going on here? I cant recall if tempurature is a factor because we have gone from -40 f to 38 degrees f in a matter of 3 days.

Im thinking lower control arm on the left side?

Loose or worn u-joints on drive axle?

might want to check the tranny mount too.....

Hmm i already changed the mount, i know the engine mounts are due though. It's weird it's shifting perfect from leaving in it ect all day and driving more aggressively due to the roads melting a bit (clear out the carbon a bit, lol).

So when im braking and the transmission dowshifts sometimes the car will clunk a bit i pretty much only notice it on smooth roads, the car shifts up fine maybe not as smooth as it should be but i think its part of the throttle position adujustment under the trac cover, because i cant find the proper adjustment i guess. At any rate putting on the ect switch for a bit seems to help. I cleaned the pan, changed the filter and oil 10 000 miles ago, could this be a bad speed sensor? Dirty throttle body? maybe shift solenoids?, i dont know.

It very well could be the wheel bearing because the sound is coming from the left side when make right turns...I know the lower ball joints need to be replaced as well. If it really were the ball joints should i feel the popping from the right side when making right turns? Also i can feel it in the seering wheel. Just out of curiosity, whats the cost of replacing a wheel bearing?

So i know the lower ball joints are bad because i checked them....but now when i make sharp right turns such as in parking lots and what not i hear and feel a clicking and popping noise....seems to be coming from the left side just when making right turns...should i just go ahead and do the lower ball joints? How long can i drive like this as parts take weeks to come in?

So i have the trac light 19, it use to come on depending on how much braking was involved in the trip i was taking, rendering the trac system useless. Correct me if im wrong but i think that this makes the abs useless as well. Anyways, flushed the trac system, now the light was good for a day, but now comes on consistently when going over 40 km/ph. I was breaking hard today and im not sure if the ABS is working, the light did not flash, is it suppose to? So in regards to the trac light coming on, could this be a bad speed sensor because it only comes on after 40km/ph? It's funny though because the trac system is still showing code 19, while the abs shows nothing.

A "Jake Brake" opens the exhaust valves at the top of the diesel compression stroke, turning the engine into an air compressor, which is why the exhaust note or tone changes so dramatically. The heat of compression keeps the engine from over-cooling, and that heat is what would otherwise be in the wheel brakes.

In a modern gasoline engine the braking provided by the engine is far less, as the valves are opened at the bottom of the power stroke, so compression-expansion makes the deal about even, and the fuel is shut off entirely on deceleration, which adds a bit to the braking effect. It's mostly the high rpm friction that causes braking effect, and it's minimal compared to a Jake Brake for sure.

The point of my reply is that to slow the vehicle the kinetic energy is turned to heat energy - through the brakes or the driveline. Take your choice. But both must generate heat to slow the vehicle. And my further point is that the brakes are designed to do this, and Lexus brakes, at least after 1992, are quite capable of slowing the vehicle without damage.

Thanks for the explanation . So there is a different exhaust valve cam profile when the Jake Brake is used? Very interesting stuff.

Back to the LS ,mine is a 97 and the brakes look rather huge especially the fronts for such a sized car.

Thanks again for the explanation of the Jake Brake,,,,

well most manufacturers say not to ride the brakes, not sure though but my 92 ls manual claims to use these settings for engine braking. In fact the manual calls them engine brakes, i use to shift with these in my previous car which was an automatic when racing and my tranny in my other car is outlasting my grandparents minivan, in fact they just replaced there tranny and mine is fine and they are both dodge.

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I would ditch the original sub and replace it with an earthquake!!! lol.

Seriously there is very little choice on a direct replacement mainly due to the physical size of the stock sub,the lack of space where it fits and the fact the impedance of the stock sub is only 2 Ohms so this could upset the amplifier should this be altered.

Follow this link for a possible solution

http://www.lexls.com.../subwoofer.html

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I would ditch the original sub and replace it with an earthquake!!! lol.

Seriously there is very little choice on a direct replacement mainly due to the physical size of the stock sub,the lack of space where it fits and the fact the impedance of the stock sub is only 2 Ohms so this could upset the amplifier should this be altered.

Follow this link for a possible solution

http://www.lexls.com.../subwoofer.html

There is also a Pioneer free-air sub that fits the 8-inch opening with a minor modification, although you will need a new amp to go with it. I provided a detailed post on this a while ago. If you're interested, just look up my previous posts.

These are rare but do come up from time to time on ebay, JL Audio 8IB they would no doubt suit very well. I had a pair of 12's on a large parcel shelf and loved the open sound.

what does the free air sub sound like compared to a ported box?

so i just wanted to tap into the existing wires to the sub, my choices are as follows

1. hook up a new sub and leave the old sub plugged in having both subs, the new one would be in the trunk which is sealed off from the cabin.

2. port the new sub from the trunk with some insulated pvc into the 8 inch hole (after i pull the old sub)

3. Or i can just pull the stock sub and leave the trunk as a large resonator for the sub, which would leak into the cabin from the 8" hole

so what do you guys think i should do?

My sub cracked and I needed a replacement. The first shop I went to said "no problem" and that he would fit something in there for a couple hundred. He had no concerns about the box size or ohm requirements. ........ The second shop owner was honest. He said he had a lot of exprience with early model LS 400's. Unfortunately, he had no luck with his products and the resulting sound. Everything he tried just wasn't quite right and he recommended just a factory fix which I eventually opted to do. I've had no regrets and the system sounds remarkably good for a 20 year old system.

May I ask what the factory fix was ,where you got it and the cost?

yes, i am also interested. I should also mention the bass im looking for is no where near the stock setup. For the record my last vehicle, the sub use to shake the rear view mirror out of place.

I welded a couple ramps together, but I made them too steep of an angle and I need a 2x4 to clear the bumper. Also they dangerously slide on the concrete floor, but on a driveway they are perfect.

so i just wanted to tap into the existing wires to the sub, my choices are as follows

1. hook up a new sub and leave the old sub plugged in having both subs, the new one would be in the trunk which is sealed off from the cabin.

2. port the new sub from the trunk with some insulated pvc into the 8 inch hole (after i pull the old sub)

3. Or i can just pull the stock sub and leave the trunk as a large resonator for the sub, which would leak into the cabin from the 8" hole

so what do you guys think i should do?

well it turns out the white *BLEEP* on the seats i think was dye or something, i removed it with a green scouring pad and some carpet stain remover(prob not good for the leather). I than proceeded to use conditioner/cleaner (armer all leather stuff), and every other day i will use it. So far the seats look much better.

i have 270k on my ls400; it sat in a garage for 4 yrs and i got it and have put 20k on it since then. it is starting to run rough i would like to do the plugs and wires. but cant find them; i removed the wire cover on the driver side and found no plugs; where are the plugs located and how r they changed?; i have a shop manual vol 1 and 2 but Dont see any cut and dry way to remove the wires or plugs

hahaha it took me 2 1/2 hours have fun with that.

ok so i hope the picture will help make sense of this, there seems to be a much lighter of color on my seats were were so disgusting in front i had to use VIM bathroom cleaner to clean them. They turned out a darker color of tan with the blotchy white. I used regular leather cleaner on my back seats which were not that bad, it got them nice and clean with a brush but, they are the light creamy color, looking behind the back flip down armrest there is what looks to be the original color so is it possible the VIM bathroom cleaner took it down to the original color and these seats were painted or dyed?

The edge center of the seat is the original color i was talking about that i cleaned with a harsher cleaner, the tan shade is also the same as found in untouched leather parts such as behind the back armrest or in the seams, and the rest is a white residue/lighter color, looks like paint or dye or something, doesnt really match the rest of the car. Can i fix the seats with leather dye?

I used a similar product on my 97 LS and it drastically changed the look of the front end. Much classier!

Nice, so you put the chrome strips on too? I honestly cannot see any other way other than fabricating a grill of some sort.

just installed the grill, i was rather disappointed as the seller had mis advertised the product, but for $20 it looks not bad considering its stuck on by 3M two sided tape. Also the pieces needed to be trimmed with a knife. For those of you interested in purchasing such a mod (the only other option is a $600 one from japan), pictures are below. I feel it was well worth it, just be sure to apply it straight, as it comes in plastic chrome trim.

When I drive up to 70 MPH, the RPM pointer dangles between 2 and 3. Anybody out there know what is happening?

could be slipping tranny, how is the tranny overall?