Se7enRed7

I didn't wait until failure. I didn't notice the problem until the alternator was already losing output.

I don't post here much, due to time constraints, but I occasionally lurk. Has anyone had issues with the alternator on a GS having decreased output due to oil leaking from above? It seems possible due to reduced cooling capacity, grime around the brushes, etc..My o-ring from my distributor is leaking, causing nasty buildup on my alternator. At night, i have to turn off my stereo because my lights dim, and i can't run my AC fan to maximum due to current draw. Has anyone had luck cleaning off an alternator, or will this need replaced? I have a pretty hefty sound system but the mono amplifier is currently disconnected. If i'm replacing the alternator, i'm going to go with the 145A instead of the 80A. Stereo is ~1500W...peak or RMS i'm unsure of. 80A*14.5V = 1160W 145A * 14.5V = 2102W

wow, where did you get that? It was helpful. Well, my brake fluid reservoir is 3/4 full. Three things left to check. The next "day off" will be spent hunting down the TRAC and ABS ECU, as well as the TRAC actuator and accumulator. The only part that might be hard to find is the ECU. Does anyone know where that's located? Some other toyotas have the ABS ECU in the trunk.

Hi. I have a 94 GS with 84K miles and am having problems with code 54 or "TRAC pump motor operation frequency excessive" I'll be driving along and at random, typically on dry and straight roads, the TRAC light will come on until the vehicle is turned off. I checked the forums here and read the trouble code. Could a wheel speed sensor be the culprit? where are the sensors located? Maybe I'm way off base and this has nothing to do with a speed sensor. What could be the culprit? Any info will be appreciated :)

Thanks for the reply. The dimmer is not all the way down. Fortunately, the shop has committed to fixing their mistake. Thanks.

Thanks! Lookin forward to the confirmation.

Does anyone know for sure if there are lights that illuminate the wording such as the "auto" button or "ac" on the climate control panel in the first gen. GS300's? I'm quite sure there are, however, when i took my car in to get a new stereo put in, when i got the car back, there was no illumination of the words. There are lights on the panel, but i cant read what the buttons say. I just want to make sure there are lights there, before i complain to the installer.

Larry H. Miller Lexus in Sandy, Utah has a 1990 LS400 in the showroom - Perfect condition with origional engine and transmission (never rebuilt), origional paint and seats....with 525,000 miles on it. *edit: Not Sandy - Murray UT

1994 GS300 71,000 Miles

Before reding this post, realize i'm an electronics technician. If it's the amp, typically what will happen is solders will break loose, or there will be physical damage to the board or component, causing an open or short. If you're technically inclined, open up your amplifier and look for visible defects (black spots, white residue, or a somewhat fishy smell). The smell means a bad capacitor and is usually accompanied by white residue...If a component is bad, a new component can be bought at radio shack or ordered online from allied electronics. If a solder is bad, just resolder. Dust can also cause heat problems (thermal runaway)..make sure the board is clean. To most people fixing it just isn't worth the time. If you decide to get a new one...i'll pay shipping to take the old one off your hands.

Turning the traction control off for better traction seems counterintuitive...I'd have to have a substantial reason to believe and try that one.

you need speakers. i'm dropping some cash right now too for new component speakers. check these out. Phoenix Gold Octane Z Some people run speakers off deck power when they have woofers. It's an option, but I dont think it's the greatest choice. If I were going to spend the money on a new head unit, amplifier and subwoofers, I'd spend some extra cash and make my mid and high frequencies sound as good as my low frequency. I'd get a 2 ohm amplifier which is designed to drive subwoofers . I wont do the math, but maximum power transfer occurs when output impedance is equal to the internal impedance of your amplifier....so put two 4 ohm woofers in parallel and get a 2 ohm amplifier. You may also want to consider the size of your box. Some subwoofers require more box volume than others. The size of your power wire is also important. Electrons see wire like water sees a hose. The bigger the hose, the more water can flow through it. Get 4 guage for both power and ground. Dynamat your trunk (reduces unwanted noise) Last but not least, they may be charging too much. Visit PriceGrabber.com and look in their car audio stuff. They'll find the lowest price around for any specific component or class of components. You probably knew and considered most of this stuff, but i'm just bored and had nothing better to do than write a long post.,

nope not factory amp. all phoenix gold speakers, woofer, and amplifiers driven by a nakamichi CD45Z head unit. Just took all my stuff out of my old 3000GT and i'm getting ready for an install. pics to come :) P.S. thanks for the quick reply.

will a 12" subwoofer fit where the existing nakamichi subwoofer fits...facing up from the "trunk"? I figure it's a 10" thats in there now, but just wondering if anyone tried it or had an opinion on a different solution.

I was rolling my passenger window up at the same time my friend was trying to roll it down, i dont know if that caused the problem, but it went all the way down, and now it wont roll back up. I'm very cautious about my car in general, since it is immaculate at 67,000 miles, and i'm being very cautious as to not break/knick things. I was wondering if anyone knew how to remove the door panel on a '94 GS300. It should be fairly simple, but i'm having some problems. I've removed the screw in the bumper at the rear of the door, and the two at the bottom of the door, I've also removed the door latch housing. ANY HELP will br greatly appreciated, as this is my only car, and i am very reluctant to take it places (work, college) with a window in the "down" position. Thanks.

I think with the studded snow tires he's giving me, its about even. What i'm really concerned about is oil usage. toyota says one quart every 1,000 miles is within tolerance, but i've also read ANY oil usage is unacceptable.

Hi. After the fiasco in my previous thread, I found another vehicle. The owner of a '94 GS300 is holding the vehicle until next weekend until i pick it up. I dont know too much about the GS, so i was wondering if you guys could tell me if its a good deal. It has 103,000 miles and the price is SET at 8300. Larry H. Miller Lexus maintained. Records available. Shifts smooth and no sweat marks or leaks under the hood. everything works, no rips/tears in leather. No blatent dings/scratches and it has all options except integrated phone and traction control... Now the bad. It will need struts within the next 10,000 miles. He also said it loses (burns?) between 1/4 and 1/2 of a quart of oil between changes, and occasionally a puff of smoke comes from the exhaust under hard acceleration. The Lexus mechanic said it's nothing to be worried about, but I just dont think a car burning oil is "normal". I'll post the link so people can see the pictures of the car. So what do you guys think? A wise choice?The Vehicle

I like the '99 3000GT VR-4 in the background. Even better is the older, yet more refined (and reliable) LS400. I noticed the post is old. Did you get the vehicle sold?

Just taked to the seller's mechanic. (A honda mechanic) He told me there was no leak, or ignition problem. Well, i beg to differ, because there was a spot of tranny fluid on my driveway and every so often when at idle, the rpm's take a dive and quickly come back up to normal. Given the information in this and previous posts, if you were in my shoes would you keep the vehicle, or let the owner find another buyer? BTW, I paid 7,000USD

Didnt check the vacuum hoses. I dont have access to the car right now, as it is 200 miles away. The guy i'm buying the car from is going to fix the transmission leak, so i'm not worried about the leak. What i am worried about is if it had been driven with low transmission fluid levels. When i picked up the car, the fluid was full, and when i dropped it off it was still about the same level. Should i be worried about the transmission going bad? The plugs are being changed today, and the mechanic is also doing a compression check. BTW, the reason i'm so anal about things being wrong with my car, is i also own a mitsubishi 3000GT, and have dumped thousands of dollars into repairs.

Ignition systems work by switching a coil and some sort of resistance in series. There is a switch that rapidly switches between high and low resistances. The coil stores the current in the circuit. Ohm's law being v=IR. When the coil stores the current from the low resistance the current will be high. In example : 12V=(2ohms)(6amps) Then when the resistance is changed to say, 2000ohms, and the coil stores the current from the first switching cycle: (2000ohms)(6amps)=12000V Notice how the current remains the same, but the resitance determines the voltage. The coil cannot store the current for very long, and the current drops off very quickly. The time can be found by: 5(inductance\resistance) = T With the different resistance, the charge and discharge times will be immensely different. Say you have a .1Henry coil and the same resistances listed above : 5(.1H\2 ohms) = .25S When the resistance is changed to 2000ohms 5(.1H\2000) = 250µS So if you have an abnormal pulse width either long or short, you can then measure the inducance or resistance and diagnose the problem from there. If everything is fine with the inductor and resistors, then check the output voltage, and if everything is fine there, the plugs are probably bad. So a short question at the end of a long and boring post... What are the values of the inductor and the resistances?

Well, today was an interesting day. I returned the car to the owner and put a "stop payment" on the check i wrote him because there was a large spot of transmission fluid on my driveway. I took the car back to the owner and when he repairs it, i'll take the hold off the check. (it was a 500 mile round trip) <_< Is there an external triggering source when testing the ignition system? I just so happen to be an electronics technician, and have an oscilloscope sitting in my bedroom. If i knew what the secondary waveform was supposed to be, i could diagnose and fix it myself with relative ease (if it is an ignition problem). Thanks for the replies !

I just bought a 1994 GS300 with 131,000 miles. I love the car, but when i pulled into my driveway, i was talking to my friend and didnt turn the car off for a few minutes. I noticed when at idle, the engine occasionally skips a beat, like a cylinder doesnt fire or something. Has anyone had this problem? Anyone have any ideas of what it might be? thanks