wanderson

You said you changed the coolant sensor, did you change the right one? There's one for the engine management and one for the dash gauge. here's a link with the procedure:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/377171-diy-coolant-temperature-sensor-change-pics.html

If so, have you pulled the plugs to check the color? That should give you an indication if the fuel mixture is too rich.

I'm not sure if it was on this board or another, but someone mentioned on another thread that Lexus made a 'tab repair' kit for the headlight housing. As far as cheap replacements, I haven't seen any. cornering lights can be had used for $25 to $50 bucks, but headlight replacements are an arm and a leg, and I don't know why. i have the same problem, if i find the p/n for this 'tab repair' kit I'll post it.

I know this is a common topic, but I took my car for an alignment today (1996 LS400) to a local alignment/mechanic shop and to inspect a squeeky weird sound I get over bumps and hills. They said both lower ball joints need to be replaced and the lower control arm bushings (said they were "rotted out"). After looking online and on the forums it seems that the lower control arm bushings don't go bad but its actually the strut rod bushings? I guess I'll have to take it to a dealer who understands the suspension but from what I've read here I guess it most likely will be the strut rod bushings and if that is the case, is it just cheaper to change out the entire bar?

from what I've read the strut rob bushings are pressed into the strut rod. Easy to get out if you have a machine press, hard if you're hammering them out on a bench. The major concensus seems to be to purchase the entire rod (about $110 to $120 each seems to be the best price). This seems to be the most common failure of the front suspension.

For anyone looking for an inexpensive FM transmitter that's a direct connect to their Iphone4 or Ipod, I just picked up a Grantwood Technology FM transmitter/charger. It has the Apple connector for Iphones and charges my phone even if the transmitter isn't on. The FM transmitter itself is only good, as good as some more expensive units I've heard but not as good as the Monster cable cassette adaptor I normally use. Doesn't induce as much static when picking up the phone as others I've tried, bass response is good but there is some hiss up high, barely noticeable at volume but inbetween songs the hiss gets louder, I think it's the Nakamichi radio thinking the signal is fading and amping up the gain to boost the signal, making more hiss. Best part, it's $23 on Amazon, cheaper than any other I found. I really just needed a phone charger and for the price I was gonna pay just as much as this, so the FM xmitter is almost a freebie.

No seizing, movement is good, just a slight groan when it returns to it's 'docking' position on shutdown. Thought I'd lubricate those gears just as a precaution. Originally planned on having my mechanic disable that feature during my last service but it wasn't and now I think I'll just keep it active. It may also just be the plastic housing on the steering column rubbing on the dash, I figured it's still a good excuse for some preventative maintenance. I've got a grease gun with synthetic moly, I may just use that. I was hoping to find out what lexus used from the factory and just add that rather than mixing two different lubes.

I'm going to open my steering column and lubricate the tilt & telescope motors, based on pics & vids of the motor gears it looks like Lexus uses some type of white lithium or molypaste. Just curious if anyone has any recommendations as to what would be best to use. Normally I'd use some white lithium grease spray but that's too messy and I need something more like a paste that won't run or leak.

If you happen to be doing this due to "stalling" movement then they is a TSB that applies.

I'm going to open my steering column and lubricate the tilt & telescope motors, based on pics & vids of the motor gears it looks like Lexus uses some type of white lithium or molypaste. Just curious if anyone has any recommendations as to what would be best to use. Normally I'd use some white lithium grease spray but that's too messy and I need something more like a paste that won't run or leak.

Yup, mine does the same as well, just had tranny fluid replaced, no change. Only when engine is cold, regardless of outside temp.

83K isn't much mileage for these cars. Maybe one the solenoid shifters is dirty and sticking leading to a sluggush shift. Its a bit of a pain to drop the pan to swap it so you might want to replace the ATF first and see if that helps.

What did you top off the battery or the wiper fluid?? If the wiper fluid reservoir then maybe the float sensor is sticking leading to a false low setting.

Also - my battery was low the other day and as a result my "Low Windshield Fluid" alarm came on...I know, seems strange, but thats when it happened. I topped off the reservoir (was already 90% full), still on. Removed the battery cable for 30m+, still on...thoughts on how to reset this alarm?

Thank you for the feedback :-) I topped off the wiper fluid reservoir...I'll check the float sensor, I'm hoping it's that simple. I had a couple other alarms that tripped at the same time (check engine and check VCS?) but they both cleared after disconnecting the battery.

I ordered a manual for my '99 LS400 but got a '99 GS400 manual instead. But I am registered correctly, the VIN even brought up my body color in the profile. Sent an email to see if I could swap it but haven't received a reply, but you can order another manual every 30 days so I'll try again later. But it was a brand new still in the plastic OEM manual for free so I'm not complaining. And the correct owner's manual is available as .pdfs as well.

Hope I'm not telling anything you already know, but if you log in it will bring up only the manuals for your car.

eDestinations are managed from that site and your service history is also available after you log in.

This is all based on setting up your account with your VIN. I would hope all Lexus dealerships enter that information. I believe you can enter any service you perform.

Sorry if that is information you were already aware.

I always love reading stuff like this, but I guarantee that if you ever get into an arguement over what's American and what's Foreign it always seems to come out the same, never mind that Honda's made Accords in Ohio for decades, Nissan trucks come from Tennessee, some Hyundais come from Alabama, some BMWs come from South Carolina, and my old '07 Toyota Tundra was made in Texas. I'd feel more like an American purchasing a 'foreign' car that employed an American worker in a factory in the U.S. over an 'American' car that might have been made in Mexico or Canada. There was a great story on NPR's 'This America Life' on the joint Toyota/GM plant in California that made the old Toyota Corolla/Chevy Nova and what it took to get it started. But I'm predjudiced, too, growing up in the 80's when the Big Three were producing the worst quality cars of their existance will always make me think of American cars as 'second rate' compared to most Japanese cars, and in my mind a Japanese car made in Japan is as good as it gets.

This new campaign to educate the public shows that the Toyota Corolla is the most "American Made Car" in the United States. It shows all manufactuers plant locations, Number of employees, and automobiles made. Toyota employs over 26,000.

Remember the sign on the pickup truck that tried to run LEXIR off the road?

http://www.whatisanamericancar.com/plants/Toyota

Paul

Interesting side note; As I looked at the map of plant locations, I wondered why they were all concentrated in a swath from Michigan straight south through the mid-east to Mississippi. Any explanation?

I can't remember which thread it was on this forum or Club Lexus but yesterday I read a thread and someone posted a link to a DIY step by step with pics for pulling codes from an OBDI LS400. If I remember it only involved making a jumper, and the walkthru also included all the OBDI fault codes. Sorry I can't provide more.

My wife just got the new Ipad2 in the mail a few days ago with her bonus money, it's our first Ipad so I can't compare old vs new but it's nice, she likes to surf & play Angry Birds on the couch when I'm playing on my PS3, it's alot easier on the eyes than our Iphones. Some friends of ours have the old one which we'vew always liked, and we originally planned on picking up and old one at a cheaper price but the price difference wasn't enough. The sound quality is pretty impressive on both, it amazes me how good something that's as thin as a few slices of bologna can sound that good. If the new Ipad2 had the new Retina display I'd say it's worth it to upgrade. We went from the 3GS Iphone to the Iphone4 and the difference in the displays is pretty significant.

Anyone have the new Apple Ipad 2 yet?

Anyone queued outside the store to get one?

May have to sell my current one for a new one, wanted to know what the new ipad is like compared the the first version?

For a good all around inexpensive tire I like Hankooks, my in-laws just put a set on their Chrysler 300. I have a set of new Cooper CS4 all weather tires that came on my '99, good performance in the rain but when the road surface changes they can be very noisy.

My old Belkin FM modulator works best at it's lowest frequency (88.1). The placement of the wire (which houses the antenna) makes a difference as well. In my work van I pick up a lot of static & interference if it hangs down to the floor but it sounds best when it's looped around my cup holder in the dash. But it's a chance thing, I've tried in other vehicles and some work well and others don't. The ones that worked best had the 'old school' steel whip antenna on the front fender.

Whenever you use these FM transmitting devices for iPODs and the like it is important to find a frequency with no local radio stations on it. In large markets this is sometimes hard to do (NY, LA, Chicago). Once you find a dead channel park your FM modulator on that channel. If there is a weak radio station on the same channel your car FM receiver can get confused and jump from one signal to the other. FM radios behave on a principal called FM capture. They'll lock onto the stronger of two signals on the same channel.

Like others I'm using a Monster Icarplay cassette adaptor thru the Nakamichi on my '99 LS to my Iphone with decent results. Earlier this week I came across a Belkin car adaptor I purchased 2 or 3 years ago. It's mainly a 12v charger that plugs into the Iphone dock connector but also has a female 3.5mm phono output jack on the charger body with a volume control knob, basically to output signal from the dock connector. I'd used this in my previous vehicle that had an amp but no head unit. Anyone who owns an Iphone probably knows the sound quality thru the dock connector is much better than the headphone jack, and in this case it made a pretty significant difference. Both sound volume & quality are much better. The bad news is that while I was searching on the Belkin website for a name/model number for this great gizmo it seems they don't make it anymore. But if you can find one,or something close to it, you'll appreciate the improvements in sound as well as being able to charge your phone. Considering there are a lot of vehicles with AUX inputs it seems someone has to still be making an Iphone dock to AUX/headphone jack solution.

On another note, I use a Belkin FM modulator in my company vehicle, it's much older as it's only compatible with Ipods and won't charge Iphones but it's always performed well. I considered purchasing a newer version that was Iphone compatible but most online reviews were terrible. Other FM modulators didn't fare much better. Apparantly, the FCC decided a few years ago to significantly reduce the max allowable transmitted power for these devices, so most of the newer ones aren't performing as well. Some other solutions plug directly into your antenna cable but I have no idea if any of these would be compatible with an LS400 or their obscenely proprietary Nakamichi system.

The RPM drop thing is normal, I've never owned an automatic that didn't drop a few hundred RPM when going from PARK to DRIVE, it's the transmission putting a slight drag or load on the engine in anticipation of accelerating. But 500 rpm in drive sounds a little low to me, I think my '99 goes from 800/900 in PARK to 600/700 in DRIVE. If you're feeling any kind of fluttering or vibration I'd suspect a misfire. I'd start by replacing or at least inspecting the spark plugs, if one plug isn't firing correctly you should see a difference in color. I read an earlier post regarding someone's 2000 LS needing a tuneup and the reply was that it was a coil on plug setup so there were no plug wires to change out. From that I assume that new plugs are the only thing required for a tuneup if there are no plug wires/distributor cap/button to replace. If I'm wrong please correct me, I haven't gotten access to the factory repair manual to confirm this for '98s & '99s.

Hi I am brand new owner of 1998 Lexus ls400. I am very happy to own it and it is a amazing car. I have never owned a Toyota or Lexus so I want to see if these things are normal with the car. I really appreciate any feed back.

1.) RPM's run normal at 500 in drive. However, after driving the car and shifting it into park the RPM's go up slightly to 600-700. When I shift into gear they go back down to about 500. Just want to see if that is normal?

2.) The car seems to run very smooth and good. However, when the car is in park and I press down on the accelerater it pings right up to like normal on the RPM's but the car seems to have a little resistance feel or like a little light flutter? I feel the same very light flutter when I am accelerating from stops. Almost like it has a little clog or something.

Again, I really appreciate the feedback. I look forward to hearing back from you. Walk in Love!

First thing I'd investigate is the belt tensioner. If you want to isolate whether it's your accessories or the engine itself, remove the serpentine belt and run the motor for a minute or two and listen.

there is a squeling noise coming from the right side of the engine, its comes and goes i hear it on the highway slightly sometimes since the car is so quiet with the music off. When i first start the car i usually hear it, im guessing its a pulley bearing, has anyone experience this before or know a fix?

I just purchased a '99 that only had one key with a cracked case held together with glue & tape and non-functioning remote, dealer cut a new metal tab and placed the 'guts' into a new case for $85, remote doesn't work but makes a good spare master key. Ordered up a brand new key w/remote for $250 from Lexus dealer plus another $50 for programming. I think another thread mentioned ordering a new fob online for a low as $150 plus the cost of programming, and most locksmiths will make a new key for considerably less than dealer, just don't lose your master key or you're SOL.

Okay just went and looked at it.

he 70,000 actual miles arent correct according to carfax. Carfax says the last service done was in 2008 at 78,000 miles... Dealer doesnt know whats up but says its no big deal of course... I drives very nice and doesnt seem like there would be much more than the 78k from before honestly.

Navigation seemed to work fine and I didnt notice the brand of stereo.

The car has factory HID's also :)

They were asking $8,000 before finding out about the carfax problem and lowered it to $7ish and now to $6500.

There are a couple small dents in a couple places and a few light scratches to be expected. The front windshield has a crack along the very bottom but he claims he'll give me a windshield on Monday for $200 installed.

Then there is the Key, he only has one key and the one key he has is; well, kind broken, its broken at the base of the key and looks like it wont last long and will have to be replaced. How much could this cost me?

Other than all of that it seems to be a great car and I am pretty mechanically inclined to fix small problems myself. What do ya' all think?

The good:

Shifts smooth

Accelerates strong

Handles like a dream

Clean in and out

new tires

seems like a good price for the displayed mileage

Thanks again sooo much help! Sorry for the long rant and unorganized post (I'm in a huge rush)..

For my '07 Tundra I ordered parts online from Sparks Toyota out of Myrtle Beach S.C., good prices and fast shipping, and every oil filter I bought came with a drain plug washer. But their website only lists Toyota/Scion parts, I haven't contacted them yet regarding Lexus parts. I also recently placed an order with Lexus Parts World, prices were about average but free UPS shipping on $100 or more. I've read a few threads praising Pembroke Pines Lexus but I haven't yet compared prices or placed an order with them.

I have a gizmo that plugs into your cigarette lighter and displays your DC voltage on an LCD display, picked it up from an auto accessory website to monitor a 12v gel cell battery I use for my telescope, but it also comes in handy for diagnosing charge/drain auto issues as well. Not as accurate as my Fluke multimeter but easy to leave in the car to monitor. Last time I saw one was on the Scopestuff.com website. Current draw is almost nonexistant as I leave it on my scope battery all the time and it rarely needs a charge up.

I was just reading that post yesterday, if I remember correctly it involves wiring in relays (4 total) to the output for the CD changer, and I think it also required playing a blank CD to trick the system into switching to the CD input. This would give you CD quality depending on your soldering skills but more work than I wanted to attempt, and I don't like cutting the factory wiring if I can avoid it. I'm using a cassette adaptor in my '99 w/Nakamichi sys with an Ipod and an Iphone4 although one side is lower in volume than the other. It's in the adaptor itself, I've used it in other vehicles with the same results. I've previously tried a Sony adaptor and the one I use now, a Monster Cable adaptor. Both had good sound quality but left-right level issues, so I think the alignment of the adaptor with the head may be a factor. I also use a Belkin FM transmitter in my company vehicle with good results although it's a 2000 chevy astro van with the factory radio so it's a mediocre system. I do get some static when I move the cable to my device, which houses the antenna, but when it pays normally there's no static or interference. I may try an FM transmitter on my Nakamichi as well. You can hear the cassette deck motor run while using the adaptor, and there's the wire running from the deck to my device. An Ipod/Iphone compatible FM device will also give you charging capabilities and can be stashed out of sight in the center console.

If anyone makes a direct plug-in plug-n-play solution for adding an mp3 player to the Pioneer/Nakamichi systems I haven't seen it.

Quoted price over the phone was $670 parts & labor for timing belt, water pump & serpentine belt. Not including tension idler, they'll only replace it if it looks questionable, but if it looks less than new it's getting replaced as well. Not included in that quote are new thermostat & radiator hoses which they are also going to replace for the cost of parts, approx. $45. All very reasonable when my local dealer quoted me $500 to $600 in labor costs alone to replace the timing belt. When I asked how much extra to include a new water pump I was told an additional $400(!).

I actually looked at that website earlier this week, never dawned on me to check it until I was listening to one of their earlier podcasts and they mentioned the mechanic's files. Japanese Auto Specialists seemed to have a lot of positive feedback so I'm letting them replace the timing belts.

It is highly advised to also replace the water pump and pulleys while in there. The labor is not much of an adder. What are they quoting you for cost? Typical independent shops are usually in the $800-1000 range.

I actually looked at that website earlier this week, never dawned on me to check it until I was listening to one of their earlier podcasts and they mentioned the mechanic's files. Japanese Auto Specialists seemed to have a lot of positive feedback so I'm letting them replace the timing belts.

Thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Replacing the timing belt is at the top of my priority list.

You're quite welcome. As far as a mechanic, you could look at the "mechanics files" -> http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html

I know it might not be a great recommendation but its a place to start.

Welcome to the club!

Thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Replacing the timing belt is at the top of my priority list.

Does anyone have a downloadable source for the maintenance schedule for a 1999 LS400? I have a .pdf of the owner's manual, but no schedule, and I've registered on the Lexus.com site but the .pdf for the 1999 schedule doesn't seem to exist anymore.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a good independent mechanic in the Greenville S.C. area?