daffy

Hi jjmancini,

I tried, for the first time, to take the covering off, on the back part only(the bottom was OK) and succeeded. I then took the back covering into a upholstery shop, and had them replace the bad areas(they cut and sewed the new leather to the old). This really cut the cost down (as there is a fair amount of labour to take the leather off and on the seat). To reinstall the back wasn't too bad to do, the worst part is those wire clips to hold the covering to the foam. Instead I used that plastic tie wrap, and was able to to tighten it as much as I wanted. This made it very easy. It is still on my car now, for 6 years, and still holding. It does not make any noises when sitting or moving around, which was a concern for me. So I say, give it a try if you have the time and do the passenger side first. Once the covering is off, have a upholstery shop make up a new covering to match the one you have and you will have a very good looking replacement for a lot less money. And will make your car look like new again(on the inside). And I can't see it being any harder to take the bottom covering off. This may be one option for you. :)

Daffy

Hi fiveofakind,

That is the fan bracket. the waterpump is behind that and driven by the timing belt.

I know I replaced mine myself and it is expensive( fan bracket).

Daffy

Hi monarch,

So I could take this car down to the USA and have a shop recharge the airconditioning with r12 freon without any problems? Otherwise I have no contacts. Daffy

Hi All

So I really don't have any choice, other than upgrade to accept the newer refrigerants? Seems no one has had any luck with any of the new refrigerants like Autocool HC 12A or Red Tec 12A on the older systems. Bummer :(

Daffy

Hi RFeldes,

Thanks for the reply, so are you saying you prefer the 134A over Autocool HC 12A?

Daffy

Hi,

I noticed my air conditioning in my 1991 LS400 is weak now. I would like to recharge it, but not with R134A. I see there's a new refrigerant out called Autocool HC 12A. It's suppose to be completely compatible with R12 and R134A and more efficient. Anybody try this yet in a Ls400? Can I install this stuff myself? Thanks, Daffy :)

Hi hyuntak,

If you have some srap metal lying around and a welder. You can make a tool very easily to fit the spokes in the pulley. The bar can the rest against something solid while you undo the bolt for the pulley. You will need this homemade tool to torque up the bolt to the proper specs when assembling. It worked well for me.

Daffy

Hi Canadacraig,

Could it be computer related problem, not timing the engine correctly on acceleration? Are all the hoses hooked up correctly?

I don't think it's the coils because when they start to fail, it is either an intermittent problem or they quit completely. You can test the ohms through the coils and if both are the same, it's likely not the coils.

Daffy

Hi all,

I changed the fan clutch and the car is back to normal. I also checked the price on fuel pumps and they are very expensive new, so I will keep going with the one I have, until it goes. Daffy

Hi all,

I took a little trip and on the way back, the car developed a loud whining noise. At first I though maybe the tranny is going (435,000 kms, 271,875 miles). I constantly checked my guages for any warning signs, and kept thinking, what in the world would cause this problem. After checking out my data base, in my head, it occured to me that I had this problem once before, years ago, with another vehicle. When I got it into the garage at home, I lifted the hood and tried to rotate the white nylon fan. Nope it was siezed. I need a new fan clutch. Easy fix. Boy was I relieved. Not bad, 271,000 miles on one fan clutch.

Maybe I should think about changing out the fuel pump in the tank, what do you people think? :P

Daffy.

Hi Sweet95LS400,

And don't forget to change out the caps and rotors when doing the tune-up. I took my in and this is one area they seem to forget to do. Mine had a miss every once in a while, otherwise it ran fine. Caps and rotors are cheap. Also change pcv valve. Daffy ;)

Hi all,

My car is running fine except for a little valve noise. Should i worry about this or just keep on driving? It has 267,180 miles now.

Thanks, Daffy

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the input. I would have rebuilt the starter myself. I have rebuilt a few and it's not that hard. I just didn't have the time to do it right now.

One thing I do notice, the new starter turns the engine much faster than before. And I thought it spun the engine pretty fast before. Now I hope the engine will last because at 430,000 kilometers(267,189 miles) who knows? Daffy

Hi All,

I found 4" Alpine speakers, that fit in place of the Naks, and installed all four, in about 3 hours. I guess one gets a Little faster, when you learn all the tricks, to get the doors apart. I am happy with the sound, being two way speakers, the highs are pretty clear. I picked these because they were close to the specs. of the original Nakimichi speakers. The Naks still have a wee bit better bass.

I had a rattle in my drivers door, and found out, that the bolts holding my door handles, were all loose and one window track had a missing bolt. Can't even trust a good body shop, with your you favorite Toy.

Daffy :D

Hi jc19907, obergc,

Thanks for the replies. I took my car out for a drive and I feel much better now. I look around and I really don't want to drive anything else. For me the Ls400 is the right size, quiet, smooth, powerful, reliable, long lasting, good on gas and still looks good today! AND has the best forum online!!! Daffy :D

Hi all,

What's a good replacement speaker to use that will fit in place of the Nakamichi speakers? I really don't want to modify anything to make speakers fit and I want same sound or better.

Anybody know the efficiency of the Nakamichi speakers? I know they are 4 ohms, 20w/40w. Thanks Daffy :)

Hi all,

Got my new starter installed today and it really turns over now! It only cost me $1680.00 cnd. (Lexus dealer).

I have to say, this really puts me off. Why would they design, a hard to get at place, for a starter? If the starter would last as long as the engine, I'd suppose it would be ok. But this isn't happening, I have read on this forum that even newer LS400, getting new starters. Mine at least lasted 14 years and 430,000 kilometers. If I had any other car, I could have done the job myself.

I am now good for another 14 years with the starter, but I don't think my car's engine is going to make it that long. Daffy

Hi All,

I have a 1991 LS with 430,000 kilometers(267,189 miles). Got to take her in for a starter tomorrow. :cries:

I have always replaced my own starters, but on a Lexus, a very big job!!

Thing is, it's the solenoid that is going, the starter still spins over fast. But because it is so hard to get at, you are better to replace the starter as well.

Well I guess after 14 years, that's not too bad.

My shocks and exhaust system are still original (amazing!). Daffy

Hi thieaux,

I made my own tool to reach into the spokes on the pulley. If you have access to a welder, it's very easy.

Just weld two bolts(long enough to reach the spokes of the pulley) onto a long bar, and make room for the socket.

Just jam the bar up against something and torque the bolt to specs. Great for removing the bolt too.

I wish i could sketch it out for you, to clarify. Daffy

Hi j.barleycorn,

To clean the alternator, I would think disassembly is a must and you would have to find some kind of cleaner to use that would not harm any of the electrical parts. I haven't done this to an alternator yet, so I can't help you much here, but this is where I would start myself. Just to warn you, when my alternator went, it was sudden and the battery doesn't last long without an alternator on a Lexus. Once you get all these bugs worked out, you will really enjoy these cars. Good luck, Daffy

Hi j.barleycorn,

I read your post 2 times and noticed that you didn't rebuild the pump. I have a 1991 LS and it too had a small leak. I replace the high pressure line first and that was a waste of money. I then took the pump out and rebuilt it. The rebuilt kit was around $100 cdn. with a new front bearing. This pump was very easy to work on. I reinstalled the pump and flushed the system using synthetic fluid(amsoil). The reason these pumps start leaking, in my opinion, is the pump is mounted so close to the engine, the heat from the engine bakes the seals and causes them to leak. I have read that synthetic fluid is very good for tranfering heat and so far I have 6 years on the pump now and 430,000 kilometers (267,000 miles) on the odometer. I checked for leaks recently and still dry as a bone. By the way, my alternator fried shortly after the rebuild. If you think any power steering fluid got into the alternator at all, I would take it out and clean it out as best as you can, because the alternators are expensive to replace(I don't think it needs to be rebuilt- just cleaned).

This post doesn't answer your whining problem, but I am confident if the work is done properly and installed properly, the pump will stop whining.

I now have starter problems, it is a very big job to replace, so into Lexus it goes. :cries:

Daffy

Hi chubyball,

If you have no pulsations and the rotors look good, just replace the pads. As far as machining Lexus rotors, it doesn't last. I did this and in a short time after, I started getting pulsations, when stopping at higher speeds. So I had to replace the rotors and used the old pads and haven't had trouble since. I have a high mileage Ls400(265000 miles). Daffy

Hi Leadfoot,

I think you are the closest to solving my problem. Where do I find this neutral start switch? Is that the one where all the relays are? Through eliminations I would like to start with the cheapest part first. My way of thinking is, after 263000 miles, a new relay would only add to the reliability anyway. What actually activates the starter relay? There must be a simple switch from the gearshift that actually activates the starter relay, then the solenoid is activated from the starter relay, which in turn, starts the starter itself turning.

I am really impressed with the reliability of the starter so far. It's the longest lasting starter I have ever had. I am pretty sure that it is still not the starter itself or the solenoid, causing the problem. Thanks, Daffy

Hi,

I have been burning CD'S for years now and using them in my Ls400 6-pack. I learnt a few things that I will pass on. If you buy better quality disks, they will last longer(something to do with how well the label is "pasted" on to the disk).

If you burn your disk at a slower speed, this seems to improve the life of the disk and also seems to reduce any "skipping" tendencies.

Always check for dirt on your disk and clean the disk before installing them into your 6-pack. This will ensure that the pick-up will stay clean. I have a 15 year old car and the 6-pack still works perfectly! My 2-cents worth. :D

Daffy

Hi,

It happened again, so I just jiggled the gear shift in and out of park and she started right up. Makes me think that I have a bad contact somewhere. Is there a switch in the tranny that needs replacing? Thanks, Daffy