Paul Sherman

I'm confused; When my '93 LS400 was smog tested, I go to a gov't smog facility here. They merely hook up a sensor to the exhaust, fire it up on the dyno and run it through a driving sequence. Passed with flying colors. There's some talk of only testing vehicles here that have OBDII interfaces starting next year. In that case, any shop with the interface can do the smog test, rather than just the official testing facilities. This may be your issue; independent shops may be unable to properly test that era of car, no matter who makes it. Just a theory.

I just had my first extended drive in my '93 LS400 (St. Louis - Joplin MO and back - 280 miles each way) I'm a good sized guy (6', 230 lbs.) and have to wear a knee brace. I was pretty comfortable all the way. My mileage still wasn't the greatest, ~22 mpg, but there was limited chance to actually run on cruise control for more than a few miles. Speed varied from 50-78; it's a four lane highway where few people use left lane only for passing, too many seem to use it for coasting.

Woo-Hoo! Found and fixed! The fuel line is attached to the rail by a fuel damper. That damper failed. It looks like it may have been going for a while, but finally got bad enough to be noticeable. Easy part to change, difficult and expensive to find ($130). Dealer only item, no part # handy, 1st dealer didn't have it. Also, it's been superseded by another part. Two hours running around, 20 minutes labor to change.

Hi all, I have a '93 LS400 with 194K on it. I started noticing an occaisional slight gas smell when I first got in the car, which disappeared as in a couple of seconds after starting it. Today, I was finally able to track it down - There's a small leak at the top of the engine; driver's side, toward the back. If I were to guess, it looks like where the fuel line goes into the injector rail. It's currently just a bit of dampness, no pooling, but it won't get better by itself. Since the nearest dealer is 45 minutes in the opposite direction from where I work (which means I can't even get there before they close), and I can't find an independant Lexus mechanic in St. Louis, this may be up to me and my regular mechanic to figure out. Has anyone seen this before? I searched the archives once, and didn't find much, but will search again with different key words. Since I'm driving across state in a week, I'd love to get 'er fixed, rather than rent a car. OTOH, I've heard others mention that Lexus dealers have provided loaners - would that happen with me? If so, it may be worth taking some time off and run it up to them. Any guidance is appreciated.

Ohh, geez, relying on my random access memory again... OK, I think... The tool box needs to be unscrewed, the panel can then be unclipped. If that doesn't do it, I'll need to go back in and check it myself.

Hmm, sounds like it may have been tied to the phone. Running separate wires directly from the stereo is certainly a permanent solution. However, if the problem is because of the phone, bypassing the box by connecting the input/output cables together is a lot less work.

My display ain't too great either. Low temp - 65 deg High temp - 85 deg Running completely to one end or the other actually goes one step further, into 'Max'. That's full bore each direction, the temp sensor is disabled, the system will just keep pumping as hard as it can.

This may sound off the wall, but. Do you know if it came with a factory cell phone? My '93 LS400 did. When it started beeping every 15 seconds and wouldn't shut off, I pulled the fuse. I then lost my left rear speaker. Seems that the phone uses that speaker. I had to go into the trunk and deinstall the phone in order to not have the beep and still have all the speakers. Deinstallation was pretty straight forward, once I located the phone system and figured out how the connector set up worked. Now, from my flaky memory: Finding the phone - In the trunk drivers side, toward the front. Have to pull the side panel. The connector - The input connector to the phone box is identical to the box's output connector. Simply unplug the box and plug the input cable into where the box's cable went. Cheap graphic: Before: CableA >Box> Cable B After: CableA > Cable B Hope it helps Paul

RTD1111 said: 'I ran some diag and got code 41 (this was the only code), which indicates a Throttle Position Sensor issue. I removed the TPS, cleaned the leads and put the same one back in. Cleared the codes' I have a Code 45 with the 'TRAC' light. When I posted someone suggested cleaning the TPS. Is your action what they may have suggested? Pull the TPS's (have two, due to traction control) and clean the leads where the harness plugs in?

Thanks, I tried it out. Unfortunately, I didn't come up with anyone within reasonable distance of me. Phooey...

Hi all; My 93 LS400 is acting a bit sluggish (suspect it's time for a tune up and throttle body cleaning). As we have four vehicles, three houses and I travel on business, I simply don't have time to do much of the work myself. Hence, I need a mechanic to do what I can't. I don't want to use the dealer for the reasons you all have mentioned before, plus neither one is near where I work or live. I checked the forum and found one name, but when I tried to contact him, I got no response. So, can anyone recommend a Lexus mechanic in the south St. Louis area?

Uh, oh I'm guessing that means I've got a problem. I'm lucky to break 20 on the highway right now, figured it was the AC. Phooey

I recently had a similar problem. Found the folks that fixed my AC mis-adjusted the heater water valve. Tweaked it a bit to open completely and all is good now. Suggest checking the valve. It's on the firewall about center, hose going to it. Warm up the car and set the heater to max heat. In my case, the valve arm should be at ~1 o'clock, looking from the passenger side. If closer to 3, then it needs adjusted (now to remember how I did that...)

Great posting - I'll run the diagnostics on mine, too. I have a similar issue - lights cycle OK, but only two speeds (low and med are same output). How do you reboot the computer?

Follow-up... I was SOOOO unlucky!! Evaporator shot, along with most of the rest of the plumbing. I think the only thing not replaced was the compressor. $2000 later, I have AC. Phooey :( To make it worse, the AC/heater control is now acting up... No heat function (it appears) and either no low or no medium fan speed. The shop called me the day they took it in and told me about it...that part was working fine when I took it in. May be a coincidence, may be a screw-up on their end (though they've done well for me on other vehicles) Regardless, guess I need to contact Jim Walker and see if he can repair the whole control (I know he does the display)

Well, we got it up on the rack and found the dye running out of the drain line off the evaporator... So, barring an o-ring miracle, it looks like time for a new evaporator (OWWW!) :(

jhawk, what are ya gonna do with the old wheels? Mine are looking a bit sad, and I have no desire to go beyond stock size. Heck, I'm not sure they're original; while they had a Lexus logo on the center caps, they're component style (with a ring of bolts holding the center to the outer rim). I've lost the logo on one cap, completely lost another, the coating is starting to come off the 'spokes', etc.... Yours looked pretty good - let me know if you want to sell them (assuming they'll fit a '93).

Being ever so hopeful... From what I've found in searching the archives, it sounds like at least some of the o-rings are fairly standard. Any outliers I need to worry about? I'm nervous about evacuating and recharging the system... BTW I found the pdf download containing the shop manual info on working on the AC system. Highly recommend it. Just wish I had the AC tools to do that work properly... Given the tool limitations is there another way to evacuate freon and purge air from the system once it's put back together? I am fairly mechanically minded and willing to tackle new challenges. Did 90% of the work on my 1940 Chevy street rod; assembling engine, frame off body/frame restoration, designed and installed wiring from scratch, modified the dash for new digital gauges and DIN stereo, etc. Never worked on AC before, get to learn something new at 48+!!

Update... Phooey! It looks like I have a leak. The AC stopped working again yesterday. My mechanic was in, so I stopped by his shop, we added dye and ~ 25 oz of freon. And we can't find the leak yet. However... When I fire up the fan, I get a funny smell out of the vents for about 1-2 seconds. At first I thought it was a mildew build up, but now I wonder if I'm not smelling freon. If so, then I suspect the evaporator is leaking. Just in case it is the evaporator, are there suggestions for sources and links to a "how-to" on changing it (I'm sure it ain't gonna be fun...) :(

Follow-up Thanks all for the hints! I found the port to put in the freon. Almost immedieately after I hooked it up the compressor started working. The system took just over one can. Now to see if it holds, or if there's a leak... Oh, and any suggested sources for the little plastic port cap? Mine disappeared (brain f**t on my part)...

Great, thanks for the hints. I saw a photo for recharging an earlier model (used Freon-12) that showed the charging port. Appeared to be on the passenger side near the top of the strut. Is that the case for the '93 as well?

'93 LS400, 180K miles. My A/C stopped working yesterday. It sounds like the compressor is still engaging OK, so I hope I just ran low on freon. How big a deal is it to recharge the system? (Don't have the gauges, so probably a bad idea, but just in case...) Also, I could use a source for some cloth seat covers (at least for summer use...) OK, I have a bit of a problem, I sweat easily and a lot. Driving a car with leather seats in warm weather or on long drives leaves my back soaked in sweat; not any fun for me or the seat. And now, without A/C...

Thanks guys!! Wow Paul, Bevo Mil I live in Southwest St. Louis city near Ted Drews. I live on Pernod if you're familiar with my area? Yep, very familiar with Pernod. Till a few months ago, a good friend lived on Mardel, just off Watson. We used to meet at the Steak 'n Shake near there for breakfast on Saturdays (till it burned down...)

Great tutorial. Hey Ed, it looks like you live pretty close to me! I live near Bevo Mill.