jadecuir

It's nice to lock highbeams on when driving mountain roads, to keep both hands on the wheel. I sprayed some contact cleaner into the area where the switch should be, on the steering column, to no avail. I'm not going to pull the wheel off. If the relay won't fix it, I'll live with it.

It doesn't sound like a problem worth fixing... Just don't push forward....

That does sound like a relay or short problem somewhere...

The alternator should spin freely. That might be your problem. What about the A/C? Does it only throw it when the A/C cycles? If you turn A/C off completely will it not throw it? The A/C compressor is the hardest thing to turn, then the P/S pump. Water pump and Alternator load should be negligible.

95 sc400

I'm really confused / frustrated.

the car keeps throwin the serp. belt off. I already have replaced the belt...and put a brand new tensioner on. It does it anytime I accelerate semi-hard.

I popped the hood and watched it run...you can see the tensioner flexing in kind of a rhythm. all the pulleys can be spun by hand...well except the crank of course. they all seem to spin freely except the alternator is a bit harder to turn.

the harmonic balancer could be worn but I don't know how to test it...or how to tell

I'm at a loss here...I'm tired of throwin money at parts w/out knowing for sure if it will fix it.

Thanks for any input

I failed smog check last week due to burned out dash bulb (engine warning light) I swapped bulbs to get smog check cleared. Where can I find replacement bulbs at a decent price? Local auto parts stores don't carry them and can't find a part # in their computer. Radio shack had some lights nearly the right size, but without the stiff wire leads required.

Toyota dealer time, I guess.

I know where it is. I wonder if it's a generic relay available at Kragens or a "dealer only" item.

I had the same problem some years ago with an Acura Legend we owned. The culprit was the headlight relay. A new relay solved the problem.

I'm not sure where this is located in an LS. It is probably in one of the fuse boxes under the hood.

When I pull back on the lever, I get highbeams and main headlights on. When I push forward to the 'lock on' position, everything goes dark.

I have a new problem. Searched the archives - nothing. When I select high beams on, pushing lever forward for steady-on, ALL the headlights go out. If I pull back the lever - temporary on, it's fine. Is there a tutorial on fixing or remove/replacing the turn signal/high beam lever?

Just passed 300,000 last week!

Search Ebay. Almost always available there.

Does anyone have the correct torque value for the driveshaft coupling bolts? I'm re-assembling right now!

Does anyone have the correct toque value for the coupling bolts? I'm replacing the front coupling right now.

I found the problem! When she pushed the visor back in the hole, it pinched the wires and caused a short, blowing the 'dome' fuse in the under-hood buss. That took out the radio, sunroof, dome lights, door lock switch, steering wheel tilt, and the tail lights, I think. The headlight was a burned-out lamp. I taped off the wires to the vanity mirror in the visor so they wouldn't short again.

I also found a piece of foil in the cigarette lighter receptacle, which sparked quite a bit while I fished it out, but didn't blow the fuse. It probably would have been a problem if I had shoved my phone charger in without looking!

I let my wife drive the '90 LS400 yesterday, as her car was down for maintenance. Big mistake. when she came home she said the visor on the driver's side came loose, and she had to shove it back in its hole. Now the radio is dead, the door lock switch is dead, the sunroof, one (right) headlight, the taillights, parking lights, and who knows what else is dead. The owners manual says to reset the circuit breakers with a toothpick or pin. I tried, but they are either not popped, or I haven't pushed hard enough. Could this be a relay problem?

Look on ebay. They have drilled and slotted, drilled only, slotted only, and various colors of plating. I picked up a full set for $120 last year.

Freon smells like propane.

You really shouldn't be sitting in the closed garage with the car running, unless you're planning on leaving this world early!

See "AC compressor replace" thread today:I had the same problem, sort of, with my '90 LS. The system stopped working, and I took it to a local AC shop. Diagnosis: bad compressor. I put off repairs for almost 2 years. Then, a friend with AC knowledge and equipment helped me check it out. After recharge and oiling of the system, I've had no problems for 3 months now. The only thing we can figure happened is a leak at one of the valves; there were no caps on any of the three valves! There are now.

I had the same problem, sort of, with my '90 LS. The system stopped working, and I took it to a local AC shop. Diagnosis: bad compressor. I put off repairs for almost 2 years. Then, a friend with AC knowledge and equipment helped me check it out. After recharge and oiling of the system, I've had no problems for 3 months now. The only thing we can figure happened is a leak at one of the valves; there were no caps on any of the three valves! There are now.

sha4000 are you still having problems? If so, after all you have done I would suspect the water pump or a clogged radiator. By clogged I mean cleaning the fins.

There are posts here on the procedure.

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yeah man its really getting on my nerves i never had this problem until i changed the belt everything else is fine so im inclined to thinkit might be the pump the only thing that i cant figure out is why it only happens when i turn the on the a/c on a really hot day. has this happened to anyone else?

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When you did the timing belt, did you pull the radiator and clean it and the AC condenser? Are you sure your coolant level is OK, and the engine chambers free of air? It takes quite a while to bleed all the air out of the cooling system. It should be done with the heater on high, so all the air is out of the heater core.

Did you maybe disconnect the electric fans when you did the job? Are they coming on when it overheats? Are all the temp sensors plugged in?

If you mean brake rotors, done last year, but thanks!

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Not the Brake rotors, the ignition rotors, under the distributor caps. When you change the timing belt/water pump, It's a good time to change lots of stuff, like ignition wires, caps & rotors, spark plugs, cam seals, transmission fluid, coolant, etc.

The rear end is another job for another day. Visually inspect all bushings for tears, displacement and wear/cracks. Rest the car frame on jackstands, so the rear susp. is hanging free. Then jack up the individual sides and differential, one at a time, to look for bushing displacement under load.

You might try Ebay, and look for the "kit". It would include both tensioner and idler rollers, along with the belt, pump and tensioner piston assy. It might also be a good time to replace the distributor caps and rotors. Most waterpumps don't come with the o-ring seals you should replace with the pump. Get these from the dealer, about $5 for both.

Hi,

I see a good tutorial on this job, but trying to order parts got confused.

I have The :) '91 LS400 with 136K on it.  I've been driving it the last 40K.

Checked with Lexus national database - no records were found on changing timing belt in my car :(((

Also both rear stabilazer linkages got pretty worn, so the you can hear "jumping serenade" noise when driving on bad roads (though air suspension seems to be in tact).

Can someone reply with exact parts names and suggest good internet stores for OEM parts. Which tensioner would I need - hydrolic or bearing???

I found www.car-stuff.com, but not sure if anyone had any experience with them?

How these prices sound in your opinion???  They also have FREE shipping !

T.Belt - $55.40

W.Pump - $99.40

hydrolic tensioner - $50.00

rear sway bar link - $31.50 - do you folks know, if this is the same as stabilizer linkage??? - a short arm with 4 bolts?

REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP ON THIS!!!

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Kicker Comp VR 05CVR102  10" Dual 2-Ohm Voice Coil

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How do I unplug the torn sub? And will there still be any sort of bass coming through my speakers when I play any music in my car? When my speakers are up I can still hear fairly good bass but it doesn't seem like it's coming from my sub because that thing is just buzzing like it can't do anything. Does bass come out of any of my other speakers?

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The easiest way is to remove the cover in the back of the trunk and unplug the sub. Follow the wires out of the sub to the first plastic connector. The amp is on the left side of the trunk-back, looking to the front of car. At least that's where mine is, a Pioneer.

Kicker Comp VR 05CVR102 10" Dual 2-Ohm Voice Coil Component Sub

Dual 2-ohm voice coils • polymineral cone • foam-ribbed rubber surround • 50-300W RMS total power range • 25-500 Hz frequency response

It's a 2 ohm that ranges between 50-300W, will that work??? Please help.

It will work, but the volume level will be lower than the rest of the speakers. You could try to find one somewhere that allows returns, plug it in, and see if it meets your approval. In the meantime, unplug the torn sub. you can unplug it at the amp or the speaker. Then , at least, the buzzing will stop.

Are you sure it's bad rings? When I checked compression on mine ('90 LS, 270,000 mi.), I thought I had low comp. on a cylinder, then I screwed in the hose to the gauge a little tighter, and it read 180 psi. If it still reads low, it could be a sticky or burnt valve, or one is out of adjustment (tight). The test for bad ring seal is to squirt a little oil in the cylinder and recheck compression. If it's still low, it's a valve. The oil seals the rings up for a few minutes.

John

I can't frikkin' believe it.  I bought a one owner 91 LS400 from some old couple that had a folder complete with all service records and repairs.  It had 120k miles on it.  I've got 125k miles on it now and it just started acting funny during acceleration.  Come to find out the #1 piston has a compression of 130.  Mechanic is saying normal is 180.  He replaced the spark plugs and it runs better now, but not 100%.  He said the cap/rotors/wires were replaced last year, but whoever did it didn't replace the plugs. 

So in order to get the thing running right again, it would require a rebuild?  Bad piston rings in piston #1.  Scheize! 

What happened to these things being supposed to last 200K plus miles???  I'm very disappointed.  :cries:

What would you guys do?  I was hoping to have this thing for many years as my work car...not just 5 months.   

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If you buy a high-powered woofer like the one linked, Your amp won't drive it. The one in the Lexus is 2 ohm, and about 40 watts. Refer to ohms law, then try to find a woofer more compatible. 2 ohm, low power subs are hard to find. You'll get by with a 4 ohm, 50 watt or less. Some can wired in series or parallel, called "dual", and that's what I put in my '90 LS. An Audiobahn dual 4 ohm. Google Audiobahn for links to Ohms Law, and explanations of running duals in series or parallel to get 2 ohm balance.

I found a friend with the right equipment, and he charged it with R-22 for leak checking, then vacuumed it out, added oil and R-12.