jadecuir

Mine does the same thing. Everyone I've asked says "buy a new one, they're cheap!" I suspect it's only an alignment problem, or dirt on reader, but there is no money in repairs, as replacements are cheaper. What kind is it?

I found the problem. I pulled the radio, plugged the free rca connector in line to antenna and radio. On 88.1, when I turn on the CD, the radio goes silent until cd tracks. Unfortunately the CD player won't track now, for more than a minute or two, and sounds all skippy. I tried a dry cleaner -disc, same problem. Remote screen says ERR. I was wondering if a Pioneer CDX-M50 or 55 series is compatible with the harness/remote in my car. There are a few on ebay. Anyone know about exchangability with M-series Pioneer CD's?

Maybe I can help you. I replaced my radio ('90LS400) a while ago with a used unit I found on ebay. The old unit was dead, but I think the lights might be OK. I took it all apart for kicks, just to see if I could find an obvious flaw or break: no luck. I could send you the whole portion you need. No guarantees, but worth a try. John DeCuir jadecuir@comcast.net

That would be great! Email a pic and where/how to pay shipping, and the money is on the way! jadecuir@comcast.net John DeCuir Salinas, CA

Where did you get the CerwinVega, and how much was it? Do you have part/model # and specs?

Thanks for all your tutorials! They are the greatest!John

Thanks for the info. I'll look for a 4 ohm, 40 watter.john

I have a '90 LS400. I think I found the modulator. At least the cable/jacks. I pulled out the radio/climate assy and found male & female RCA jacks laying back there. Plugged male into radio and ant. male into the other. Now when I turn on the CD changer, the radio signal goes dead. Unfortunately, now the CD control shows Error. It was tracking before I took it to the stereo shop for a look-see. I don't know what they did, but they only fiddled around in the trunk for about 5 minutes, and I heard one of the guys asking the other if he "reset" the unit. What usually goes bad on these things? The Changer is a Pioneer CDX-M70, s/n jk12197.

Thanks, I'll do dat.

I'm troubleshooting the Pioneer CD player in my '90 LS400. The original dealer had the player installed as an option at original sale of vehicle. They said they used an outside stereo shop to do the install, and they are out of business now. I've been searching for schematics and installation guides on the web; so far, no luck. Any stereo gurus out there who remember this relic?

That's what I suspect. Is it accessible from under the hood, or am I jacking the car up to get to it?

Anyone out there know where to find an original pioneer sub for '90 LS400? P/n 86160-50010. It's a 2 ohm, 8" sub, probably in the 40 watt range. My son put a 100 watt, 8 ohm Kicker in, but the amp will barely drive it. I would like to find a used original or aftermarket comparable sub to balance out the system.

The engine light stayed on the other day. I pulled the efi fuse to reset the light. No light for three days. It came back on today. Checked the code, get #25, "Air-fuel ratio lean malfunction". Anyone know what would cause this? Car runs great! No idle problems at all. Is one of my Ox sensors failing?

There are a few on ebay right now. They usually go for 25 to 100 bucks.

Has anyone had experience with Autoaccessoriesrusfl.com? They have an ebay listing for leather kit to replace almost ALL leather in LS for $599. Includes all seats, console and doors. They seem to have alot of positive feedback, but I would like to hear from somebody that's actually seen their product.

Check the upper A-arm bushings. Jack it up by the lower arm to free tension on the upper. Grab the upper arm and try to move it laterally(as you face the side of the wheelwell, push in and pull out on it to see if they are loose. If they have not been replaced already, they are probably shot. Don't know what year LS you have, but my '90 is ready for bushings. Lexus dealer sells whole Upper Arm Assy for a ton of dough. I've seen a few parts shops posted on this site sell them for about $500 each. Daizen sells a bushing kit which, although labor intensive, saves you a ton of dough. Unfortunately, I ordered and paid for a set thru TM Engineering in December, and have yet to receive it. Back-ordered, waiting for manufacture, it seems. You should check all the bushings and ball-joints, since you'll have it all apart anyway. John

I don't know about '98 model, but most all the cars I've worked on do NOT require pad removal to change the rotors. That's what you want to do , right? You should have to remove the Caliper Assembly, with the pads in place, and change the rotors. You may have to compress the piston side a little to slide it back over a new rotor, but a turned, used rotor should be a breeze. If your rotors are near undersize, you might consider buying a new set, as a warped rotor may take quite a bit of machining to clean up. You could spend anywhere from $10 to $25 dollars apiece to turn a rotor down to minimum thickness, and it won't last very long. They tend to overheat when they get thin. Look on ebay. I just replaced all four rotors on my '90 LS for $120. And the rotors I bought are drilled, slotted and zinc plated. If all you need are the fronts, You could probably pick up a pair for $50 to $70, plus shipping. There are dozens of vendors selling all types, so shop around. You can spend twice to three times that amount for Brembo or some other brand name, but I don't think that's necessary. Rotors are pretty simple to make. John D

Mine came loose the way yours did. No clips involved. I used RTV (silicone adhesive) and taped it down until the glue dried.

My tensioner was ok, so I didn't replace it. Looked easy enough to replace later, if it gives up. I pulled all the wires, removed the plugs, and checked the compression while waiting for parts to arrive. The A/C comp had two large bolts, with 14mm heads, I think, that threaded into the fan bracket or waterpump, I can't remember which. I can't see 'em in your pix. It may be something unique to '90 model. I was so filthy most of the time, I couldn't touch the camera. I'm really amazed you were able to get the pictures you have, with apparently no smudges on the lens, either! Like I said, great job! John

I'm not knocking your tutorial. I couldn't have done the job without it! But,....there were a few items missing that slowed me down. For example, how/when to remove plug wires/coil wires and holders( not hard to figure out), how to compress tensioner piston(found with belt supplier's instructions), extra bolts where A/C compressor attaches to housing/waterpump(may be different on later years), and how to clean RTV out of the holes where the long studs go thru the waterpump( I'm so slow, that by the time I was putting them in, the RTV had dried, and I had to dig it out with an undersized drillbit). There might have been a few other stumbling blocks, but overall, a very thorough tutorial, and I thank you for the effort. John DeCuir

Good idea. Thanks, and wilco.

If you just had some work done on the car, look for loose bolts/nuts. One of my biggest reasons for doing my own work is to avoid shop f@#*-ups. What happens is the lunch whistle blows, or the supervisor calls, or nature calls while the guy is buttoning up your car. When he comes back, he omits some key step in the procedure, like tightening the lug-nuts. Most shops have poor quality control procedures, and no inspectors. I don't care how good they're supposed to be; s#*t happens. If a wheel falls off at 80+ mph, there will be little left to prove it was their mistake. Jack it up and look it over good. If everything is tight, great! If you have a floor jack, place it under the lower arm/kingpin area, and jack it up 'til the wheel (front) is off the ground. This compresses the spring just like when on the road. Grab the upper A-arm and push and pull in and out. If the bushings are shot , you'll know it now.

A seatcover maker has asked me what Lexus called this color interior. It's in a '90 LS400. Is it Spruce? John DeCuir 1990 LS400 Salinas/Sacramento, CA

I just finished the job of which you speak. My timing belt had just over 90k on it. But the motivation to change it was the weeping waterpump. I had to add coolant about once a week. The belt looked like it could go another 90k. Likewise with the Idler/tensioner rollers. IMHO, you should leisurely shop on Ebay for the parts you will likely replace: Belt, Idler roller, tensioner roller, waterpump, distributor caps/rotors. I spent about $200 for all of the above. Then wait for the waterpump to leak. If you just can't wait, then dive in when you have the time. I did mine over three days, about 4 hours per day. Caution! There are some glaring omissions in the tutorials on this site. Nothing a decent do-it-yourselfer can't figure out, but it will slow you down occasionally. If I had the time, and a camera I didn't care about, I would do a followup tutorial.

Here's the link for pulling up the plate: http://www.carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalLexusLS400str.htm