Shaggz

Nothing wrong with that...a cousin of mine is the same way, if it's not OEM he doesn't want it. But to the point mentioned: An aftermarket unit could be bought for as little as $80 and I would expect it would be much easier to just install that rather than attempt to re-engineer the OEM unit just to get a little range boost. Obviously, that solution would require adding some sort of signal booster to the OEM unit. Is there capacity inside the thing to do that? I'm not an Electronics Engineer, I'm a Software Engineer, so maybe there's potential I'm unaware of there. I never disliked the little button, but I hated it's unreliability. And I'm sure this is probably specific to my vehicle, but I always had to be standing right next to the vehicle and sometimes hold my mouth just right for it to work. If it was really cold or really hot outside, it might not work at all. Then I actually lost the key, problem solved. I am considering an aftermarket unit, simply for the purpose of regaining, as well as adding functionality. If I still had my original key, I would also be interested in a distance boost, but that's not really an option for me.

Unless I read this wrong, travelgal is looking for a the best ride, not a handler in particular conditions. That said, although pricey, you can't go wrong with the Michelin MXV4. By far the best riding tire for the year/make/model travelgal quoted. They're soft, so they won't last as long, but the ride couldn't be smoother and the handling is just fantastic. Those things really dig into the road when you want them to, trust me :whistles: I rode those for two years and got about 35-40k miles out of them. Unfortunately, I recently had to make a buget decision. I replaced them with a Pirelli model (don't recall which model right now) that is supposedly almost identical to the MXV4, but a little harder, so they should last a little longer. They cost about half as much and I'm pleased with them, but I can tell a difference in the smoothness and handling - I definitely miss the MXV4 and will put them back on the next time around unless, of course, there's something better available then.

Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper to just replace the remote keyless entry functionality with an aftermarket unit from any electronics store? You would also get more functionality, such as trunk or window operation, as well as remote starter with a fraction of the effort. Of course, the tiny little button on that snazzy Lexus key would become obsolete, but you sure would get a lot of added value. If you want to try to modify the original remote key, why stop at range of operability? See if you can go ahead and add 2-click or even 3-click functionality to trigger additional things like trunk, window or remote start capability. Now that would be hot!! Definitely keep us posted on your endeavors if you try any of this. :D

I've replaced window motors and switches in my LS400 doors before. Yes, it is that simple IN THEORY, but it all depends on the situation. I cannot stress enough, BE CAREFUL about removing the door panel. I damaged a clip in my door panel and now the interior handle is forever loose :cries: I'll admit, when I replaced my window motors it was a slight challenge to figure out which nuts/bolts to loosen in order to get the motor disconnected from the arm and window. It's also critical to make sure it's all lined up properly on reconnect, but that's not too difficult. It only took a couple tries and I had it reconnected and working well. All said and done I think it took about an hour, but a good amount of that time was probably spent looking for tools... Good luck! B)

My apologies...it seems I posted those comments prematurely. I believe I found the info I needed in the following post: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...opic=6583&st=15 My problem is definitely the air control valve. I'm just nervous I'll do damage to the pump if I drive it without p/s fluid for about 5 - 10 miles. It's leaking that badly. Any thoughts on that one??

Okay, I don't have any recommendations for this thread, but it seems the appropriate place to mention my current woes... I recently replaced my power steering pump and pressure hose and all was well for the first 200 miles or so...now I'm leaking p/s fluid like it's going out of style. I can see it pooling in the front under cover. I can't visibly see the leak happening, but I can also see a little p/s fluid on the pressure hose (at the connection where the rubber part meets the metal part), so it's definitely coming from the underside of the pump. But, before I dismantle it and leave myself without a ride anywhere, I'm trying to figure out what might be the culprit. Does that sound like the area of the pump where the PCV valve is that you guys are talking about? I guess what I'm referring to is the assembly that the two air hoses come out of. I'm thinking I just need to replace that component. Any help is greatly appreciated. I really need to fix this quick because I'm a little nervous to drive it like it is. I actually felt the steering go out temporarily this morning! :o

Thanks silvermate, that's a good list :) I've been working on it today, but part of my problem is that the diagnosis I got from the dealer was exactly how I listed it here, sort of vague descriptions on a couple items. Particularly the motor mounts and rear knuckle bushings. There appear to be a few types of motor (engine) mounts in my parts list and I can't even find a reference to something called a "rear knuckle bushing"!?!? :chairshot: Any help on these two items would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, does anyone have any idea where the dipstick tube o-ring goes or what it's part number is??

Well, I've started looking for the parts I need and I'm having trouble finding the control arms. The only place I've even found them is at IronToad, for $300 ea. Does anyone know where I might find them cheaper than that? Also, when the diagnosis mentions Strut Rod Bushings, do you think they're talking about the Strut Bar Cushion or perhaps the Stabilizer Bushing?? I simply cannot find the Engine Mounts or Rear Knuckle Bushings anywhere other than the dealer, anyone know of a source for those? Also, will I need any special tools for replacing the parts listed in the original post?

My 91 LS400 suffered from power steering pump failure recently and I decided to have it towed to the dealer for complete diagnosis. For $100 I was able to get a laundry list of items that needed repair. After picking myself up off the floor upon receiving the horrific news from the service rep, I decided it was time to either replace the car or become my own mechanic. I love this car and it's paid for, so I have nothing to lose. That's when I discovered this forum, which has served as nothing more than a lifeline for me for the past few weeks and has enabled me to revive my dying LS and take a little extra pride in it. Much thanks to everyone here... The list of items the dealer gave me had the p/s pump and psi hose at the top, which I replaced a couple weeks ago. The dealer missed when they said my fan clutch was making noise, it was actually the fan bracket, which seized upon finishing the p/s job. So I've also replaced the fan bracket, which was not on the dealer's original list. Now I'm motivated to get cracking on the rest of the list, but I wanted to post it up here in case anybody has any pointers for the remaining items I need to tackle. I have a decent amount of service information and a complete parts list for my vehicle, but you can never get too much friendly advice to supplement the books. Here's the list (and delear est.) in order of priority according to service rep: 1. P/S Pump & psi Hose ($1,590.00) - DIY for $300 2. Fan Bracket (DIY - part from dealer @ $230.00) 3. Ball Joints ($580.00) 4. Upper Control Arms ($1,230.00) 5. Motor Mounts ($760.00) 6. Strut Rod Bushings ($600.00) 7. Rear Knuckle Bushings ($540.00) 8. Dipstick Tube O-Ring ($160.00)

automatic transmission fluid

I tried explaining this to my wife a while back when I first bought my LS400. I think it's funny how people relate A/C so strongly with "cold air" when all A/C really means is that the Air is Conditioned in some manner, particular the moisture level. How in the world the two ever become so synonomous??

Holy smokes, that's some complicated problem?!?! Obviously, that's a little sarcasm, but I can't wait to get out to my whip to see if that's the culprit! Even though mine's a '91, I guess the problem could be similar. It never occurred to me that a lack of slack in the wiring could be the reason. Thanks for the link lexusing!

That's interesting...My telescopic memory feature is buggy as well. Sometimes it will return to the last position on startup, sometimes it won't. I just resorted to turning the auto feature off :( I can't imagine why the seating memory would affect the telescopic position, but what do I know. I lost seat memory when I replaced the driver seat with one in better physical condition. My telescopic memory was buggy before the seat swap though. I'll look through my service documentation to see if the seat and steering memories are connected in anyway.

This should help...just go to www.lextasy.com, they sell pretty much all Lexus emblems for about $35 each. The exact url for emblems is http://www.lextasy.com/lexus_emblems_35_ctg.htm

It won't be long before the steering completely quits on you. I was faced with the same symptom for about the past year. Before I decided to get mechanical with it, I just kept topping off the p/s fluid about once a month or so. Then it became a near weekly ordeal. Then a couple weeks ago, there was so much grinding coming from under the hood that I was scared to drive it. I had it towed to the dealer for diagnosis. That's when I decided to get mechanical with it myself. I was able to drive it home, then it sat jacked up until I figured out how to do the repair myself and save several thousand dollars!! I did the p/s pump, pressure hose as well as fan bracket. The fan bracket seized up as I started the car after replacing the p/s parts what timing?! Luckily, that was only another $230 part from the dealer, I just had to turn right around and take the darn thing apart all over again to do the fan bracket. Keep in mind, there's not exactly a lot of p/s fluid to begin with. And it probably won't leak unless you're turning, which means you're not sitting in the driveway so there probably won't be much of anything on the ground. But I guess it could certainly pool in the plastic shield underneath the front of the car. If the pump is leaking, the p/s hose will probably have oil and grit caked all over it, so check there. You could also check the area where the p/s hose hooks up with the rack, behind the driver's side wheel. Just follow the hose from the pump, down around the oil pan, and you'll find it eventually. I would recommend doing something about it sooner than later for sure. If it is the pump, you risk losing the alternator at any moment due to fluid getting into it.

Consider yourself somewhat lucky...the price for a new remote keyless entry key for my 91 LS400 costs almost $300. I decided to do without as well, but I'm getting kind of tired of it after about 6 months. Mine didn't stop working though, I just lost it :cries: I'm considering an aftermarket remote keyless + alarm system. Any recommedations out there?

You could just ask the your local Lexus dealer, they should be willing to tell you about any if you ask the right person. I've found the parts guys to be quite friendly at my local dealer :) Another option is to check ALLDATA. For only $25 you get access to most information available on your car, including all TSBs... http://www.alldata.com/vehicle_owner/index.html

I have a 91 LS400 whose rear sub was completely shot out when I purchased it. I opted for a 10" Kicker subwoofer replacement. I don't remember how much I paid for it but it wasn't very expensive. It fits nice and snug in that little space in the rear deck and makes the entire system sound like new :)

Yikes! I've never experienced that with my LS, but I did experience that with a Jeep Cherokee I used to have. The reason was the fuel injectors were leaking. You might want to consider having someone diagnose it before it becomes a bigger problem. I would take a fuel smell very seriously. Perhaps you meant to say "missed" the gas tank. For heaven's sake, how do you over fill a gas tank???

I have a 91 LS400 in which the original front seats were completely busted, not functioning properly and generally uncomfortable to sit in due to wear and tear by prior owner. I know it's a general recommendation not to replace seats with other used seats, especially from a junkyard, but I came across an amazing deal on both seats from a freshly wrecked 91 LS400 for only $125 each. I was able to quickly insall them and they seemed to work perfectly at first, but then I realized the memory settings for the driver side do not work anymore. I thought the memory feature was a standard option on the LS, is it not? Or is it possible for just the memory part of the seat control to go bad? Is this something I might be able fix or will I just have to live with it? I still have my old seats, is it that difficult to swap the electronics in them? Thanks for any help or ideas.

I just finished fighting that piece yesterday...if you're talking about the one on the right side, there's that wire that feeds through a rubber grommet that sits in a hole on that cover. You have to pull that grommet off the the cover. There's also a slit in the grommet so you can pull it off the wiring and feed the wire back through the cover to allow complete removal of the cover itself. It also requires somewhat strong wiggling. But be sure to free that wire before forcing anything or you may do some electrical damage.

I checked out Tap, they have quite a stock of LS400s :) This whip's been jacked up for a couple weeks now and I can't wait another one, so I just shelled out and got the part from the dealer. Swapped the parts out with very little trouble last night. I also kept my fan clutch and should be able to return the one I bought. Although a couple of those bolts almost had me giving up at one point, I finally got it all done. I didn't quite complete the job though. Today I'll flush the steering and coolant, put the battery back in, then go for a drive!!

$700 sounds about right for that job. As others have stated, it's easily $400+ in parts. Consider the labor for a professional mechanic on that job for about 4 hours, I think. Atlanta mech rates are about $100/hr. I think my timing belt/water pump job was about $850 a few years back, but that was just before I bought the whip. I do most repairs myself.

There is also an official Toyota resource that will supply you with anything ever published about your vehicle. They have a system online at http://techinfo.lexus.com. You can buy a 24-hr subscription for $10 and download all the info you want. I did it for my 91 LS400 and got more info than I'll ever need I'm sure.

It's just metal and seals, what's the big deal? Are they made of different metal compositions? That's the only reason I can think of that would make any difference at all. But even then, we already know the Lexus p/s pump lasts for about 150k-200k miles. I can't imagine a logical argument that would suggest a reman pump would not last just as long, or longer. Depending on your capabilities, you could always rebuild the part yourself. To take apart the p/s pump and "rebuild" it, all you're doing is cleaning it up and replacing the seals. Voila, same original parts except for now it's clean with new seals and you can call it "remanufactured". I would suggest that in general, there is no advantage to spending a lot more money for the same result. Sure, you may have to get a warranty replacement from time to time, depending on your karma, but it's far cheaper and general just as effective to use reman parts in the long run. Experts out there, if I'm wrong please educate me :) As for personal experience, I replaced my p/s pump and pressure hose last weekend using reman parts from www.buyautoparts.com. It's actually kind of funny though, because the pump actually looks like it may be better quality (at least from the outside) than the original one. I also just replaced my seized up fan bracket mounting assembly yesterday and ended up getting that part from my local Lexus dealer for $225. Primary reason being the only other supplier I could find that even stocked this part was only $40 cheaper and would have taken until next week to get here.