Econ

Who's your insurer, out of curiosity? There were three cases that went to the Colo. Supreme Court where State Farm was the defendant. Seems the policy said that anyone making a claim may have to sue the insurer in order to recieve the coverage stated by the policy. Needless to say, the justices were not amused by the arguements presented by State Farm.

Air suspension relates to the struts, which is only one component of the suspension. Springs are another component and are on every car. Springs without struts/shocks would result in a bouncy ride - struts/shocks act as a dampener. That is, when the spring is compressed when your car hits a bump, the shock/strut slows down the compression and expansion of the spring. Struts/shocks by themselves provide no support for your car, so it would just collapse to the ground if you didn't use springs. The "air" part of the struts means that the height of the car is pneumatically controlled (in the case of the LS - air suspension means different things for different cars). A slight pull isn't bad, persay, but is a sign that you need an alignment. The vibrating in turns at 85mph (not kph, right?) is more of a concern. I'm assuming, based on your description, that it's a slower side-to-side motion rather than a rapid vibration. A rapid vibration could be related to wheel balance, worn tires and/or alignment. Side to side motion is a sign of extreme alignment problems and/or ball-joint issues. I would take the car to a shop to get it aligned, but make sure that they take a look at your upper/lower ball joints to see if they're in need of replacing. They should let you know if the car will hold an alignment, which will indicate if there are problems with the ball joints.

Silicone spray is usually a quick/temporary fix anyway. It won't last forever, unfortunately.

This is something I've never seen/heard of before, but perhaps it could be a faulty knock sensor? Feels like a stab in the dark, but I thought that since it was inconsistent, happened w/in a certain mid-RPM range and was aggrivated by lower octane fuel that it might be the ECU dialing the ignition waaaay back b/c of some freaky knock sensor readings.

This is the second time I've heard of someone not being able to get a CD changer in the trunk. It's just not the case - you can get it installed at any number of major electronics retailers. Check around. I've installed a Pioneer 6 disc changer with FM modulator and really like the performance. Just need to find a better place for the display.

Check out lexls.com for info on swapping out head units - it's kind of a bummer, but you lose the sub. The tutorial (and others shown on that site) is very informative, and lets you know what you can/can't do currently. The ash tray should come out if you push on it. Push in to latch, push again to unlatch. It might take a decent shove to get it to come out, but you shouldn't have to pry unless it's broken. The TRAC light on your cluster is actually telling you that there's an error code you need to read related to the traction control module. I've attached a picture with the slots you need to connect with a jumper (paperclips work great) on the diagnostic port located under the dash on the driver side of the car. To get the code: Turn the ignition to "on", but don't start the car. Open your hood, and while facing the car, look for the black plastic box on the left forward part of the engine bay. Pull the box off (it's hooked in the front and back, but my back hooks don't really hold it on - hopefully you can just use a screwdriver to push back the tab and lift it off. There's a service connector that needs to be disconnected (see atttached pic). Using the jumper, connect the two terminals Tc and E1 shown in the first picture attached. Look at the dash and the TRAC light will be blinking. It will blink 1-9 times and then pause for 1.5 seconds , then blink another 1-9 times, then pause for 2.5 or 4 seconds. Count the number of times it flashes, and that's your error code (ex: 2 flashes followed by 4 flashes is code 24). More than one code may come out, and that's when the TRAC light will only pause 2.5 seconds. It will display the codes in cardinal order, so error code 19 will be displayed before 20. I usually watch the display twice to make sure I got everything. Once you're done, disconnect the terminal and turn the key to "off". Make sure you re-connect the service connector under your hood. Let me know when you get the codes and I'll check them against the diagnostic list here. Or, you can probably find one on the net if you don't want to wait for a reply. Welcome to the LS400 family!

Well, I pondered for a while and couldn't come up with any homemade ideas. Autozone and Checker loan out tools and may have a bushing press kit that you can use to get the bushing out. I would check there first, as you can rent the tools for free (deposit on check-out, refund on return). Also, use some penetrant to loosen the differential bushings. That may help as well. I'll keep mulling it over.

Wow - kind of confusing. It sounds like normal operation in that it's targeting a temperature and slowing the flow of air, but you say that it doesn't matter if the climate control is on "auto" or not? And there aren't any problems when you use A/C? It sounds like the heater core on your car may be going bad. Stepping on the throttle or accelerating creates more heat than just engine idling, and that heat is transferred via the coolant into the heater core. Increases in the coolant temp will blow more heat into the cabin, which will cause the climate control to reduce the fan speed to compensate. Once the coolant is at a lower temperature, lower heat output = increased fan speed. This is all assuming, of course, that the "Auto" selection is on. If that's not the case, I'm baffled. Usually a fan will slow down while idling and then speed up while accelerating/revving - it has to do with the electrical system.

The ranges are marked with an "A" and a "B", by the way - "B" is the good range, "A" means the belt is stretching and needs to be replaced. RFeldes made an excellent point that will save you some time and headaches - definitely take a good look at where the belt goes. Because of the way it fits on, it's almost impossible to get it in the wrong places and still have tension, but it can drive you crazy trying to figure out where everything goes. Below is the '91 LS400 drive belt layout with the tensioner expansion direction shown. Good luck, butyou shouldn't have much trouble with this - definitely a 1 on the scale of 1 to 10. Take your time, and make sure the belt is snug in all the right grooves before turning the engine over.

Oil leaks from the front area would not be related to your rear main seal, so you can eliminate that. Different fluids that might be running down in that area are generally limited to oil and radiator fluid, though you might see a leak in an automatic transmission fluid cooling line as well (on/near your radiator). Radiator fluid (which I should call coolant instead) is ever so slightly greasy. It's color may change based on what contaminants it's come into on it's way to the bottom of your engine, but it's most likely green or orangey/red. Of course, if your mixture is off, it may be more watery or more greasy-ish. Oil is usually a dark, dark black color. Very greasy. Usually not in a liquid form, either. If it is dripping oil in liquid form, definitely time to replace gaskets. In regards to insight about what else you might be needing to deal with, you should probably go through the scheduled maintenance in the manual. It'll give you some good ideas as to what you should check and what you can disregard because you've already taken care of it.

The tensioner pulley really shouldn't go out - I've only ever replaced one, and that on a friend's car. Plus, it wouldn't get better as your car warmed up, the constant wear would probably cause it to get worse. Maxed out's experience sounds like something you should look into. The tensioner pulley is close in relation to your water pump's position. Plus I would agree with his advice to just do it all at once - pulleys go bad together and once you replace one, the effective wear on the others increases. It's like your suspension or brakes - don't do just one side because they wear together.

You know, if your car was shuddering at slow speeds and you're confident that the brakes are ok, it might just be your strut bar bushing. (Also called radial-arm bushing) It's the bushing that cushions the front-back radial motion of the steering knuckle (or caster). My theory is that the harder braking causes the wheel to move backwards slightly, which pushes the radial arm down on the bushing. Since deceleration is non-linear, would it be possible that the radial arm is pushed downward even harder the slower you go (to the point that you stop, when it returns to it's normal position) and that a worn bushing could result in the radial arm clunking against the bottom of the bushing bracket? The repeated clunking could be the arm meeting resistance and bouncing off of the metal and then being forced back down on it again. The pirate think's it's a good idea to check your bushings.

I just browsed Alldata and they didn't have any instructions. Are you talking about the orange lights on the bumper? Or do you mean the headlamp's low-beam isn't working (relative to the high-beam setting)? If it's the orange lights on the bumper, I think you can just unscrew the cover and replace the light (pull it out, put in a new one). But I'm not sure - haven't done that myself yet.

I have a 91 LS 400 parts exlposion, which should be the same setup as you have. In the picture, #11 is the bushing you're replacing. The parts explosion is the front driver's side suspension. Let me know if you're having problems figuring out the picture. And on a note - I'm a little confused about the bushing you wanted to replace majkmil. Modman talked about the sway bar bushings, and then the topic diverged onto the strut bar bushing. These are different things, but all related to suspension/steering, so I wanted to bring this up in case you wanted to clairfy.

Shadow makes a good point - and one I missed before. If there is any problem with the EGR pipe or you're worried about it, it's probably a good idea to get the pipe (or tube, as Lexus seems to call it) replaced while the trans is out. Lumping things together can save you money in the end. However, that said, I would also get a second opinion before any repairs. The EGR tube should add about $150-200 to the total repair cost (as the labor isn't all that great once the transmission has been dropped), maybe $300. If the pipe is in fine condition (and I didn't remember you making any comments about there being a problem), however, you're going to be spending that entire amount for peace of mind. And thanks, ArmyofOne, but I swear I'm not rolling in it - just getting started out. Besides, my fiancee is in law school and man, I can't believe how expensive that stuff is! BTW - what is that monster in your avatar?

Ok, since there aren't any other opinions, I'll throw out a quick diagnostic you can do: Lift one side of the front of the car off the ground - remember that you need to turn your air suspension height control to "off" before you do this. (If you only have one creaking side, then make sure it's that side) Raise the car until the wheel is about an inch or two off the ground - you want the suspension fully extended downward. Grab the top of the wheel and push/pull firmly back and forth a few times. If you feel any shift (and I mean -any- shift), hear any clunking, etc., then your upper control arm likely needs replacing. There's also a possiblity that this could be your wheel bearings. To test those, while the wheel is at full droop (just like the above test) grab the wheel on each side and rock it back and forth firmly. Shifting (make sure the steering wheel is locked) or clunking is a sign that your wheel bearings might be going. If this doesn't help, let me know. Maybe there's another way to attack this to identify the source of the offending noise.

First off, sorry - I didn't even think to review the title of your thread. Wow - I'll have to take back what I said about the EGR pipe, then. I had never heard of one having a problem prior to this. Your EGR valve may go bad at some point, but it's easier to replace than the EGR pipe. I've owned a couple of cars (2 used, 1 new) that haven't needed any EGR system work at all. There are two dipsticks in your 92 LS400 (I believe) - one for the transmission fluid and one for the oil. I'm fairly sure that your dipstick for the oil is what they're talking about, but not absolutely. In regards to the CV boot, you probably won't notice any improvement or change - it's basically just a protective cover. If they pack it really well with grease, you might notice the absence of a very slight sound or vibration coming from the rear that you may not have really paid all that much attention to before. Little things might happen - but it's better if you don't notice any difference at all! The oil pan gasket is a tricky one sometimes. Bad installation of a gasket can cause oil leaks around the seal, which is moreso frustrating than dangerous. I would have a garage replace the gasket provided that they're not a Grease Monkey or Quick Lube type of place (though I'm not even sure they would do something like that). Have them take a quick look and see if they think it needs replacing. And wwest has a good point - It's so rare that the service departments see a Lexus for any real problems that they're probably dying for the work. I know the two dealerships in town both have beautiful, spotlesss, endless bays that are completely absent of any cars whenever I stop in. I almost feel bad for the techs there. Finally, no, I'm not a mechanic by trade - though at one point in time my dad owned a shop. I'm just a financial analyst. Cars are kind of a fun hobby, though, so I like to really dig into it. Thanks for the compliment, though!

Which dipstick did they say needed the o-ring replacement? I'll see if I can't find a good picture to explain. What model and year is your car? The EGR pipe carries exhaust gasses from your exhaust system to the EGR valve. EGR stands for "exhaust gas recirculation" - the system is designed to reintroduce exhaust gasses to your intake. The reintroduction of emission gasses at high RPMs into your intake actually helps reduce the level of harmful pollutants from what it would have been. Frankly, I've never heard of an EGR pipe causing a problem. Ever. EGR Valves, sure, but those aren't down by the tranny. The oil pan gasket you -can- do yourself, but it depends on what tools you have and how mechanically inclined you are. Essentially, the oil pan is held on by a group of bolts along the lip of the pan. That lip also has a gasket between it and the engine block. First, drain the oil from your car as you would if you were changing the oil. Then you unbolt the pan, seperate it from the engine block gently (the gasket will likely have a sealant of some kind that will hold the pan), clean the edges of the pan, apply new sealant and a new gasket, rebolt. You should probably clean the pan and look for things like metal shavings as well (metal shavings are a bad sign - potentially a turned bearing.) CV axles are tricky. There's no way I know of to tell if the CV axle is ok before putting a new boot on. Especially a rear CV axle. Front CV axle are stressed more because they're required to extend to turn (found on front wheel drive and 4 wheel / all wheel drive cars). BTW, CV stands for "constant velocity" and is called so because it allows your wheels to turn at a constant velocity relative to the differential no matter what their position. Try the boot first if it's not too expensive. Anyone else have a good way of figuring out what kind of condition a CV axle is in?

Hood struts? As in the hood supports? Those actually unscrew. I woulnd't try to pull the socket off the ball - it's on there really tight. If you order new supports, they come with the balls that screw into the hood and the body. They're 12mm if I remember correctly. In regards to Jim Walker, I've heard nothing but good things. However, based on my join date, you can probably tell I haven't been around all that long. I'll let the others comment on his services.

My bet would be upper control arm bushings are shot. And the groaning in the brakes might be the control arm, or it might be your rotors. Of course, I'm not a mechanic. I'm hoping others will post up as well.

+1 - Silvermate is right, you gotta give us some time to read and respond. If you have more info, it's probably a good idea to post it up in your original thread. Replies will bump the thread to the top of the list, so it won't dissapear if people are talking. If you're talking about a cd changer that is commonly installed in the trunk, I'm not sure why they wouldn't install it there. Yes, your gas tank is back there, but they can run the wires through non-conductive conduit if they're worried about a short. I installed a Pioneer changer in the trunk not 6 months ago, all I needed was some extra wire to go the distance to the unit. Check with another shop. This shouldn't be an issue.

Oh man, half of that is legit and the other half sounds like scare tactic. First off, rear main seals are a big deal and do need to be taken care of. Oil dripping on your cat (or catalytic converter - part of your exhaust) causing a fire? Buy a lottery ticket, 'cause it's about that likely. The rear main seal is a seal at the back end of your crankshaft in your engine. It's between your crank and your driveplate, which then connects to your transmission. The procedure is expensive because of the labor involved - they have to remove your transmission to get to it. The part is about $25 - but there's 6.6 hrs of labor recommended by the manual. The rear main seal is, unfortunately, a really important seal to be maintained, and therefore is probably something you'll want to have repaired sooner than later. If the seal goes completely, damage to the engine internals isn't far off. Replacing the EGR pipe isn't worth it. Forget it unless you're having problems. You'll probably get a check engine light if there's an issue. Dipstick O-ring you can do yourself. Seriously, even if you don't know what a dipstick is. Oil pan reseal you might think about because it's relatively inexpensive - about 2-3 hours of labor and a nominally expensive gasket. However, this is the farthest thing from a safety issue. Well, maybe second farthest compared to the dipstick o-ring. Upper control arms are touchy. They're a safety issue, but you shouldn't go replacing them "just because" - they're a $400 dollar part and probably about 2 hours of labor, plus you really should get an alignment afterwards. Do you hear clunking when you hit bumps in the road? How about when going slowly? Does your steering feel looser than it used to? Rear brakes are rear brakes - the pads are probably worn and the rotors will probably need to be turned, which means grinding the braking surface down so it is level again. Rear brake calipers may or may not need to be rebuilt (or replaced with rebuilt calipers) - calipers are the squeeze in your brake system, your pads make contact with the rotors. Are your brakes squeaking at all? CV boots are good to replace if they're torn, but you have to be careful that the CV axle (over which the boot or boots fit) isn't on it's way out as well. Just replacing a boot, which protects the joint from road grime, etc., won't help if the joint is already worn. It's not an expensive procedure, on par with replacing an oil pan seal (or gasket, as most people call them). Does this help you get an idea of what they're talking about?

Yeah, I was intrigued by the idea and started to browse through the sources I could find via Google - holy cow, there are some pricey scanners out there (made me droooooool, none the less). What would I use the scanner for? Well, depending on what kind of information I could get from the OBD, air/fuel ratios are always a plus but I would definitely want to see narrow band measurements - along with how the electrical system is doing (output from alt, etc.). Otherwise I can't think of much. I have had so few problems with this car that I want to diagnose that I can't come up with much right now. However, if I had the ability to mess with the fuel maps in the ECU, I'd sign on in a second. They have a utility called TwEECR (I think, I can't rightly remember) that I have heard about people using on Mustangs. It allows them to alter the fuel maps in the ECU while monitoring some A/F data without having to understand the native ECU programming. Sounds very exciting and definitely a quick way to optimize. (Or, if you're not careful, destroy)

Generally the EGR valve (Exhause Gas Recirculation) won't cause the kind of problems that you're having. It's only recirculating exhaust gasses into the throttle body, which wouldn't cause the kind of stuttering you're experiencing. Part No. 2562050010 if you need it - gasket is 2562750010. I would take a look at the wires first and ensure that there's no shorted wires anywhere. I had a horrible experience with a Miata once - my fiancee had the wires/plugs replaced at a Grease Monkey and one of the plugs was shorting into the block because it wasn't insulated properly. You could see all the burn spots on the wire caused by the arc. It would run fine for a few minutes and then intermittently lose a cylinder. The engine would shake and shudder like crazy, and you couldn't get it up to speed at all.

Man, I am glad you nailed that one! Kudos to you - you're the one that took it all apart, twice! Thanks for posting up the source of the problem here, I'm going to make a mental note myself as this could have been quite the gremlin. And if I'm ever in San Diego, I'll be sure to let you know. It'd be great to have a beer and just stare at the beautiful (and working) high mount stop light.