larryp

Take the car to your local Kragen or Autozone. They will test it for you.

I agree. More than likely it's the alternator - especially when new batteries fix the problem.

The lights to the inside of the headlights are the fog lights, and yes there's a switch that controls those. On my 91 they are yellow when on. The lights to the outside of the headlights are the corner lights. They stay on when the lights are on. Probably yours are burnt out.

if the key turns the ignition, then it's not the problem. What happens when you try to start? Does it turn over? Any background on the car's history? We'll need more info to try to help.

Welcome to the club

Sounds like your seat belt is normal. It will retract and lock in case of a collision.

Don't think premium fuel will fix your problem but it won't hurt to try. I ran regular in mine for 4 years and 120k miles with no problems.

Need to pull the check engine code to see what it's trying to tell you. Probably EFI related. Check lexls.com for some great info on maintaining your LS.

I agree w/ landar's recommendations. i'd probably start by pulling the plugs and checking them when it won't start. Look for "wet" condition - plugs fouled by too much fuel. Could be once it has sat for a while the plugs are drying out enough to fire. Just my $.02.

Welcome Eddie! Check out the sticky on LS400 Buying Guide. Should answer most of your questions.

According to the service manual there is only one fuel pressure regulator and it should read at 41psi.

"..the 2 refrigerants are not compatible."

In what way.

I know that this is common knowledge, commonly accepted knowledge, but I have never seen any evidence or proof of same.

My A/C specialist says that the only reason to pump down the system of R12 is to remove the potential for any residual R12/22, freon, from simply being dumped into the atmosphere during future work since that's what's allowed with INEXPENSIVE R134a.

I'm no chemist but even the replacement compressor i got was stamped with R134 only. They obviously have different chemical makeups so one would assume all of the warnings about mixing the 2 have some merit - but i can't attest to it personally. If they are compatible then i wasted a bunch of time and effort swapping out the o-rings :cries:

Your mechanic is a moron.

Agreed, seconded.

I'll 3rd that. I think you need to drop the "highly regarded" from his title. Compressors are designed to run on R134a. When a conversion is done it's important to get all of the r12 out of the system since the 2 refrigerants are not compatible. Also important to use the right kind and amount of compressor oil. I also replaced all the o-rings when i did mine. May have been overkill but many recommend it. I suspect that there was something missed on your original conversion to R134. Check out Tech Choice Parts, or AC Parts Now. I bought AC parts from both places and was happy with prices and service. Then find another reputable mechanic.

There's nothing that says they have to be all changed at the same time, but i would at least do plugs, cap, and rotor together. However, if you plan on doing the timing belt soon, i'd do them all at the same time - will save you a couple of steps overall since the covers, cap and rotor all have to be removed for the timing belt. I'd defintely go OEM.

Check out the tutorials section of lexls.com. Great stuff.

See earlier post. Should answer your questions.

Check out the tutorials section of lexls.com. Great stuff.

Contact the Better Business Bureau and see if they are a member. You are getting taken for a ride as a result of shoddy work. Talk with the owner if you haven't already and raise hell. No heat is probably a result of low coolant. I'm not a master mechanic, but i'm pretty sure a camshaft position sensor error wouldn't have anything to do with distributor cap, rotor, or plug wires. A sudden coolant leak after a major repair job would be a huge coincidence don't you think? Not sure why it would be leaking from the rear of the engine as any issues with water pump replacement would normally show up near the front of the engine. Obvious from their responses that they are trying to take you to the cleaners and don't really have a clue as to what is wrong. Good luck.

Couldn't find 63 or 67 in my list of trbl codes. Code 55 is indicating a problem with the knock sensor on bank 2 (passenger side) cylinders. The causes according to the manual are a short in the circuit to bank 2, a loose sensor, or an ECU problem. Don't have any personal experience with this fault so maybe others will chime in with more info.

Start by pulling the plugs and checking for "wet" plugs which is a sign of unburnt fuel. Make sure to note which cylinder each plug is removed from. If only one plug is bad, you may have a bad plug, spark plug wire to that plug, a distributor cap problem, or a stuck injector. If more than one are bad, you may have a bad coil, distributor, or distributor cap & rotor. There are 2 coils and 2 distributors, so if it's coil or distributor related affecting several cylinders, you'll be able to trace the bad plugs to one coil or distributor.

Without any other information, my wild a$$ guess is your timing belt is slightly off causing improper firing (and excess fuel being sent out the exhaust).

As you discovered, disconnecting the battery will do a reset, however, if the CEL is related to the O2 sensors, i believe the computer will reset itself once it detects the proper O2 mix (signal) from the new sensors.

I wouldn't replace a distributor unless there was a confirmed problem with it. Same goes for plug wires. Both these items will typically last much longer than the 108k you have. Replaced my plug wires at 200K when i did timing belt, water pump, etc. but even then there was no problem with them. Inspect the caps and rotors for signs of wear and replace if questionable. This is a relatively inexpensive maintenance.

Take the deal! Lots of debate on the premium gas issue, but i ran mine on regular for 4 years with zero problems.

Not sure of book value difference between both vehicles, but i'd much rather have the Lexus. 96K is very low miles for a 92 and depending on your driving, about 3 years worth of miles less than the Suburban (and 20+ mpg). Check and see if timing belt service was done. That and a review of the service receipts will give you an idea of how well it was maintained. If you are a DIYer, these cars aren't expensive to repair, but like any car, if you take it to the dealer be prepared to bend over. There's lots of help here on the forum and not many issues that someone hasn't already dealt with.

The indicator light you mentioned is a tail light out indicator. Mine used to go on falsely on occasion. It is measuring the voltage draw and sensing a drop. Could be a light about to go but i wouldn't worry about it. Do check the brake lights though. Probably doesn't have air suspension since there's no CD. Usually air suspension is more likely to be found on a fully loaded vehicle.

Potentially a great car if it has been maintained. I'd say check it out further and if things look good, go for it.

Good luck with your decision.

Since you paid them $200, i would take it back to them and have them check the pressure. That will tell you if there's a leak. If the pressure is low, get some R134 leak detector (has dye in it) and recharge system. Then check all AC hoses and connections for presence of dye. Check at compressor, air dryer, firewall, and along all hoses. AC compressor will not start up if pressure is low.

If pressure is good, may have a bad compressor. AC light on dash should be flashing if compressor is locked up. Could also be AC clutch. There's a way to test the clutch for engaging - maybe others can provide details.

Let us know what you find.

The only gasket is the one that comes on every oil filter. How bad is it leaking? Could be they cross-threaded the filter when installing, or the gasket from the old filter stuck to the engine.

Need to try to isolate sound. Could be the belt tensioner or a pulley or possibly the AC clutch or any number of other things. If you have a stethoscope this will help to pinpoint the source of the screaming. Let us know.

Not broken. The seat is not designed to move back - only the steering wheel when the key is removed.

I haven't done a starter so i can't give you 1st hand advice. I did find these instructions for removing the injectors that describe which connectors to disconnect. Maybe process of elimination will help you find it.

Right hand

(B) Disconnect the following connectors:

• Water temp. sender gauge connector

• Water temp. sensor connector

• Start injector time switch connector

• Four injector connectors

Left hand

(B) Disconnect the following connectors:

• Distributor connector

• Engine speed sensor connector

• EGR gas temp. sensor connector

• Four injector connectors

While i don't have a specific recommendation on the rumble, i doubt its the crankshaft pulley bolt. As you know the pulley only goes on one way and it's a pretty tight fit anyway. Doubt that a few more pounds of torque will make any difference. Rev it up to 2500-3000 and see what happens.

some guesses on possible causes: worn main crankshaft bearings (i think you said car was not "lovingly maintained"). Could you be one tooth off on the cam timing? i would think this would cause it run run rougher than you describe but its a thought.