Wallybally

Hi, We have a yearly inspection. Just to be safe, I have replaced the upper control arms, to they are brand spanking new. The lower control arms I did 4 years ago, and this year I did the lower ball joints as well. Just to tell you, my LS was originally an air suspension one, and that started leaking. I replaced those struts myself with coilovers. I keep stuff in good condition. Stabilser links have been replaced 16 months ago. Since after this year's inspection in which it was cleared, there is a noise coming from the front right when I turn the steering wheel. But when it is on the stands I cannot replicate the noise. Thanks for having a think about this. It is really annoying me... W.

To be very clear: the LS400 dies NOT have a MAF sensor. It has an Karman Vortex Sensor, which was priced around a 1000 dollar when it is new. It does not goe bad very often. Do NOT clean it, you will break it. A normal MAF sensor has resistor wires that hang in the airflow, that change resistance with heat, so the ECU can calculate how much air is getting through. The wires get dirty, you can clean those. The Vortex sensor has a post with some foil inside that is flapping in the wind, generating a frequency, by which the ECU can calculate the air flow. if you try to clean that, you will ruin it. If it fails, the ECU will go into a ‘get home mode’ and run very poorly. I would rather look at the anti-theft module or something. W.

Yeah it's always something. Now I am driving again, and the front suspension on the right side has a rattle, and I just changed parts and renewed the inspection 3 months ago. Does anyone can explain where creaking while turning the wheels could maybe come from ? Its really nasty and seems to get worse. And the rattle is as well. Could this be the strut rod bushing ? Thanks. W.

Hi all. Just to let you know: It was the security module / immobiliser that was killing the power to EVERYTHING. There is NOTHING wrong with the starter. It seems it was thinking the car was stolen or something. I found a few post around the web that indicated the switches in the doorlocks might be getting old, and when it failed to deactivate the security module, but still open the doors, the immobiliser kicked in. Also, disconnecting the battery sometimes corrected the problem, but the last few weeks even that did not solve the problem and starting it was not possible. After an extensive search I found a fix for disabling the security module. Taking a ground wire and connecting it so a green wire in a blue connector in the left side of the drivers side footwell did the trick. No more alarm. The only thing that does not work beside the alarm is the central locking system. It will not open all the doors with the key. It will however close them. And the switch inside the door for the locking system does work, so problem solved, and also maybe a better system now than it was. I am driving again, very happy now. 28 years old, still going strong. I love this beast... Thanks for all your responses. We keep learning ! Walter

I javen’t checked voltages. The alternator is practically new. Everybody that has heard it click and have seen this before, say that it is the starter. The alternator was replaced 3 years when I did the timing belt/waterpump. I can understand why they would think starter, but is there an electronic system that turns the power off by way of an automatic fuse or something ? It is very strange. It tries to turn over, battery is fine. It just says click and then nothing, dash light for the door is off, everything dead. Go under the hood, turn off the ground switch, turn it back on. Start- does it again. Repeat 3 or 4 times. And then it will start. Problem goes away. It does that maybe once every 2 weeks now. Thanks.

No, no CEL. Everything is normal, no problem at all. When it's running it is all ok. Just when starting it will die on me completely. And for that matter, it happens maybe every two weeks. Thanks

Hi, I've got a bit of a stumper here. I've got a '91 LS400, and I seem to have trouble with the starter. It started (lol) a few months ago, when I noticed that my radio was losing its memory - i.e. the programmed radio stations were erased - which points to having a disconnected battery at some point. Lately it has been getting worse. There is a chance that, when starting, it will not and lose power completely. I mean, turn the key to the run position and start, and I just hear a click, and then nothing. Everything is out. No more door ajar light on the dash, no nothing. Fortunately there is a ground-switch onder the hood, so I turn that off and on, and power is back. Once I got it started, and then it died again. Started again, put on some throttle, and it started revving, but as soon as I let go of it, it died again. Same solution: power off and power on, problem solved. This all directed me in thingking there might be something wrong with the ignition switch, so I ordered that, 2 weeks later installed it, and the problem seems to almost gone away. But today it died on me again. I tried to start, one click, and everything dead. Power off, power on, and it will start again as if nothing happened. Radio memory gone, clock timer 1 am, and odometer trips A and B both back to zero. I have a feeling that it is a kind of protection by means of an automatic fuse somewhere in the system, because the starter may be going bad. Once I had it three times in a row, and the starter moved a tiny little bit, and the fourth Tim it started. But now it didn't even do the click like when it moves a little bit just went dead. Question: Can anybody PLEASE tell me what is going on ? Walter

Just for the next guy reading 10 years later: The crankshaft position sensor you can find on the underside of the engine, take of the splash shield, and you can see it. If you have had a coolant leak for a few months, the coolant will drip down to where it is, and mess with the connection or maybe even the sensor itself. Mine went kaputt after 25 years, after I did the waterpump and everything. The leak was there for 3 months before the waterpump went completely, so coolant messed it up. Had to use a drill to get it out. Jack

Well, I have been having trouble, because the location was not really accessible for me. I decided to invest in some tools. firstly, a garagejack that could lift the whole front, so there was room to work. I have tried putting a screw in there, and then I had nothing to grab on to except for some grip pliers. After that I tried putting a hook in that screwed into the same hole, and getting some piece of rope and a tire iron to get some leverage against the support strut that is right under there. I bent the hook out of shape so it was really stuck in there. After that I got my trusty rechargeable drill with a 5 mm. bit that was very new and sharp, and started drilling from the hole the screw made, and try to ease away the material, nice and slow. The dril can go very slow, so that helped. I tried to get the upper edge because that was glued to the hole. when that was done, the whole thing came loose and it dropped out by itself. When I checked the hole, some green residue suggests to me that it is probably a cooling leak that dripped down there, and started eating away at stuff. The drill did not damage the aluminum of the engine block. I also noticed that the hole is in fact big enough for the sensor not to touch the sides of the hole, so maybe I should get rid of the coolant leak to prevent things from being destroyed again. I put in the bolt that holds the sensor in, put the connector on and fired up the engine. It runs very smooth. I also noticed that my battery was down a bit from standing still for a while, so I did a test drive to get things charged up again. Now when I do a warm start, instead of having to make 7 or 8 rotations of the crankshaft before it starts, it needs 1 or 2 rotations., so that's an improvement. I hope this can help someone in the future. wally

Here is the culprit. By the way, it is out. It was so darn stuck in there I had to drill it out. The new one is in we're running again. Thanks. Wally

Hi all. Need a little help. It died on me last week. The flashy lights blinked a code 12, meaning a no rpm signal. Suggesting a Crank Sensor replacement. I am trying to get it out, its on the underside. Problem is, it came up about 1 mm, then stopped and things broke off. I am guessing I am not the first one having problems getting a 25 year old sensor out. Is there a way to get it out by drilling ? Does the hole have a bottom ? If not, when I drill it out, will stuff go in the hole and cause problems ? Thanks. Walter

No, it is not a hose off the PS pump. I can see those, and that's not it. There's a small vacuum hose size rubber hose coming from the left, almost on top of the under cover, and it was loose, but seemed to go on the pipe that was coming from the right. I put it back on, and the smell started. But now the smell is gone, and the engine seems to have more power, picks up quicker. Wednesday is my day off, I will try to get a picture up here. Thanks W.

LOL. ACV is the abbreviation that people here give the thingy that's on the underside of the Power Steering Pump that is is connected to the air intake with two hoses. I disconnected them both because of issues with leaking of PS fluid. I think the full name is Idle Up Air Control Valve ? I will snap a picture maybe coming week when I can. W.

Hi all, I think I introduced a new problem myself. And I am trying to get to the bottom of this (litterally) so I can remedy the problem. Everything was running smooth for the last month. Problems with leads/plugs and ACV and vaxcuum leaks were solved. Just for an inspection I decided to risk my back and knees and pull the underside cover off. Then I concluded there was no way to get my big hands to the ACV to get it off and put the bolt in. So no go on that one for now. What I noticed was a hose and a pipe disconnected. It was on the driver-side, hose coming from the left, pipe coming from the right. It looked like the should be connected, so I put the hose on the pipe and put the cover back on. After that, every time I had a little drive, the smell coming from the car is a little burnt - like a lot of soot coming out somewhere. Am I correct in assuming that the hose and pipe ar part of the EGR system ? If yes, would hose and pipe being disconnected be a fix, done by the dealer, just to get rid of the smell and bypassing the egr ? If so, does this mean there will be no way for me to fix the egr (cheaply !) so it will do its job, because all the pipes are blocked and no way for me to get them unblocked ? I know, al lot of questions. Really hoping someone has come accross this. Thanks. Walter

Yeah. Dealerships suck... First car I ever got was a Volvo 940, present from mom. The dealer was doing a full service each year on my old Volvo, charging about 1100, then when I started checking, they only did an oilcchange and the filter to go with that. Everything I checked, air filter, fuel filter, plugs, wires, belts, EVERYTHING had been in there from the factory. And the car was 10 years old... Not going to a dealer for sure. Only for the timing belt next year a have a little guy that does the work for a lot less. He used to work at a Toyota dealership and knows what to do. Thanks all. Walter

I understand where you're coming from. But actually draining it from above saves me a lot of physical discomfort. I don't want to be getting under there if I don't have to, my knees won't take it, my back will be aching for days... And when it's drained, I can get a friend to get under it just to change the filter. Does the transmission have a filter too ? Or is it just the magnets at the bottom of the pan ? Thanks. Walter

@ Denny : well it's the first time changing fluids now, since I got the car, so wish me luck... @ Bob : I got an electric pump that runs on the car battery. It's slow but steady. It will suck out 1 liter every 5 minutes. The only thing I am concerned about is viscosity. Engine oil needs to be somewhat warm ro get out with it, but not too hot or else it will destroy the pump. Me thinks viscosity-wide, the transmission fluid should be cold to be at the same level ? Walter

OK, thanks! I'll be doing that. Walter

Hi, Has anybody had any experience with getting the oil and transmission fluid out from the car by using the dipstick pipe and an electric pump ? I have done this with my old Volvo, and works beautiful. This saves me from having to get under My '91 LS without a lift. Suggestions, anyone ? Thanks.

Just to conclude this issue : I had replaced the plugs and leads, but some of the short leads were too long, forcing me to put them in with a bit of a bend in the wire. After inspection of the wires, i found a little melting spot on the no.5 wire, making me believe it had arced, so I put the old wire back. Also the two leads that were too long, I suspected them, so I also put the old leads back, no.2 and no.8. Problem solved. No more arcing, just a spark where it needs to go. Next problem, the MAF. Solution: IT IS NOT A MAF !!! It is a Karman Vortex sensor, and any attempt to clean it (other then the MAF-way with a spray, without touching it), will KILL it. Got a 2nd hand one from ebay, 70 dollar, put it in, running very smootly. Better than ever ! Only it smells like gas with a cold start, so next step I will be putting a new Coolant temp sensor, maybe that will help. I learn something every day. But now i need to find a good source for a set of new leads that are the correct length, maybe even heve numbers on it, so maybe anyone can advise me what to buy ? Thanks. Wally

Well, every time the leak hissing gets louder, one clearly audible click or tick is there, when it misfires. I think it is just a side issue. When the vacuum is resolved, then all will be fine I hope. Or else, maybe the loose connector I found, the bottom one on the ignition coil, that may have damaged the coil. That was a mistake I made when I just got the car and started replacing things myself lol. The old ones were still good, so I can put one back if needed. The MAF actually has been cleaned, I got a special spray and is is still ok. Just don't touch it. That's what it says on the can. Thanks for all the help guys. W.

Well, when mine is warm it will go as low as 400 rpm, but when you turn the radio, ac and lights off, it will go up. It depends on how much you're asking of the system. But I believe that when all vacuum hoses are tight, the ECU will regulate the rpm, so I do not think you have to adjust anything. It was all good when it left the factory when it was sold to it's first owner, so why change it ? The only issue I can think off is the leaky capacitors thing with the ecu itself, but I haven;t seen that over here. I have another good ECU that I bought off ebay, and it is good as well. I also did a throttle body clean, which is a !Removed!, because the coolant and air hoses are fused on the pipes, but that might help as well. I found that it is a standard maintenance for this vehicle after the first 10 years and maybe 200.000 km. Mine is a 1991 and it was done once, so I did it again. It was a HUGE improvement on fuel economy, no more fuel smell after a cold start. Cleaning the MAF sensor after all that will probably help as well. Just use a MAF cleaner spray can, it will do the trick. So good luck with you efforts. Thanks.

Ha, I had an issue with the TPS as well. I talked to a mechanic, an he told me that the TPS is there to register 3 things : 1. Foot of the throttle 2. Foot on the throttle 3. Kick-down So the notion that you can regulate the rpm is false. The trouble is that when the computers register that your foot is on the throttle whlie in fact it is not, the switching of gears, i.e. going from Park to Reverse, will go a bit more violent than it is supposed to. Same goes for going from Neutral to Drive, it will go in with a bang, because is registers that your foot is on the pedal. The only way is to do it the official way, which you can find on lexls.com. You will need feelers of 0,40 mm and 0,85 mm, and the most useful thing someone sent me with a purchase of another TPS : the plug that fits on there, with wires attached, so you can use an ohmmeter to measure the TPS. That's the only way to measure the resistance and continuity. The TPS is simply there to register what your foot is doing, and when it is off the pedal, the gearbox will be muchsmoother and relaxed, not with a bang. Hope this helps. Thanks.

Damon, you the man. Allright, I thought so. I am actually thinking of replacing the lines and the Valve itself. But the clamping off will be the quick fix and to check if those are the culprits. I will be checking all intake hoses as well. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for responding, but I finally found what may be the trouble. After a new test drive to heat it all up, I popped the hood and for the first time I heard a hissing sound - i.e. a vacuum leak, right under the intake, next to the power steering pump. But I cannot localize it. Hissing changes correspond to the misfires. It will probably be the Idle Up Air Control Valve hoses, but I cannot be sure. Even if I clamp them off I can hear hissing. Are there any other vacuum lines running under there ? I cannot seem to find any diagram of vacuum lines anywhere. Thanks.