92ls forhundo

Shims are used that provide adjustment for the moonroof glass relative to the surrounding sheetmetal. The interior trim panels on the left/right sides of the glass are held on by clips and once removed, you can see the four studs/nuts that hold the glass to the frame and location of the shims.

The shims should be cheap and easy to find, considering how many Gen I LS400s I saw last week at a self-serve salvage yard here in SoCal, courtesy of the Cash for Clunkers program. :(

im in socal, where is this yard (el dorado!?!) you speak of?

so i bought a bottle of this stuff the other day, it was on sale for 5 bucks...figured what the hell, now my 92 ls400 has well over 300,000k on the clock, and it is truly an exercise in a nearly no maintenance vehicle, by that i mean i take care of it, and go easy on her, but i dont put much money into her...

so i put this gumout stuff in , and i have to say, wow! it has made my acceleration "silkier" and more responsive...so, what does the peanut gallery say about this stuff? is the performance boost i am experiancing real? or a placebo? or is their a tradeoff because i used? a downside? thanks...

Probably a placebo effect. Its hard to see how a couple of ounces of an additive you add have to a tank of gas (thereby instantly diluting its concentration) would have an instant noticeable effect. At best it might have a slight gain after a period time to wash through the system. And even that is a little suspect. As you say though it didn't cost much and it doesn't seemed to have hurt so maybe its all upside.

I agree on the TB comments. Just a good maintenance item. I'd add cleaning the IACV to that todo list as well.

I agree on the IACV too, PLUS I am going to go get a couple of bottles of Gumout for my LS's also, thanks 92LS, I am greedy for top performance....

cheers'

thanks man, listen in all honesty, after a couple of days this isnt a placebo effect...on the freeway today, my old girl was just flying, it would literally , with barely any throttle it would go from 75 to 90, just effortless and fast....now i typically run my tank to the near empty, it is just a function of how my pocketbook works right now...so any dirt at the bottom of the tank is already run in the system...so maybe this is what explains what i am experiencing ....

to be clear, im not neccessarily advocating gumout, just pleasantly surprised at what it did...

gumout is a good cleaner, it is not a mechanic in a can. it sounds like your throttle body has not been cleaned in a looooong time

run a search on it and do some reading

good luck

yeah i did the tb cleaning about 2 years ago, it wasnt soooo bad...i was thinking of the injection system...anyway, umm, thanks..

I know you were, but your engine performance is married to your fuel/air mix, and the TB is a real robber in that area

just a tip

i appreciate that, im not that much of a newb, and when i did my tb 2 years ago(full clean, removal, black shop rags the whole deal) it didnt yield the instant and noticable results that this did, its why my curiosity is piqued...it prolly is time to do it again...when i bought the car about 5 years ago the seller i think said he had just done an injector service...but my memory is hazy and their are no records...

gumout is a good cleaner, it is not a mechanic in a can. it sounds like your throttle body has not been cleaned in a looooong time

run a search on it and do some reading

good luck

yeah i did the tb cleaning about 2 years ago, it wasnt soooo bad...i was thinking of the injection system...anyway, umm, thanks..

so i bought a bottle of this stuff the other day, it was on sale for 5 bucks...figured what the hell, now my 92 ls400 has well over 300,000k on the clock, and it is truly an exercise in a nearly no maintenance vehicle, by that i mean i take care of it, and go easy on her, but i dont put much money into her...

so i put this gumout stuff in , and i have to say, wow! it has made my acceleration "silkier" and more responsive...so, what does the peanut gallery say about this stuff? is the performance boost i am experiancing real? or a placebo? or is their a tradeoff because i used? a downside? thanks...

If you do not need good cornering performance or wet traction and just want a super quiet, bump smothering ride and good fuel economy then inexpensive Goodyear Integrity tires will be better than the Michelins. The Integrity's are low rated at tirerack.com due to major bias's in tireracks rating system (biases that favor expensive tires and help boost tirerack's profitability).

Wow! Those Goodyear Integrity tires were really trashed in Tire Rack's survey by the 1,600 people who purchased them and responded -- there near the bottom of the ranking in the all season tire category. The owner comments make them sound a little scary.

I would hope that some Goodyear tire models are good. I haven't had a Goodyear tire on a car since the disastrous Eagle GA tires that came on my 90 LS. When I got the class action lawsuit settlement check from Goodyear, I did NOT buy another set of Goodyear tires.

to be honest, the first tires i put on my ls400(1992) were goodyear assurance COMFORTtreads, and i loved them, they do have a high rolling resistance, gas mileage did suffer a bit when they were new, they were very smooth and reliable...4+ years later i still have 2 of the originals on the car in the rear, the front wore out quicker, bit that is because my suspension is tired and worn...however the comforttreads did cover up a great deal of the suspensions "weariness"...i recommend them, and i dont work for goodyear

1992 ls400, rare rear retractable window shade,nakamichi ,trac, silver on gray, and 245,xxx miles.

wow...almost exactly four years ago...! well my odo died at 238,xxx, at the above number i was still tracking the miles using the trip meters...

in that time ive lost the front speakers, my sunroof has a little leak in one corner, ive replaced the front rotors once, put in genuine toyota coolant, still have two of the tires that were on in the above post(goodyear assurance comfort treads), i replaced a leaky blend door valve(?), and the biggest problem ive had is a bad egr valve(code 071/72) thats it!!! also i have developed a clear coat(silvermist) peeling issue near the antennae mast...and literally that is everything in that time...

with the exception of a total of maybe 4 months spread out, its been a daily driver that whole time....i estimate the true mileage to be about 330,000-345,000 average about a 70 miles a day in that time - 150 days or so... there have been lots of trips from upland to camp pendleton, and a few trips to san fran, etc so that number could be higher...

the seats still suck !Removed! though.... i really do want a 95 or later one primarily for the interior...

from reading this forum, it appears the first gen LS's '90-94, have more problems than the 2nd gen 95-00.

I speak from experience also, having had 6 LS's and my 2 97's are the most trouble free.

I have not had any 98-00 models, driven several but they failed to impress me as an improvement over the 97's....

my opinion only counts to me... and I understand that...

cheers

but exactly what i am looking for, thank you very very much!

The 95-97 are just not that good looking in the front end. The first gen look better all these years on. The 98-00 are best looking of the bunch, and with the VVTI engine and the five speed trans, go like the wind with no real reduction in economy. My 98 GS has the VVTI at 300 hp and it's a beast.

I'd say that's a pretty good summary. The 250 hp in my gen1 is plenty for me. An extra 50 would just be icing on the cake. Of course we're talking sedans here. Go into a different catagory and naturally, you have to realign the priorities.:whistles:

thanks guys for the opinions, they are exactly what i was asking for...as to my 92, the power/silent thrust/confidence is all well and good, more would be better, the thing that would stop me from looking for a nicer , newer(to me) 1st gen , like i said is that the interiors just hasnt held up well, both in actuality and in asthetics, i agree the last 400's are the best looking of the bunch, but the later interiors with all the wood, the better seats, etc i guess is the most exciting prospect to me....jeez i must be getting old :D

95+ are interference.

I REALLY like my new to me 95. Its a very incremental update but 95-97 models have alot of upgrades that make the ls400 a much more modern car compared to the 1st gen. 98+ cars are nice but still out of my price range.

whats your budget? 98+ models are still very competent in almost every aspect of a modern luxury car.

thanks for the reply, right now really no budget is my budget, but i was hoping to pick up one in the 5-7 k range, i saw a beautiful 99 @ lexus of riverside ,ca for 9900....

98's would be my ideal, btw, but the 95's are a step up from mine big time too

yeah as the the refreshes, ive seen the 95+ and its a whole different car on the inside, by lexus own standards the 1st gen is archaic and awful, and ive always dug the minor athletic-looking body reworkings of the 95 and later, as to the the vvti, i though that came into being in 97...ok, then thats a moot point...my sister has 2000 volvo s60, and while that car has its issues, ive always told her if i could put her interior into my lexus it would be the perfect car...i think a 95 onward ls fits that bill pretty closely...as the difference between mine and yours is dramatic...

hello all, and happy new year!

ive been around these parts for about 5 years now, though havent been posting for awhile, been busy doing other stuff, etc.

so i am thinking that my trusty 92 silvermist ls400 is reaching its end of life for me, my seats are trashed, i am having problems with my electrical, my suspension is way tired, my beloved nak speakers are dying, i got a leak in the sunroof, and ive just developed a weird electrical problem, with way over 300k on the clock(odo broke at 238,xxx, 4 years ago).

i cant imagine not having an ls, and i dont want another 1st gen, id like to move up, not a 430, definately a 400 , a later one with the better interiors, etc....ive seen some very nice 99's and 98's, but also 97 was the last year of the non-interference engine which i kinda am leaning towards just in case a tb broke( i know remote, but still...)

so my question is to the peanut gallery here, what is the most desirable of the post 1st gen 400's , and why?

thank you in advance

The 1UZ-FE on the other hand (and some may not know this) was designed as an oversquare, 6 bolt racing engine and was based on CART and IRL engine design. As a result it's a pleasure to do WOT runs.

I bought my LS because I had heard that they were nice cars and I could not resist the bargain of a nice, clean used luxury car. However, what I did not know about, was

the engine and acceleration. The first time I mashed my foot on the accelerator, I got the surprise of my life! There was a slight hesitation then the car just took off.

Not Corvette fast but much faster than what I was expecting. That engine just winds up and pounces. Neat sound too. Could be addictive. :D

interesting, i have noticed a drop in fuel economy lately too, though i live in california, and it seems they constantly change the formulations of our gas here, tires are inflated, dont know why this time...sometimes there are "bad batches of gas" that are out there, and those seem to burn up quicker somehow...

as to the corvette/ls400 comparo, believe it or not, the original ls 400 had better drag coefficient numbers than corvettes of the same era!

[

hi i am having a similar problem, however mine is worse, i am slowly losing all my windows, first it was the front passenger, then all but the drivers window, then all windows plus the the gas door, now its all including the sunroof, and finally today the power locks are dead...i did get under neath

near the inside fuses, and reset the breakers, which did bring my gas door back to life, but it is very strange, now i did notice that one corner of sunroof leaks now, so perhaps there is some crazy short going on, or not...all fuses seem to be okay...i know this isnt a motor issue, its a circuit issue...

does anyone have any ideas where this may have gotten wet? i do have a 1992, and i am sooooo ready for like a 98 or so, so maybe its time...this one has served me well, 300,000+ miles, but some speakers are dead, the seats suck, i am seeing a part of my paint starting peel...however i do need to get these windows up...

Some of you responded to any earlier post from me,skperformance...etc. I had a question about rough running veh, glowing red cats well after I wrote we started hearing a noice in the rear cat converter. A mechanic that we know but who doesn't work on lexus said it sounded like a bad cat. So we took the car to a muffler shop and they said they could fix the problem but they also seemed to be having a hard time using the diagnostic machine on the vehicle. Because we are from Fl where there is no inspection stickers my husband opted to just have them hollowed out (not sure if that is the right term) or bypassed. They told us the converters had collappsed and in trying to find out why they said we need a map sensor and a computer. They said the car is running all right now except it is a little sluggish taking off but once up to speed it is fine. Did we make a big mistake going to this guy? We live in Fl but are in NC (and it looks like we will be here a while house in Fl was burned in the arsonist wildfires in Palm Bay....we have great luck) and we didn't have a local mechanic . Most shops we talked to acted like the lexus was some forein space ship and "only dealers work on them there cars". Please offer me some advise and if I do need a map sensor (is that even right?) and a computer where can I get them and how expensive will this be. Should I get another opinion from another shop ? Thanks in advance for all your help I don't know what I'd do without this forum since we have such a strange vehicle LOL.

seek out nc211, as he lives in north carolina, and is as knowledgable as anyone here, and a real personable guy....

for 6k, go with a medium mileage 95+ ls400. they are even more reliable than 1st gens. they also get slightly better gas mileage, and better headlights. Pretty much everything is just a bit better.

i would agree, however i think that the 89-92 incident per 100 was still the lowest of all generations....if i am wrong great.

Just an update on tires. I went to America's Tires to order the Michelin Primacy MXV4's, but they talked me into trying the Yokohama YK520's instead. They would exchange for the Primacy's withing 30 days if I wasn't happy (for another $200 or so!). Any way, the 520's are great so far. What was road roar is now a hum. Smooth and crisp handling.

Now my question.....has anyone else used the 520's on their LS? The 520's are H rated, not V. Still better than the S rated Symmetry's that were on there. Any opinions on H rather than V-rated?

I did check Consumer Reports tire tests. They top-rated the Primacy, but info on the 520 was nowhere to be found.

Thanks once again for any opinions, good or bad.

Gene

i know nobody else here has done this, but on my 92LS, i run the goodyear assurance comforttreads, they are rated for 80,000 miles they are super plush riding and they certainly mask my dilapidated suspension parts, and they are quiet as hell, plus they look good as goodyear put some sort of uv protectant into the sidewall so they dont fade in color....the down side is they have a high rolling resistance...

I posted here a while back but never bought a lexus as i didnt need a new car for a few more months.

Basically i have a few questions about the ls400 and sc300.

Basically im trying to spend under 6 grand on either a ls400 or sc300

I like the SC better but my concern is , with so few around it may be really hard/expensive to get parts if something breaks.

Im gonna be doing a lot of highway cruising so i needed a car good for that, and i love the old lex's, i have a question also about the sc300's suspension. Is it really stiff or would it be more simlar to a luxury cars? I hate having a bumpy ride.

Thanks.

the sc 's drivetrain is virtually identical the ls's, just in coupe form, if 6k is yr max i would look for a 93-97 ls, they arent "technically" as reliable as the original 89-92's, but they have better seats and a few more bells and whistles...

i have a 92, it is bulletproof, but my odo died at 238,xxx, the seats are horrendous, the front brakes eat the rotors, most of these issues were addressed in 93 and later...

but really if you find what you are looking for you cant go wrong with either...

I have a uncle that is a Volvo man all the way- he has a 1997 Lincoln Town Car now, but his wife always has a nice Volvo. When I was considering a 1999 S80, he warned against it. He has a very good Volvo mechanic and while these cars look good, I think the electrical systems are supposed to be terrible. I think the 2000+ models are supposed to be better, so you should be OK.

My uncles neighbor bought a brand new 2002 S80 and they were happy with it... they still have it as a 2nd car, but they went back to a BMW as a first car and bought a 2007 7-Series. WOW that is a nice car!

Hope all goes well!

Steve is right and oh, dont worry about this not being in the LS forum... most of the people visit here too. You may even get more info here, because this is where people come to read about "other" cars.

thanks huys, sorry about the snarkiness of my reply...yeah i do like those cars and they are fairly sharp....seats are fantastic...the one real thing that is odd is that the little info window is just black, it would be nice to have it working...

i wish the loc braintrust could be bottled and available for other cars...ihave found a couple of volvo forums, and they are sad by comparison...

OKay guys.....I ordered my transmission solenoids and got a bulb so i was able to pull my check engine codes. This is what I ended up with. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

ENGINE

28 - Main oxygen sensor signal (on right bank)

71 - EGR system malfunction

TRANSMISSION

63 - Open or short circuit in no. 2 solenoid valve

ABS

34 - Rear left wheel speed sensor signal malfunction

hey congrats!!! ive had the 71 before...it is an egr valve, or in common mechanic language, a mushroom valve....it is located on the drivers side of the engine bay to the right of the "lexus" part of the manifold...they get gunked up with carbon and sometimes can be cleaned, though i dont remember off hand how, if they are about 40 bucks and it is just a matter of swapping them out...good luck. how is the rest of the car? seats? stereo? what color is it and can you post pictures? i need to see what a 25$ ls400 looks like...

Check out the detailing forum, tons of good info and opinions in there.

im kinda a maguires geek...i use the deep crystal wash, and then usually use the nxt as a wax every two or three washes...

and once ive got my coat of nxt on, i just rinse and dry with a soft terry cloth that hasnt been washed with detergents...

works pretty well so far...

I owned a 79 280z and I can tell you for sure, I used to race and beat V-8 cars of the early to late 80's.... If the guy has a 5 speed, and the car is running ok, the Lexus has no solid chance off the line... and I think a good driver in the Z car pulls out a win. I think the Lexus would come on strong after a few seconds, but it's catch up from there...

As for the Z - Rev the engine, and pop the clutch and the Z car will instantly surge in front of the Lexus with a bit of wheel spin. I used to do this all the time when I was young, racing much more powerful cars than mine. My 79 Z was a quick car, but jumped off the line when poping the clutch. It was more like a launch... The weight of the car was just right to where you wouldn't burn too much rubber and the tires were gripping some during the launch. A pretty strong surge if I remember correctly...

If I didn't peel out in my Z, it was just a quick car and would lose races to V-8's. However, the peel-out is the key -

LMAO! ........YOUR Z HAD 140 HP AT BEST, i dont know what v-8 u were racing against but it must have been running on 6 cylinders

ummm, my old 76 280 was rated at 170 hp...and like the other guy saidin a short straight line the weight is the issue...

actually i had a friend in high school who had a late eighties camaro rs, with the 305 c.i. v-8, and i beat him all the time in my 3-speed auto 1976 280z....

seriously, so nah nah nah...

Volvo's are pretty solid cars overall......I personally am not a fan of the styling nor the fact that they are under the Ford umbrella.....but that's just a personaly opinion. I'll take the Lexus flagship over the Volvo one anyday. Here is a pretty good used vehicle write up on the S80...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bm/99-03volvo_s80.htm

thanks, and i totally agree, especially about ford, although the one thing that has done for mazda, jaguar and volvo, is allowed ford to get their hands on some real technology and also serve as a a sugar daddy for these companies...

i was assuming that some l.s. driver has a real estate agent for a wife who has a volvo...i do like them, like i said their seats are great and the hvac controls very logical...but ill still take my 300,000 mile ,16-year old ls, me thinks :D

ummm to whoever moved this, i specifically wanted it in the ls forum, thats why i put it there....

too much micro managing, and if it dies it dies, but i wanted the ls peeps opinions if there are any.

hey guys, im not meaning to kiss up or anything, but automotively(sp?), i trust no others more than the the braintrust here....

my sister last night bought a 2000 volvo s80, 2.8 which i think is the twin turbo, compared to my 92 ls400, it is a definite creature comfort upgrade, although now i really want to pick a 2000 ls just to prove to her that lexus is king...

any way, she got it with 100,000 on the clock for 5 grand, not bad, i drove it last night, and it is not a bad car at all, although i stll like the s 60 better for some reason...its got some good power the seats and seat heaters are divine,and that volvo climate control with the body zones is cool, but fear not, after driving that for a good 45 minutes last night, and then driving my ls this morning to work, i would say that the 300,000 mile lexus is every bit as quick still,and way smoother in acceleration....

my question is does any one here have experiance with these cars? anything to know of or be aware of? the only only thing i could detect was that her little information window/volvo thingie does not work at all, may go to explaining the price...thanks in advance.

signed, still unswayed by volvos 8 year old flagship.

Yeah it was at my detail shop. It's right off one of the busiet intersections up here! :)

I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed the show! B) haha

I'm going to take some step-by-step pictures tomorrow and make a DIY out of it.

So then when someone like me comes along they aren't so nervous about doing it!! :)

please do that diy tutorial when you can, ive been through all posts but am a little confused still, anyhoww...thanks in advance...