Kennyr

My 91 with 145k has had nothing but Toyota ATF in it since 80k when I bought it. Before that it had one owner with all Lexus dealer services. I have totally flushed this fluid every 20k myself. Within the last year the upshifts have been getting hard. Even though there was only 12,000 miles on the fluid in my box I flushed it again Sat. with BG universal synthetic ATF 10 Qts.(Says good for Lexus right on the bottles). The Toy brand fluid that came out was clean like new. Anyway believe it or not I have got the smoothest upshifts now, no kick. I didn't really think anything was going to change but I gave it a shot and it worked like magic. I have read in an archive article how someone claimed the Amsoil or Redline ATF will make your shifts smoother if your having a problem. Bottom line I am real happy. I also Flushed my pr steering fluid, with Dextron 111, flushed my brake fluid with a pr bleeder and changed my fuel filter. The filter had been on there for 65k and was partially restricted and dirty. I also changed the oil with Mobile 1 synthetic. It was all good fun but the my garage clean up was brutal.

The price isn't bad but there is no way I would buy this car to drive myself. You will never get the smell out. Buy a 98 and get about 40 more horses. 90 to 97's are dogs with the a/c on starting off going up a hill. They are most likely faster at sea level though. I'm going to switch to a 98 some day. The prices are coming down on those. Heck if I wait a couple more years I might get an 01 which is what I really want.

Actually you can use Amsoil synthetic ATF......it's compatable with both Toyota type IV & Dexron III & has longer drain intervals ;) B) http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/atf.aspx ← I just purchased a case of BG Universal Synthetic ATF, same deal as Amsoil. Good for Dextron 3 and All ATF+3 applications, Chrysler, MItisubishi,Toyota, etc. Actually they sell ATF+3 at Wall Mart for 2 bucks a qt. Also at Pep Boys they have Gunk synthetic trans fluid supplement (black bottle). This converts dextron to +3 for Chrysler and Toyota, Honda etc, says right on the bottle Toyota. A big tranny rebuild shop here in Denver only uses Dextron 3 and then adds +3 Suppliment to all cars requiring special fluid. They claim there are only 2 fluids, Dextron 3 and +3 in regular or synthetic. They say the car companys are just hosing people to buy their own products. Make you own decision or just buy the Toyota brand.

The creaking noise could be the bushing in the bottom of the struts. Just replace the struts for this. Also remove the sway bar bushings and replace them. Lube up the new ones. Noisy sway bar bushings are common to all cars. When I bought my 91 with 82k those two problems came with the car. If the noise is in your cabin It could be the sunroof bolts. Good luck

Did the noise start after you replaced all the pads and turned the rotors or before? (I am not a fan of turning rotors) I would rather have aftermarket rotors than turn oem rotors. Are your pads Lexus oem? If nothing is scraping on a rotor (like the backing plate) and you had the noise before the recent repairs then try this free mod. Cut the bottoms of your rear brake pad shims off with a pair of tin snips. Glue or brake paste them to the pads. This will tilt the pads to the rotors and hopefully stop your noise. This worked for me like magic. Its a Volvo factory recommended fix. This was a last ditch effort I tried after replacing all my pads and rotors with oem parts only to have the same noise. Good luck

If you can't take the heat get out of the fire now. These are great cars and we all love them to death !! BUT !! either you work on it yourself or you find a good independent Toy/Lex shop and be preparred to pay maybe 500, 1000,1500 a year. Hopefully way less. Don't even think about going to a Lexus dealer unless you are willing to pay a premium. Not that they are not honest, they pay their tech's the most and have the best facilities and training. Its just that you will be paying for all that. A good independent will do the same job for 70% of the cost. Sometimes they can offer you used parts or aftermarket parts also (if the situation calls for it). So try to base part of your decision on the repair options available to you and your tollerance for the future expenses. Good Luck

Are you using an elerctronic leak detector? That's the way to find the leak. Look at the port next to the fill valve directly under the cruise control unit. If its dirty or wet that's a simple o-ring that goes bad. I wouldn't be replacing the compressor without determining where your leak is coming from first.

Monarch, I dont think most people driving 14 year old cars in this forum need or want to spend a fortune for a repair when a proven method costing 90% less exists. I worked for a Volvo dealer when this issue came up in the early 90s. Volvo first told us all the same you are saying. Within a year their position changed and the factory starting making a retro fit kit. New Dryer, evacuate the system and change the fill valve and put in R134. Guess what? It worked perfect with no problems at all. Lots of a/c systems in lots of different cars will last a long time without problems. Toyota's percentages for all problems are lower than others for sure.

Sure I agree with the fact that R12 will work, and work well. Heck, when I converted over I had a little R12 left in a 30lb bottle sitting on my shelf. The main reason I converted to R134 is because I do alot of long road trips through Nevada and Utah in the summers. If I need a cold shot for my A/C I want to just go to Wall Mart and get a hose and a can of R134 for 15 bucks and get back on the road with cool air blowing on me. Finding a can of R12 ain't gonna happen. Even if you had an old can of R12 you cant carry it in your car in the summer. I dont carry R134 either. But I take my hose when I remember to. Anyway as a full time mechanic I've converted many many cars over to R134 (without changing all those parts and o rings) and never had a problem or complaint. In a humid climate you could change the dryer. I still work on some of these cars today 10 years later without a problem or even leaks. My Lexus is blowing cold for a couple years now since. Dont overthink this. Its a cheap quick deal. As far as the sight glass they are nice, but at 5 bucks a can its just as easy to empty your system and put in the right amount. Most cars made after 93 dont even have sight glasses anyway. If your paying big bucks for R12 a sight glass will save you money for sure.

My 91 LS400 rear brakes were making a high pitched noise driving me crazy for a long period of time last summer. After replacing the pads and rotors with genuine parts I still had the noise. Finally I remembered a Volvo factory fix. I cut the bottom of the shims off and glued the remaining tops to the pads. This tilts the pad into the rotor at a slight angle. Like magic the noise was gone and still is gone after a year. Volvo actually sells cut shims like this for their 850 S70 line of cars.

I have found a very common A/C leak on first generation Ls400's. Three cars to be exact. Under the cruise control unit on the passenger side firewall next to the fill valve is a port that is screwed down by a 10mm bolt. Remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the cruise unit down and set it to the side. Empty the system and remove the port and you will see what's left of the o-ring that leaks. I just get them at a hardware store or wherever. Change it and charge up your a/c with 2 1/2 cans R134 and a 2oz can of ester oil. If your converting over from freon evacuate the system before filling. Evacuating isn't mandatory in either case. It will work fine either way unless you system is filled with moisture.

I would like to know where the sight glass is also. I converted my 91 over to R134 a couple years ago. The fitting is located on the passenger side firewall under the cruise control actuater. Just evacuate the system and screw on the new R134 fill fitting. Install a 2oz can of ester oil and 2 and 1/2 cans of R134 and your good to go. It will blow cold as ever and you can top it up for 5 bucks a can in the future if need be. Dont fall for the scare tactics saying you have to change anything else. No filters or o rings. I have a small amount of R12 left but its just a myth that its any better than R134.

Lexus has a problem with their Drivers door handles. Mine broke a few years ago and I replaced it. Just this week a spring broke in the latch and that was a nightmare to fix. Both times the handle felt weird the weeks before the failures. Best case scenario just spray some WD40 into the latch. Most likely you need a new handle, they have the highest failure rate. ← Replacing it isnt too bad if you can do that sort of work. There might be a tutorial on this site since they all break eventially.

Lexus has a problem with their Drivers door handles. Mine broke a few years ago and I replaced it. Just this week a spring broke in the latch and that was a nightmare to fix. Both times the handle felt weird the weeks before the failures. Best case scenario just spray some WD40 into the latch. Most likely you need a new handle, they have the highest failure rate.

Theres a spring in the door that breaks. Get someone to hold the lever while you pry the door open with a little screwdriver. If that works then you need a new spring. At your Lexus dealer ask a service writer if he can get a mechanic to slip one in for you in the service isle for a tip. It takes a second to do and costs very little for the spring. Mine broke on my 91 at 145k also.

I just repaired my 91 with this same exact fix. I got in there the same way but couldn't figure out what to do so I went to this site and searched for the problem. After reading your fix I looked for the broken spring and went from there. Let me just say this repair is not for the faint of heart. Good job goformike.

I worked on Volvos at a dealer for 25 years and they never made a rad. that had 1 drop of extra capacity. Any debris in the fins or the tank and the cars would overheat. Maybe they just planned on selling lots of rads when the cars went out of warrenty. It sure worked at 500 a pop installed.

Who has found the cheapest windshield-installed, and who did it? 91 to 94 LS 400

You know after reading this I have decided to start driving my 91 in pr mode. Its been a couple days now and I like it.

My fans almost never come on also. I have replaced the fan sensor in the rad but that didn't change anything. My 91 has never gotten hot ever, even at 115 degrees on several trips to Vegas. I have removed my rad and cleaned out the debris from the fins at the time of my t belt job. A Lexus tech I have buddied up to told me these cars never overheat unless you blow a hose, stick a thermostat or run her low on coolent with a leaking water pump. He says the rad capacity is huge and the electric rad fans are just there for the ride since the temp never gets hot enough to turn them on.

If your power button is engaged your trans should not shift up till your rpm's are higher. I have never felt a whole lot of difference though so I just leave it in the normal mode.

I did my t-belt and water pump for the first time at 115k. It took me 4 1/2 hrs. I only had one long bolt left when I was done. It's been 30k since so I guess that bolt wont hurt me. Let me tell you the belt looked like it would go another 100k. Also the water pump was dry. I would not recomend you attempt this if your not a mechanic which I am. A grand is cheap. 1500 sounds more like it. Look for a Lexus Toyota independant shop in your area. Should save you 25%

I think this site is great. I love reading about other problems and everybody's stories. I have done these repairs as they came up in the last 5 years. I now remember a couple more. When I bought the car from a dealer I had them replace the leaking pr steering pump, (part of the deal). Also the cig lighter only charged my cell phone intermittantly so I replaced that assembly. Just a couple months ago I got some bad gas, soon as I left the pump she was missing like on 6 cylinders. I put 2 cans of dry gas in and it took till the next day to run right again. Yes I was pretty *BLEEP*ed off. A day later it was all good again.

The sheepskins are semi custom. $100 each. You have to get the ones that are all real sheep all the way around, not just sheep on the front. The cheap ones have synthetic on the sides and back and look like crap after they fade a little. There is a universal size that fits this seat perfect. Just google sheepskins and find a Co. that can fit these criteria. They will smell a bit the first year but that goes away. To get the headrest off you put it all the way up and get a 2 by 4 under it, then hammer up on the wood and the headrest will pop out. Then fit the seat cover and cut slits for the headrest to go back in. I also put some thin foam under the skins to form to my back and butt just the way I like the feel. You know Volvo's are good cars for mechanics because they are pieces of crap and always broken. The LS400 is a real car. What other car are you going to drive as nice as these 90,91,92's for the couple grand they are worth?