VBdenny

nice twins. your 90 looks exactly like mine. I haven't driven a LS430 so I can't note the difference. I sometimes drive my wife's 04ES330 and that is very different. The 90 just feels much lower which I like.

I think I might have actually seen your car before if you ever drive around Newtown. I see a gray 90 on PA rd (vb) sometimes.

I had the same code but it turns out the compressor had failed. Does your AC still work?

This would be a good procedure to have a video. Things like knowing if ATF is going to spray all over, how to catch it, where exactly to disconnect.

Last time I was at pick n pull in Virginia Beach, they had a 90 LS that had an engine burn but if you just needed the connector, it was probably there. Problem is they run the cars thru there so fast they are gone in a week or two and I think it has been kind of long. You might call around to a few yards. I know there are several in Hampton Roads and southside Virginia which is right next to Carolina.

I think right now might be an excellent time to purchase a used car. With the govt rebate, more people are buying newer, smaller cars and most sellers are more than willing to discuss price on used cars. Like Dandaydon, I have owned a boatload of cars and I will say, I have enjoyed my LS400 perhaps the most. I'm not sure how a 20 year old car is still so great, but it is. If I was of the mind, I would probably wait until I could pick up a LS460 in 3 or 4 years. I just might if I decide not to fix the A/C in my 400. I have not been able to justify spending $2500 to have it replaced so I pretty much leave it in the garage all summer.

I always change my own oil and I get free tire rotation from Tredquarters, there I bought the tires. I did take my 90 LS400 to our local Lexus dealer and they were clearly either idiots or incompetent. They changed the oil which I told them specifically NOT to change (I had changed it 3 days before) then they left the splash pan off the bottom of the engine so I had to take it back. Never again. I now have a Toyota dealer which will happily do Lexus work and I use them for anything I don't want to do.

pull up on the parking brake pedal as you hold the release out. it is not uncommon to have the light flicker when the pedal slightly hangs.

I would never spray water on my engine at a car wash. That is why you have the problem. There are many sensors and electronics connections that you got wet. I think our Carolina friend hit it correctly, water in the distributor. Sometimes just spraying some WD-40 around helps with that. Use a leaf blower and make sure all the water is out as it can be trapped in some areas. I might add that there are also natural opening that would allow water to get under the intake manifold and perhaps swamp the starter. Drying everything out is the key.

The reason the fluid level went up was because as you pushed the caliper pistons back into the cylinder, it pushed the fluid backward into the master cylinder. Yeah, Lexus brakes are pretty easy to work on. Nothing like saving money. I use only Lexus pads which I buy through irontoad.com

Did you have the new alternator tested BEFORE you installed it? I have had so many bad NEW alternators over the years that as a routine, I always have them tested right out of the box. Sucks I know, but that is the way it is. Also, just because your battery is quite new, it doesn't mean it is good. If it were me, I would check both of these items before moving on any further. If both turn out to be good, it sounds like you are getting a big draw from something.

I can answer the first and third questions easily. Don't. These cars get very good milage for a heavy V-8 car. I get 18 in town (and I use the pedal) and 25-27 on the highway and I drive fast. For the flicker, buy a Optima RedTop battery and you flicker issue will be gone.

oh yeah, the white wire in the trunk hinge is broken. Pretty common and easy fix. Carefully disassemble the wire pack in the left trunk hinge. Once you peel back all the tape (which takes awhile) you will see a broken white wire. Rather than trying to put it back together, splice in a new section between the breaks or it will pull apart again. You should fix this ASAP as it will cause your transmission not to shift properly. Of all the things than can break on a Lexus, this may be the cheapest and easiest fix. Anyone, even those without much mechanical ability can handle this one. I have pictures of it on my home computer but sorry, I am on the road this week.

1990 LS400 - 175,000 2004 ES330 - 52,000 which is more fun to drive?

I kind of like Castrols new TV ad, the "think with your dipstick Jimmy" dude. I especially like the sound it makes as he sipes it, and the crack isn't bad either. Perfect guy for the spot. I just hope they keep making new ads along the same line. At times, I can think of a few people I wouldn't mind swiping with a dipstick. When Castrol ran the sludge campaign, I hated it since no car guy wants to see sludge dumped on a car, just wasn't amusing. . I didn't mind when the 2 scruffy looking dudes got sludged, at least the first few times. Sigh, I imagine in thje near futre that "Jimmy" will be old since Catrol has a long standing tradition of wearing advertising out.

I was told it is a metal screen as well although I do see filters available? I just drain the fluid and replace it with the same amount. Do that once in awhile and it should be okay. The nice thing is that there is a drain plug on the transmission so you don't need to drop the pan to change some of the fluid.

Sorry Jersey but these cars should use 5w-30. Only in the extreme heat of the desert or something would I even consider 10w-30 and that won't happen in Detroit.

Well, I have 175,000 on my 90 and I have always used Mobil 1. I wouldn't consider your milage to be high on this engine. Unless you are noticing oil consumption I would probably be inclined to stick with what you have been using. By the way, it is never to late to switch to synthetic oil but it does cost a lot more. I use 5w-30 Mobil 1 with a K&N 1002 filter.

you can buy a cheap vot meter at many places. I've seen them at Sears, Home Depot and Lowe's. I imagine that most auto parts stores would have a VOM you could use and there is a good chance that you can get them to check it for you. If this was my problem, I would make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight before suspecting anything else. Of course you know it won't be that but better to check. Just because they look clean, doesn't mean they are clean. Good luck with it.

One of my keys, the remote doesn't work at all. The other works fine now that I cleaned it out. I disassembled it and cleaned the parts with a fine brush, popped in a new battery, and with the lint and dirt gone, it works fine. On the key that doesn't remote, the guts were different? not sure why

I would NEVER take my car to Jiffy Lube, Grease Monkey, or any of those type places. I have a friend who took his 3 year old Ford Minivan there before a trip to Florida. They got to Carolina, and the engine blew up. The dealer said the car was run without oil, the GED guy at Jiffy Lube said they did nothing wrong. My friend paid over $2500 for a new engine. "Stand there like a hawk" excellent advice. You are better off not changing it than to let them anywhere near your car.

I've always heard that you have to have at least one of the original keys to do that. What about the cut?

I'm pretty sure your key has some kind of computer chip inside. It doesn't seem as if the computer is getting a signal from the chip in the key. I'd try using a can of air (the compressed kind for computers) and blowing out the keyhole. It might only have a timy piece of lint or something over the sensor contact. Probably won't work but it is still worth a try.

Tex, I certainly hope that whatever it is, that it is catching. I added some R-134a and the compressor will run but I can hear a lot of noises, none of them good. After running for less than a minute, it cuts off. Yeah, I know it sounds like highway robbery but that is the deal. Doing the job correctly is listed at 12 hours labor and even Toyota has to go to Lexus to get most of the parts. The tech said it is a nasty job, especially to get at the evaporator. As I have heard, one these things go then send metal particals throughout the system. As nice as this car is, it isn't worth $2500 to me to have ac for awhile.

just got back from Toyota. The estimate was $2500 to repair the AC.