fencera

Hey all- This thread was really helpful... For what it's worth, the VSC/Check VSC warning message came up on our 2004 LS430 mid-trip a week or so ago (about a 400 mile trip). Just got back and had a chance to look into it. Sure enough, after charging the battery for about an hour, the warning message doesn't come on anymore. Didn't have to reset the code or anything; it just went out (briefly came on, then went off after first start after charging the battery). Just throwing my experience in there... check the battery first if you have this warning come on!

Hey- I have a 1990 LS400 also. I replaced my alternator a few months ago. I used a Bosch W0133-1602536. It has functioned perfectly and was easy to install. It cost me under $150 shipped. (search for the part online and then search for some sort of coupon code etc for wherever you decide to buy... I got free shipping and $10 off doing so) I did have to pay a core deposit although it was credited back to me reasonably quickly. Replacement was pretty straightforward. I used this site to give some pointers: http://www.lextreme.com/alternator.html When you are taking out the old alternator, make sure the steering pump is not leaking fluid onto the alternator... this is a classic cause of alternator failure on these cars. I think that covers it. Sorry to hear you had trouble. Good luck getting it fixed.

This also seems plausible. I'm going to keep the car until at least fall, so this might be a good mid-June project when my band the month off and I actually have a weekend to myself. Thanks! Anyone know of any handy guides for where/what lights to get? I have to order some of the amber/yellow lights for the front, so I might as well order a bunch of them together. Hey, I have a 90 and had a similar problem before with my car. The light out dash light kept coming on and one of my bulbs was intermittent. Or so I thought... It took a long time and many swapped bulbs, but somehow a portion of my wiring harness was simply developing too much resistance. I had cleaned both ends of the socket (make sure you do this-- just take off the tail lights and spray/scrub connectors as previously suggested), changed to 1157 bulbs instead of the 1157LL bulbs (they have some sort of different resistance I thought might solve the false reading) but in the end, my wires had simply worn out. I asked someone on ebay who was parting out a car to list the section of wiring and picked it up for under $10. I guess this wasn't that helpful other than to give you another idea of what might be wrong... Good luck narrowing it down! (oh and it's not a problem for long trips and I wouldn't try to solder anything other than a splice... the connectors should work if they are clean!)

Hey- I've done just this before without removing the rear axle or any extra parts (I also did the front at the same time). I installed new lexus struts, springs, all of the rubber and new mounting pieces for the shocks (I can't remember the exact term-- but these go at the top and have three bolts you use to secure the top of the shock). The entire unit will come out very easily once you have removed the rear deck and the nuts up top there (3 each side) and the lower nut/bolt securing the shock absorber. You may have to turn it some as the coil spring may touch the axle. To reinstall, you must be certain to line up the three mounting bolts in relation to the hole for the bold on the strut itself!!! Look at the orientation of the parts when you take the absorber apart (or use the one you're not currently replacing for reference). The hardest part of reinstalling the absorber will be getting the alignment between the bottom bolt and top three correct. Having someone there to help/swear at will be a good idea. I did manage to do it alone, but it was not easy. Regarding the axle, on the reinstall you may have to do a little turning of the coil spring to avoid the axle but there is no problem. It wasn't a big deal at all. Just make sure to use common sense.

We also had trouble with our fuel pump. The car kept cranking for longer and longer before it started. Ended up having the fuel pump and pressure regulator replaced under warranty. Good luck.

I had something similar to that after seafoaming... turned out I needed to replace my plugs. Took care of the problem right away :) Good luck!

From my understanding, a stated value policy does not guarantee a minimum above book value but instead sets the maximum amount that can be reimbursed. "The "Stated Amount" form states the insurance company will pay the lesser of: 1. The Stated Amount or 2. The cost to repair the covered auto not to exceed the "Stated Amount" or The "Actual Cash Value"" http://www.vehicleappraisers.com/Insurance_Information.html In our case, the actual cash value would almost certainly be the blue book value. What we need is an agreed value policy. This type of policy guarantees a certain reimbursement regardless of the value of the car. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/south...05/24/55395.htm It looks like Chubb is the only company to do this outside of classic or collector insurance which limits the car to show use. This seems to mean that self insuring is the only way to go as Chubb insurance would probably be too expensive for cars worth so little (in addition to in an absolute sense most likely!). Maybe there's something else out there... but agreed value policies seem to be pretty hard to come by.

I am interested in exactly this! It is frustrating to me that there doesn't seem to be anything we can do... I haven't been able to find any solutions and I would be willing to pay quite a premium for this service. Please let us know if you find anything. I will make sure to do the same. Good luck.

You know, I have to say, while it could be something to do with your transmission, it's more likely that one of your spark plugs is fouled. About a year ago I seafoamed my engine before a tune up. It fouled one or more of my plugs apparently. Before I realized this, I thought that something had gone wrong with my transmission as it coincidentally started leaking fluid at the same time. Turns out, one of my plugs was messed up from the foam and the shuddering around shift points I was noticing was from the plugs, not the transmission As the transmission shifts, the load on the engine changes. I thought that my transmission was slipping or otherwise broken... turned out that with the shift in engine load, one of my plugs couldn't "keep up" and was causing the shudder. Bottom line: When was the last time you did a tune up?

I didn't switch to E3. It wasn't 16 years ago. It was one year ago when I went from dirty plugs to clean. I don't know where 16 came from and I certainly wouldn't have had fouled up plugs after 2 years. I don't even really care why my mileage changed that much. This change did occur. I pretty much explained the changes as they took place... I went from pretty crappy/average mileage during perfect highway situations to really good mileage. Maybe I've just gotten to having a lighter foot. Who cares at this point. Both numbers are reasonable, perhaps the reasons are up for some discussion. Given my Rolls gets about 8 mpg, my Bentley 14 and this car is just a hobby of mine, the reasons for the mileage of this car is the least of my concerns. Have fun figuring out what really happened!

It was what was actually observed over the same trip year to year on a 300+ mile trip. There's nothing ridiculous about it. The previous spark plugs were in terrible condition and while the air filter wasn't previously dirty, changing it to a kn certainly did help some. You can attempt to quantify exactly what percentage of my gain may be attributed whichever on your own time. Changing the pcv valve, replacing the plug wires and two seafoam treatments were of course all done as part of the tuneup. It all seems to make sense to me. The dyno numbers or w/e testing all point to similar results as does my own experience. Will you get the same gains? Probably not. By the way, the engine is in great shape and as I said before, still operates wonderfully. I have no idea what sort of overhaul it may require. There are no leaks from the valve cover gaskets, cam gaskets or rear engine seal. The engine does not burn oil and the valves are still all within spec. Of course this is an unusual result, but in looking around the resulting mileage is not absurdly high. Those two changes from stock certainly improved the mileage over what I was getting back in 92,93 when the car was still relatively new (maybe 25,26).

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/techartic...lugs/index.html I am using those plugs in my '90 ls400 with 300,000 + miles. I've had the car since new and must say the car runs stronger now than ever. At the same time I installed those plugs I put in a k&n filter and while I doubt i'd notice the perhaps 10 hp increase over stock, it does seem more powerful and objectively gets much better mileage. I've gone from 23-24 on the highway to 28-29. That's with just those two changes. Pretty spiffy.

I must be confused. I thought the link that I provided specified the tool was for bolt, not pulley removal. "Remove and Install the crank bolt on Lexus/Toyota with ease" This tool, for bolt removal (I think at least): http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?PageAct...amp;ProdID=7204 looks quite different than the tool specified in step 18 here: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/timingbelt.html for pulley removal. Is there another tool or bolt I am getting mixed up? Perhaps this link explains it more clearly: http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1/page_...ley_holder.html

This what we are talking about: http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?PageAct...amp;ProdID=7204 ?

Did you take the traction control tps sensor off the side of the throttle body when cleaning it? (it's one of the two little black plastic pieces that attaches to the side). If so, you probably did not set the little springs and clips inside correctly when you put it back on. I had this problem after cleaning it myself. You'll know this is your problem if when you put the key in ignition and turn it to "on" you hear clicking noises from the sensors and then the TRAC light comes on.

Park place: body parts catalog (collision)-> year, model -> left menu; front door (or whatever door handle you want) -> Hardware -> Handle -> outside You have two choices at this point: driver's side or passenger's side. All of these menus pull down from the left. Your part is listed as $152 Sewell: click one of the categories in horizontal top menu -> put in year, model -> search as per previous post (term: handle) -> look at results as per previous post (2nd page) -> part numbers and descriptions are listed ie: Lexus OEM Front Door Handle Assembly Outside LH 69220-50010-02 listed as $179 (seems to be full retail) etc. They are all listed there. I do not know why some seem to be listed twice. I did not purchase my handles there but instead at Park Place. And there's one on ebay now. And it's white. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS-LS400...1QQcmdZViewItem Yeah so... good luck at this point.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...amp;catalogid=0 http://www.lexus-parts.com/cat_index.asp Did you even try searching on google? There are 4 exterior door handles. Your paint code becomes part of the part number. Please be specific. First, look at those two sites. Put in your year and then category, or search by the terms described in my previous post. Any time looking at those two sites is well worth it. They have a wealth of parts information pictures that has been extremely helpful to me.

do you have a part number? Park Place does not give part numbers in their part listings. You use the pull down menus to find the part. If you need the part number, go to the Sewell website, select your model/ year, search for handle by description and the pertinent results will show up on the second page with part numbers. Obviously each door handle has a different part number listed. I could copy and past it but I think you get the idea...

You can get a new passenger side front handle for $94 from Sewell. You can get a driver's side for $151. It is brand new and painted the correct color. I ordered one in a color no longer made (Flint Grey 180) for my '90. When I ordered I specified the paint code, it took a few weeks, it arrived, I used Lexls's tutorial and I paid less than the cost of the repaint you were quoted for a brand new handle. The color was perfect and one can not tell it is newer. Seems like a good idea to me.

I ran into almost exactly the same problem. The new plugs are not very expensive at the dealer. I was only able to get the top plug off. I then put the sucking end of my pump for the fresh fluid into the differential, pumped out the old fluid and then filled it back up. While I was not able to clean off the magnet on the lower plug, I am reasonably happy to have swapped the fluid at least. One idea I did try on the lower plug (I read some of this thread so far but not all so you may have tried this) was to cut a notch into the plug with a dremel so that I could more effectively try to use a hammer to loosen it up. While it did not work (yet) in my case, it might in yours. And yes, I did use plenty of Kroil and WD-40 for a week on an almost daily basis to try to free it up. My next idea is to try to either glue or weld a 10 mm hex blank into the hole for the plug and then turn that to get the damn thing out. So frustrating on these older cars... Just make sure that whatever you do, you experiment on the upper plug first as that is the one you need to use to fill the fluid back up. Good luck.

Thanks for the response. The battery is one year old, but when recently tested with an oil change, did register as "marginal" on their tester machine. I am at a loss as to why the battery (auto craft titanium) is so weak after a year. It does seem like a reasonable cause for the problems despite the fact the car starts. It just seems to odd to me that these particular systems don't work.

I am in New Haven, CT and for the last week has been reasonably cold here (this morning it was in the teens). Now that is is cold, I have started to have a strange electrical issue come up. When I go to unlock the car (ie: after sitting all night), the remote unlocking won't work. I have to use the key to unlock the doors, and then only the driver's door will unlock. Once inside the car, the central lock/unlock refuses to work as does the remote trunk release, gas release and radio/cd player/tape player. It seems that everything else in the car is working except these items. I can hear relays clicking when I pull the releases/push the lock unlock, but nothing is happening. There is no response whatsoever when I push the power button for the stereo (or individual functions on the faceplate ie: radio, tape). The windows, mirrors, tilt/telescope and seats all work fine. Turning the car off then back on has no effect. After taking the car for a short trip to the grocery store when I came back to the car, the remote unlocking wasn't working again and it took a few minutes for the radio to start working again. The temp needle had fallen to the first bar. After the engine has gotten to being about 1/3 up the thermostat on the dash, these functions gradually start working. ie: the stereo will stay on for a few seconds then turn off and after a few tries start working completely normally. The car has over 300,000 miles, everything else about it works perfectly and there has been no recent work that could have affected these systems. Clearly this doesn't seem to be a fuse given I can hear clicking relays and things eventually do work. Also, clearly the temperature of the engine should not play a role in the functioning of these accessories. However, the physical temperature of various parts of the car may play a role? ie: something is sticking? Although I doubt that the cabin warming up gets all the way back to the trunk latch and gas cap... The only other idea that came to my mind was that the battery voltage is low and while the car starts, takes a while before it is high enough to get everything working. This seems rather far fetched. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. -Andrew

Actually, I had similar symptoms and the cause was pretty simple for me to fix. I have a '90 LS400 with over 300k on it and the gauge started giving me random readings sometimes. Often not reading full when filled, or falling extremely quickly then reading empty at times. The cause was dirt/grime on the end of the arm of the fuel level float. The directions to fix this are from memory, but it was pretty straightforward. When my tank was well under half full, I pulled out back the lining at the back of the trunk revealing a circular cap or sorts on the gas tank with a couple connectors coming out of it. I then removed the cap, took out the float and orange warning light sensor and carefully took apart the end of the fuel level arm that it pivoted from. Inside of this is a printed circuit that varies the resistance as the fuel level changes. I carefully cleaned it off closed everything back up and the problem was fixed. It is important to make sure that you do not bend the small piece that makes contact with the printed circuit or you will get no reading at all (if you bend it away) or your tank's readings will no longer be as accurate. Alternatively, a new mechanism is not the most expensive part ever if you can determine that this in fact the problem (and not the instrument gauge, etc). Good luck.

If you look at the end of the threaded portion the bolt is turning, it accepts an allen bit to prevent constant spinning. That should let you hold it while turning the nut. However, I just replaced mine and the allen portion stripped so I ended up having to take a hacksaw/dremel and cutting the links off so I could replace them. Good luck.

1. Fix the power steering leak now or you will have to replace the alternator again. Soon. 2. The reverse light is coming on because of a wire in the trunk hinge that is frayed. I believe it is the left hinge. If you look at the wires right under the rear deck, you may be able to find the cause of the short there. Search the forums, it's a common problem. Good luck.