j.barleycorn

Yes, it was a warm, dry day, and as my car is black, it gets pretty hot inside in a parking lot..

Has anyone ever experienced this? Got in the LS400 after work, started it up, and noticed immediately that my previously completely blacked-out climate/clock display was 100% visible! I bought the Lexus in November with it blacked out, and never was able to see anything. Alas, after about 5 miles it began to darken slowly from the bottom up, and after 20+ miles it was again black. Stranger still, the left hand side of my rear view mirror was darkened. This had been 100% clear! Once the LCD blacked out again, I noticed the mirror was fine again. Am I seeing things?

Yowza! Coincidentally, I was just telling my wife a couple of days ago I had the most expensive fill-up of my lifetime… $61.00 US for 18.5 gallons of 92 octane ($3.299/gallon). <_< I feel a little better after reading the other posts, but sad for the future of the world’s economies, as there is little to make me believe this will not be a more or less permanent situation. Historically, we’ve been spoiled here in the USA when it came to cheap gasoline. It had to catch up to us sometime.

T-cutter- Yes, we celebrated last night with a drive-in movie with the kids (Mission Impossible III). Popcorn and Mike and Ikes were on me! Canopy- Thanks for the compliments... Monarch- I suspect that prior to the first flush the reservoir screen was not blocked enough to alter the steering. I wonder if suctioning out the reservoir during the first flush (when I was definitely loosening up some nasty stuff) plus the flushing back over the reservoir screen impregnated the screen to the point it did not function? There's a chance I loosened crap from the bottom sides during that draining, and they settled in the middle of the screen (over the outlet). I am convinced the solenoid, which was our favorite suspect the whole time, was always OK. I am as amazed as you are. While there was definitely quite a bit of crap that came out of the reservoir once I had it removed and soaked with brake fluid/Sea Foam, I still did not think it was dirty enough to make the difference it made. Lesson learned: If I don't know what something is supposed to look like, I can't know if it is good or bad by looking at it! When it doubt, do it anyway (in this case, clean the damn screen the first time!) Thanks again to all of you. Now, on to the next great adventure/debacle: the A/C recharge/repair!

In case anyone cares, the saga ends with this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=29715 A happy ending! :D

For those of you who have offered advice, and for those who had been reading the thread http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26818 with a mixture of curiosity, dread, disdain, and bemusement, I am happy to report that the power steering issue has been fixed! I wish I could announce some radical, heretofore unheard of solution that would make the LOC nominate me for a Nobel prize, but in the end it was back to basics. I had about given up and was staring at a new OEM power steering pump on EBay, when my miserly instincts reminded me I had not tried every possible (cheaper) option available, despite everything I had already done. Yesterday, after pondering all that happened since that first flush, all that had been said to me by helpful LOC members, plus the recent leaking issue, plus the last dialogue with Hacmon, I concluded: 1. That the reservoir screen may not be as clean as it looks. It has always bothered me that prior to the first flush, all was well, and afterwards, PS was poor. 2. That driving around with only the 2 bolts holding down the reservoir was not wise, and I had to get the 3rd one on come hell (which came) or high water (which did not come). 3. As Hacmon noted, perhaps after 14 years the O-ring on the reservoir was ineffective and needed replacement, and after disturbing the reservoir it had become cracked. So, desiring to avoid spending money on a new pump, I went into the garage at 8:00 AM for another round of surgery. This time I removed the PS pulley for better access to the reservoir bracket bolts, and finally got the reservoir off. Blew it out through the bottom with brake cleaner, and A LOT of crap came out. Followed this up with Sea Foam, pouring it in while my fingers plugged the return port and the outlet and then shaking it like I was making a martini. A LOT more crap came out with this, too. Kept it up until I was out of solvents and the screen appeared to be as clean as I could get it. Quite a bit of the crap was from the bottom sides of the reservoir, so the screen was not entirely at fault, but after the cleaning considerably more light was shining through. I wish I had taken before and after pictures. Next, I took the o-ring off. Never having seen a new one, I don’t know if this one was bad, but it appeared shrunken, and it did snap (break) when I took it off. Replaced it with an equivalent. Reinstalled everything. My old nemesis, the reservoir bracket bolt nearest the distributor, was in fine form. Despite buying new adjustable ratchet wrenches for this purpose, and after using every conceivable angle, combination of tools, incantations, prayers, cuss words (including inventing a few new ones), etc. I simply could not get the damn thing started. The working area is extremely cramped and I could only get 2 fingers barely on the bolt. Yes, I considered (and actually began) removing all of the surrounding stuff to be able to take the cover off the distributor, but after looking at the pics on the tutorials decided I might not gain enough access after all of that. I tried for two hours. While shelling peanuts and staring at the nearly completed job for 30 minutes, I decided to enlist the help of my wife upon her return form the store, She has longer fingers than I do, and even if she was not able to get the bolt started, at least it wouldn’t be me that was suffering and cursing. She tried for 15 minutes and suggested removing the front bolt, as she thought there might not be 100% alignment on the top bracket hole/mounting hole. I loosened the front bolt to let her wiggle the reservoir a little, and 10 minutes later she announced “Guess what, I got it!” My internal reaction was similar to when she told me she was pregnant the first time. After pleading with her to make sure she keeps turning it the right way, we got a crescent wrench on it and began tightening it a hair-width at a time. Tedious, but thrilling all the same. FINALLY, ON! No shake at all. Attached all the hoses, replacing the OEM clamp on the return hose with a stainless steel ring clamp, just to be safe. Added DexIII, and prepared to jack the car to get the tires off the ground for bleeding. Since the car was ½ in the garage and it sits so low, I could not get any jacks under it… I would have to back it out to the driveway. Got in, started it up, and noticed immediately the whine was gone. Kept my expectation low as I put it in reverse and backed out. The low-rpm steering was GREAT! My heart skipped several beats. Full of amazement, I decided to drive it a block or two before bleeding the air. I was shocked to have the coveted one-finger steering others have enjoyed. Turning back into the drive way after the short jaunt, there was some groaning (expected, as it had not been bled). Jacked her up, went lock to lock 20+ times (the whine/groan stooped after the first wheel turn!), dropped her back down and went for another spin, and VOILA! Power steering! :D So, at this time I would like to thank all of you who hung in there with me. Without your suggestions I would not have persevered. And I promised my wife I would thank her publicly in the Forum, so Thank you, Rebecca! Now known as “Mom the Mechanic” in these parts. I’m heading out now to give the car a good washing and clean the interior, then looking forward to a wonderful, sunny, Sunday drive… with power steering! Heaven… I’m in Heaven…. :P

I did a search (as I should have before my last post) on Freeze 12 and see there has already been debate on the matter, so please ignore my question! :chairshot: I plan on trying for the R12 recharge when I get a Round Tuit.

Hi Tom- Welcome to LOC, and thank you for the reply. I am attaching a picture of a reservoir to illustrate which bolts I removed, the one I could not remove, and one I could not get back on. (Picture orginally published by Monarch, if memory serves; I manipulated the image to position the reservoir as you would see it if looking at it from the right front fender). I like your theory and agree that leaks would cause air in the system and the whining... but the whining started immediately after the first flush ( I did three over the course of 3 months). I attempted to remove the reservoir during the 2nd attempt (January 22). The leak has been since the last attempt, beginning quite awhile afterwards. Here's the details of the reservoir removal attempt: Standing to the side, reaching over the passenger (right front) fender, I removed the bolt nearest me (#1) using the 12mm craftsman open/box wrench. Easiest of the three. :) I then removed the one furthest from me (#2), on the opposite side of the reservoir from the same position, using 12mm as you described... I don't remember having too much trouble, but did begin to wonder if there would be a problem getting it to seat long enough to thread it back in. <_< More later. I then tried the one towards the front of the car, and tried for a long time from every angle with multiple tools. No luck. Gave up after about an hour. It looked like I MAY have been able to get to this bolt if the pulley was in a slightly different position as, I might have been able to get at it through the slot in the pully’s face. Then I spent another hour trying to get #2 back on. No go. #1 went back on easily. The reservoir seemed as tight and secure as it did with three bolts, so I decided not to worry too much.:whistles: I hated to leave something undone, but for the life of me I just could not get the threading started. I suppose it could be true that without bolt #2 on there could be a leak from the area where the reservoir seats with the pump. I will try again tomorrow to get #2 on. I would like to avoid removing the ELEHANT PHALLUS! :o Unfortunately, even if I am successful and stop the leak, I will be back to a whining pump and hard steering.

Good timing for the post, as I am about to resurrect my A/C! A quick look at Ebay: Freeze-12 Freon R12/R134 REPLACEMENT Car KIT I see this product is an acceptable replacement per the EPA and is compatable with R12 systems. Here is from a FAQ on autorefrigerants.com: What is the EPA status of Freeze 12 ? Freeze 12 is EPA acceptable subject to use conditions for mobile vehicle air conditioning. Are Freeze 12 and Freezone the same? The two are similar in formulation, but are two different products. TCC only markets Freeze 12. Is Freeze 12 military approved or approved by TARDAC or MEEP? No, it is not. How much will Freeze 12 cost? It will be priced less than R-12 was in 1995. What is involved in a retrofit to Freeze 12 ? The law requires that the existing refrigerant in the system be evacuated and unique fittings and a label be installed with any replacement refrigerant. Also, if the A/C system being converted is equipped with a High Pressure Relief Valve, a High Pressure Cutout Switch must be installed in accordance with EPA SNAP regulations. Use of Freeze 12 does not require that the lubricant or other components be changed. What is the warranty of a new compressor using Freeze 12 ? At this time some evaluations are taking place which will determine the warranty situation of a new compressor using Freeze 12. Currently there are no new compressor warranty endorsements for Freeze 12. We expect this to change as there were no new compressor warranties in the beginning for R-134a retrofits and now most compressor manufacturers offer them. Why should I retrofit an R-12 system with Freeze 12 instead of R-134a? 1. Freeze 12 will cool better than R- 13 4a in most retrofit applications. 2. Freeze has a pressure curve which is close to R-12 while R-134a operates at significantly higher pressures than R- 12. 3. Freeze 12 works with the existing mineral oil and does not require lubricant replacement as R-134a does. Sounds great, but does anyone know if this will really be safe if used in the old R12 system? There is also a Freeze-12 kit on Ebay that contains leak detection stuff and a recharge system with built in pressure gauge.

If I had to bet money at this point, I would agree with you that something is going on with this portion of the system. Can you describe how I would check this? How do I go about checking the FCV? Can these things be accessed while the system is still operational?? Sorry for the screwed-up colors. Tried to make the answers quick and easy, and am late for work, so I have no editing time!

Ross, 32 MPG sounds like an awful lot! I have tracked all MPG since I bought my '92. Mostly commuting miles (mixed, mostly rural 2-lane highway/60MPH). Best was interstate long trips: 26.5 MPG at 75-85 MPH. Overall has been 24.9 MPG for me. Date Odometer Miles Gallons MPG Price 16-Nov-05 94101 452 17.05 26.5 $2.390 23-Nov-05 94482 381 16.26 23.4 $2.569 10-Dec-05 94939 457 17.89 25.5 $2.569 18-Dec-05 95189 250 11.05 22.6 $2.559 23-Dec-05 95576 387 16.01 24.2 $2.599 8-Jan-06 95971 395 16.49 24.0 $2.699 13-Jan-06 96426 455 17.5 26.0 $2.799 19-Jan-06 96888 462 18.32 25.2 $2.799 29-Jan-06 97310 422 17.41 24.2 $2.739 4-Feb-06 97795 485 18.86 25.7 $2.739 98218 423 17.09 24.8 19-Feb-06 98589 371 15.12 24.5 $2.679 21-Feb-06 99038 449 18.2 24.7 $2.659 7-Mar-06 99470 432 17.53 24.6 $2.699 12-Mar-06 99871 408 16.84 24.2 $2.649 26-Mar-06 100306 435 17.77 24.5 $2.719 31-Mar-06 100772 466 18.7 24.9 $2.859 4-Apr-06 101252 480 18.14 26.5 $2.959 11-Apr-06 101669 417 16.65 25.0 $2.999

Hi folks- Back to the thread after a long absence. Still no improvement, and now worse/different developments. Before I get started: T-Cutter, yes, I agree it would seem the electrical connection could/should be the culprit, but I cannot find any evidence of poor connection or damage from disconnecting prior to flushings. I was preparing to throw out to the LOC the possibility that the speed sensor or ECU went bad or needs resetting when the spots on the driveway were found. Leadfoot- You may be right, but I hope you’re not! There seems to be consensus here that the rack is the last resort, and I had no steering problems prior to the first flush. I had driven the car ~ 6,000 miles since the fateful flush, with no leaks. Then one day recently my wife says she noticed wet spots in the garage where I parked. I assumed this was from recent work I did on the 4runner rear seals, but alas, it was from the Lexus. As fate would have it, I had just purchased a 2000 Tacoma to replace the 4runner, so I have let the Lexus sit. I put a box under it to help determine what was leaking, and from where. Tonight I finally crawled under. “Everything” in the area to the side and beneath the alternator is quite wet with PS fluid. I have no idea what finally happened to cause this. Enough fluid has leaked to put it below the COLD level on the cap stick. This is a much larger leak than I saw when I first decided to clean the solenoid screen and flush (to prevent further leaks, or so I thought). These leaks are gravity leaks, not necessarily only from pressure. The only "positive" I can find in this is PERHAPS the poor low-speed steering had to do with a lack of pressure in the system because of a small leak(s) that eventually became bigger and now noticeable?! I am attaching some pictures of my debacle. Please offer educated opinions! Lower engine cover has been removed. View from front to back: Below the alternator looking up towards ACV (which does not appear to be leaking) Other view from below; extensive wetness but cannot pin point from where View from top where all appears normal. I have about given up on an “easy” solution. Looking back at the many threads on this topic, there are numerous suggestions to take care of leaks in this order: 1. Clean the screens (solenoid/reservoir) and see if that alleviates the leakage. 2. Replace the air control valve attached to the PS pump. 3. Replace the rubber 0-ring sealing rings inside or attached to the PS pump using a $25 PS pump reseal kit purchased from irontoad.com or your local Lexus dealer. 4. Buy a new pump from irontoad.com, rebuilt pump from Autozone or take your chances with ebay. 5. Last resort is to replace the expensive high pressure PS hose assembly. Based on the trials and tribulations thus far, and based on the pictures, should I skip directly to tearing it all apart and replacing the pump and checking condition of all hoses etc while the car is torn down? I have given up trying to understand how flushing the system somehow contributed to the whole system being the way it is now, including the leaking. I know the system was leaking when I bought the car, as the alternator had just been replaced, so perhaps this was just a matter of time, and it was a relative "coincidence" it happened when I flushed the system. <_< I don't really believe that, but it sounds good!

Yep, appears to be model year related, as I know my 1992 has all three in use. My LS400 is outside right now (had the 4runner in the garage overnight after relacing the rear axle seals) so when I swap them out this evening I'll see what the exact deal is, but I believe the extra two lines run from the EGR valve/vacuum modulator and the VSV. Sounds like there was a change to the EGR system beginning in 1993...

CC- Check this out, the air-flow meter cleaning instructions for a 1992 LS400. Perhaps your is different, perhaps not! air_induction_system_airflow_meter.pdf

Hello, Chris, and welcome to the club ! Just curious why you're planning to do such an extensive (and expensive) maintenance, so early? 53,000 miles is hardly even broken in for an LS400! :) Just my $.02, but if this is preventive, I would wait at least another 40,000 miles for the timing belt/water pump and related components. Ditto, the cap, plugs and wires, and then only if necessary. And I would not replace the power steering pump until it shows evidence of failure! Perhaps sometime around the 90,000 mile mark you can plan on flushing/screen cleaning, although if you read my thread you might think twice! Again, just my opinion. I understand some folks like to replace stuff more than I do!

Thanks DC- I did not have these documents for some reason; perhaps I did not download them the day I grabbed all of the other 1992 repair manual pages. I'll add these to my collection of clues. There is an answer somewhere. Good things sometimes come to misers who watch, ask, try, and try again!

Thanks RF- I am not confident of my voltage readings the other day, as I found it hard to get a consistent reading. 6.8 was the highest I read; the first few times were less than that. I’ve never been much electrically and I am either over my head or in denial on this one. I checked the wires running to, and on, the solenoid. They all look fine. The connectors look fine too. When I was burping the system this time, I could make the pump noise disappear COMPLETELY when I reached the left or right stop and held it there with some pressure. Groaning went to 0. But as soon as I moved the wheel a ¼” back towards center, Chewbacca starts screaming again. There was some improvement at low speed, but the pump is louder… still always buzzing a little, and still groaning loudly on low speed turns (as in, people turn to look to see what the heck is making that awful noise). Observations I have made, which may mean something to someone, but are a mere curiosity to Sgt. Schultz: The easier it is to turn the wheels, the louder the pump tends to be. At low speeds, the wheel turns easier when turning left vs. turning right. Question I cannot answer: What could have happened during the now infamous flushing and screen clean, since the pump never went dry, the wires never got crimped/frayed, the hoses went back on the way they are supposed to, and I am not losing fluid anywhere? I am attaching the PPS schematic for those more electrically inclined than myself. It contains a nice description of how the system operates. Perhaps in somewhere in this current flow there is something else I should be checking? If so, please provide fairly detailed “put one end on the blank and the other on the blank” instructions. pps.pdf Not giving up, as I hate replacing parts unless I know all is lost. Thanks again to all that have taken stabs at this.

OK... found it more fun to actuate the solenoid and study how far it is opening. Here are some pictures, enhanced in a ham-handed way to clarify what the camera can't quite illustrate. For those lucky enough to be so intimate with their PSS, here she is without her screen on... OOH LA LA! Here she is with no power applied. All ports closed. Keep movin, sailor! Here she is after catching a little buzz. Three ports appear to be exactly 1/2 open. 1 port appears to be 3/4 open. Like Sgt. Schultz, I know Nah-thing! But, It does seem suspicious they would not all open the same. I have sprayed lots of brake fluid through the ports and through the hole in the top. No change in openings under power. Opinions, fine folks?

I average 26.8 MPG at 75 MPH on cruises of 350+ miles.

OK... a nice sunny day, perfect for crawling around under the car and trying again for Nirvana. I drained the PS reservoir and got a light down inside. The screeen appears intact (miracle) and clean (miracle). Unplugged the wire connection and removed the solenoid. The screen in still 98% clean; happy to see that. Tested the solenoid using 12Vdc, the plunger clicks and actuates, with what I assume is the full range of motion (I can see hole appear and disappear through the window when the screen is removed). Going back outside to ponder the flow control valve. If that looks OK, I think I will put the solenoid back on without the screen, reconnect everything, and see what happens.

Ah, the topic rearing its ugly head again.... There has been no improvement in the steering since the flush, etc. The steering is hard, the pump buzzes when the fluid is warm, and groans like a whale in labor on slow tight turns. With the warmer (50 degrees+) weather up here, most major home repairs done, and a newly reorganized garage in place, decided to throw the old multimeter on the power steering solenoid as Threadcutter suggested. I did not remove the solenoid from the car to check actuation. Decided to see what kind of current it was enjoying before resorting to draining/removal. Meter says 6.8 volts. Does anyone know if this is good or bad? Under power there is a small magnetism present on the solenoid body. Also, for the heck of it, I used Coastal DEXRON-III MERCON auto trans fluid for the flush, (approved for H specification). Based on what I read, this should have been OK to use. Was it? Thanks for any additional insight...

CP- Air suspension was an option on a 92. If the car has air suspension, there will be some switches that look like this (but not exactly like this, as this picture is from a LS430). They would be on the left side of the gear shift console, above the ECT switch. Word of warning: If it has air suspension, the replacement costs are big... as much as $1000 per strut. I understand you can get non-OEM replacement strut conversions for $200+ per.

A bias reply, but I would go for a 4-runner. I have a 96, bought new, and still have it. 175,000 miles, 21 MPG, rare repairs (rear seals), low maint. Comfortable ride. Classic exterior. I respectfully disagree that a 1998 4-runner is horribly underpowered. True, the generation prior to 1996 had a 150 HP V6, which was not enough for a truck this size. Beginning in 1996, HP on the SR5s went up to 183... not fantastic, but adequate for the weight of the truck, in my opinion. You are not going to win a drag race, but the truck will cruise fine and dandy at high speed, and the torque is plenty to pull you out of muck and mire in 4 wheel. Tahoe is bigger all around (engine/interior, etc). I have known a number of folks who bought them and like them. Depends on your needs. A 98 4-runner is not going to haul drywall; it is a smaller SUV compared to the gargantuans out there. If you plan on keeping it awhile, and since you say you want a cheaper daily driver, I would go 4-runner.

I notice the same pattern on mine... 2nd gear is more noticeable than the others, but hard to say it is "firmer"... just "perceptible", while the other gear changes are barely perceptible. Since this seems to be a universal opinion, I'm content to believe it is normal. And after my unhappy power steering fluid flush, I am content to monitor the tranny fluid level and do the regular filter maintenance.

Hi Dims- Based on your description of wants and desires, you won't go wrong with a Gen 2 LS400. I am originally from Rochester NY and lived there for 37 years before moving south of the Finger Lakes, and I now work in Cortland (46 mile, one hour commute daily through Ithaca). This just to let you know I understand the snow and conditions you speak of. I bought a Gen 1 (1992) LS400 in November after much research, and they are not bad in the snow as long a you have experience with RWD cars, especially heavy ones. Plan on investing in some quality winter tires and you will have no cares. You would expect fewer problems with a Gen 2 vs. Gen 1. Repairs will probably cost about the same than the European brands you mention, but if the problem was diagnosed properly and the repairs are done correctly, whatever the problem was should be cured and stay cured. Toyota quality and reliability are well known. Of course, a correct diagnosis is 90% of the battle. Getting the wrong thing fixed usually doesn’t cure problems. Experiment with the SEARCH FORUM function at the bottom of the forum pages, and you will find a wealth of answers (or at least opinions) to any question you might have. Check the tire forum for ongoing debates as to which summer tires are the best/quietest and which winter tires have the best bite for the buck. Also check the pinned topics for guides to how to buy/what to buy/what to look for. Good luck!