lexluxury

Noticed that car drove slightly stiffer when driving away from shop. Felt like there was a bit of a drag. Air suspension switch was turned off before car was put up on rack. Forgot to turn it back on before I drove away. Short distance away, noticed flashing "High" (Height?) warning on dash. Car seem to be running roughly. Pulled over, and turned on air suspension switch. Car felt normal again, ran normal again, but steering remained slightly stiffer than pre-repair. Is there any chance that driving the car a short distance with air suspension turned off would have affected alignment (thus creating some kind of drag?). Had alternator installed today. I can't see how that would have any effect on steering.

Overall, what happens if you drive your car three or four miles with the air susp turned off? Would this create problems or damage?

Thanks.

thanks all. went with a reman original for 200. autozone was too far away for me to get to for the duralast...only got a 12 month warranty on this part, but i had to get it done. he said they've been getting their parts from this supplier for 5 years and have had few problems....what are the odds? i checked the description on the box for what had been done on the rebuild...they put in a lot of new parts -- brushes, seals, i don't remember what all -- but looks like they only 'tested or replaced with new' several other components (regulator, etc.). we could see through the vents and looks like they replaced almost everything (cld see new coils, new regulator, etc.). another fun day with the car!

someone on this board mentioned sparkplugs.com the other day $168 with no core, i believe.

Rebuilt alternators are not all the same, they can have numerous differences. Some will only repair the faulty part of a unit and sell it as rebuilt while others such as Denso will actually completely replace nearly everything inside regardless if it's working or not. I've had terrible experience with any rebuilt component from Autozone, so based on my experience I would not recommend them (even if they give you a lifetime warranty). If you want the best rebuilt unit then definitely get the Denso rebuilt (about $200). This is the same unit that the dealer is trying to sell you for $489 (ask to see it if you don't believe me). Also, search the forum as there has been much discussion on this before.

thanks all. will look for denso this AM. if i don't have to drive to far to get it, this might work. i got about five miles yesterday before all the warning lights started coming on...darn! thank god it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to install. thank god for that.

Rebuilt alternators are not all the same, they can have numerous differences. Some will only repair the faulty part of a unit and sell it as rebuilt while others such as Denso will actually completely replace nearly everything inside regardless if it's working or not. I've had terrible experience with any rebuilt component from Autozone, so based on my experience I would not recommend them (even if they give you a lifetime warranty). If you want the best rebuilt unit then definitely get the Denso rebuilt (about $200). This is the same unit that the dealer is trying to sell you for $489 (ask to see it if you don't believe me). Also, search the forum as there has been much discussion on this before.

thanks SRK. your option sounds great, but won't work for me here in Los Angeles. i need to get this fixed...and am pretty sure it is the alternator. i called autozone, because i'm not about to pay almost 500 for this part from the dealer. autozone has a reman duralast with a lifetime warranty for 165 and i can get it installed for not much -- $60 or so. the guy i talked to used to have his own repair shop and seemed knowledgeable. he listened to all my 'symptoms' and said he thought it was the voltage regulator, but that it made no sense to try to fix just that, would have to take it apart, etc., and that i may as well replace alternator. he will run tests on it tomrrow and look over wiring, connections, belt. said they did not have denso, which others have recommended. i know there are difference in quality on this part. should i go with this? i can't lose another day with being out of a car which is why i am tempted. it's got a lifetime warranty, for one thing..thoughts?

I never exchange alternators or starters. In my town we have an automotive electrical rebuilder, and I take my customers components to them for rebuilding. I get the same component back, rebuilt, garanteed. I also have them rebuild my own stuff, and they checked the alternator in my LS and installed new brushes, bench tested, for $35.00. The ATF had destroyed the brushes, but that was all. A rebuild, brushes, bearings, slip rings, full cleaning, would have been about $150.00. Even the local Lexus dealer uses this same shop for alts and starters.

Don't buy new, or exchange from the dealer. No need to.

Autozone? My Lex parts service quoted me $489. Seems high. Can I get one somewhere else for less. not sure how much more time I have. Car died once today...all lights coming on (battery, trac light off warning light, another warning light on dash says "ABS"). I'm not using headlights and radio isn't even turning on...battery is a Sears Diehard and was checked only a month or so ago and rated 'excellent'. It's not the battery.

won't even pretend to be able to follow the logic of some of these posts, but want to toss this out for what it's worth. my mechanic told me that a mass air flow sensor that has failed will cause backup in the manifold and that lots of white smoke (not a little, a lot) is the result.

White smoke can also come from running way too rich.

Most people associate white smoke with coolant leaks only .When an injector is stuck it will cause so much raw gas it comes out white instead of black which is burnt fuel or carbon.It is too much and the engine cannot even burn it.

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this is exacly what is going on i even took the spark plugs off to see if they were wet and found the num 7 and the 1 cylinder spark plugs drained with fuel

so i took them out and switch them around (the injectors) to see if the others would help the 1 and 7 cylinders and with them changed it still drained the 1 and 7

question what is a cam sensor this is what the guy i bought the car from said was one of the things that the dealer told him needed replaced

can it case this problem ?

and if so do you know the location on it?

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disconnected battery. buzzing went away. does this mean you were correct? i think so. :-)

Alternators do not make noise when they are going they just start to dim the lights on everything.

The buzzing may be from a bad ground wire you  moistened.

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Can you give us some follow=up? Did you finally replace the ECM and if so, did this work?

Ok. Im the guy with a 93 Ls 400 with the same problem as you 95ers and im on the very of insanity now fellas. So here we go; so far in effort to correct this problem i started small and inexpensive and worked my way up. I have replaced the spark plugs, wires, oil filter , fuel filter, air filter, caps, and rotors, NOT FIXED. So I cleaned the throttle body, and replaced the Air Flow Meter. NOT FIXED. now i just had the dealer put in a new idle control valve where they said that was definalty the problem. funny, they were wrong, because I stalled out on the way home from the dealership. So back the car went, they are currently running all types of tests and diognostics on it. hopfully there genius mechanics will resolve this problem and I can report good new with the cure to all of you. but any1 come across some answer please keep us all posted.

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Is this the sound (high zzzzzeeeee sound) that an alternator makes when it is going out? May have gotten water on it during cleaning of the area.

well, replacing the fuel filter did not solve the problem. a day or two later, after i shut off the air, kaput. bob, just a note, but my car does this just in 'around town' driving. in other words, i'm not moving at high speeds on any freeways, just stop and go traffic. on occasion, if i run the air and then turn it off, this happens. not every time, but even once in a week or two is a problem that i do not want to have. how do i find one of these 'reflashed' ecus? might be worth a shot. or, rather, how do i figure out what # part i need? can someone point me to where i read up on service bulletins by lexus? my car did not start doing this until summer ... so the ageing process makes sense.

uote=95LS400Bob,Nov 6 2005, 12:10 AM]

It's an ECU problem.

Throttle bodys that are dirty don't wait for 30 min or more of highway driving before showing a problem....nor do they fix themselves as soon as the car restarts.

Probably the best question is the "why" the ECU starts doing this. It certainly didn't do it when it was new. It has to be an aging process...maybe something to do with the circuit board itself...from the many hot and cold cycles it has done over it's lifetime.

And this could very well be why many of these same cars get the "P0" check engine lights after a cruise.

will clean fuel filter first, then the throttle body(?), and see what happens. might try the ecm solution rec here if these things don't take care of it.

Man, this thread is like the freakin' energizer bunny.

If we want Lex to own up for a recall, you've got to notify the national highway safety and transportation board. There are a few notices on the issue "I think 10" to them already. I used this fact, and their own recommendation of the fact that out of all the TSB's issued for the car, this is the ONLY one LEXUS HIGHLY RECOMMENDS BE DONE! That, a few calls to Lexus USA, and some legal mumbo-jumbo to the manager of the dealership, and they caved in, paid for it to be fixed. But, my story also included a 90 day / 3,000mile warranty. I have noticed however on the 95-97 used models that dealership gets....it's now "AS IS" on the sticker! Hahahaha. Sorry guys.

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i too have had an encounter with an alien, and this creature told me the air ride was worth it. i would not trade it for anything. anyone who says you can't tell the diff has never ridden in a car with air suspension. i would fork over 400 for a new air strut in a heartbeat (and yes, you can buy them rebuilt for 400). you absolutely do not have to replace 'both', although it's recommended. why? the air leveling system will adjust for any extra firmness in suspension caused by one new strut. if you like a cushy ride, go with air suspension. you can't wander around worrying about whether an air strut is going to fail on you and what the cost will be ten years hence for god's sakes. at any given moment, in any car, and in lexus for sure, you can have a failure that will cost you the price of a strut and a half (or two). you go with what you like. enjoy the now. the future doesn't exist. yet.

Pre-cisely.

But our love of the same car will pull us through ;)

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having similar problem. if anyone who owns a 94 ls400 has figured out what the 'real' part number for the ecm (ecu?) w/b for this year, please post. i'll wager that if everyone on this board with this problem contacted their state's atty general (consumer division), that lexus might do something about this. i agree it is dangerous. happened to me again today in heavy traffic...i was able to pull off to the side, but since i have power steering, that was VERY hard to do. started right up again, as it always does.

I am trying to make a thread here for the many of those with low idle, engine quits after an extended highway cruise when coming to a stop, and a mysterious drivetrain jerk when you let off the throttle and get back on....sometimes...and usually happening over 40 mph.

My 95 Ls400 built april of 95 which now has 150,000 miles has these problems.

I've done full diagnostics. I've gone after the throttle body and the Idle control valve. All of which were working perfectly. After 3 days of reading threads at several different forums of similar problems with 95's, several emails and follow ups on who found what the problem was and how solved I wanted to put all the information here so the next guy could find it easier.

Some guys are driving around with the a/c on to keep the engine running at a faster idle to keep the car from dying.

I'm convinced all 3 problems are related to the ECM and it's controlling of the idle air control. While there were a couple of TSB's on this it was never a recall. Those of us who bought used or have high miles are out of luck for any dealer help...at least I would think.

Your Ecm is located behind the glovebox on the passenger side. If you want to read what number Ecm you have..you can do that by not removing it. Just remove the lower plastic panel below the glovebox and look up in there. You'll see "Engine Computer Label" and the numbers.

For 1995's:

Your original Ecm is either:

89661-50220 or 89661-50221 if Federal (49 state). Lexus new replacement on the TSB says to replace with 89661-50224

If California then your orginal Ecm is either 89661-50230 or 89661-50231. The TSB calls for 89661-50234

But searching a local Lexus parts site shows that number has been replaced with 89661-50235-85.

The cost of these Ecm's new is just total crazy. But there might be another solution.

One member bought a used pcm from a wrecking yard #80661-50224. He paid about $150 for it and it solved his issues. I did some searching in wrecking yards and there are some of these #'s out there.

If you have a California car then there seems to be few out there. Mine is a California car. I don't know if a 49 state Ecm will work...I suspect it will...but unknown at this time.

Another member bought a remanufactured Ecm for his 49 state car. He paid $300. for it and it has a 1 year warranty. He also stated that it cured all problems. The company he purchased it from was Auto & Truck Electronics in West Palm beach, Florida. He said the part number was #95 Int 56834. (That was a 49 state unit).

There are other places on the web where rebuilt Ecu's are sold. The problem is most are listed by the old number. We have no way of knowing if the old units are rebuilt and then "reflashed" to the later specs which we are looking for to solve these issues.

I'll try to find out about that and post here what I find out.

For 1996's: The Ecm you want is 89661-50303. Original's were 89661-50302. A wrecking yard buddy did a nationwide search and there are used 89661-50303's out there. Evidently these work in all 50 state cars.

Ps: A 1996 Ecm will not work in a 95. It turns the check engine light on. That's been tried.

Update: I just received an email from the gentleman who bought the remanufactured pcm from Auto & Truck Electronics(mentioned above). He confirmed with them that the Ecu had the latest software upgrade before he bought the Ecu. He also commented the car shifted smoother than it ever did.

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for those of you who think you can save some money by going to cheaper places? think again. friend with ls400 had oil change at jiffy lube. they didn't replace the gasket (at the drain plug) and it leaked all over the place. i should have learned from his experience but did not. same problem with a sears oil change, and the only reason it was caught was because i happened to have the car looked at somewhere else for another reason and those people told me abou the gasket. i had leaking oil and a completely corroded seal. now why would anyone put an OLD gasket back on when their aftermarket part is sitting right there. also paid them for changing out the brake fluids. well, guess what. two weeks later, someone else advised the brake fluid needed to be flushed; it was filthy. i got my money back, but learned my lesson. either a diy, or you stand right there and watch every single step that mechanic makes with your car. they must have taken me for a fool. wrong.

update: mechanic says it is not, but i'm getting them replaced anyway. will post the difference in ride (if any) here.

Symptoms:  Sometimes when pulling away from the curb, or backing up to park, feels as if one of the rear wheels is going over a good sized rock a few times (it  isn't).  Sort of a hippity hop feel.  Would you wait a few weeks, or month, or get it in today.  Somehow, I think I know what you are going to say.

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Symptoms: Sometimes when pulling away from the curb, or backing up to park, feels as if one of the rear wheels is going over a good sized rock a few times (it isn't). Sort of a hippity hop feel. Would you wait a few weeks, or month, or get it in today. Somehow, I think I know what you are going to say.

would you know if the '94 ls400 has a cabin filter? my mechanic told me it didn't, then said, 'oh wait' maybe it does. he said he'd know after he got in there to see. apparently, some of these cars were made with a place FOR a filter, but don't actually have one (according to him).

First, the 92 did not have a pollen filter so don't bother looking.

Second, the 92 came from the factory with a porus nylon coating on the A/C evaporator into which was embedded an anti-bacterial chemical so that mold and mildew spores did not breed in the dark, dank, and moisture environment of the A/C plenum.

The problem was, is, that once the chemical leached out of the evaporator vane surfaces it then formed a virtually perfect habitat for those very same spores.

What I would do is put a battery charger on the battery, lower the rear windows and turn on the ignition and run the A/C blower continously for several night while exhausting 2 or 3 cans, intermittently, of lysol disinfectant spray over that same period of time.

Thereafter avoid, absolutely, the operation of the A/C except in times that it is actually needed for cooling. I disconnect the A/C compressor clutch connection in mine during the winter months. It also doesn't hurt to remember to lower the windows slightly in the garage at night for several days after the A/C is used, or during its summer use.

Now go to:

http://www.airsept.com

And read about their EED, Electronic Evaporator Dryer device.

Also be fully aware that this particular vehicle is VERY subject to sudden and unexpected windshield fogging due to a design flaw within the climate control system. Even if/when the indicator is on for FRESH incoming airflow that system may actually be predominatly in recirculate. Lexus tells me that the only way to be certain that  the fresh mode is being used is to take the incoming airflow selection out of automatic mode by manually selecting fresh mode by depressing the rocker switch in that direction.

If your windshield should begin to fog over, even in the slightest, DO NOT select the defrost/defog/demist mode before turning the temperature setpoint to MAX HEAT.

Most early Lexus climate control systems rely EXCLUSIVELY on the A/C to defog the windshield. The A/C's ability to perform that task is dependent on external atmospheric conditions. Below about 45F this ability declines rapidly until at about 35F it is non-existent.

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sometimes people working in parts depts. at the lexus dealers will take pity and tell you of a few indie mechanics in your area that are factory trained. some won't tell you a thing either. just depends. took me forever...a LOT of phone calls before i found someone i felt was honest and reliable. i did google searches, posted here, called dealers ALL over the area and tried to finesse my question to get an answer, looked at 'best of' in local magazines (for names of auto shops and then followed up with those listed). in the end, it was all by chance. someone at a dealership knew of someone else ... i also got one good referral off this board (in response to a post i put up, like you). so keep going. patience and persistence are key. in the end, it's worth the effort.

I have a 1990 ls-400.

Currently I live in State College, PA (Central PA). I have asked around trying to find a garage/mechanic that knows what he/she/it is doing...and is honest.

Sadly, in line with most business in this area, the opinion I encounter is that there are no good/honest mechanics in this area.

I am from western pa, but I hope that I can elicit some response with this post and get some recommendations for places/people I can trust in the central PA area.

Thanks for any input  B)

-Bill

P.S. Any input from Lexus owners in the State College area is appreciated.

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have air suspension and love it.

I've driven both and I think it was like night and day.

I drove this car daily and after i drove one without the air system i was almost traumatised...especially in spirited driving conditions.

Cornering and even braking (the system is designed to reduce body throw on heavy breaking by stiffenning the rear struts) i could definitely tell the difference.

I've worked on and studied these systems since around 1992, even had the opportunity to convert and restore them too using the original Toyota/Lexus shop manual (first one i worked on was a 1987 Toyota Crown IT WAS ONE JUST LIKE THIS ONE) and i can definitely say that the system does a whole lot of good other than load leveling.

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my motor mounts were changed WAY before 94K.

Lexus Dealer says the Differential Fluid is to be changed every 15K miles along with the Tranny fluid too.

Just did a semi 90K service, they wanted 1100 bucks, I chose for them to do the hard work, Plugs and Tranny Flush along with an oil change for my free car washes. Total price of 350. I'll be doing the PCV, Air filter but the Differential fluid I may not be able to do myself.

The manual says to "inspect" according to schedule B.

Also, anyone in Texas getting bad gas? my car sputters every now and then when at idle. It may be the old PCV not helping.

They mentioned on their "inspection report on the invoice that the engine mounts and tranny mounts were "collapsed" Anyone experienced this? My car has 94K miles.

Tex

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Hi All -- for those of you who are SoCal folks and looking for an indie mechanic, you should know about Foothill Ind. Auto Works in La Crescenta (near Glendale). George is the owner, and he is a former Lexus mechanic (he worked for 5 years in a dealership). Just got my car home after he worked on it and it's great. He charged me about 1/2 the dealer quote on the same item. I finally have an alternative to the dealer!! Highly recommend him. If you need more detail, send me a message...

the 350 included parts and labor, if i didn't make that clear. i also confirmed that there is nothing wrong with the sway bar bushings. that's not what the dealer told me, but we went over it again and again and the indie mechanic said, "i'll put them on if you want, but there's nothing wrong here.' i have HAD it with my dealer. period. this last experienced just finished them off.

do you recall how many hours labor you paid for (rear carrier bushings)?  i'm getting quoted around 5 hrs, plus parts (aftermarket).  his labor is really reasonable, compared to dealer.  yes, he said what you are saying...that aftermarket are fine and make a big diff in price (650 v. 350 for rear carrier bushings).  no mention of wheel hubs.  he doesn't sell up, which has been my experience with the dealership every single time.  i don't know why it never seems to occur to them that they're driving business away with that tactic, but it never seems to.  Odd.

Lexus has aftermarket rear carrier bushings they use now. if they recommend replacing the wheel hub itself...tell them to shove it! They used these aftermarket carrier bushings with my car, and it fixed the problem. Parts were like $40 bucks or so.

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do you recall how many hours labor you paid for (rear carrier bushings)? i'm getting quoted around 5 hrs, plus parts (aftermarket). his labor is really reasonable, compared to dealer. yes, he said what you are saying...that aftermarket are fine and make a big diff in price (650 v. 350 for rear carrier bushings). no mention of wheel hubs. he doesn't sell up, which has been my experience with the dealership every single time. i don't know why it never seems to occur to them that they're driving business away with that tactic, but it never seems to. Odd.

Lexus has aftermarket rear carrier bushings they use now. if they recommend replacing the wheel hub itself...tell them to shove it! They used these aftermarket carrier bushings with my car, and it fixed the problem. Parts were like $40 bucks or so.

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PLSE HELP -- one guy says the entire sway bar bushings need to be replaced, that I can't do just the bushings themselves (separately). does this make any sense whatsoever? i was quoted these 'entire' pieces at roughly 170 each. apparently there are left and right sway bar bushings? now, the 2nd guy, who says nothing's wrong, says just the bushings can in fact be replaced. who is right? please reply soon if possible!

Ah, now I can picture it.  My concern is one guy saw it sagging and another one didn't.  Doesn't sound that complicated to me..thank you.  Also, he saw rear carrier bushings were worn/torn. Any idea of what reasonable amount of labor would be on that repair? That's why I'm getting that clunking noise. Thanks SRK!!

 

A sway bar bushing is a small dounnut that holds the bar to the frame of the car.

The inner or hole can get out of shape and cause the bar to sag by having too much play in it.

You basically need better technitions who will show you everything they think needs to be fixed first.

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Ah, now I can picture it. My concern is one guy saw it sagging and another one didn't. Doesn't sound that complicated to me..thank you. Also, he saw rear carrier bushings were worn/torn. Any idea of what reasonable amount of labor would be on that repair? That's why I'm getting that clunking noise. Thanks SRK!!

A sway bar bushing is a small dounnut that holds the bar to the frame of the car.

The inner or hole can get out of shape and cause the bar to sag by having too much play in it.

You basically need better technitions who will show you everything they think needs to be fixed first.

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