1990LS400

Where did Ralph go? He was very active here but was "Last Seen: 17th October 2008 - 10:35 AM".

Attached are instructions for resetting the VSC on the 98-00 LS400 from the owners manual for my 00 LS400.

Damn! I'd love to see an LS400 with fins.

I found part number 78010-33010 (pedal travel sensor) on http://www.parts.com/ for $295.92 (retail $428.01) but I'm not sure that is the part you need. It would be good if you could get the part number from the dealer to be sure or to use to search for the part you really need.

Paint codes can be found at http://www.paintscratch.com/

I've checked in the past on websites like Parts.com and toyodiy.com and have never seen the actuator listed separately from the lock assembly. Yes, the link to the actuator on the pinned thread is broken but if you search http://www.allelectronics.com you can still find it (CAT# DLA-1) for $5.50.

The website was back in full force for a day or two but now the diagrams have been removed from http://www.toyodiy.com/ greatly reducing the usefulness of the website. The following is from the "Site news" on Toyodiy: 6 December, 2009 The diagrams are no longer available on this site. For reasons that are beyond our comprehension, Toyota of North America kept harrassing our ISP about them. It seems that they are really interested in quick profits from new car sales, so it is in their best interest that old cars fall apart asap. The progress of course cannot be stopped, and the diagrams are available on numerous other websites around the world, so we feel this change will not have a significant negative impact on Toyota DIY-ers. Just google something like 78-01 ACCELERATOR LINK 78111C, and you shall find it.

Look at the "$15 repair for Door actuator" in the Rx "how To" which is "pinned" at the top of the 99-06 RX300/330 forum.

It's been possible to turn off ASL on every Lexus I've seen that had it. Some models have had a ASL on/off button. On some you have to put the radio display into ASL mode to turn in on or off. If your RX has nav, its probably done through the nav screen. Do you have an owners manual and a nav manual if your RX has nav?

I've bought hard copies of Lexus repair manuals from both U.S. and Canadian Lexus dealers -- the manuals cover both Canadian and U.S. spec cars. The set I have for my 00 LS came from Metro Lexus in Victoria, BC. There are sometimes used hard copy and CD manuals on eBay. Some people have reported that some of the eBay manuals on CD's have been poor and not worth the cost. Check your local public library. If it's anything like the Chatham-Kent Ontario library near my ancestral home, your local library may provide on-line access to one or more car repair information websites. The Chatham-Kent library provides online access to the Auto Repair Reference Center (ARRC) which has lots of Lexus model specific information -- the service can be used through the libraries website .. no need to be on the library premises. My local library here in Kansas provides similar on-line services. We in the U.S. can use the fee based http://techinfo.toyota.com/ but it's available only to those with a U.S. billing address.

Jeez! An ISx50 has two interior fuse boxes? There is 15 amp fuse in slot number 16 for the passenger side seat heater/ventilator in the "Passenger’s side instrument panel" fuse box.

"Pooched"? You might be able to see if the fuse has burned through without removing it. Most Lexus vehicles come with a fuse puller -- the one on my LS is stored in the fuse box in the engine compartment ... don't know about the ISx50.

Check fuse number 13 (15 amp) in the fuse box in the "Driver’s side instrument panel" of your car's interior: "13 FR S/HTR LH 15 A Seat heaters and ventilators"

I don't know where your "Location: Here" is but I would think your 98 GS would be pretty easy to sell if you are in or near a major metro area. You might not get a lot for it in a private sale but you would likely come out ahead of trading it in on the LS430. Go ahead and buy the LS430 (assuming you could get a lower price on a cash deal) and then put a "For Sale" sign on your GS, park it near a high school and watch the fireworks. The last car we traded in was in 1990 when we bought the first LS400 and traded in an 11 year old Mercedes 240D with 200K miles that had so many rust holes in it that the Lexus dealer did us a favor to take it off our hands ... saved me from pushing the Merc over a cliff. I did a cash deal in 2003 for the 2000 LS400 and then sold the 1990 LS400 at my leisure and had people literally waiting in line to buy it. I was a little surprised at how many people wanted a $4500 Lexus LS in great condition. I had a deposit from a guy painting a neighbor's house within five minutes of putting a For Sale sign in the 90's window. That sale fell through but I had a bunch of other people who wanted the car. We did a similar deal when we bought my wife's Camry new in 1998 ... paid cash and then sold her Honda Accord to a relative. The economy sucks right now but there are always people who need good low priced transportation and see getting a Lexus as a bonus.

Nevermind .... after a few days missing in action, http://www.toyodiy.com/ is back online.

Looks very nice. The 01-03 LS430 with the standard 16" wheels is my favorite style of the LS430 and the 5-speed auto is certainly bullet proof. I've kicked myself a few times since 2003 when I bought my 00 LS400 instead of an 01 LS430 -- didn't realize that I was going to need the absolutely huge trunk the non-UL LS430 has. The rear seat heaters of the LS430 would have sure been nice too. $13,000 on a cash/no trade in deal would certainly be high where I live. Having a trade-in is almost always a significant losing situation unless your trade-in is in bad condition and you are just looking for a convenient way to dump it in which case it can be a better deal tax-wise to donate it to a charity. You would think that you could probably thousand or three if you sell your GS privately. If my 00 LS400 got totaled, the one owner LS430 you found would certainly be a car I would consider. I would be concerned about buying a older LS430 with navigation but if it was to have a problem, I'll bet you know somebody who can take care of that! ;)

These cars are way to complex to guess that a problem like yours is caused by something as simple as bad spark plugs. Do yourself a favor and take your car to a pro mechanic for a diagnosis.

It's a little late to bring this up since you just bought your Alpins but you might have been happier with the better snow performance of "Studless Ice & Snow" tires than with "Performance Winter/Snow" tires like the Alpins. I didn't know the difference between the two tire categories until about 2003 after using performance snow tires for many years before that. I've been waaaay happier with the snow performance of the heavier duty snow tires. I thought the ride and noise would be worse but, if it is, I don't notice it. Being frugal, I've liked that heavy duty snow tires have lasted a lot longer than performance snow tires. I used to go through performance snow tires like $#!+ through a goose -- maybe I drove them harder in the dry.

Here is a previous thread where your question was discussed: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...3&hl=assist

Been there, done that a few times when I was much younger and never did make enough money on those deals to make it worthwhile. A 1991 LS400 is still a 1991 LS400 no matter how low the miles and how good the condition. I'm in complete agreement with OmarG. The gen 1 90-92 LS400 was a great car in its day but the later ones (95-up) are incredibly better and more modern. I loved the LS400 I bought in 1990 but I was completely stunned at how different and much better my 2000 LS400 is -- it's like they are completely different models ... almost seems odd that they share the "LS400" model designation. I would avoid the gen 1 LS400 just for its horrible, weak headlights. They are awful. Did I mention that the headlights on a gen 1 LS400 are horrible? Seriously, I can't over-emphasize how bad they are. Do yourself a favor and buy a 95-up LS or none at all. Maybe stick with your Honda or Toyota. If I had a "do over", I would have spent less on cars when I was in my 20's -- a long, long, LONG time ago. Cars are fun but not very important . No asset that depreciates is very important.

Thanks, Hank. I missed that in the Dec. 09 CR issue. Odd that CR would lable the GS AWD "Not recommended" in the Dec. 2009 issue and "Recommended" in the CR 2010 Buying Guide when both were mailed out at about the same time. Bummer about your experience with your GS. The vast majority of 2006-up GS3x0 cars I see where I live are AWD models and there are a lot of them. In fact, I don't remember ever seeing a 2006-up RWD GS3x0 car here.

Sorry, but it looks like the wonderful ToyoDIY website has disappeared. I just now created a thread about its disappearance: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=61489

It was great while it lasted but http://www.toyodiy.com/ disappeared shortly after December 2, 2009. I'll give it an obituary from one of the most well known Monty Python sketches: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!! If you never used ToyoDIY.com, it had diagrams and part numbers for most vehicles manufactured by Toyota Motor Company from the 1980's through about 2007 (Toyota, Lexus, Scion) and sold in markets around the world. Attached is an example. According to http://www.cubestat.com/www.toyodiy.com the site was hosted in the Netherlands and its use of its website name was to expire January 2010. ToyoDIY.com was always marked as a "Beta" website and "under construction" and its planned forums never materialized. A Google search shows that ToyoDIY.com was linked to from threads on many auto forum websites. Many who depended on ToyoDIY.com are going to be in for a rude awakening when they find it is gone. I definitely would have been willing to kick in a few bucks to keep ToyoDIY.com going. I hope it comes back.

https://techinfo.toyota.com/

Turn it on? Why would you turn it off? The "overdrive" on the gen 1 LS400 is not an overdrive at all in the traditional sense ... it's just a 4th transmission gear with a ratio of less than 1.00. Leave overdrive on all the time unless you need to force a lower gear for some reason. On slippery roads, just use a light foot on the gas pedal. What used to be considered an overdrive was a completely separate two speed transmission -- usually electrically controlled -- tacked on behind a usually manual three or four speed transmission. The last car I had with an electric switch controlled overdrive was a 1978 Volvo 242 with a Laycock de Normanville overdrive made in England. Here is an explanation of overdrives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overdrive_(mechanics)