1990LS400

The optional LED headlamps of the 2013 GS450h aren't necessarily better than the HID headlamps you have now.  As the IIHS has found in their tests, there is no correlation between light source type (halogen, HID, LED) and performance:   http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings    The IIHS found that optional headlight systems were often worse that the standard systems.

IMO, your best move is simply to verify that your headlamps are working correctly and aimed properly.

Modern headlamps have become too complex to muck with - not like the old days of standard headlamp unit sizes in North America when one could slap a set of E-code Cibie or Hella units into a car and get a vast improvement.  I did that on countless vehicles.

I wish the IIHS would test the headlights of all vehicles.  I'm getting tired of blindly (pun intended) buying vehicles with HID and LED headlights and just hoping they will be good.

According to www.wheelsandcaps.com where I buy winter wheels, the offset is 45mm.

A number of Toyota vehicles have used this offset including Camry and Avalon.  

I distinctly remember that Tire Rack sold Avalon take-off wheels in their winter wheel/tire packages for the gen 1 LS400 in the early 1990's.

 

Well you can probably guess by my username but I'm the son of Landar.

Unfortunately Landar lost a long battle with lung and brain cancer for over a year.

I need to get his Lexus sold quick before I need to put it in storage for 9 months.

Nathan, I knew the prognosis was not good but I was hoping your father would somehow make it through this.  We PM'ed about it on the last day he was active on this forum.  I would have liked to have met Randy in person but didn't know how to contact him after he dropped off the forum.   Randy was incredibly helpful to others on this forum and it was always great fun to "talk" with him by PM.   

I assume you are talking about the red SC430:  

Perhaps a local Lexus dealer could provide suggestions on selling it or even sell it for you.  Or maybe there is a business where you live that specializes in selling older pristine special interest cars on consignment.  I'll bet this SC would sell in an instant if it was on a showroom floor.

I've sold a number of cars privately including a 1990 LS400 I bought new and a 2000 LS400 I bought off-lease at 3 years / 38000 miles.

If you want / need to sell your IS then it must be priced appropriately and even aggressively.  28,500 miles might seem great to you but this is still a base version of an entry level Lexus that has 15 year old technology.  Low miles isn't necessarily worth all that much more.  A friend of mine had a really nice 1979 Corvette that he bought new that he rarely drove and kept in perfect condition.  He seemed disappointed at how little it brought when he sold it in 1994.  I think he should have driven the $#!+ out of it and enjoyed it while he had it.

See what other similar IS300 are selling for in your area (e.g. on Autotrader, Craigslist).  You can't expect to get as much in a private sale as an auto dealer would.

The last bunch of our cars we've sold have gone to family and friends.  We literally have had waiting lines for our cast off vehicles.  Just this weekend a niece asked my wife if she could have our 2014 Sienna .... her brother got our Honda Accord.   Maybe a friend or family member or a child of one of those would be interested in buying your IS?

Class II hitches for the 90-94 LS400 were once widely available.  The Draw-Tire Class II hitch on the 90 LS400 I drove from new to 2003 attached to the exhaust system bolts on both sides and also to the back of the bumper beam.

A class I hitch shold be easy to install on 90-94 LS400 although the threaded bolt holes in the back of the bumper beam may be corroded after all these years.  In Europe, all years of the LS400 were rated to tow 2000 kg which equals 4409 lbs.

Class II hitches are still available for the 95-00 LS400 but those will likely be withdrawn from the market soon.

Is this a trick question?  I sold my first LS400 (a 1990 driven from new to 183,500 miles) and second LS400 (a 2000 Platinum SF driven from 38K to 180,000 miles) due to their increasing unreliability and that they didn't have safety equipment that was becoming common..  We sold our 1998 Camry (driven from new to 125,000 miles / 14 years) for similar reasons although it was much less expensive to maintain that either LS400.

Buy a new Toyota with "Safety Sense" which all Toyota models will have by the 2018 model year.  Safety Sense P for larger Toyotas, including the Camry, includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian sensing, adaptive cruise control, Lane Keeping Assist, and Automatic High Beam:  https://www.toyota.com/safety-sense

 

 

so my speedo stopped working today too... I'm curious, how many miles are on the cars experiencing this issue???  Mine only has 49k miles...  Lexus aren't supposed to brake this early :)

Automotive components deteriorate over time regardless of miles driven.  That's why the timing belt replacement interval for your 1997 LS400 is 90,000 miles or 6 years - whichever comes first.  The cause of speedometer and tachometer failures is usually the failure of components on the circuit board behind them.

Fixing this is probably involves more than just adding refrigerant.  It's likely that a component has failed causing a leak.  If you have to ask what refrigerant to use, I suspect that you do not have the special tools and knowledge required to diagnose and repair A/C systems.

The following document shows it as an optional setting that can be programmed by a Lexus dealer:  http://www.lexus.com/pdf/service/RX350_LPS.pdf

 

Thanks, I did see the Curt package. I just wondered if it was overkill.

I intend to tow a 12 foot trailer with light loads. 

Those trailer light harnesses are definitely not overkill.  The old style super cheap  harnesses that were powered directly by the rear vehicle lights are often not compatible with modern vehicles.  You need a harness that has a converter box and which is powered by the vehicle battery or by an electrical terminal on the vehicle that is specifically designed to power trailer lights. 

 

Hi! I'm late to the party, and want to install a trailer hitch to my RX350.

This is a very old thread and I doubt that people who have participated in it will reply.

Aftermarket trailer hitches last at least as long as OEM hitches and as long as a vehicle lasts - they are probably good for 20+ years!

I've towed with almost every vehicle I've owned over 50+ years and have bought and installed a number of aftermarket hitches including on Lexus LS sedans.  I bought the last three hitches from etrailer.com which is in a suburb of St. Louis.  I've also bought lots of other items from them including trailer light harnesses and bike racks.  I see two hitches for your RX on the etrailer website for less than $131 including shipping.

Be sure to get a hitch with a 2" receiver opening and NOT a 1 1/4" hitch!  There are a lot more bike racks and other products designed for 2" hitches than for 1 1/4" hitches and the ones for 2" hitches are usually more stable.  

IMO, Curt hitches are the highest quality of all I've had but I've bought Draw-Tite hitches too.  I've had a lot of bike racks and my favorites are the hitch mounted bike racks ones from Pro-Series - simple, cheap and rock-solid.  We use a 4-bike Pro-Series rack on our Sienna on which I installed a 2" Curt hitch and a 2-bike Pro-Series rack on our Prius v wagon on which I installed a 1 1/4" Curt hitch.

Give the etrailer people a call if you have questions.  It's one of the best companies I've ever dealt with.

I particularly like how the 4-bike Pro-Series rack attaches to the hitch receiver with a threaded bolt that can accept a standard hitch pin lock - zero rattle when driving.  A wrench must be used to tighten the threaded bolt but the extra 10 seconds of work is worth it.  The rack tilts away to allow opening the rear hatch door.  I use the 4-bike Pro-Series hitch several times a week in the warmer months including last night when I rode my mountain bike 26+ miles.

Why not buy your trailer light harness from etrailer?  https://www.etrailer.com/t1-2007_Lexus_RX+400h.htm

I've installed several "flat-4" trailer light harnesses I bought from etrailer.  They always come with written instructions and some have installation instructions on YouTube.  I'm partial to Curt products having bought hitches and harnesses from Curt and other companies.

What are you towing?  IIRC, the towing capacity of the hybrid RX isn't much even with the tow prep package.

Questions like yours don't come up very often anymore since most people who wanted audio interfaces on older Lexus vehicles did that years ago.

Sure, if that pac product does what you want then buy and install it.

The original "gold standard" in aftermarket audio interfaces for Lexus vehicles was probably VAIS.  Many Lexus dealers sold VAIS interface products before Toyota started including audio interfaces on its vehicles.  VAIS still has interfaces for your RX:  http://www.vaistech.com

I wouldn't shy away from Bluetooth A2DP.  Modern Bluetooth wireless audio sounds just as good as hard wired aux-in.  I stream audio wireless from my phone via Bluetooth very frequently in our vehicles and I can't imagine having to plug in an aux-in cable to do it.

Oh, my!  This sounds like the service writers at my nearby Lexus dealer who would make even the most minor fluid weeping situation into a federal case.  You have to remember that most service writers get incentives (either money or keeping their jobs) based on the amount of service they sell.  Services writers are really sales people and may have to meet quotas which mean they sell services whether or not they are needed.  We've gone many years with tiny amounts of fluid weeping around gaskets - never enough to drip from the engine or to require topping up fluid levels.  The only reason we changed the camshaft cover gaskets on one car to stop slight oil weeping was that it was going to a 14 year old nephew and we wanted the car to be perfect for him.

I even had a Lexus dealer service writer try to embarrass me into having a brake job by telling me that I was going to kill somebody since my brakes were going to fail at any time.  I informed that service writer that I had just measured the brake pad thickness myself and found that they were still far above the 1 mm minimum acceptable thickness.  I actually think that that particular service writer had no idea what the brake specs were - their job was to sell, sell, sell.

So ... it's buyer beware ... all the time.

There has been more in common mechanically among Toyota/Lexus models with V6 drive trains than those with V8 drive trains.  The Tundra and LS430 didn't use the same drive train:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_UZ_engine#3UZ-FE

If you ever want to know which vehicles share a particular part, the following website has a cross reference that will list them:  http://www.toyodiy.com/

Compensation of service writers is often based at least partially on revenue production including quotas that have to be met to stay employed.  Service writers are in sales.

Register your VIN on the owners section of www.lexus.com to see information about dealer performed service on your car.  The lack of records doesn't mean much since many people use independent repair shops or do some or all of the service themselves.  For example, none of the 65 oil and filter changes I did myself on my LS cars over 325,000 miles show in the service records.  I almost always used independent repair shops, owned by former Lexus dealer employees, for major repairs and more complex services.  My next door neighbor used the same indie shops to service his LS.     

I would be surprised if a Lexus dealer could provide information about the specs on a 22 year old Lexus but I suppose you could ask, 

There weren't a lot of options back in 1995 on the SC400... not much more than traction control, Nakamichi audio, CD changer and maybe a trunk mounted spoiler.  I don't remember if a memory seat was standard or still optional.

You can buy a download of the 1995 SC brochure at http://www.toyotareference.com/lexussc/1992-2000

The brochure is non-official junk from some fly-by-night "business" that went by "International Masters".

But, yes, Lexus vehicles sold in Japan (all Lexus vehicles were sold as Toyota in Japan until 2006) and the rest of the world had audio/navigation systems that were different than in vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada.   I don't know about the SC but a navigation system withi front and rear TV screens (over the air TV) was on the Toyota Celsior (aka LS400) in Japan as early as 1993,  I wouldn't be surprised if Japan market Toyota-Lexus cars got backup cameras in the 1990's as they had laser adaptive cruise control long before it was introduced in North American market Lexus vehicles.

Have you checked all the fuses?  Is the battery in good condition and are the battery terminals and cable clamps shiny clean?  

After that, you are down to diagnosing the causes of the problems following the same instructions that a professional mechanic would follow.  If you want to do this yourself, you will need to obtain the instructions - easiest way is to pay for and download them from https://techinfo.toyota.com although it may take some looking around to find them.

Diagnosing electrical problems is not something many amateurs can handle as it often takes specialized diagnostic tools and knowing how to use them.

If you not up to the task, your choice seems to be between paying a professional to do it or selling/junking the vehicle and applying the money you would have spent on fixing your RX towards buying a vehicle that is in better condition.

Vehicle electrical systems corrode and deteriorate over time and a hot, humid climate like Florida has may be a factor.

I suspect your "amp" under the driver seat is for something else - maybe some aftermarket product a previous owner installed.  

If the current Nebraska owner of my 2000 LS400 ever does some interior disassembly he going to find all sorts of electronic crap I installed and later quit using during the 10+ years I had the car.

15 hours ago, bode said:

Thanks for all help in this. I can now say definitely what the situation is with Nakamichi radio in Lexus ls400 concerning installing aftermarket radio. I was there and watched it done. Indeed, all one has to do is take aftermarket speaker wires from new radio and connect them to speaker wires going to Nakamichi amp under drivers seat. The amp does the rest and delivers appropriate sound to subwoofer on its own. That's it. No separate sub out. Anyone having questions on this can contact me. It is an easy install. And, it sounds amazing.

 

Bode, is your LS400 a RHD?  Do you live in the UK?  The amplifier on the LHD 95-00 LS400 that was sold in North America is under the front passenger seat - the seat on the right side of the car.

3 hours ago, Exhaustgases said:

It will just be another junker like all the rest. If it is in pristine condition leave it alone and drive it. If you have to have a project get a project. At the rate these cars are being messed up and ruined there won't be any good ones left.

I have to agree.  These were wonderful cars in their day but I can't see spending much on a car that can be wiped out for insurance purposes by a minor fender bender.  There are already a number of replacement parts that are no longer available for the 1990-1994 LS400 and even some for the 1995-2000 LS400.

This may should strange but I absolutely guarantee you that there are cracked/broken wires in the wire harness that is attached to the left (driver side) trunk hinge.  I had the same problem in a 1990 LS400 I used to have and many have had the same problem with the 1990 - 1994 LS400.  The wires get broken/cracked as the trunk is opened over the years.  What is amazing to me is that it took 26 years for this problem to show up in your car but maybe the trunk wasn't opened and closed as much as most.  When this problem gets worse, the transmission starts not shifting properly.

Unwrap the insulation from the wire harness at the left trunk hinge.  It may not be obvious which wires are broken so you might have to "wiggle" each wire to determine where it broke.  You may have to splice in small lengths of wire to repair the problem.  Soldering is preferable but you might get by with using commercially available "butt" connectors for splicing in new wire lengths.  

The person who bought my 1990 LS400 in 2003 told me that he had to re-repair the wires over the years he owned the car.  This probably did not occur on the 1995-up LS400.

When you install the aftermarket head unit using the Nakamichi amp, it is the Nakamichi amp that powers all the speakers including the subwoofer.  There is no pre-amp under the driver seat unless a previous owner of your car installed something.  I sent you a PM with the Nakamichi wiring diagram attached.  It shows all the wire colors.

21 hours ago, bode said:

Thanks for the info. My question, how did he get the subwoofer to work with amp under front seat? Everyone tells me you hav to bypass the amp and not use the subwoofer. Why is that and how did your guy get around it. 

Thanks

Bode

The Nakamichi amp takes care of "making" the subwoofer work without having to do anything special.  All that has to be done is to connect the correct speaker wires from the aftermarket headunit to the car's connector leading to the amp.  Those "everyone" who keep saying the amp has to be bypassed are clueless and are just repeating rumors.

Others have successfully used the same technique my installer used and the subwoofer worked for them too.

The center air vent releases are on each side - reach through the vent slots with a small blade screw driver and pull the releases inward.  The vent will then slip out with little effort.  There is no commercially available interface harness for replacing a nakamichi head unit with an aftermarket head unit - only for the standard Pioneer.

I had Best Buy install a Kenwood double-DIN in a 2000 LS400 in 2013.  The installer fabricated a custom interface harness that had pins that inserted into the connectors on the car side.  The installer didn't cut a signal wire on the car and the installation could have been reversed and the original Nakamichi headunit reinstalled in a few minutes.  The installation utilized the Nakamichi amp under the passenger seat and all the speakers including the subwoofer.  It sounded wonderful.  I do know that all that is necessary to make the subwoofer work is to connect the four speaker wire sets to the connector leading to the Nakamichi amp and it is the amp that does the "magic" to make the sub-woofer work.

The installer had never done an install like this and found that polarity mattered when connecting the Kenwood speaker outputs to the connector leading to the amplifier.  I considered the installer to be far above average.  He was middle aged, an LS430 owner and a Lexus and audio enthusiast.  I provided him with the Nakamichi wiring diagram and we discussed the installation before he did it.  I supplied the dash kit which I think I got on Amazon. 

The total cost including the $125 installation fee was a hair under $500.  The Kenwood had phone handsfree but I used a Garmin for both handsfree and navigation.

I sold the car to a friend in 2014 and he later sold it to someone else in another state.