1990LS400

Congrats Bill! I'll bet you are glad that you are finished with this project. I especially like the "mini fuse" connector you used to power your phone kit -- I'll definitely use one of those on a future project. The location by the Trac button where you mounted the controller seems like a very good place -- a very short reach from the steering wheel. Bummer about the mute connection under the console not working for you and causing electrical issues. Does the driver side connector in your 97 LS look like the one in Blake's 95 LS? --> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=21061&st=0 I'm also curious that you did not list a 12 volt test light among the tools you used. Does your continuity tester also work as a 12 volt test light? Mine does not so I have a separate battery powered continuity tester. Did you leave the trunk mounted Lexus phone ECU connected to the OEM phone harness? Did you unplug the Lexus phone handset from the under console connectors? Were both the driver side three pin and the passenger side seven pin connector under the console used by the Lexus phone? Does your LS have the Lexus fixed phone or the wireless handset? I can't remember his forum name offhand but "George in Hawaii" removed the Lexus handset from his 99 LS and glued a portion of a thin black mouse pad to the top tray insert of the center console lid to cover up the holes left after the handset was removed. The last time I checked, the dealer parts guy told me that the upper console tray insert was not available separately -- one has to buy the entire assembly to get the insert. Thanks for taking the time to post the info about your project.

I've owned both a 90 LS and a 00 LS concurrently -- used to park them side by side in our garage. The interior layout of the 90 LS (identical to the 92 LS) seemed very different than my 00 LS (similar to the 99 LS). The 98-00 LS front seats are "armchair" height while the 90-94 LS front seats are much lower. The cabin size of the 98-00 (actually, the 95-00 LS) is substantially larger and taller than the 90-94 LS. The way I describe it is that one sits "in" the seats of a 90-94 LS but "on" the seats of a 98-00 LS. They are very different seating positions. I suspect that your head would be firmly pushed into the headliner if you put the much taller seats of a 98-00 LS in a 90-94 LS.

The two volume repair manual set is available from Sewell for $186: http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?...ubCategoryID=26 Registering at http://www.lexus.com/ gives you on-line access to the owners manual but it is not provide repair information. The information at http://arrc.epnet.com appears to be very limited compared to what is included in the two volume repair manual set. I purchased the official two volume repair manual sets for both a 1990 (I gave the manuals to the current owner) and a 2000 LS. Repair information can be downloaded at http://techinfo.lexus.com/ but it is rather expensive for a subscription.

I also suspect that it is a firewall issue. I have service pack 2 on XP and I am not having problems viewing that web site. How would starting XP in safe mode address the problem?

Well, there are quite a few "plugs" on the OEM phone system in my similar 2000 LS400. There are three under the rear of the center console, at least three in the trunk and one on the steering wheel where the "command module" is installed on the left side of the steering wheel. Here is a link to another thread that has a PDF that shows how I used the driver side OEM phone connector under the console to hook up a Nokia phone kit mute wire on my 2000 LS: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...?showtopic=7791 I think there was also 12 volt power in at least one of the under-console phone plugs (at least on my 00 LS) -- you can find the pins with a cheap unpowered 12 volt test light. There may be a ground pin too - I never tried to find one but I'll bet you could with a little investigation. One of the most intriguing products I found (and bought) is a "mute lead" from Dashmount in the U.K. which "should" (according to the diagram in my 00 LS repair manual) allow connecting a Nokia phone kit to the 98-00 LS400 (standard or Nav only) radio amplifier to power the phone kit, mute the radio on a call, and play the call through the door speakers. (The mute lead did not work on my Nakamichi and would not work on Blake918's 95 LS with the standard Pioneer system.) Adaptors are (or at least were) available to use the Dashmount mute lead with phone kits from other companies besides Nokia. I'll attach a photo -- does the amp under your front passenger seat have two connectors with the configuration shown in the photo? I doubt if it is realistic to use the steering wheel command module to control functions on an aftermarket phone kit. I obtained the pinouts for my Nokia kit and phone and was blown away at the complexity of the micro-voltages required to control the phone's function. Besides, many phone kits (Parrot, Nokia, Motorola and others) are now coming with their own remote controls that mount on the dash. And some aftermarket Nav systems (e.g. TomTom) have built-in Bluetooth phone support that utilizes the nav screen and support POI dialing. Very cool. So many options to consider!

The 1998 model year LS400 sunroof has a feature called "pinch protection" which is supposed to reverse the sunroof if an obstacle is detected. I don't know how this feature works and I am surprised that the eleven pages about the sunroof in my 2-volume 2000 LS400 repair manual set does not mention it. I wonder if something (e.g. the wind deflector) is binding or if the sunroof is out of adjustment. Was the sunroof working properly and did this problem just start happening? Has the sunroof glass been recently replaced? I suggest inspecting the wind deflector to make sure it is retracting properly and that the arms on each side are not bent. Also cleaning all the sunroof mechanism (e.g. the rails) you can see might be good start -- I happened to do this just last week on our 2000 LS400. Perhaps have someone close the sunroof while you watch from the outside while you watch to see if anything is causing binding or excess friction.

I recommend using OEM wires and plugs. The OEM wires are likely good for several hundred thousand miles. The normal change interval on the OEM spark plugs on the 2000 LS400 is 120,000 miles. I doubt if aftermarket wires and plugs are going to last longer or provide more performance than the OEM ones.

The very first thing to do is to inspect the wiring in the left trunk hinge to see if any of the wires have broken. Generally one particular wire breaks first (causing transmission shifting issues) but I saw a report on the ClubLexus forum last week about three wires in the hinge being broken and causing all sorts of weird problems. Do an advanced search for "hinge" in the LS forum for more information on how to fix by splicing in new wire. Other issues can cause the keyless entry to not work but lets try the above first. If the inside trunk release lever can not be unlocked by the key, you may have to do a bit of disassembly. Can the ignition key be used to lock and unlock the doors and glove compartment?

This is likely the issue - http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...47&hl=hinge

The only tip I have is to run the seats all the way forward to provide room to work. Just grab the rear lip of the floor vent housing (where it touches the carpet) with your finger tips and pull up as you slide (i.e. force!) the mat under it. You may have to work the floor mat under the lip a little bit at a time. I don't remember this being extremely difficult to do over the 13+ years I owned a 90 LS and I always secured the front edges of the rear mats under the floor vent housing. It didn't seem like a very good design. This "feature" was eliminated on the later LS400's -- the rear mats are smaller and do not extend forward under the front seats.

I noticed today that trailer hitches have become available for the LS430 from names like Da'Lan Incorporated: http://www.etrailer.com/products.asp?model...amp;t1=&h=e and Curt Manufacturing: http://www.hitchsource.com/docs/cu/12231.pdf Maybe they have been available all along but I noticed in the past that the LS430 was omitted on hitch suppliers websites. Here are photos of the Draw-Tite hitch that was installed in June 2006 on our 2000 LS400.

Several people have posted information on how to fix problems with the steering column adjustments. Here is a great one: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...;hl=telescoping The "search" function of this forum is very useful. I found the article quickly by searching the LS forum for "telescoping".

I happened to have a hitch installed on our 00 LS today and it looks remarkably like the four hitches for the 2005 RX330 illustrated at http://www.etrailer.com/products.asp?model...amp;t1=&h=e where I bought my LS hitch. At least you have quite a few choices - I had only one choice - a Draw-Tite. I attempted to install the hitch myself a few weeks ago but the holes in the hitch brackets did not line up properly with the muffler hanger bracket holes under the trunk. Both an etrailer rep and people at a local hitch shop told me that it is common to have to bend the hitch brackets to make a hitch fit. If the bracket holes had lined up, it would have been less than a thirty minute job. I had a local hitch company bend the hitch bracket and install the hitch -- I think they took a few swings with a sledge hammer to bend the brackets the total of about 3/8 inch needed. They also partially wired for trailer lights -- I'll run the hot wire up to the battery myself laster. For now I just want to plug our bike rack into the hitch. These hitches are heavy -- the job is a lot easier if you have another person holding the other end of the hitch in place as you screw in the bolts. And be ready with a sledge hammer just in case! LOL

I don't remember ever reading anything that said that the alignment should be altered when using plus-size tires. Here is a link to a Tirerack article on alignment which also discusses "performance alignment" towards the bottom of the article: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tec...;currentpage=17 Several manufacturers used to market 245/55-16 tires which give a nearly perfect speedometer reading on an LS made to use 225/60-16 tires on seven inch wide wheels. Here are some from Toyo: http://www.edgeracing.com/tire/2219/ 245-45-16 introduces a very large speedometer error - 7.29% - according to http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

I bought a set from a dealer in London for my first LS 16 years ago while there on vacation -- they were inexpensive -- probably the equivalent of $15-$20 each. I also bought the "pigtail" wiring harnesses for them which were available for collision repair. There was no prewiring so I wired them to the front turn signals. I had the signals installed by a body shop at a cost of less than $100 but I did the wiring myself. I installed them due to vision issues and because the front turn signals of the early LS were not visible from the side. It was quite a shock to switch from a Mercedes sedan and suddenly realize that people could not see the LS front turn signals from the side. From 98 up, front turn signals on the LS can be seen from the side but still it would be nice to have the side ones too. Not having them has not been much of an issue with my 00 LS but my vision is much improved too. For any particular year, the side mounted turn signals are the same on many U.K./Euro Toyota/Lexus models - I noticed that the side turn signals on Euro Corollas and Land Rovers were the same as on the LS. Some current U.S. Toyota/Scion models have fender mounted side turn signals and they would probably work just as well as the ones used in Europe/U.K. on the LS430: http://www.scion.com/showroom/xa/gallery/ BTW, the side turn signals simply plug into the hole in the fender and are held in place by a "springy plastic thingy" on the signal housing. One changes the bulbs simply by prying the turn signal out with a screw driver. Here is a photo from the gallery showing the side signals on the 90 LS I sold a few years back: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=si&img=803 The U.K. dealer I bought the signals from (Park Lane Lexus/Toyota) had an export license and later shipped other items I ordered by phone to my U.S. address.

I've also had good experiences with Sewell and they have the exact touchup paint you need: http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?...ubCategoryID=87 But a local Toyota dealer was able to order touchup paint for my 00 LS -- they have both Toyota and Lexus logos on them.

I did a Google search today and found some very interesting information about analog service which seems to be vanishing faster than I thought it would. Cingular, for example, announced recently that it plans to discontinue both analog and TDMA service no later than 2008 and by the earliest possible date. Oddly, Cingular still has millions of customers using TDMA phones and they apparently expect all these people to switch to GSM within 1 1/2 years. My wife stopped using her Cingular TDMA/Analog phone only a few months ago and it looks like the tri-mode GSM/TDMA/Analog phones we are currently using are going to become single mode phones soon. Several groups of rural analog cell phone users have banded together to try to get an extension past 2008 but it is looking like the phone companies are going to win. Its all about money and the cost of using so much of the spectrum for analog. On a positive note and as an example, a large chunk of the midwest where we drive had only analog service just three years ago but has decent GSM coverage now. The phone companies (at least Cingular) seem to be trying hard to expand their GSM coverage very quickly. Still, there are lots of rural areas where you can't get any kind of cellular service. Based on what I found today, even if you could get analog service, it would be for a very short duration.

Have you checked with the major carriers? i.e., Verizon, Cingular There is still a lot of analog service available in the U.S. -- particularly in rural areas. My Nokia (Cingular) is analog as well as GSM and TDMA and I can sometimes tell that it is in analog mode in rural areas -- particularly when it is not in the car kit using the external antenna. But I agree with Blake and dfkd -- I am much more pleased with my handheld and its car kit than the fixed phone in the console that I used for 10 years in the previous LS.

Here is an old thread which includes a description of the three Platinum Series variations: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...232&hl=Platinum

We have had three cars tinted in the past four years and I don't remember any of them having actual bubbles under the tint on the day the tinting was done. All had a milky haze that disappeared over about a one week period. Maybe the haze was really tiny bubbles but if so, they did not stick out like bubbles. Yes, the windows should not be rolled down for at least a few days (and don't touch the tint!) -- we try to wait at least one week to make sure that the tint is dry. The tint will dry out quickler if done in the summer and the car sits outside in the sun. Here is a website that purports to show the tint maximums for all states - I don't know if it is completely accurate but it is accurate for the state where I live: http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html The max shown for Florida is 28%/15%/15% for front side/rear side/rear window. Darker is better - I wish Kansas allowed what Florida allows. Around here $137 is unheard of for tinting five windows -- it usually runs $190-$240. Everyone applies tint "by hand". Tint shops machine cut the tint so that it perfectly fits without triming.

Sure, your tires will fit on the 2004 16" wheels. A 16" wheel is a 16" wheel - my guess is that both the 99 and 04 wheels are both about 7" wide. Personally, I like the standard 99 GS wheels more than the standard 2004 GS wheels but I guess it is all in what you want.

Your speedometer accuracy will depend on the section width and profile of the tires you choose for your 18" wheels. For example, it looks like your speedometer will read 6.143% too fast with 225/40R18 tires but just .23% too slow with 245/45-18 tires. Play with the numbers on http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp while checking the available sizes and prices on http://www.tirerack.com/ There are likely a number of other combinations that will keep the speedo error low. You might want to ask others how they like a particular wheel size / tire size combination on their 98-00 LS since there can be a noticeable effect on ride quality and a reduction of tread life.

You can see the LS430 color keyed mudflups on the Lexus South Africa Website: http://www.lexus.co.za/showroom/ls/gallery.html Highlight the "top right" small image of the LS430 and then click on "1024x768" when the enlarged version of the photo is displayed. Similar photos are in the gallery of the Lexus Australia site.

FYI, it might helpful to others if you put the year of your LS430 in the "car model" field or in your "signature". If your LS430 is "brand-new" and includes Bluetooth, consider getting a "Bluetooth Complimentary Kit" available from Lexus in the U.K. Until recently, there was a link on the U.K. Lexus LS430 webpage to an accessory catalog describing this kit. The link seems to now be missing but here is a link to the accessory catalog for the GS which contains what appears to be the same Bluetooth Complimentary Kit that was shown in the LS430 catalog: http://www.lexus.co.uk/Images/GS430Accesso...m254-198432.pdf Here is the text from the Lexus GS accessories catalog: "BLUETOOTH COMPLEMENTARY KIT Communication is the very essence of modern life. The Lexus Bluetooth complementary kit improves the organization and quality of telephony as you drive. The system's ingenious interchangable cable-less cradle sits neatly in the central armrest where it not only keeps your phone secure but also recharges the battery. Adding to this is a discreet external antenna which enhances reception while minimising the effects of electro-magnetic interference. Importantly, you can take the cradle and your phone to use in another car fitted with the same system. Similarly, if someone else with a different phone wants to use your car, or if you change your phone, all you need to do is change the cradle and not the whole kit." I remember from the LS430 accessory catalog that the kit's cradle goes in the center armrest -- same as in the GS. Besides the Bluetooth kit, the U.K. GS accessories catalog contains everything that was in the last U.K. LS430 accessories catalog I saw: trailer hitch, rear and car-top bike racks, ski rack, ski box, surf board carrier, etc., etc.

Here is some trivia about radio remote controls: Some of the more expensive European made radios had a connection for a simple remote control at least as far back as the mid 1950's. The 1956 Mercedes 190SL I owned had a remote control on the steering column that changed radio stations on its Becker Mexico radio -- it looked a bit like a turn signal lever. Some of the more expensive 1950's era (and newer) Mercedes sedans had simple (foot operated!) radio remote controls for back seat passengers. The remotes could be connected "in series" so that, in theory, every passenger could have his own. The really "sick" part of this story is that I just now went out to the garage and found one of these old foot operated remote controls in a box -- it is unused and looks brand new. Even sicker, I bought it decades ago and I knew where it was stored.