1990LS400

17 hours ago, Earl W. said:

     I am having this kind of problem as well, my 94 LS 400 looses power or dies when I accelerate for any small period. 
     I replaced the fuel pump and pick up screen, only after I discovered I couldn’t find a in line filter. 
     I still have the same problem and I’m currently searching for the proper fix. So if anyone has a fix, please let me know. Thank you

The most direct way to a fix without throwing parts at a problem is to take your car to a professional mechanic who understands these cars.

I suppose you could open the trunk pass through door behind the rear seat armrest.

If your LS430 had the Ultra Luxury package with the separate rear HVAC system, that might have been why its trunk temperature was closer to that of the interior.

On 1/21/2020 at 7:13 AM, Gloria Schlanser said:

I bought my IS 250 new and it came with a 3 month free XM subscription which at the time I did not really take advantage of; fast forward to 2019 and a get a deal for a 3 year subscription which I signed up for. However, I find now that I get a horrible signal I am constantly losing and I don't even get one full song to play. It doesnt matter if it is a cloudy or clear day or where I am, the signal is constantly lost and the music plays in pieces if at all most of the time

It might take a Lexus dealer to diagnose the problem.  A common cause is a defective antenna.  One thing you could try is to have the signal refreshed.  IIRC, there is an option on the XM website for refreshing the signal after you log on.  Edit:  After logging on to the XM website, look for "Refresh My Radio".

XM reception varies widely.  I live in the Kansas City area and sometimes lose reception while driving down tree lined streets, under overpasses and around tall buildings.  I lose the single everytime I pull into my garage too.  I listen to XM quite a lot.  It's much improved from what it was a few years ago.

Edit:  One more thing.  I've found it best to never start one of our vehicles in our garage with the radio on and set to XM.  If I do, reception is poor until I turn the ignition off and back on.  I've learned to either turn the radio off when entering my garage or to change the radio from XM to any other source ... FM, Bluetooth, etc.

15 hours ago, Carleton said:

So is there anything I can do, or do I just have to live with getting 28mpg? The car only has 50k miles, could it really be the traction battery already? And if so, would that be covered by warranty? 

I suppose you could have a Lexus dealer evaluate your car's drive train "health".  Even if the traction battery is declining prematurely, my understanding is that has to be pretty much dead to get any warranty coverage on it.

Did your ES come with low rolling resistance tires and, if so, is that the type of tire you are using now?  I didn't mention a reason for our Prius decline in fuel economy is that we have stopped using LRR tires on it due to their punishing ride and poor traction.  Having Blizzak winter tires on it currently certainly isn't helping fuel economy.

Is the ICE obviously running most of the time?  Does the ICE shut off when stopped in traffic and when driving down hills?  Does the traction battery charging level gauge stay at a low level?  Are you doing much stop and go driving that would cause regenerative braking to happen? 

Perhaps you could sign up on the fuelly website and track your fuel usage there.

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2012 CT200h are:  43/40/42 mpg (city/highway/combined)

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2013 ES300h are:  40/39/40 mpg (city/highway/combined)

Maybe the traction battery in the ES300h is getting weak as it ages and causing to ICE to run more than it did when the battery was stronger.  Maybe the ICE in the ES300h has to run more to heat the interior.  The ES300h is a lot heavier (3,660 lb) than a CT200h (3,146 lb) and the EPA testing cycle doesn't necessarily take that into account.  It's unusual for a vehicle to get EPA rating fuel economy in real world driving.

Not many people on the "fuelly" website are getting 40 mpg combined in a 2013 ES300h - take a look for yourself:  http://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/es300h/2013   One has to remember that many people who use the fuelly website are trying hard to get good fuel mileage and using driving techniques not acceptable to most drivers.

Our 2012 Prius v has the same hybrid drive train as the 2012 CT200h and weighs about 125 pounds more.  It been getting from 33 to 36 mpg the last few tank fulls in city street only driving.  It's EPA rating is 44/40/42 (city/highway/combined).  33 to 36 mpg is a long way from the EPA city rating of 44 mpg.

Cars often don't get as good fuel economy on winter blend gasoline.

Unless you are desperate to same money on fuel, I suggest you reduce the tire pressure to a reasonable level and at least be comfortable.

There is a photo of the location on page 220 under "Emergency towing" in the 1999 RX300 owners manual which you can view online at https://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM48401U/pdf/OM48401U_edited.pdf

It's going to take a Lexus dealership or an indie repair shop that specializes in these cars to diagnose the problem.  Offhand, it sounds like you have a fuel/air mixture issue - maybe a throttle body problem - but only a knowledgeable technician can tell you for sure.

These cars are not cheap to keep running as they age. 

The pass through from the trunk into the interior is explained in the owners manual on page 248.

The trunk release on the inside of the trunk that allows a trapped person to open the trunk is explained on page 24.

The owners manual for the 2007 ES350 can be viewed online at https://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM33729U/pdf/OM33729U.pdf

It's very doubtful that all four wheel caps would become equally fragile and break at the same time but it's pointless to argue with Costco.  Maybe a Costco employee thought he had to wack them hard into place not realizing they snap into place with little effort.  Or perhaps they were already weakened to some extent.  

I've never had an OEM Lexus or Toyota center cap break although I've had a few aftermarket center caps break.  I've only recently started to have others - usually Costco - rotate my tires ... I'm getting lazy in my old age.

I've bought many items from eBay including from eBay sites for European countries.  So far I've never had a problem.  If the same product is on eBay and Amazon, I prefer to buy from Amazon.

If you buy wheel caps from an online seller, be sure to get the size you need.  Measure your current wheel caps and verify the size with the seller.

The dealer installed Lexus phone systems turned down the HVAC fan speed when a call was in progress but I don't think they affected anything else other than mute the audio system until the call was completed.  

Take it to a Lexus dealer or an independent Lexus repair shop for a diagnosis.  When I had what sounds like a similar problem 10 years ago on the 2000 LS400 I sold in 2014, the cause was an intermittently failing throttle position sensor.  That doesn't mean that your car is having the same problem.

Has the CD changer ever worked?

What kind of problem are you having?

Are there any CD's currently in the changer?  If so, can you play them?

I didn't find any conversion kits but there are currently a number of SC430 compact spare tires for sale on eBay.  Finding a full kit for a car that was discontinued 10 years ago is a stretch.

Here's an old Club Lexus forum thread about someone fabricating their own kit:  https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc430-2nd-gen-2001-2010/367394-sc430-spare-tire-kit-substitute.html 

Edit:  I was surprised that I found that the OEM spare wheel is still available as a new part - especially since it was originally not available in the U.S.:  https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/lexus-wheel-disc~42611-24430.html?Make=Lexus&Model=SC430&Year=2010&Submodel=&Filter=()

Edit #2:  LOL, the spare wheel cover for the "trunk" is still available:  https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/lexus-cover-spare-wheel~64771-24042-b0.html?Make=Lexus&Model=SC430&Year=2010&Submodel=&Filter=()

The problem might be in the overhead console since that is where your "dead" components are located.  Maybe a connector for the overhead console is corroded.

I forgot which function it was but something in the overhead console in the LS400 I bought new in 1990 failed at around the 12 year mark.  The indie Lexus repair shop that maintained the car for me quickly determined that the overhead console was defective, couldn't be repaired and replaced it with a new one.  That was a long time ago but I remember that the new replacement overhead console was surprisingly inexpensive.  I also remember that the technician moved the Homelink unit from the old console to the new one and I didn't have to do any reprogramming for my garage doors.

So maybe drop the overhead console and look at the connector(s).  I can't tell you how to remove it.  I removed the overhead console on my first LS400 and remember (I think) that I had to carefully pry out the light lens to expose hidden screws that held the console in place.

I found a used replacement overhead console on eBay for around $60 but I don't know if it's the color or version you need.  

I finally found a diagram ... didn't think to look in the interior lamp section.

2 hours ago, Uncle Shm said:

Thanks for your reply, Jim.

I just thought it was quite unusual that none of the cars I checked in dealers' inventories had this option. Online I have looked at 25+ "loaded" vehicles at Southern California dealers, and not one shows this option.

This is surprising, in that just about every moderately equipped vehicle I have seen (Toyota Rav4, Acura, Volvo, etc.,) has this feature.

I'm wondering if Lexus has found some problems with this option, and is not shipping it yet.

That's odd.  When I did a "build" of a 2020 RX350 on Lexus.com, I didn't see any mention of the optional 360 degree panoramic monitor.  It wasn't shown as being included in a package or as a standalone option.  Maybe it is not yet available.  I've see a "stop sale" on features before when problems were discovered.  That happened on the Sienna I special ordered in 2014 - there was a stop sale on the trailer hitch which I had to approve before the factory would accept my order.  There was also a stop sale on a feature we wanted on a 2014 Acura MDX we had special ordered - we cancelled the MDX order because of that and then immediately ordered the Sienna.

A Lexus dealership should be able to tell you what is going on.

The Panoramic View Monitor is listed in the 2020 RX sales brochure as an available option:  http://www.auto-brochures.com/makes/lexus/RX/Lexus_US RX_2020.pdf

Dealers don't always order and stock unsold vehicles with particular options.  If you want the optional Panoramic View Monitor, you could do a special order and get exactly what you want.  The RX350 is assembled in Ontario and shouldn't take all that long to get.  The last Toyota brand vehicle we bought was assembled in Indiana and took exactly 28 days to get on a special order.

You said in your first post that you are "Usually listening to music from my phone before I’m out of the garage."

If you are using Apple Airpod earbuds to listen to music from your phone, they connect to your phone via Bluetooth - same as your Lexus does.  If using Airpods, verify that they are not connected to your iPhone when you start your Lexus.  To make sure or just as a test, toggle Bluetooth on your phone off and then back on before starting your car and see if that helps.

There were reports of a flaky iPhone update in the past couple of months that caused connectivity issues but I haven't seen anyone complain lately and assumed that it's been fixed.

Is your phone connected to other devices before you go to your car?  For example, if my Android phone is connected to our household Bluetooth phone system, it will usually not connect to any of our car systems until I drive away from the house and then I usually have to manually initiate the connection.  I've got so used to pressing the off-hook button on the steering wheel and then selecting "connect phone" on the in-dash screen that I don't have to think about it.

Does your phone have difficulty connecting to your car Bluetooth system when you are away from your house?  If not, then that's a sign that something at your house is interfering with your phone connecting to your car's Bluetooth.   My Android phone never hesitates to connect to one of our car Bluetooth systems when I'm away from the house.

1 hour ago, SRX said:

I'll also check if my dealership participates in the Costco Auto Program.

If you have a Costco membership, you can check to see if there are nearby participating Lexus dealers at https://www.costcoauto.com/parts_and_service/

The way the program works, you print the discount certificate and then take it to a participating dealership.

Are you sure that the message says "CD" and not "SD"?  My guess is that it can't read the SD card that has the navigation maps.  Is the SD card still inserted in it's slot?

Does the RX hybrid work differently than Prius hybrids?  The battery that starts the ICE in our Prius is the traction battery and not the 12V battery.  A serviceable 12V battery is necessary to run the dashboard components including the radio and to trigger the traction battery to run the car in EV mode and to trigger the traction battery to start the ICE when necessary but power from the 12V battery does not actually start the ICE.

I replaced the 12V battery in our 2012 Prius v for the first time a few week ago with an OEM battery from a Toyota dealership.  My wife was in a hurry so I didn't wait for other battery suppliers to open to see if they had a 12V battery to fit the Prius.  I bought the new OEM battery at a Toyota dealership that participates in the Costco Auto Program at a 15% discount.  I later found that Batteries Plus has a 12V battery that fits our Prius but it wasn't much cheaper.  I just checked and saw that Batteries Plus has a 12V battery for the RX450h for $215.    

I assume you pressed the TPMS reset button.  One of the sensor batteries could be dead.  They sometimes start failing at 8 to 10 years.  A tire shop should be able to read diagnose the problem including reading the strength of all the batteries with a handheld tool that they hold next to the wheels.  The batteries are not replaceable which means buying new sensors.  If one of the sensor batteries is dead, you might as well replace all the sensors.

This question has been asked many times on car forums.  An Android phone's media audio must be connected to the vehicle in-dash system and the audio of the in-dash system must be set on Bluetooth in order to hear Google Maps voice instructions through the car speakers.  Unfortunately, it is not possible to listen to radio stations while doing that.  It's just the way it works.

A workaround I've used is to connect my Android phone's media audio to a small aftermarket portable Bluetooth speaker.  When I do that, I can listen to radio on the in-dash system while hearing the Google Maps voice instructions on the portable speaker.

This issue was resolved when the 2020 ES got Android Auto.  It would be wonderful if Toyota/Lexus would retrofit Android Auto to previous model year vehicles that have the Linux based in-dash system like it did when it retrofitted Apple CarPlay but I don't know if that will happen.  

The Club Lexus forum is far more active:  https://www.clublexus.com/forums/

Activity in LS400 forums have declined as these cars have disappeared.  

The Lexus brand and the LS400 were introduced into the U.S. in the fall of 1989.  My late next door neighbor bought an LS400 the first week they were available in 1989 and I bought one in early 1990.  I sold mine for $4,000 in 2003 after driving it 183,000 miles.

An early LS400 should be easy to sell in California if it is in at all decent condition.  There is still a lot of interest in them - especially from the very young.

Value is dependent on mileage, condition, features, interior and interior color and prices in your local market, e.g. from $500 to $5,000.

On 11/19/2019 at 3:13 PM, Brownize said:

Hi all, 

I seem to have the same problem as the OP. I have a 2001 LS430 (love it!) and put in an upgraded disk and got an error message. So I put back the original factory disk and still get the same  "Disk read error. Check disk" message and can't click the "I agree". I tried the negative battery method suggested and it started reloading for a few seconds and then gave the same error message. Any other ideas? ... besides a trip to the dealer 

Thanks

Did you use an original generation 2/3 disc?  If you used a later generation disc or a pirated disc, it might have updated the navigation system software from which there may be no return.  Navigation updates usually didn't change the way the system looked or functioned other than one of the early updates eliminated the need to press "I agree". 

The only discs that work to update a generation 2/3 system have part numbers like the following:

West Dealers:  PT219-GN23W-XX

East Dealers:  PT219-GN23E-XX

The "XX" in the above part numbers represent the update year.  The last year an update was issued for generation 2/3 was 2013, e.g. the part numbers for that update would end in "-13".

IIRC, it's possible to update the generation 2/3 system to generation 4 by installing a generation 4 DVD drive and using a generation 4 disc but there's not much interest in doing that anymore since the last generation 4 update was in 2015.