obergc

ok, you forced me to read the shop manual. Wasn't even aware of it but there is an electronic control unit for the power steering that controls a solenoid in a control valve located on the rack. The solenoid controls steering effort, when checking, manual says that at idle, it should take a max of 8.8 lbs steering effort and when you disconnect connector to solenoid, steering effort should almost double to 15.5 lbs max. If steering effort does not increase with the solenoid disconnected, manuall says replace solenoid/control valve on rack. The power steering ecu output is controlled by the vehicle speed signal. The solenoid connector is located on the rack, near where the power steering hydraulic lines attach. I assume this electronic control is for increased steering effort at higher speeds. Sounds like a fairly simple check and it might be worth while to make sure your high steering forces are not caused by the power steering ecu or wiring or a loose connector?? Just a thought. Curt

Years ago GM had a problem with some car models power steering racks having "morning sickness". The cars were very hard to steer until after the power steering fluid heated up and then the power steering was normal. Maybe your rack is having a similar problem, don't know, just a thought. It was a rack problem, not the pumps in that case. Curt

When you checked the throttle body, did you open the aft throttle plate and check the backside of it as well as the bore behind the aft throttle plate, that is where the grime forms. If you just look down the throttle bore, it looks clean. My car had a LOT of goop built up behind the aft throttle plate, just a thought. Curt

Could be a dirty throttlebody, had similar problems with a 93 with 100K. Developed erratic idle and occassional what felt like a miss at partial throttle, ran fine wide open throttle. Put a can of BG 44K fuel injector cleaner in it and cleaned the throttle body and smooth running returned immediately. I believe the throttle body cleaning helped the most. Curt

Recently my LS400 developed a rough idle and a hesisitation or miss when driving at partial throttle like in city traffic. I performed an "on vehicle" throttlebody cleaning that has restored the normal smooth idle that I was used to. My 93 LS400 has 100K and I imagine that anyone who has a first gen LS with similar milage also has a throttlebody that is rather dirty that has been or will be causing similar problems. I put together a 26 slide power point presentation with photos showing the procedure for doing the cleaning that any moderate DIY'er can perform for about $2.00 worth of materials. The presentation is an approximately 1.5 meg download and you will need power point viewer installed on your computer to watch it. The powerpoint viewer is free at http://www.microsoft.com/office/000/viewers.asp. If anyone is interested in receiving the power point presentation you can email me at obergc@cox.net and I will send it to you. This is not a difficult thing to do but anyone who uses the presentation assumes all responsibility for any damage to their car and for any injuries they might sustain while doing the procedure. The file is too large to attach to this message, and I don't know if there is any way that I could post it in the forum so that it would be available to all. Let me know if you are interested. Curt

I just installed a set of the Michelin MXV Plus tires on my 93 LS. The price your dealer quoted you is not out of line, I paid $676 for the four including mounting, balancing and sales tax from the local Sams Club here in Florida. That was the best price I could find for them. I have no complaint about the ride or noise so far but to tell you the truth I haven't done a lot of interstate driving since I put them on, they are quite around town. Curt

I have a 93 LS that the tach and speedometer were both working intermittently. They would usually not work out of the driveway and would independently start to work whenever the spirit moved them. These gauges share a common ground point and I was convinced that there was a problem with the ground. About a month ago I removed the instrument cluster and very carefully checked everything over for good, clean connections. Snugged all the screws down snug (not overtightening) and then put the cluster back in. Everything worked for about a week then the same problem again. Removed the cluster again and this time fabricated a wire harness to bypass the traces on the flexcircuit board and then carefully resoldered connections on the circuit board ground plane traces. This time the gauges have been working good for about 3 weeks. The tach is actually a very simple circuit in the instrument cluster. You have a signal that comes in from the ignition coil that is routed through a single resistor on the bigger circuit board, power and a ground lead that connect to the meter. I wouldn't mess with these circuit boards unless you are experienced in electronic repair and have the proper equipment. Being ham fisted with a soldering iron on these circuit boards can be disastrous. Good luck, Curt

Northwest Florida here, Fort Walton Beach Curt

I would read the owners manual and do what it says. I imagine that your car has a knock sensor like my 93 LS and if the engine is knocking, it will !Removed! the timing but this means your engine is not running the way it was designed to. Why would you want to risk harming your expensive engine in your expensive car to save a few bucks. Curt

If your 92 a/c plumbing s anything like my 93, (although your's is probably an R12 system unless it has been converted to R134), there actually isn't a whole lot of rubber type plumbing in it, the majority of it is metal tubing. My 93 has 100K and I recently had to change the compressor since it was frozen up, I had a blinking a/c light on the a/c control panel. I cut into the suction line next to the manifold on the compressor to install an inline filter that I bought at Pace Compressors in Tampa, Fl for $25. This section of the suction line has about 15" of rubber tubing. The inside of the tubing is vinyl lined and it looked brand new inside. Don't know if your tubing is made of the same material since my car came with R134a from the factory. If a line was deteriorating, an inline filter would catch the crap and keep it out of the tiny orifices in the a/c system. A few questions for you, did your mechanic put R12 in your a/c or was it converted previously? Do you have a blinking A/C lite on the control panel? Are you certain that the compressor is running with the a/c turned on? If you have a blockage in the expansion valve that is located in the evaporator core, it will try to pull a vacuum on the suction line when the compressor is running. Best thing to do is get a set of gauges and connect them to the suction and high pressure ports and see what the system pressures are when the compressor is running. You should see some sweating on the suction line and it should be cool to the touch of everything is working the way it should. Curt

Here is the link that has the repair procedures. I did this repair on my LS 400 and the results are great. Good luck. Curt http://www.cureline.net/lex/howtos/howto_h...hood_shocks.htm

If they replaced the expansion valve in your a/c, they probably disconnected the passenger side airbag connections that are attached to a plate on the left side of the glove compartment. Good chance that they didn't connect it back up when they put it back together. I would take it back to the place that did the a/c work and tell them to fix it right. I wouldn't mess with this yourself, you might have an air bag go off in your face. Check to see if they replaced the expansion valve or worked on the evaporator core at all during your a/c repair work. If they did I will bet that they left the passenger side air bag disconnected. Curt

Somewhere in this forum there was a link to another site that had instructions for installing Mighty Lift hood struts from Autozone on a LS 400 hood. Autozone does have one, lifetime warranty that fits although you will not find it in their system as listed for a Lexus LS 400. Good information , I don't have the info on the site on this computer but if you do a search you should be able to find it in the archives. I have the autozone struts on my car, easy installation. You do have to do a bit of drilling on the old struts to get the fittings off the end but a piece of cake, really. Curt

Neat program, I like it. Curt

What car and what year? Curt

Your compressor is locked up and your a/c system is probably full of metal fragments now. I had the same problem and best price I could find for a compressor was Pace Compressors in Tampa, Fl. This will be a fairly expensive repair job if you take it to a shop. Your 91 originally had R12 freon installed, has someone converted it to R134A gas? If so, and the conversion wasn't done properly, that could be the cause of the failure. If it wasn't converted before, you will probably need to do it during the repair. You should change all the 0-rings in the system and have a thorough system flush to get all the metal debris and the old mineral oil used with the R12 systems. The R134 systems use a PAG synthetic oil and the two oils are not compatible. Good luck. Curt

-Do you have a blinking A/C light on the climate control panel? If so your compressor is locked up. There is a sensor on the back of the compressor that senses when the compressor isn't turning when it should be. There is a connector for the sensor on the back of the compressor. It is located right above the oil filter. If they changed the filter, maybe they messed with the wiring while they were in there. The compressor actually is pretty easy to replace, it comes out from the top, remove the battery and battery tray first and you have plenty of room. Good place to get a replacement rebuilt compresor is Pace Compressor in Tampa Florida. Replacement is $200 plus shipping, at least that's what I paid for mine. Curt

I recently purchased a 93 LS with 100K and all of the expensive maintenance was done recently. It has a new alternator, new power steering pump, new front end ball joints, timing belt replaced about 12K miles ago, basically a well maintained auto. Get the VIN number of the car and go to the Lexus service department and they call get you a printout of all of the maintenance that any Lexus dealership has done on the car. However, even with all of the work that had been done fairly recently, I have had some pretty expensive work done on my car. The tires were worn unevenly so I put a new set of Michelin V rated tires on and I had a 4 wheel alignment done. The a/c compressor froze up and I ended up replacing almost the entire a/c system, new compressor, receiver/drier/expansion valve. I also had to replace the power antenna mast and repair the outside mirrors. I have also had problems with the tach and speedometer needles working intermittently. Other then the tires and the wheel alignment, I have been able to fix all of the other problems with the information in the shop manuals that I purchased. BTW, the shop manuals was the best investment so far, worth their weight in gold. At the present time, I have a beautifully running 93 LS, very quiet and smooth running and EVERYTHING on the car is working like a new car. I am keeping my fingers crossed, all the drivetrain components have performed flawlessly so far. Good luck with your purchase and realize that if you buy a used car with 105K miles, you can expect some hefty repairs, you will find out why the previous owner got rid of the car probably. Good luck in your purchase, I now know a LOT BETTER of what to look for then I did when I purchased the LS. The Lexus dealer with the VIN number in your hand is a good place to start. Curt

Fpr 93 LS400 it is 48 ft lb for the upper ball joint x steering knuckle and it is 112 ft lb for the lower ball joint x lower arm. Assume that the values are the same for the 92 but not certain. Curt

Nothing fancy or exotic in the shop manual, tells you to put a pan under the filter because you will lose some fuel, says to slowly loosen the connections and then plug the line with a rubber plug. You will probably minimize the fuel loss if you let the car set overnight after driving it to allow the fuel pressure to bleed down. Worse time to change filter would be right after running the engine obviously. Shop manual on the 93 LS400 shows filter located in front of left rear wheel. Curt

Send Jim Walker at jimlwalker@sbcglobal.net an email, he can probably help you out. Curt

Interesting replys here and most obviously have never owned a caddy. I happen to own a 94 Cadillac Concours and a 93 LS 400. No doubt that the Lexus is quieter and smoother but Cadillac chose to give the Northstar engine a throaty V8 sound deliberately The handling you get with the Seville depends on what model you buy, the SLS is a softer ride while the STS is a sportier ride and I guarantee you that it doesn't waddle and lean around in the turns as some would have you believe. With the FWD caddy, you really have to watch it when you floor the throttle if you have the steering wheel turned like as when pulling out to pass, the engine torque can almost pull the steering wheel out of your hands if you aren't ready for it, you will never feel that in the Lexus with the RWD. The caddy Northstar engine does have some issues to beware of, some burn oil, some leak oil, some do neither, if you overheat it you can end up with a very, very expensive repair job. Some people prefer FWD while others prefer RWD, I personally like the power to the rear wheels. No doubt that in a standing start, my caddy will run away from the LS 400 from the stop light but the LS probably has a better top speed. Overall, I like the engineering in the LS400 a little better, for instance, both cars have an electronic speed sensor in the transmission. In the caddy, it is a common fail item that only costs a little but it's about $2000 labor to replace the part since you have to drop the entire engine/transmission to replace the part. The caddy's have an electronic diagnostics function for all the cars electronics that the Lexus engineers would do well to copy. You can access all of the trouble codes for the engine, suspension system, body computers, etc. through the message center, no scanners, jumped pins, counting light blinks, etc required. There is a big difference in the mileage between my LS400 and the 94 Concours with the LS at 100K and the Concours at 40K. Other then oil changes, I have done absolutely nothing to the Caddy, in fact the car still has the original tires on it with good rubber left. I have only owned the LS for about 3 months now and have had to replace the a/c compressor, condenser, expansion valve, repair the outside mirror control, the adjustment switch did not work, repair the instrument panel cluster, the speedometer and tach would work only occassionally, had to pull it out twice before I finally got it repaired, and had to replace the power antenna mast. The leather seats and interior of the caddy are still in perfect shape, my LS has a small split in the leather on the drivers seat seating area. The caddy leather is softer while the LS leather feels heavier and firmer. I think both cars are fine autos in their own ways. The Seville will have an active suspension system where the individual shocks are very, very expensive and replacing the shocks with OEM parts can cost thousands of dollars. My LS does not have the air suspension and I am thankful for that because I'm sure that the shocks would be equally expensive. My LS already had a new power steering pump, alternator, and a timing belt replaced shortly before I bought it. Any car will have parts that will wear out through normal wear and tear, like windshield wipers, brake pads, water pumps, alternator, a/c compressors, etc. I think the LS 400 engine/transmission drivetrain will be more trouble free then the caddy in the long run but you will find many caddy owners with over 200K and still running strong. You will definitely pay more for the LS in a same year with comparable mileage. Lexus, definitely better resale value without a doubt. But that means you can pick up a comparable caddy cheaper, right? I would advise you to look the car/s over well and look beyond the paint job to find a quality car. If you are looking to buy a caddy, you would be well advised to join the cadillac owners group and listen to the problems that they are encountering and learn how to access the electronic fail codes before you make the leap. Could save you thousands of dollars. Curt

Is the paper actually charred or only black? I think that some paper like some of the old fax paper is heat sensitive and can turn black at fairly low temps. Just a guess. If it is actually charred, I would be pulling the fuse to the lighter before something serious happens. Curt

If your remote just stopped working suddenly, check that you haven't accidently turned the remote switch located near the gas door switch off by accident. Last time my wife was looking for a battery for her remote that is what happened. Why not just remove the battery from your remote and get the number off the battery? Just a thought. Curt

If you have any mechanical inclinations and you are a DIY'er, get yourself a Service Manual and go for it. I bought a 93 LS400 a couple of months ago and have been slowly working all the little problems out of it. My experience so far is that sometimes you have to remove a lot of parts to get at the problem but everything comes apart easy and fits back together nicely. I replaced all of the components of the A/C system, compressor, condenser, receiver drier, expansion valve for a total cost of under $1000. I would be afraid to ask what this would have cost at the dealer. Things that I have had to repair on my 93 are: complete A/C system replacement, mast for the power antenna, repair the outside mirrors, neither one worked when I bought it, repaired the instrument cluster, both Tach and Speedometer quit working, replaced hood struts with Autozone struts through info I found in this forum. One thing that you have to consider with a 91 is that the A/C has R-12 freon installed unless it has already been converted. Starting in 93 they had R-134a installed and R-12 is very hard to acquire. The car had a new power steering pump, new altenator, and the timing belts were replaced at 85K miles so I shouldn't have to worry about them for a while but all of these components can and probably cost you bucks down the road if they haven't been replaced already. These components are a common fail for this generation Lexus. Not trying to scare you off, this is the quietest, smoothest running car I have ever owned, check all the maintenance records, go to a Lexus dealer with the VIN and look up what work has been performed. Curt