obergc

I also have a 93 LS that the doors don't lock or unlock automatically and I wish that it did have that feature. I have another car that has this feature and when we drive the Lexus, quite often we forget to lock the doors and that can be bad for your health. I don't believe that the 93 can be programmed to do this although it would be quite easy to modify the system to work that way.

Who is your insurance company? I had a similar crack in my 93 LS windshield this summer and State Farm here in Florida replaced it with a windshield from Lexus without hesitation. The reason that they went to Lexus for the windshield is that it had a bronze tint that the cheaper replacement shops that they were using didn't have it. I wouldn't let them put a windshield in that alters the appearance.

What he was showing you is a simple tester designed to measure the specific gravity (density) of your antifreeze. Basically he is telling you that your antifreeze mixture is weak. It probably wouldn't hurt to flush and refill your system if you don't know if it's ever been done. I would be getting my antifreeze through Lexus/Toyota since they use an antifreeze that is pink in color, not the typical green you normally find used in older US made autos. There are other brands of red/pink antifreeze out there but I don't think you can go wrong if you get it from Toyota.

There are actually two switch circuits in each door switch. Not saying that is positively what is causing your problem but it's possible that one switch circuit is ok while the second circuit could be dirty. If you open the drivers door and without inserting the key in the ignition switch, are your seat memory switches working properly? They are also controlled by the door switch without having the key in the ignition.

I don't think your problem is particularly common, I haven't seen many posts if any at all concerning your problem. I can see why the switch is a little on the pricey side, looking at the shop manual for a 93 model, the park/neutral switch is also used for inputs into the electronic controlled transmission to tell the transmission what your gear selection is. My manual shows a total of 10 terminals in the connector to the switch. The manual talks about adjusting the switch but I did not find any particular instructions for making any adjustments.

The door ajar light is an easy problem to troubleshoot and can be caused by the door open switch. Problems with these switches can cause a host of problems. It is unlikely that you have 4 bad door switches so if the light doesn't come on when you open the drivers door, open the other doors and see if it comes on. If it fails to come on when you open any of the doors, it can very likely be a bad bulb. If it comes on with any of the other doors open, the bulb is obviously ok. If the problem turns out to be a switch, email me at obergc@cox.net and I will send you a procedure for cleaning and repairing the switches at almost zero cost.

Something you might look into is worn bushings in the front end suspension that might have some movement caused by the braking action of the wheel. I think this is a fairly common problem with the 1st gen LS.

You got a good price for the two books, you might consider also purchasing the book with all the electrical schematics. Most of them are in the second volume with my manuals for the 93 but it is much easier to find your way through the smaller manual. As far as the a/c work is concerned, if you have some basic equipment you and have a basic understanding of how an a/c system works, the manuals contain all the info you need to do the job. I replaced the a/c compressor, the evaporator expansion valve, the condensor following the guidanace in the manuals. What you need to be aware of is that prior to the 93 model, the a/c system used R12 freon which is very, very difficult and expensive to get if you don't have some stached away. with the 93 and after, the a/c system uses R 134A which you can buy easily, SAMS Club had a 30 lb tank for around $60. If you are going to convert your R12 system to R134A, you have to completely purge the system and remove all the mineral oil that is used with the R12 system. The R134A system uses a synthetic oil and the oils are not compatible. You should also change out all the O rings in the system because the R134A system uses a different type. BTW, if you do need a new compressor, check with Pace Compressors in Tampa Fl. They had rebuilts for $299 last summer when I changed out mine and the replacement is working great. If your compressor has destroyed it self, you should also consider installing a line filter in the suction line to trap all the debris in your system to prevent it from causing a secondary compressor failure. Good luck. You will find those manuals to be most valuable.

The regulator is internal to the alternator. Curt

Florida has no deductible for windshield replacement with Comprehensive Insurance coverage and I had my 93 LS windshield replaced this year with a windshield that was supplied by Lexus. The windshield had a bronze tint that locally was available only from Lexus. The insurance company, State Farm didn't quibble one bit about the price, I think the glass was $700 - $800 . Curt

Best advice I can give you is to get the VIN and take it to the nearest Lexus Dealership and ask for them to search their records for maintenance. I purchased a 93 LS last April that had 99K miles on it and found out that it had a new timing belt, water pump, alternator, powersteering pump, and ball joints installed at 86K miles. I didn't hesisitate to pay the $7400 asking price and haven't been sorry. Most expensive problem I have had was that I had an a/c compressor failure soon after I purchased it but I did all the a/c repair work myself and it has been a GREAT car. You can expect to have some nit noy minor electrical problems but I have had no majoy problems. I think the engine and transmission are about as bullet proof as you will find out there for that vintage auto. Curt

A lot of controversy and conflicting information out there on that subject. I think the best information comes from a member who stated that he broke a timing belt due to a frozen water pump as I recall and he stated that his engine suffered no damage as a result. Curt O

If the new battery is fully charged and all you get is a click when you try to start, first thing to check is all your battery cabling and make sure there is no corrosion. Pay particular attention to all the ground cabling that grounds the engine to the chassis. If all the cabling is in good condition condition and the battery is new and fully charged then as a last resort you might start thinking of the starter. The LS starter is located under the intake manifold, located between the two cylinder banks. Curt

I purchased a 1969 MG new and the owners manual said that as soon as the oil pressure gage was registering normal, to put the car in gear and drive away slowly. It said that doing this would get the engine and drivetrain up to temperature quicker which would reduce wear and tear on the engine. I have lived in the sunbelt for most of my life and never drive in the brutally cold parts of the country. I have used this procedure on every car that I have owned since 1969 and have unusually good reliability with my car engines. Just my humble opinion. Curt

Rice, Is it just your seat memory that isn't working or are all memory functions like mirrors, steering column, etc. inop also? Could be something else causing your seat memory problem.

If they are rebalancing the tires when you take it back, then you might be throwing weights as these gents have all suggested but if the problem persists after doing everything suggested, you might, just might have some bad tires. I had a problem similar to what you describe years ago with a set of American built steel belted radials. They would ride smooth for a while and then start shaking the car again. Everytime I took the car back, the balance had changed but in the mean time they told me that I had bent rims, NOT, bad shocks, NOT, and was blaming everything but the tires. Eventually, I got tired of messing with it and bought a set of Michelins for the car, problem gone forever. To this day I have a hard time trusting American built steel belted radials. Curt

Travis, I don't know of anyone who has had their seat leather redyed but if it works, $75 sounds like a very reasonable price to me. If you have it done, let us know how it turns out. Curt

Someone posted a message on this before and stated that he had used a solder in lightbulb for replacement . I believe it was a type 2182 bulb although there was some question as to whether the 14V rating was correct. Whatever the case, Mouser Electronics has a good selection of these types of bulbs at various voltage levels that you can check out at this link. http://www.mouser.com/catalog/616/87.pdf This is where I will look for replacement bulbs when mine start to burn out. Curt

Don't know for sure about your 90 but on a 93, most of the a/c functions are powered by a 15A fuse labeled "Heater" and it is located in Junction Block 1 which is under the instrument panel, drivers side, to the left of the steering column tube. Curt

Some very good advice from both of these gentlemen Blaxus. Driving an older, high mileage LS400 doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if you don't mind getting a little grease under your fingernails every now and then. Curt

It's possible that the door might not be aligned properly and is causing the forward edge of the door to hit the fender when opening. Check to see if you are not scraping paint off the door edge. I had a similar problem with another car a long time ago and it made a popping noise when the door finally cleared the fender. Just a thought. Curt

Richard, It does say that you are bidding on 2 front + 2 rear rotors but that price seems more logical for a single rotor, it is definitely too good a price for 4 rotors. I replaced the front rotors on my wifes old caddy last year and they were plain jane Bendix rotors and cost me about $80/rotor. I agree with VMF, some kind of catch here. Curt

It looks like a standard gear puller in the picture Joe. The trick will be to find one that will fit right. Autozone has a loan a tool program that might do the trick. Check this one out. http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?F...tie_rod_end.jsp Curt O

Send VBDenny a PM, he has a good tutorial that shows exactly how to change the bulbs without doing any damage. Curt O

Here's another document describing a repair for a fuel gage problem. Curt Lexus_Fuel_Gage_Repair.doc