rich13

I have a LS 400 90 model. Just recently, the brake pedal just went to the flood. Remind you, I havent driven the car in a while(garage kept). I start it up periodically. I replaced the master cyclinder and bleed brakes. I have a hard pedal after bleeding, but when I start it up, the pedal rides to the flood again. What are the chances it may be the brake booster? If so, how do I check to see if working properly. Perhaps, any other suggestions.

First thing check for a leakin the system. I do not think that is the problem. @nd rebleed the brakes you more than likly have a air bubble in the line somewhere. If you do not have a pressure bleeder then fill the master cylinder then remove the bleeder screw from each caliper one at a time and pump the brakes (engine off) and run a bowl of fluid to each caliper. Just opening the bleeder will not always move a air bubble since not alot of fluid come from the bleeder. Take your time. The booster does not sound like the problem. air in the lines sounds like a problem. If there is a local parts store that rents pressure bleeders that would work also. Rich

I lost letter LS in LS400 emblem, anyone know where i can buy it cheap? I found a site selling the whole package (2 L logo, Lexus and LS400) for $200+ I only need letter LS. thanks

Where are the letters located. what year is your car I might have a set if they are on the rear. let me know... Rich

2005 RX330 FWD 49k miles. This problem started about 2 years ago. When I accellerate on a freeway onramp, the AC produces a nasty stink. The best I can describe it as is the smell of a hair salon, specifically when a perm is being done. NASTY! This started happening at about 20k miles. Took it to the dealer, they said "replace the AC filter" to the tune of 100$, so I had them do it. They also sprayed ozium into the AC system, and said that condensation accumulates in the AC system, and to turn off the recirculate button whenever possible. Ok, fine. Did that. 10k miles later, same thing. Long story short, the system has been sprayed 5-6 times in the 3 years we've owned the car, we tried turning off the recirc button before shutting the car off (dealer recommended), the cabin filter has been replaced at least 3 times now, and it still stinks on accelleration. It doesn't happen all the time, and up until recently if we turned off the recirc button while getting on the freeway, it was ok. We have been turning off the recirc button everytime before shutting off the car (its been about 5 weeks since the filter was replaced and ozium sprayed by the dealer), and today when the wife got on the freeway (with the recirc button off), she got that same nasty stink. Anyone else have this problem? We have already spoken to the service manager once about this after like the 5th time bringing it in, but it's still a BIG problem. We're 1k away from the warranty expiring, and I want to get this fixed. I'm thinking it's about time to demand a replacement AC system, or call the lexus customer service line (if that'll do anything). HELP!!!!

AS some have stated the heater box holds the heater core and a/c evaporator core. When the drain tub clogs it holds water. Water creates mold mold creates smell. The best fix is check the drain tube if it is clear this is good. But the box also can collect leaves and other debris this also breaks down molds etc. If this continues you might have to pull the blower motor see if you can reach in can feel any debris in the heater box. You can also smell from there if there is a problem. I have seen where the boxes need to be removed and bleached clean the worst case scenario is to change out the box itself since the smell impregnates the plastic. Good luck.

On the 30K mile service, it says to replace the brake fluid...why is that necessary. I have never heard of doing this on any car. My dealer wants $502.00 to do this 30K service and I am going to do everything I can myself and then take it in for the rest.

Also, does anyone have a website that I can go to and get a list of the TSB's for a 2006 IS350? I know that there are several posts with a link for this side, but when I click the link it shows an error on the page. I have also tried a google search.

Thanks for the help.

High I saw your post on brake fluid. Brake Fluid is water soluable (it breaks down in water) any moisture in the fluid will break the fluid down and with anti lock braking systems in today cars there are electrical sensors the fluid comes in contact with. If the fluid is not changed out it can absorb enough moisture that it can cause corrosion to the anti lock sensors and those parts get real expansive real fast. The fluid should be changed by pressure flushing the system at each wheel. By opening the bleeders you might keep from needing new calipers when brakes are replaced and caliper bleeder screws brake off. It sounds expensive to flush the system but hopefully this will help you understand why it is needed. As with all the services performed you really need to understand that by doing these services these cars will never die and failed parts are fairly rare. Rich

I was wondering if any you guys have an intake,wheels, or suspension that your willing to sell to me that fit on 92 ls400. Thnks if you can help out. :D

What are you looking for exactly? I have a parts ls400 in my yard. The suspension is complete. Wheels are good what intake parts are you looking for give me a list I'll see what I can do. Rich

My 97 does the same thing on moderately cool mornings when I drive up and down hills. I also have experienced the same thing in other car makes. I attribute it to the moisture content and temperature fluctuations from the overnight dew. Once the temperature warms up and the morning dew burns off the problem goes away.

Pressure test your cooling system see if it looses pressure in the test. If it does you more then likely have a heater core leak. if not the doors in the heater box might not be closing properly causing the problem. The cooling system test is fast and easy. Ii always look at the easy checks forst they are usually correct. Good luck.

sweet, after some googling it sounds like it'd be obvious if it were oil, and heavy and blue, not white and wispy. not a dealbreaker then.

thanks much.

Chil:

I'd like to suggest that you completely read the thread that I listed AND search AND fully read any other P/S thread hits that you get. There is an astronomical amount of good information on this website on the subject of P/S leaks, resultant failures and the cure(s). I'm one of the posters in some of these threads, but there's probably at least 10 other guys that know as much, if not (a whole bunch) more than I do on this subject.

Once you've read it, you'll be exceptionally well armed to tackle and solve your problem. It will be a great investment of your time. If your were to take your car to an Indie, you'd be lucky if 50% of them could properly diagnose and solve your problem. If you were to take your car to a Stealer, they'd fix it, but you will still be making payments on the repairs 3 years from now.

Arm yourself with knowledge and you'll protect yourself from those who would otherwise take advantage of you. B)

that's become my mantra. after the mechanic quoted $5000 to fix the car, and did not list anything wrong with the p/s system whatsoever i'm quite glad I found this place. he did mention the heater control valve was leaking coolant and that was one of the things i was going to have him fix, could he be confused, or is that another issue entirely that is likely also present? i figured it must have been the oil given the circumstances, i guess the p/s needs some lovin' too.

thanks for the help, an active owners group with lots of great info is what allowed me to overlook the fact I was driving a Taurus.

I have 91 LS400 its seem like every rainy day my trunk get wet.. only the end of it i mean the back bumper side, inside the trunk get wet even the cloth what could be the reson i even look for whole but couldnt find any so what could be the reason ? any idea will help

I know this sounds funny but you can try crawling into the trunk with a flashlight have someone you trust to let you out close the lid spray with a hose look for the leak. the trunk seal may be needed or you may find some debris distorting the seal causing the water to pool and leak past the seal. If you are inside you can pinpoint the leak location then look for cause. Good luck Rich

As usual i am always wondering about things and today it is what brought you to the LOC community .

Did you hear about us through word of mouth , Google or another search engine or another Lexus club?

As usual i am always wondering about things and today it is what brought you to the LOC community .

Did you hear about us through word of mouth , Google or another search engine or another Lexus club?

I rec'd a 1991 Lexus from my mom The car is wonderful then I got in a fender bender. I was looking for parts and a buddy told me about this site. I joined looking for information about Lexus's and parts. It seems they are hard to come by in looking through the site I adswered a few querstions and genreally enjoy viewing the site. I ended up pruchasing a cpmlete running LS400 for parts to repair my exisitng car and will be doing repairs soon. I then figure to part out the rest of the car and hopefully break even or come close and hopefully help someone else who needs parts I do not. Rich

I drive a 90 LS400 owned for about a month. The RPM Gauge has never worked since I've owned the car . My Temperature Gauge bounces up and down it mostly stays up with any speed bump or the bass of my stereo. I dont know what to do, I've had it checked at a shop. The water pump, thermostat, and the radiator seem to be working fine. The car has alot of problems but the temperature gauge bothers me the most. Someone please help me!!

Oscarmanny

I drive a 90 LS400 owned for about a month. The RPM Gauge has never worked since I've owned the car . My Temperature Gauge bounces up and down it mostly stays up with any speed bump or the bass of my stereo. I dont know what to do, I've had it checked at a shop. The water pump, thermostat, and the radiator seem to be working fine. The car has alot of problems but the temperature gauge bothers me the most. Someone please help me!!

Oscarmanny

High I was looking at your post and wondering If you fixed your problem yet. I am dismantling a ls400 and have a working speedo if you find you need it. I actually have the complete running car.If I can help let me know. Good Luck Rich Blanchard

I can assure you that the trans is not just "worn out". What has happened is that something broke, fell off, or went out of adjustment. It is a component failure, probably quite simple. It is similar to finding your engine doesn't start one morning, and the best the "mechanic" can come up with is that the engine is "worn out". Bunch of crap. Find another shop. Don't even speak to those guys again.

The Toyota trans we have does have some history of solenoid failures in the valve body. That may be all it is, and they are relatively inexpensive to diagnose and repair.

I have to agree with SRK that is is probably something simple, but the trouble is finding some mechanic who has the brains to diagnose a complicated problem like that. So many I have dealt with just take the easy step and just replace the entire unit rather than read the instructions. I call them "plug and pay" mechanics!

(The trans ECU will put out an error code if it detects a malfunctioning solenoid, so if you have a blinking engine check light then they are the reason, the code will tell you which one)

My 92 manual says the most likely cause of no drive in forward or reverse is

1) Throttle cable - you say it purrs (idles??), but does it respond to the throttle? I assume yes.

2) Transmission control rod - unlikey as it would have been in drive at the time it may have come apart, but maybe it springs to a neutral position (doubtful). Still an easy check to see if the selector rod is connected between the gear selector stick and the transmission.

Unfortunately I don't have the A340, A341E transmission repair manual to tell you about these others.

3) Manual Valve

4) Parking lock pawl

If these check out OK then the next likely culprits are

5) OD one way clutch

6) OD brake

7) OD direct clutch

8) OD planetarygear unit

9) Torque converter

Good luck.

ooh:

Lexus of Towson told me I had to replace the throttle body. That was the code coming up on the readout.

That's what they told you the code was, I take it?................Marvelous......"your car runs rotten, so we'll replace a chunk of aluminum"..........Brilliant.

I'm not the guy to go into details about the "Idle Air Control Valve" or the "Throttle Position Sensor", but there are others on this board that are. Be a little patient & give them a chance to chime in.

Your vehicle is "OBDII" (On-Board Diagnostics II), which means you can get an OBDII Reader/Diagnostic tool, hook it up to your car & get a lot more info about what's wrong than what the dealer has told you so far.

I've got a friend who is an electronics engineer (but he IS smart). He's got a domestic "something" & he was having a stalling problem that got worse & worse, so he finally took it to the dealer. Their answer? "$1,000.00 & we'll have you up & running in no time"....His answer? "screw you!". He took it, stopped by the local auto parts store on the way home & picked up an Auto Xray scanner, got home, plugged it in & determined that the TPS was bad. The TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) is a 5K Ohm potentiometer. Being a geek, he had, oh, about 10 of them in his basement. BTW, a little chain store by the name of Radio Shack carries them too.......But they rip you off by charging you $10.00 instead of $5.00 each.

Anyway, He runs downstairs, grabs one, performs the transplant & an hour later, the car runs like new. He's so full of himself now, I can't hardly stand to be around him. Mostly kidding.....he and I swap experiences back and forth.....works good for both of us.

I had it (throttle body) cleaned yesterday and the problem is still there.

Well, that tells us that it wasn't dirty enough to be the root cause of your problem. But, you have successfully eliminated one item......Good.

As long as I have the air conditioner running I don't have that problem. Once I cut it off after a couple of miles or so, the check engine light comes on and takes control of the throttle and puts my rpms at about 2000 and stays.

I have to cut off the engine for about 5 seconds then restart it to get the gas pedal back to normal operation. To get the check engine light to go off I have to restart maybe 2 or 3 times.

As for the throttle body, I'm in a blindspot, that's the only code that comes up and I've had the throttle body cleaned. The part is just so expensive I just have to run the a/c forever.

I'm just wondering if it doesn't have something in particular to do with the Throttle Position Sensor sending bad information to the ECU, the ECU trying to correct, etc........Then, re-starting the vehicle resets the ECU & the whole process repeats itself. Has anyone done any work on your car lately where the could have damaged soemthing? Did this problem start "all at once" or did it slowly get progressively worse?

ooh:

Lexus of Towson told me I had to replace the throttle body. That was the code coming up on the readout.

That's what they told you the code was, I take it?................Marvelous......"your car runs rotten, so we'll replace a chunk of aluminum"..........Brilliant.

I'm not the guy to go into details about the "Idle Air Control Valve" or the "Throttle Position Sensor", but there are others on this board that are. Be a little patient & give them a chance to chime in.

Your vehicle is "OBDII" (On-Board Diagnostics II), which means you can get an OBDII Reader/Diagnostic tool, hook it up to your car & get a lot more info about what's wrong than what the dealer has told you so far.

I've got a friend who is an electronics engineer (but he IS smart). He's got a domestic "something" & he was having a stalling problem that got worse & worse, so he finally took it to the dealer. Their answer? "$1,000.00 & we'll have you up & running in no time"....His answer? "screw you!". He took it, stopped by the local auto parts store on the way home & picked up an Auto Xray scanner, got home, plugged it in & determined that the TPS was bad. The TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) is a 5K Ohm potentiometer. Being a geek, he had, oh, about 10 of them in his basement. BTW, a little chain store by the name of Radio Shack carries them too.......But they rip you off by charging you $10.00 instead of $5.00 each.

Anyway, He runs downstairs, grabs one, performs the transplant & an hour later, the car runs like new. He's so full of himself now, I can't hardly stand to be around him. Mostly kidding.....he and I swap experiences back and forth.....works good for both of us.

I had it (throttle body) cleaned yesterday and the problem is still there.

Well, that tells us that it wasn't dirty enough to be the root cause of your problem. But, you have successfully eliminated one item......Good.

As long as I have the air conditioner running I don't have that problem. Once I cut it off after a couple of miles or so, the check engine light comes on and takes control of the throttle and puts my rpms at about 2000 and stays.

I have to cut off the engine for about 5 seconds then restart it to get the gas pedal back to normal operation. To get the check engine light to go off I have to restart maybe 2 or 3 times.

As for the throttle body, I'm in a blindspot, that's the only code that comes up and I've had the throttle body cleaned. The part is just so expensive I just have to run the a/c forever.

I'm just wondering if it doesn't have something in particular to do with the Throttle Position Sensor sending bad information to the ECU, the ECU trying to correct, etc........Then, re-starting the vehicle resets the ECU & the whole process repeats itself. Has anyone done any work on your car lately where the could have damaged soemthing? Did this problem start "all at once" or did it slowly get progressively worse?

You did not say what cde was present. based on what you are saying it appears to be a electronic problem. the throttle body does not know if the a/c is on or not. holding your idle up is trying to cool the engine (by raising the rpm pulling more air into the engine compartment)_ or maybe trying to adiust the idle for accessories thet drag down engine idle. I would not consider a throttle body without first getting the code and checking electronis controls.

Hey everyone!!!

Well, giving the past 8months I have not driven my LS400 becuase I bought a Jepp, I just sold the Jeep and got $1000 more than I paid. So now, I am going to put that much back into my 1990 LS400.

So first let me start by telling you what is wrong with the vehicle and what has been replaced.

What has been fixed / replaced:

1. Power Steering Pump
   
2. Serpentine Belt
   
3. Water Coolent Resivoir
   
4. The Climate Control Panel (But went black again)
   
5. HeadLights
   

What looks bad or needs to be fixed:

1. Paint (Large chips on rear bumper)
   
2. 2 small dents on exterior
   
3. All seats torn and weathered
   
4. Tires are worn / Wheels are dirty-damaged
   
5. Sound System - Subwofer is blown
   
6. Odd shifting problem (Not yet diagnosed, but I think it is a solenoid problem)
   
7. There is dieseling noise comming from the engine
   

Here is some info about my car:

1990 LS400

242,000 Miles

Owned since 1991 (2 owner)

Color: White with grey

Well, I think that is it.

So here is my question:

What should I spend my $1000 to get the most and the best for my money???

Thanks!

I listened to your Problem on dieseling it could be that the fuel is old or to low an octane. this is a very easy fix try running a good brand of premium in the engine. If the egr valve is the problem you will be running lean due to a vacum leak it creates. You could pull your spark plugs and see if there are any clyinders runing different than the others. if they are all burning evenly keep it simple start with fuel then engine timing... If plugs are gaped incorrectly it could be enough to change timing. I just pulled plugs from a van I bought it was running fine unless it was wet or cold. the gaps were so large it effected the engine running. I changed the plugs it now statrts and runs gereat in any weather. I always try to look at the simplest solutions first then go from there 9 out of 10 times simple fixes problems. try fuel check plugs see what you find. Good luck.

I have a 1991 LS400 that has just over 110k on it I had a accident taking out cosmetics on the front end. I am wondering about repairing it on my own and leaving the painting to pros. I took out the hood grille and front bumper. Parts are extremely hard to come by and I live in the Chicago area. I was thinking about buying an entire car for parts as I also have some unseen parts damaged. Is there a market I could then sell the rest of the car or strip it for parts others could use? When looking at e-bay I do not see alot of parts selling. When looking for used parts there are not many available in the Chicago area. Also how hard is it to pull bumper headlight assemblies and the like. Also is there a good paint shop that could do the Pearl White paint for the bumper and hood???