HomerTHX1138

The hesitation, or bucking on light acceleration is pretty common from what I recall reading about it here when I got my LS400. What I found was to eliminate it entirely took a few steps: 1. Cleaning the throttle body/plenum made the most difference. 2. Having a tuneup performed, (plugs, wire harness, fuel filter etc.) 3. Transmission fluid change with filter. I had the hesitation on light throttle and kind of a bucking sensation common around 45 mph. Again, step 1 made the biggest difference, but all the problems didn't go away 100% until the wear items were replaced in steps 2 and 3.

Thanks. Checked terminals today and checked the wiring loom a couple years ago when I had brake light warning light come on and replaced a brake bulb--bulb was not out but looked shorted. Car drove 10 miles home fine. Remebered I came off a curb hard just the other day. Maybe I knocked something loose but will make appt w/ shop.

93LS400, 159K mi. Clean throttle body, had a full tune up less than 15K miles ago. Runs, really really well. Week ago the brake light warning light came on, then was gone after the next start-up. This may not be relevant. This morning it felt a little slow pulling away from the curb after I started it up. Drove fine otw to work, 10miles. Going to lunch from a stop it just died. No warning. Dead. Started back up immediately from neutral, drove 500 yards, did it again. Plan to take it to the mechanic but did research here. Found plenty of ECM talk on the 94 and up models but they centered on dying on decel, not my case. My RPMs do dip when the AC is turned off but never enough to shut the engine down. Of course too, we're talking abou acceleration. Any ideas on what to look for? Thanks in advance.

Mine did this when I got it (used), right around 45mph. It also hesitated off the line under light throttle. I did a lot of maintenace, so it could have been a combination of many things but having the transmission fluid and filter replaced, cleaning the throttle body and having a tune up including new spark plugs and wires made it go away. The throttle body was the biggest improvement but the tune up finished the job.

Pulled panel. Here are photos. WHat the heck does this rheostat do???? Is it for that light? If the drain is here I can only guess this rheostat is bad causing the drain. I suppose I could cut and wrap the wires to this box. If there are no suggestions I'll take it back and let the shop have another go at it. Thanks.

My 93 LS400 can go for weeks with no issues then suddenly the battery will be completely dead. The shop isolated it to the circuit with the interior lights, steering wheel, AC compressor etc.. (a 10 amp fuse under the hood, I think #20 but going from memory, far left of the box). They took a week to get this far and I needed by car back. The last thing they said was that it may be the driver's side courtsey light. This light, the one that illuminates the legs from under the steering column, doesn't come on. There's also a reostat switch there, is that for that light? It does nothing. So, how do I confirm that it is that light? I can take that panel off but where do I need to go from there? Can I disable the juice to that light? Also my driver's door switch doesn't work - it doesn't know when the door is open. A part for this problem is on the way. Thanks.

There is a short in the trunk on the left side's wiring that is well documented but probably fixed by now. But, I had the same issue and found that one brake light bulb, though working, was a bit beat up due to age (some short-like corrosion on it) and replacing it made the warning light go away.

Thanks gents.

93 LS400 This hasn't been a big deal (sometimes interior light doesn't come on) until this week when I entered the car, set the keys down inside to pop the hood, exit and close the door, then have the auto-relock feature lock the doors because the car didn't think anyone ever entered it. I do not see the plunger type sensor on many other cars I've owned in the hinge area. I did a search on "door sensor" and "door sensor open" and found 100s of threads but none relevant to my issue. Anyone know what the prognosis and fix for this issue is? DIY or shop. Thanks, Matt

I'd like to boost my 93LS400's. I've done the "grandma" and driven 10 miles with it on because my hearing is very poor.

OK, sorry so late to reply. Motor mounts part of bill: 11TOZ R&R MOTOR MOUNTS 2 1236150100HL MOUNTS 128.51 -2- 257.02 LABOR 271.55 TOTAL: 528.57

Sorry so late replying. The paint is Rust-oleum Metallic (from front of can). The label on the back shows 7271 SILVER METALLIC. YMMV but it is very, very close on my wheels. There's a photo on the front showing a car wheel among other things. Good luck! Matt

The silver colored plastic can be repainted with spray paint for a near-perfect match. I have the can at home I used and will post it---I also owe someone some engine mount data. After you pop out the cap you'll notice on the back there is a bead of hard glue holding the "L" on. Carefully remove the bead without breaking the plastic clip that holds the L to the cap. The L then will pop off with care. I broke 1 of the 4, but it cannot be seen when put back on. Once the L is off, prep the surface. If you take your time and use really fine grit sandpaper, the finish will look the best. Basically you want to achieve a smooth surface. Use your spray paint according to can's directions. Use 2 coats for best finish. Paint the Ls however you want; I didn't as mine are silver colored and were fine. Allow all to dry, reattach. Now, I saw no need for replacing the glue as the Ls snapped back in securely but certainly, some hot glue or epoxy on the back of the cap at the clip point will ensure they never come off. The match to my 93's wheels is amazingly close. I feel certain the paint was made to match common wheel color; it is that close. Again, I'll get the paint # and other info when I remember to log in at home :) . Total fix is less than $3 and maybe an hour and a half of time.

fencera, Thanks for bolt #s. The dam has basically 3 edges of attachment - along the front edge, in the middle, then at the rear two points in a "Y" shape. One of the "Y" arms was the main culprit. After having robbed a front bolt to secure the middle, one Y arm was hanging way down near the left front tire. I was underneath the car and the best I can tell it protects an exhaust pipe from splash which is already protected by a metal box. I bought a cutting dremmel bit and zipped through that Y arm at the edge of a protruding part I didn't identify. It now holds up well and one of the far points of failure is gone. :) The other Y arm may be chopped next -- it's the one that is near the oil drain and it's bolt hole is ripped. By cutting these off, and leaving the bulk of the shield, I think risk to the engine is minimal if at all, and the need to spend another ~200 is eliminated, having just put about 2000 into it for critical engine maintenace and repairs I just cannot justify it on my car at the moment. Maybe in a few months.

One last question: WHat size are those bolts? 6mm seems too bigg and 5mm is definitely too small? Maybe they're 6mm and someone trashed the holes but I cannot get them in.

TAP pretty much said the same - that all the ones he gets in are already broken. Wap waaa. But, it's nice to know a good used parts dealer for many other things. I'll call the dealer for the part unless someone recommends a better source. In the meantime I plan on cutting off the rearmost piece as it is the part dragging after I managed to get one center bolt to hold. Thanks again.

www.taprecycling.com They will have the part. Ask them to send the set of bolts with it. You owe me a beer Wow. If this works out beer will be sent. :) Thanks!

The black plastic air damn underneath and front of my 93 LS400 is dragging ground. All the frontmost bolts are present (some mismatch), but others appear to not have been replaced by mechanics and futhremore, the rearmost hole has torn so that a normal bolt/washer will not hold it up. 2 questions: 1. Is there a place to order a replacement outside a dealership? 2. What is the bolt size of the bolts used to hold it and are they all the same (IE - if I measure a bolt from the front, will it match the rear bolt holes which are MIA on my car). Thanks.

I will say that my rumble was very much RPM specific. Now that the mounts are replaced it's much, much better. You still hear the motor at that RPM --it's like it's the engine's rough spot or something-- but clearly the vibration and noise are 95% better. It should be noted that I did not experience the problem at any other RPM wheras you say yours smooths out and gets rough again. Regarding the question on the breaker bar - no idea. I'm not a mechanic or even a DIY type other than very basic stuff. I'll pull the invoice this weekend and let you know what I paid for what.

Motor mounts fix: I recently had my 93 LS400 in the Toyota dealership to address many old issues. My car too literally had been grandma'ed (my grandma owned it), but neglected some. Among the issues was an RPM-specific rumble that could be heard slightly and felt. It was kind of a HUMM. Mine occured at 1100-1200 RPMs. Now that it is fixed, I know too it caused a bit of a "thwock!" on engine start. It was indeed the motor mounts. The dealership caught them wheras a now defunct-tranny place did not. It made the engine much smoother at idle too, to the point I've thought it was off and started it twice. Even though mine occured at slightly less RPMs, the same age of the cars and very similar symptoms makes me think that your mounts are bad. I seem to recall two were replaced. I can get the invoice if you want additional info.

Jim Walker does good work and fixed my dash lights and fuel gauge. Regarding the "ink blot" LCD climate controls, mine display perfectly when the car and dash are hot. Perfectly. As they get colder the ink blot effect occurs. I recall seeing someone saying when this is the symptom replacing a few cheap capacitors cures the problem. Does anyone have capacitors to replace and/or a how to?

Is this the issue where the car hesistates, bumps so to speak? Particularly at low RPM around 40 mph? My 93 Ls400 has the same thing. I wonder though because if turn off O.D. the problem goes away. The plugs, wires, caps and coils, fuel filter and air filter have all been replaced. The only thing in this thread NOT replaced or examined are the O2 sensors. The car also gets pretty bad mileage - 16.5mpg in city with air.

Thank you. There's a better chance of me being hit by lightning than someone trying to steal my wheels.

A mechanic, sigh, recently inspected the brakes and now claims to not have my key. Can I order a replacement? Thanks, M

Freon doesn't wear out. If a once properly-charged AC is low or out of freon, it has a leak. AC is one of those things that operation actually keeps a system in good repair. I understand this to be because the oil and lubricants that are also put into the system keep the many seals and moving parts of the AC system lubricated. Yes, even in the winter the AC should be run on occasion. Anyway, it may have a leak, or maybe the compressor is shot. The bill could be minor but if it's a shot compressor, or god forbid an evaporator coil, it's going to cost you. Good luck. You'll enjoy it even if you have to put a little money in to get it right.