corndog

Im going to hijack my own thread... I went out tonight and a warning light came on for a few minutes and went away. I searched and wasnt able to find a clear description of what the warning light is trying to warn me about. It kind of looks like a little trash can, with a very small, barely visible, little line above it. It has several vertical lines across it as well. Isnt it odd to have an indicator that isnt clear? Did they do this so people would panic and take it to the dealer? I checked the oil, its about 3/4 of the way full. I looked inside the little coolane reservoir, theres fluid in it...I havent checked the ATF, is there a warning indicator for that? Any help is much appreciated.

Not sure if this is worth a new topic, but these are rare and hard to find pictures of... Item # 280017793178

One time(not at band camp), I thought my battery was dead, so I had the wife take it down to Kragen to have it tested. After she left I thought, "I wonder if I should call her and tell her to make sure a load is applied to the battery while testing. I figured, theres no way they would test the battery without a load on it." When she came back, they said it was all good. So then, I removed the starter and took it down myself. They said it tested good as well. I was *BLEEP*ed off, and bought a battery(shoulda listened to that inner voice) while two Kragen employees tried to talk me out of it. Point being, just because someone else says its good, its not always true. First thing I would do is check battery connections. If you can move them by hand, snug em up. Check for corrosion on the battery cables/connectors. Next, examine the lights while you crank it over. Do they dim a very small amount, or do they almost go out completely? If they almost go out completely, the battery cannot supply enough current to the starter, and the voltage drops. If the battery is running out of steam, and its brand new, I dont know what to tell ya. I would throw in on the charger overnight, and try again. If the battery drops down again, it could be the alternator, or perhaps a device is still running when the car is turned off. If this were an old chevy truck, the answer would be so easy. You just go buy a new alternator, starter, and battery. Viola, youre done for 130 bucks. The cheapest I have seen alternators for is about 140 shipped on ebay, and about the same for a starter. Also, in the future, if you could proofread your posts, it would be less confusing to read. Let us know how you make out, and good luck!

Tennessee, Thanks for that. Its a wonderful picture, and beautiful cars. Im slightly jealous, it will be a several years before a car like your new one would be in my budget. In any case, they look great side by side. Even though your new car looks very modern, it still amazes me how modern the old one looks. Thnks again, Mike

Have you recently made and changes? ie: change spark plugs, or wire anything new in your car, etc.

I have been meaning to add a picture or two... http://corndoggy.chakra-jewellery.com/IMG_1892.JPG http://corndoggy.chakra-jewellery.com/IMG_1893.JPG

Would you mind taking a picture of the two side by side and posting it? :)

Start with a new battery(or charge the old one if its still good). If the alarm goes off, unlock the passenger side door. Then see if it starts.

When I was recently shopping for a car, I looked at a '93 318i(dont know what the "t" is) and all I can say is, what a pile. There was no reason to buy that 318i over a Civic. It was small, underpowered, and had no options worth mentioning. It was VERY clean with under 100k miles, but I just couldnt do it. India has made a point that the purchase should be based upon however, "w/e makes her happy..."

Neat thread akg! Its fun reading what mileage other folks are getting. I will throw in my 2c worth here since I just returned from a vacation in Lake Tahoe, where I monitered my mileage just for kicks. I drove 400 miles with 17 gallons(23.5mpg) Conditions: I climbed to about 6800' from 50'(and back down on the way home). Tire pressure unknown. A/C running almost all the time. Speeds between 70-80. 2.5 passengers, full trunk and back seat. I have only owned this car(90'ls400) for less than a month and I have never liked a car so much. On the trip to Tahoe, the car literally did not need to downshift. It only did once because I got stuck behind a Toyota pickup. This thing is made for highways, its amazing. This sounds silly. but I love my car so much im going to get an old es300 for the wife. Lexus may have earned a lifetime customer with this old car.

Well it looks like I was mistaken. The car smokes moderatly when started after its been sitting, and the power steering fluid is droppping. There is no fluid on the ground, the pump is a little grungy however. Luckily, the alternator looks bone dry. Im guessing its the typical air control valve problem. I looked in the two vacuum lines that connect to the intake manifold from the air control valve, they dont look oily, is that common? I expected to see some oil! I guess it will cost me $70 to find out for sure...

Im pretty green here, but if the problem were with the transmission, you could check the wires on the left side of the trunk hinge. I read somewhere on here that the fraying or shorting of the trunk wires, were affecting the way the car was shifting. Its free and easy to check. Just pull the little plastic strip off of the left side hinge, and follow the wires to thier hinge point. Remove the electrical tape/plastic tube and see if any of the wires look damaged. The odds are this is not your problem, but its a free check. My Suburban had a similar problem, it was a more extreme version of your problem. It ended up being the cap/rotor.

Excellent picture, thank you.

Another question: When you turn the key to the ON position, you can hear the fuel system doing its thing. When that happens, is it pouring fuel into the cylinders? What I really want to know is, if you keep turning the key to ON and OFF, could you flood it? I turned it ON a couple times while messing with some stuff, and then there was a little smoke coming out the tailpipe when it started. I would suspect the air control valve, but it doesnt normally smoke. Any thoughts?

Heya harjp, Did the factory exhaust loop over the top of the independant rear suspension? Thanks for posting great pictures of the under carriage too. Also, whet the heck is a resonator? The name of it makes me think its stricktly a sound related device. Are there any catalytic converters on the car? Where do the o2 sensors go?

harjp - That mileage is incredible. Its funny you mention your dirt bike, I sold my '02 yz426 in order to buy this car. I would be willing to add an aftermarket alarm, I just dont like the way they splice into the harness. This car is pretty complex, I would hate to have troubles a couple years down the road. You are a brave man to add a sunroof! It would be torture to watch them cut that hole. Your faceplate looks good. I will probably leave my stereo stock except the sub needs to be replaced. Im surprised how good it sounds for being so old even without the sub. I read your dual exhaust thread, pretty sweet. If I were 10 years younger, that would be right up my alley. But im an old man now(31) and I just wanted a comfy family ride, this is definitly it. That ding I have is one of those small sharp ones that damaged the paint, its all good. The car is still beautiful. I will post a pic soon. Hey, is your climate control doing that black out thing? I can only read the time on mine if the agle is just right. I might have to fix that too. I wonder if anyone had tried to pull a part number off the LCD and see if digikey carries it? walt - That would be the sweetest deal. Do you have any more info on that?

My apologies for not searching well enough. It sounds like the lock has an electrical device attached to it that may have some wires damaged.

Hello folks, I bought a beautiful Silvermist '90 ls400 with 217k on the clock. I just love the car, and refer to it as my "mistress", which gets me odd looks from my wife. It is in excellent condition for being 16 years old, it has the stock style chrome wheels. I paid 2800 for it. She passed smog no problem. It would be perfect except for several things: lightly cracked seats (will fix later) pass lock no worky (will fix soon) leather worn on steering wheel/shift hande (will fix later) quarter size ding on pass side door (probably never fix) climate control display no worky (probably never fix) missing keyless entry key (will fix soon) missing owners manual (will fix soon) rear tint bubbling (will fix soon) Hmmm...that list looks longer on paper (or computer). I think the car has pretty typical options: cd changer traction control heated seats sunroof No cell phone/Nakamichi/air ride I love doing things on my own, and hate asking for help, but I could use a little if someone doesnt mind spending a minute. When I hit the door lock button inside the car, close the door, come back later and open it with the key, the friggen alarm goes off. I have to go unlock the passenger side to get the alarm to turn off, then all is good. Why does that happen? I also must have keyless entry. I called Lexus of Sacramento and they want $100 for some eeprom, $250 for a single key, and a little over $100 labor to get it all working. $450 is way too much for that in my opinion. I could head down to Fry's and have an alarm with keyless entry installed for $150. But thats ghetto, I want the original Lexus equipment. Can someone please give some advice on how to save money on this? Thanks in advance! Mike