Jump to content

songzunhuang

Regular Member
  • Posts

    13
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by songzunhuang

  1. I thought I'd hop on the band wagon, except I just sold my 92 LS400. It had 238,341 miles on it. The interior was getting a bit worn and the A/C was not cooling anymore. Other than that, the car ran perfect. Someday I'll get another LS. For now, I have 3 other cars to contend with including a Volvo T5 wagon that just turned 180,000 miles. It's the next vehicle that needs babying.
  2. Here's a few pictures of how the mirror fastens on my 92 LS400. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65282 Hope this helps someone out there....
  3. My driver side rearview mirror assembly was floping around after a car wash the other day. After figuring out that the retaining clip for the spring had come off and that it was impossible to fix, I thought I would at least share how to take off and replace the actual mirror. That way my day won't have been spent in vain. I've seen some posts of people asking about replacing their actual mirror that was broken. I've not seen a pictorial walkthrough. So here it is. REMOVING THE MIRROR: This is really easy once you know how it's fastened. Basically get a screwdriver and pry up from the bottom of the mirror. That's it. I've included a few labeled pictures so that you can get a better idea of what's going on. So insert your screwdriver at the green callout. Once you get the bottom loose, rotate the mirror up to release the "J" hooks. Then all you have to do is unplug the wire for the heater. In this view you can see how the back of the mirror (top) connects to the assembly (bottom) that is inside the mirror housing. I took my whole housing apart to fix something else. You don't have to do this to replace just the mirror part. This last picture highlights the "J" hook at the top of the mirror. The mirror is basically glued onto a plastic backing with all the hooks and connectors mentioned. OK, I hope this was helpful. You can find new mirrors replacements on the web for about $20. Epilogue for me: As it turns out, the issue I was having requires the whole outside mirror housing to be replaced. Good news is that I see there are dismantlers on eBay where I can get that for about $50-80. So that's what I am doing.
  4. 92 Black Jade with 238K on it now. Just thought I'd join the fun. Mostly good, but interior leather is looking kinda weak. Also need to figure out what to do with the A/C. There's a leak no one can seem to find.
  5. No freaking clue. It's been 7 months since that post. The car still runs like a top and the temp gauge still shows cold all the time. I recently went out and cleaned her up thinking that I would trade it in using the government "Cash for Clunkers" program. But the fates conspired against me! I couldn't find the title.... I applied for a new one, but it takes 2 weeks. Well, the program ended a week ago. So I went out one weekend and decided to fix up the car. I polished it, fixed the flaking clearcoat, and have now started to think about fixing the AC again. I also spotted a new leather interior kit at www.leatherseats.com. My mind is reeling...should I or shouldn't I? Maybe this will become my daughter's first car. It's only 2 years away.... The car actually looks pretty darn good. Here's a slideshow if you are so inclined... http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.a...w_photos_button I was going to use this to list it for sale, but I'll probably end up keeping it.
  6. Oh no! I appreciate the response. I reread my post and realized it may have sounded critical of your response. In reality, it's always good to share views. I am not expecting a magic answer. I am one of those tinkerers, otherwise I wouldn't be messing with a 1992 model car! I have had occasions where someone had the exact same problem and answer. Then there was the time when someone told me an issue in my wife's Volvo was with an evaporator core. I spent a weekend taking apart the dash of her car to replace the evap core. As it turns out, it wasn't the problem! Although it was a huge time sink, I actually had fun and learned a lot. One thing I learned is .. "never replace an evaporator core by yourself"! It just isn't worth the pain. LOL! Sigh... :( FWIW, I am trying to help. If you are expecting someone to drop the exact answer in your lap, you may be in for a long wait.
  7. You know, I don't EVER recall changing the thermostat. However, I just completed a 5 hour round trip to visit a relative this weekend in the car, and the heater seemed to be working just fine. It's about 40 degrees outside so if the heater wasn't working, the family would have been yelling !Removed! murder. I had it set at 72 and it seemed right. My LS400 is the 3rd car in our family. We bought it new in 1992 and people thought we were nuts as we just had a new baby. This car was the family "beater". Since then, I've had 2 kids brought home from the hospital in that car and my oldest (now 13) wants the car as her first car! It's too funny. We use the LS as a backup when the family Volvo V70 is in the shop or dies (which happens way more than we'd like). I normally drive a 2 seat convertible so I use the LS when I have to cart the kids around. I keep thinking about really putting some money into the old LS as it's been such a good car. But now it's got flaking paint, a few dings, headlight and windshield cracks, and the leather interior is beginning to crack and tear. I would take more money to fix it up than it's worth (blue book). But I still can't get over how well it drives even in it's old neglected state. These are such great cars. When I scrape up enough spare change, I may just get an new LS460. Oh well, here's hoping someone responds with some info. I hope you are having a good 2009!
  8. Interesting as I have just noticed the same phenomenon. I replaced my battery when the old one was just not holding a charge. Now I have noticed that my temperature gauge always shows the car is running really "cold". Basically it never moves beyond the first few ticks no matter how long it's been running or how warm it is outside. In the past (almost 14 years) the gauge needle would be about midway (horizontal) when it was at normal operating temperature. So far, I've just been keeping an eye on it as the car otherwise runs just fine. What an interesting conundrum. Does anyone have any ideas? BTW: My LS400 is a 1992 with close to 248,000 miles on the odometer. The car just won't die! LOL!
  9. 1992 LS400 Black Jade. 227K when I picked it up at the shop today for a bad fuel pump replacement. Mine is parked outside so cosmetically it needs some attention, but it runs great!
  10. I'd change the fuel pump. I had issues like you describe and it went on for a few weeks until one day, it would start but I couldn't keep it running. The car sat in my front driveway for months before I finally got fed up. I had it towed (AAA did it for free) to a local repair place and they diagnosed it as a bad fuel pump. I ordered a replacement from a store on eBay, but they sent me the wrong one! It didn't fit the car and I couldn't get anyone to return my calls or emails... I guess is was too good to be true at only $50. (Company was High Flow Fuel Systems). Anyhow, the shop wanted $350 for an OEM pump, I found a replacement (Carter) from Kragen for $200. The labor was $268 and it took them 2 days to get it done. So it was $468.00 to repair it. I drove my car to work today for the first time in 3 months. It is running just fine again. So I think what you have is a bad fuel pump. I understand that it isn't so hard to get to the pump as it may seem. You can remove the rear seat back and there's an access hole covered by some material. I read that somewhere on this forum and I verified it with the mechanic at the shop. Anyhow, hope this helps. Good luck.
  11. Hey, if you go for it, can you post pictures or the procedure to replace the Evap core? My LS400 also has A/C issues and I've replaced the Compressor, but it didn't fix it. It's still leaking somewhere. I had an A/C shop do a leak test with the dye and all, and they can't find anything! So the final item was the evap core. I've been avoiding that because it's a BIG job in most cars. So I am wondering what it looks like on an LS.
  12. Had the same problem on my 92 LS400. I read on a forum that it may be the Idle Air Controller. I messed with that and there was no change. Further reading said it may be a faulty Engine computer. I saw one on eBay and bought it for $95. Replaced it myself one weekend. Nothing changed. The car sat outside for 2 months. Every once in a while I would go out and crank it up. It would start right up and then slowly die. If I tried to accelerate it woudl sputter and then eventually die. I finally had enough. So I called a tow truck and took it to a trusted auto repair shop. I got a call today and they say it's the fuel pump. However, they want almost $600 to repair it. Now, that sounds a bit high as I see LS400 pumps for sale on eBay for less than $100. How much labor is involved? I'm going to do some poking around and see what I can find out. Meanwhile, has anyone gotten a fuel pump replaced? How much do you think it should cost? Song
  13. Hetter, yours is not that bad. Mine is totally black. Jim, I would be very interested in a new LCD. Also, I would be interested in the instructions for replacement. When that is ready, please send it along. Thanks.
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership