new2mud

No--definitely do not put in Toyota tranny fluid--that is different from Dextron ATF fluid. If you got the "generic" PS fluid from a Toyota/Lexus dealer, then I would assume it is Dextron equivalent. The nomenclature does get confusing--the fact that Toyota PS systems use Dextron ATF (tranny) fluid, but to never put in Toyota Type-IV tranny fluid into the Toyota PS system... :o

93ls400walt--thanks...that makes perfect sense: my PS leak didn't BEGIN until after I removed the reservoir to clean out the screen as preventative maintenance. Could be that I damaged the oring upon reinserting the reservoir. BTW, why did you require a new low pressure hose--I thought your leaks were only from o-rings?

Great tips here guys--thanks! If you can see visible leaking of PS fluid around where the high-pressure hose attaches to the pump, would you safely assume the PS pump itself is still ok, and would only need to replace the hose? (This hose is ~$300!) :o

Sorry--couldn't resist.

The 1LS requires Dextron II/III, which is an ATF, not PS fluid. I'm not sure why your dealer would tell you to put in PS fluid.

What you'll find is that just about every LS owner seems to have something different causing the initial "clunk", but the good news is that it can be isolated to a very few components: As Landar said, it could be the strut rod cushions...however this is usually associated with clunking upon braking, since they support fore/aft movement isolation. The usual culprit first is the lower tie rod, followed by upper control arm bushing/tie rod. Sometimes these can be isolated by checking for any play in the tie rods, or on the UCA bushings. The UCA bushings can be checked by giving a good heave (side to side in relation to the centerline of the car; or straight ahead of you if you're sitting in the wheel well facing the disc rotor)--if there is any play whatsoever, or any noise indicating play, then the UCA is a culprit.

IIRC, the high-pressure line for the PS pump is around $300.

The white smoke on startup (which goes away after just a few seconds) is easy to solve...do a quick search--you just have to cap off the PS pump with a bolt and then cap off a couple of vacuum lines.

Yup--the 1LS has a dreadful headlight pattern, which I believe was significantly improved with the 95. Keep us posted on how the HID conversion on your 92 turns out!

Wait--WWEST if your 95 does not use separate 9003/9005 bulbs for high/low, what bulb are your running for the combo high/low?

Sometimes an exterior leak only shows inside the underbelly pan and not on the ground...would be worth taking a few screws off and taking a peak in there on the PS side just behind the front wheel. An internal leak (where the PS fluid is getting injected into the intake) will manifest itself as the infamous white smoke on startup--are you getting the smoke? 1LS specs are to use Dextron for the PS system.

This just may be the ticket to fixing the horrible 1LS lights without blinding oncoming traffic. WWEST--could you get us a picture of the light pattern against a wall--especially the Low beam cutoff pattern?

It's the offset that will determine whether you need spacers. I can run 19x10 in the rear without spacers.

Stiffer rear sway bar will result in reduced understeer.

IIRC, the Silverstar Ultras tend to have longer life than the standard Silverstars. I've had Ultras over 1 year so far with no burnout. I had expensive PIAAs in an H4 housing on another car burn out <6 months with very limited use and I'll never overpay for the PIAA brand again.

So do the high beam settings retain the same cutoff as low beam due to the fixed metal shade, or does the arc shift down, resulting in higher cutoff?

Sorry to hear that...perhaps you can place 35W HIDs in there if the halogen fix doesn't remedy the tree thing?

Not necessarily. Traditional snow tires will provide unacceptable (to me) noise and tire "squirm" in transitions. However, the Nokian AWP tires, while slightly noisier than most all-seasons, are well below the noise levels of other snow tires I've had in summer months. Also, fuel economy was not adversely affected to any noticeable degree. They do have a little more squirm in transitional maneuvers than all-seasons, though not nearly as bad as dedicated snow tires. They are still a slight compromise from running dedicated summer and dedicated winter tires, but from what I've experienced, they are the most acceptable compromise currently on the market.

I think you'll find very little performance enhancement with the SAFC alone. In fact, if you add that M90 blower from the Pontiac, you'll find that the stock ECU can typically handle up to 6psi of boost, whereupon the stock fuel system is maxed out. Piggyback ECUs really come into play when you're running over 6psi of boost on the 1UZ engine.

Not that I recommend it, but there are several 1st Gen LS400s that have gone over 200k miles on the original timing belt, so there is plenty of "overhead" in that 90k mile recommendation.

Leaving wastegates open may produce a little more efficiency due to reduced exhaust backpressure, but would result in turbo lag at an unacceptable level for an Acura-branded vehicle (or most modern turbo vehicles, for that matter).

An engine operates most efficiently (meaning power output per gas consumption, not fuel efficiency) at its torque peak. However, for maximizing real-world fuel economy, it is a function of drag, frictional losses, engine RPM, and gearing. This is why you will likely experience the greatest fuel efficiency at the lowest RPM in the highest gear regardless of what car you're driving.

"rolling" fenders does not accomplish this look--rolling refers to the inside lips so that the tire can tuck inside the fender, not expand the fender.

Another option is to mount some of the newer all-weather tires that have the heavy duty winter "mountain & snowflake" rating--this way you can have true snow tires yet run them in summer without the typical adverse wear effects of running them on dry pavement. This is a good option if you don't want to keep 2 sets of wheels and don't want to swap out tires twice a year.

The 1st gen LS has very efficient exhaust manifolds--the SC had more restrictive manifolds where headers provided greater benefit. Adding an X-pipe and free-flowing rear mufflers (like you did) should take care of most of the major restrictions on the LS.