mejojo

Fuel Filter? How many miles? Any record of filter having been changed?

When it runs, will it accelerate?

Joe

I would think your issue is the "Fan Bracket" and not anything to do with the fan/clutch. It's the metal body that holds the bearing. It's quite simple to replace, really. The only nasty part I recall was that I (for simplicity's sake) bent a part of the lower cover of the passenger-side distributor cover rather than remove all the stuff to get to it. Probably a more elegant way to get that done.

Search for "Fan Bracket".

Follow-up on mine...I had replaced a very bad plug and the car seemed to run well, but occasionally I would still get a hiccup going up an incline, so I guess I had another plug that would only fail every once in a while. So yesterday I replaced all the plugs with NGK Ix "Laser Iridium" (online order from Kragen for store pickup with 15% online discount code ONLINESAVE15) and it feels very good so far.

I don't know what's up with those Bosch's, but I'm sorry I ever bought them. On the positive side, I can now do all 8 plugs in 1:15.

Another task I took on was the "ears" on my fan shroud that allow bolting to hold it in place had broken. I bought some 2-part epoxy and glued everything back together and it seems to be working so far.

Joe

What I did was to disconnect one coil at a time to see if it idled better on one set of 4 than the other set of 4.

Once I knew which distributor was feeding the "poison" cylinder(s), I took one cylinder out at a time to see if it idled more smoothly without "this one" or "that one". That got me down to one bad cylinder, and I swapped the plug and it was much better.

I can only recommend to not use Bosch Platinums...for whatever reason they didn't serve me well.

Joe

Well, my issue turned out to be just a spark plug that would misfire about 5-10% of the time. In all my years I can say I've never had (until now) a spark plug fail on me. This must have just been a bum Bosch Platinum. Sorry to throw in here with one that turned out to be so easy, but I have had this sucker "down" for weeks trying to get it solved, thinking it had to be something else.

Sorry to have butted into the thread...and BEST of luck with yours. I'll check back to see how you've come out.

Joe

1) I find dealer service departments to be lackluster, at best...ask me to tell you my Volvo story some time.

2) As I said in my recent post in this thread:

I gave up and took it to Lexus dealer and they said that they could not diagnose it since I had aftermarket ignition parts (dist cap, wires, even the Bosch Platinum plugs would not allow them to proceed with diagnosis!!!.. Is this complete BULL or do they all say this?)

Joe

I did some more tests...I disconnected the pax side coil wire and the engine idled inconsistently, just as it does when that coil is hooked up, (except on 4 cylinders.) I reconnected that coil.

I disconnected the driver's side coil and the engine idled quite evenly (though clearly on 4 cylinders).

Going further, I reconnected the coil and unplugged one spark plug wire at a time from the driver's distributor. When I disconnected the plug nearest the driver (is that #1?), the engine idled evenly, though clearly not on 8 cylinders...no jumping. Reconnecting that one, and back to jumpy idle.

This tells me (correct me if you have other ideas) that I have a bad (in order of suspicion):

1) distributor cap

2) plug wire

3) spark plug

The plugs are Bosch Platinum. The wires and dist are Autozone...(Duralast?) and all were replaced 20,000 miles ago.

If I had the energy right now to disconnect and reconnect the intake stuff, I'd go switch the plug wire with the another one as long to see if the problem follows the wire, but I don't so I'm not going to try that today.

I'd really like to get the shield off that's at the bottom half of the distributor cap, but I can only locate 2 or 3 of the necessary bolts. Is there a picture to help locate the bolts that aren't really visible?

Joe

I have an active problem that sounds very much like yours.

I gave up and took it to Lexus dealer and they said that they could not diagnose it since I had aftermarket ignition parts (dist cap, wires, even the Bosch Platinum plugs would not allow them to proceed with diagnosis!!!.. Is this complete BULL or do they all say this?)

Mine started out with an occasional hiccup when going up an incline in cruise control...it would burp once and all would be fine.

A few weeks ago, (coincidentally?) a day after having to replace the accessory belt, the rough running sounds very much like yours, EXCEPT that when I step on the gas there is lots of power and the roughness is gone/hidden. The worst roughness is when idling in gear and all the way up to 60 in cruise control.

It is drivable but I don't really want to drive anyone else in the car that way.

I am at a loss and don't know where to go short of putting in $300-$400 worth of Lexus OEM ignition parts and taking it back to the dealer.

Joe

One other thing....I disconnected a plug wire for testing, and the coil pack arcs over to a small metal pipe coming from the coolant overflow tank.

I realize I am giving the spark no path to the plug at that point, but should the coil wire head ever allow an arc out of it, or do I have a bad coil wire?

Joe

Who replaced the belt, you or a shop.

I did...a very easy 20 minute job. Hardest part was getting out the stripped off piece that was wrapped/tied around the fan hub.

Joe

I have a '93 LS400 with a Nac system and only get sound from left rear speaker... my car has a factory (I think) phone cradle in the arm rest, somewhere it seems there was a reference to the phone audio coming over the left rear speaker, so I am wondering if maybe there is something messed up with the phone/stereo? is there a slick fix that anyone can think of?

When you say "only get sound from left rear speaker", does that really mean no woofer, no right side, no nothing? Or are you saying that you can't hear anything from the left front?

I recently had to replace the 2 (front & back) left door speakers in my '92 that has the Nakamichi system.

Joe

92 LS400, 218,000 miles.

A long-ways strip came off the accessory belt....meaning most of the belt was still functioning, except an edge strip which came off and wrapped around the fan hub and also was hitting stuff as it was going around.

The belt is all taken care of, but the car runs rough now. With the car in gear, reverse most pronounced, the engine idles rough at around 600 but it quickly surges up maybe 50 RPM and back to 600....just rough running. I can drive the car to get me from here to there, but it is not very pleasant as it seems to "miss" all the time. If I floor it, there is plenty of power.

Is there anything you can think of (sensor wire, etc.) that may have been damaged around the accessory belt path that might cause this behavior?

CEL light bulb is verified functional, but is not on.

Ideas?

Joe

I am new to the board and have been searching/reading with great interest. I do have a question about the mileage interval for changing the spark plugs. My owner's manual for a '99 LS400 calls for changing the plugs at 90K miles. However, I have read many posts of people changing their plugs at 30K and 60K intervals. Are these shorter intervals overkill, or are there good reasons to swap out more often than called for by Lexus maintenance recommendations?

I changed my factory plugs at 200K, and only because I had to get in there anyway to do some other work.

I posted pictures of the plugs here...they looked pretty darned good.

23MPG before and 23MPG after changing the plugs, rotors, caps, wires.

Joe

Picture here:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ost&id=7423

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! just what i needed......

by the way.... cool name!! :D

Be aware you might find getting the alternator out and in can be tight, tricky, frustrating and time-consuming.

Perhaps an experienced mechanic knows exactly the best way to turn it for it to come right out, but I did not find it easy.

Joe

You know, I have to say, while it could be something to do with your transmission, it's more likely that one of your spark plugs is fouled.

About a year ago I seafoamed my engine before a tune up. It fouled one or more of my plugs apparently. Before I realized this, I thought that something had gone wrong with my transmission as it coincidentally started leaking fluid at the same time. Turns out, one of my plugs was messed up from the foam and the shuddering around shift points I was noticing was from the plugs, not the transmission

As the transmission shifts, the load on the engine changes. I thought that my transmission was slipping or otherwise broken... turned out that with the shift in engine load, one of my plugs couldn't "keep up" and was causing the shudder.

Bottom line: When was the last time you did a tune up?

I did plugs, points, rotors, wires at 200,000 (was all original up to that point).

When it kicks, it's not doing any shifting.

I'd expect a fouled plug to give more frequent poor behavior.

Joe

92 LS400 212,000 miles Have maintained trans fluid with occasional partial flushes...it's a decent red.

When going up an incline, the car may "kickback" for about a quarter second and then it's business as usual. It will do this whether or not overdrive is enabled and I do not have to be accelerating for it to happen.

About 5 minutes into my daily drive, I go up a 5-10 degree incline for about a tenth of a mile, and it reliably kicks exactly once, and that's usually it for the daily trip even though there are more severe hills to come. However, if I go up a lengthy steep hill well into any random trip, it may do it 1, 2 or 3 times.

Usually it is mild, almost like the engine missing, but every once in a while it's a clunk kickback. I believe that I can avoid it by accelerating fairly hard, but it's difficult to tell whether you caused something to not happen.

I don't know a lot about auto trans workings, but I'm imaging maybe a solenoid going off-task for a split-second.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Joe

What do you guys think?

I bought my LS in November of '06. One previous owner and it had 260K as well as detailed maintenance records with the car. The car has a few dinks on it and small rust spot by the drivers side rear wheel well. I replaced the old non working radio with a pioneer deck (something simple) and upgraded the speakers and sub in the rear deck to polk audio and to amps (something simple for my listening pleasure not for the neighborhood to hear). I also installed an after market remote start and keyless with alarm.

I too like the previous owner have kept all records of maintenance and is garage kept. Just two weeks ago i changed the water pump bracket because the bearings were worn out. Since i bought is the car now has 269K, im worried that now that i have done some mechanical work on it other parts may begin to fail. I love my car dont get me wrong, but was wondering if i should sell it because of its high milage and or because of other future mechanical problems.

If anyone thinks otherwise of me selling it please comment back. Again, selling it is not what i really want but at the same time i would like to know the longevity of my LS.

thanks everyone.

Continue to drive it. It's not worth much on the market, so it's not like you're going to have a huge wad of cash to do something with.

I think your only decision is if something happens whether to sink more money into it, or not, on a case-by-case basis. Alternator - yes. Tranny rebuild - no. and so on.

I have 3 cars with over 200k (92 LS400, 97 Volvo T-5, 93 Exploder) and so far none of them have come up with a "fatal flaw" that will make me go Old Yeller on them. (I'm sure one will within a couple of weeks, now that I've jinxed them)

All the best,

Joe

That's a Toyota Camry LE.

General Lee IX

Thanks to everyone that helped me out with this problem. I just got it back from the mechanic today. Turned out to be the water pump as many of you said. He replaced the water pump, belt and flushed the system for me. I guess all in all it could have been a lot worse, so I got of a little lucky. He charged me $449 bucks to do the job, and had it done within a day after getting all the parts in finally. Glad I got my problem fixed and have my car back again. Life really does suck without it.

$449 for the whole job? Or $449 labor? If the former, you got a STEAL!!!! If the latter, it's still a good deal.

Joe

Does a Gen 1 LS400 with 200K miles need some lube service, wheel bearings packed, etc?

I'm sorry, but I have just never looked into this and haven't seen discussion of it.

Joe

Hello everyone. I just replaced my carrier arm bushings this weekend (with lots of help from JZZ30, THANK YOU!). Bushings (ADUS 505) were $75 for the pair (shipped) and the dealer wanted to charge me close to $600 for this fairly simple job. If you are even reasonably good at DIY, you will save yourself a lot of money! :D

What symptoms did you experience that caused you to do this fix?

Joe

91 LS400 w/324K. Today I begin hearing an aweful racket coming from under the hood. Louder at idle, but at speed it goes quiet(er). I open the hood to listen and it sounds like it's coming from the main fan clutch, but not 100% sure. It looks like it has a slight wobble when spinning. Sound is almost like a grinding noise. Thoughts or experience?

That is your Fan Bracket. 324K is a lot of miles to get out of a fan bracket.

It is a doable DIY fix. You don't have to take out the radiator. It's a good time to change your ignition parts, if they need it.

The part should cost you $90-$125 or so.

Joe

do local auto parts stores sell it? or is it dealership only?

Toyota dealer. You can get it at a Lexus dealer, too, but it usually costs more.

(Are there any Lexus dealers not right next to a Toyota?)

Joe

Kudos to you on a great tilt steering repair - happened to me and the Lexus dealer advised me that a repair would cost me a thousand to replace the motor. After your advice this do-it-yourselfer made the fix and all is well. Maybe we could subcontract this repair out from Lexus and do it for five hundred!

It is a complete embarrassment that a dealer either:

1) Doesn't know of the simple fix to this common ailment

or

2) Knows and will still want to ream the customer by replacing the whole thing

Embarrassing.

Joe

i notice the glue on one of the outer handle support, mine is broken exactly at the same point waiting for fix. is your pix means anything else or common issue?

That's what I was trying to fix...just that.

It does take alot of stress at that place, so if you try the fix, be sure to use a very strong epoxy or something.

I don't think the metal is weldable, but I'm not positive about that.

Joe