mejojo

Jim,

The obvious question that I haven't seen answered is:

Are you the original owner of the car, or do you know by some other way that the CV boots have not been torn and replaced in the past?

I'd like to think that a person would clean up the grease mess under there if doing the work, but you never know.

Joe

For the record, Jim did not do mine. I bought the LCD from Jim and installed it myself.

Joe

On the other hand, I think it depends how much you can get the car for. I'd imagine the asking price wouldn't be more than $5k? The needed repair could help you save even a few hundred more.

(Assuming it actually is a leaky head gasket...please verify before you buy)

A head gasket isn't the most trivial thing, but a DIY'er can do it on this car. A head gasket is a FAR better problem than if it were burning oil.

Most of the labor applies to both heads, so I'd do both at the same time for just a little bit more money. If you can find a decent regular (non-Lexus Dealer) mechanic, it shouldn't cost much more than, oh, $600-$700 plus $130 parts.

AllDataDIY.com says the following for Gen 1:

Parts

. OEM Part

. Price Cylinder Head Gasket

2 - Right Bank 1111550021 $62.50

2 - Left Bank 1111650011 $62.50

Cylinder Head Gasket Replace

Labor Skill Level. Warr.. Std.

One Bank B 8.4. 11.8

Includes: Clean Carbon & Make All Necessary Adjustments.

Both Banks B 10.0. 13.7

Includes: Clean Carbon & Make All Necessary Adjustments.

So, IMO, it depends on the deal, and what the problem actually is. You can save money buying a fixer-upper if you know what the problem is and how much it will cost to fix before you make a deal.

Joe

Of course, that's $94,935 Canadian dollars, which, as we know, aren't worth all that much.

Joe

What manner of bad gas do you imagine would persist so strongly through 5 or 6 fillups? I can't imagine any fluid actually sold as gasoline could be so overwhelming strong as to not have been diluted into virtual nonexistence.

My opinion is that there is something else altogether going amiss.

Joe

Okay, the differences are:

1) The font is different; the originals have a slant to them, and are larger, like the radio display. Also, the replacement characters are aligned higher, leaving more empty space below than above.

2) The original is LCD panel is transluscent whereas the replacement LCD panel is opaque. What this means is the background looks whiter, there is higher contrast, and most importantly to me, when the lights are on, the original has an even glow across the panel. With the replacement, the bulb illuminates the center of the panel, gradually darkening towards the side. Said otherwise, it looks more like a Ford than a Lexus.

All that said, it does work!

Joe

I made a post on Friday night about installing the LCD part from Jim Walker.

I'm too bushed to re-do it, but I'll throw up the pictures so you can get a glimpse. Not original looking, but it works.

Before:

After:

We also inquired as to what a Mikado repair looks like...what to they use? Does it look original? Is it NOT the same faulty original part?

Joe

If it sounds like it's inside the door, it's easy to remove the door panel and check for loose things.

There was a thread a few weeks ago about this topic and 2 people had found the exact same loose nut or bolt.

Joe

You're KIDDING! It's HUGE! (about 6"x9"x1.5" guesstimating)

As a matter of fact, I have noticed that when I've had trouble unlocking with a weak key battery, holding the key back towards the rear door would help. So it makes sense.

I can't imagine why it's locked in there (it doesn't provide much, if any, extra security), but any idea why the key to that lock is left in the lock?

Thanks,

Joe

When removing the antenna body on my 92 LS400 (broken cable) I had to deinstall what I presume is the main computer (confirm? deny?) in order to get the antenna out.

What I found interesting was that there was a lock to keep it from being removed....but there was a key in the lock.

Does anyone know the story behind this?

Joe

Well, the JB Weld appears to be working! Of course, I'll be a little gentle opening the door from now on, but it seems solid.

I spent about an 1 1/2 - 2 hours doing the whole job (with 20+ hours of epoxy curing time in the middle), but I could take at least a half hour off that now that I know what I'm doing!

Putting the door panel back on was a little tricky...it helps to have another person support the panel while you orient it to the pins/holes.

Here's what the handle looks like with the JB Weld on it (Yeah, I really laid it on there)

and here's what the door looks like with the panel off.

Anyway, looks like I saved myself the cost of a new handle and and hour or two of mechanic labor...good deal!

Joe

I am trying JB Weld (an epoxy-type repair material) on it.

Crossing fingers. JB Weld has fixed many a thing, but I'm not sure about this one.

Joe

(WHOOPS..didn't realize this was in the ES300 forum..oh, well, here's this info)

======================================================

(From the perspective of a '92 LS400..yours may or may not be the same)

The lock is held in place by a fairly sturdy bolt....not sure how that could accidentally come loose, but....

You first have to get the inside door panel off. Take out the window/door lock control by prying it upwards (protecting your soft coverings) and detach the wire connector. Remove the door handle cover and detach the wire connector. (That one is pretty hard).

..a bunch of screws and then pulling (pretty hard) to get the poppers/snaps to come free. Make sure you get all the screws. One is hidden behind the inside door latch cover, and one underneath the armrest. Maybe one more. Be on the lookout for the wire connector for the light underneath the armrest.

Once that's done, peel away the plastic, trying to keep the stickum intact so that it will stick back nicely. Retrieve the missing bolt from the door well (presuming that's why the lock came loose).

Make sure you have the little plastic weatherproofing ring that goes around the lock, then reinsert the lock into the opening, rotated to about 2 o'clock (from the inside) . You will have to press it in very hard and then rotate it back to 12 o'clock position, securing it in position, then refasten the bolt.

Then, put the panel back on.

Hope this helps.

Joe