wandawoods

I did some more 'test driving' today. if O/D is on, and step on the gas hard, the 1st gear can go over *5000rpm* before 2nd gear will kick in! this thing is defenitely not normal! and this happened after 30-min worth of driving so it wasn't because of a 'cold' engine. on the LS400 and SC400 I have, no matter how hard we hit the gas, the 1st gear w/OD on will never go over said 3K rpm before 2nd grear takes over! (one thing I can say is that the 400's are really fast cars!) we just bought this ES300 about 3 weeks ago, and tran. fluid was flushed and changed about 2 weeks ago, and it was pretty bad. now I am worry it may have big time tranny problems. looks like I got to get it checked on the double!

thanks for the hints! will have the mechanic looking into them. the 1st gear can go as high as 4000rpm even the car is running for more than 20~30 min! it looks pretty weird that the RPM needle goes up and down with big swing unlike the SC400/LS400 and other non-lex cars I have. i'm just afraid something really bad is going on...

well... I do have 3 lex 94 LS400/115K 96 SC400/166K 98 ES300/136K

the car is 98 ES300 136k after car parks a few hours (may not have be the 1st start in the morning) a big puff of white smoke will come out of the exhaust pipe, and it disappears after about 10~15sec. 1st gear runs to 3800~4000rpm before it will auto-shift to next gear. rpm needle swings unsually wide under normal driving condition. can anyone give me a diagnosis? thanks for your time!

94 LS400 115K 96 SC400 166K the idle speed on both cars are around 500rpm. is this normal?

Hi JPI, thanks for the info. for a 166K, I can image it had TB replaced at least once, but to be safe I will go ahead to replace TB. at least I know now it's a non-interference, TB replacement should not be as expensive as timing chain on Mercedes 420SEL which costed me $1200, parts+labor! assuming it is not to be serviced by dealer, how much can I expect to pay TB replacement at a 'regular' shop? I also own a 94 LS400 (w/115K miles) with the same 1UZ-FE engine. I assume it's also a non-interference? thanks again for your time!

96K KM (60K miles)!? is it because of the freezing winter condition so you have to change TB this frequently? other than 94 LS400, I also own a 96 SC400. I think they have the same non-interferece 1uz-fe engine, and I was told 90K miles is the factory recommendation for TB repalcement. can anyone confirm this? thanks for the response.

I came across the web page of 'strutmaster' specialized in air suspension replacement kit (hydraulic struts, $795 for set of 4) http://strutmasters.com/lexus.html they offer life-time warranty and full instruction has anyone had experience with their products? or can anyone recommend a good set of conventional suspension can be the replacement of air struts? thanks,

does anyone know for sure that 1UZ-FE engine in 94 LS400 is interference or non-interference type? also, what is the factory recommended mileage to change timing belt? thanks,

it looks like the left rear air strut on my 94 LS400 is needed to be replaced. it leaks air and drops when engine is cut-off. I heard that it can be replaced with standard non-air suspension. can anyone recommend a good shop in Atlanta area to do the job? I wish to convert all 4 and sell the 3 good one on ebay....

can anynone tell me whether my 96 SC400 has an interference engine or not? just bought it on eBay with 166K, but I am not sure the timing belt was replaced or not. I heard that a broken timing belt on non-interference motor would just quit running, no real harm is done! also, what is the factory recommended mileage to replace TB? thanks in advance for your time.