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90LS400Lexus

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Posts posted by 90LS400Lexus

  1. You'll be back ;)

    lol. Maybe, but it will take me awhile to recover from this last LS. ;)

    Looking at four different vehicles this week... likely next car will be a nice: 1993 Lincoln Town Car (all service records, excellent condtion and low miles), low mileage 1991 Chevy Caprice Classic, 1993 Toyota Camry LE V6 (aka Lexus ES300), but since it has a Toyota name and not Lexus, its so much cheaper to maintain. I can buy this car for $1100... needs a RF fender. I owned a 1993 Camry LE V6 about 6 years ago... super car. Also looking at a nice 1996 Toyota T100 SR5 4wd (3.4L V6).

    I am not looking at anything newer. The only 2000+ cars that inspire me are the 2000-02 Toyota Tundras, 2001-02 Lexus LS430s, 2000-2001 Mercedes S420 and the 2003 Honda Accords, but not really wanting a 2000+ model, as I am looking for something LOW priced at this time. I like 80s and 90s cars, so basically trying to find a nice low mile example.

  2. Well I first want to thank everyone here over the years of my LS400s ownership (since 2003 when I bought my first LS400). I am posting this here, as this is the only Lexus forum I have ever posted in and everyone here knows me.

    It is with a little sadness though to report I sold my LS400 today. I had owned it for about 3 years and I tend to get a little sentimental with my cars, even when they are not old, but it was time to let it go to someone that could do more to it than I could. I almost makes me teary eyed when I think of it not being in the driveway. :(

    It had been a reliable car and aside from the fan bearing going out and ALOT of power steering issues and most recently a CEL issue (that I am still going to try to help the new owner with) it was a good car. I sold it to someone about 90 miles away that has more time and and automotive know-how than I do, so it can get the attention it needs. I was having a hard time getting straight answers on some issues it had and even the local mechanics seemed to be morons when it came to this car. One even thought it was a V6. :rolleyes: One thought they didnt even offer LS400s until 1991. <_<

    I also sold the car at a HUGE loss.... about $1500 less than I paid for it overall, but that was almost 3 years ago, so I suppose I got my monies worth. Also, the PO will have to spend some $ to get it up to par.

    I dont know if I will ever buy another LS400... I had said before I never would, but did, only this LS400 had given me more issues than my other did and it even had higher mileage, but I dont know. I am leary now, as I am not a wealthy person and cant afford high cost parts and repair bills.

    IF I ever bought another LS400, it will likely be a 1995-97 model and EVERYTHING such as power steering, starter, valve cover gaskets, motor mounts, timing belt, etc will be up to date unless the price is a steal. OR a LOW MILEAGE 1990-94 LS400 that also had most of this taken care of. My goal however is to now purchase a large 90s American luxury car or perhaps another big Toyota 4wd truck. I have even some early-mid 90s Camrys and early 90s Accords on my list. Something easier and less costly to service.

    Thanks again for the data over the past few years. I will still visit from time to time.

  3. With attitude like that I'm sure that person will be getting a heck of a deal. If you want a 100% reliable car just go buy a newer Honda or something with crank up windows and manual transmission. With a luxury car you'll have issues like this, especially with a 20 year old car. Sounds like you may need a newer Japanese car if you're getting frustrated with repairs.

    Well, I have had several old Japanese cars (some over 20 years old) and this is my 3rd Lexus and have had minimal issues with all, save for this one. Its just since day 1 this car has been the pits and after 3 years, its really got to me. I am amazed I have put up with it this long. Its funny though, because major things are fine... engine and tranny seem like they will last forever, but its the little things that are going wrong like this and its annoying. True, its an old car, it high mileage and I AM better off selling it. I would not even mind repairing this and that, but when one thing breaks after you fix another, its annoying. I dont like the newer Japanese cars and highly likely I will ever buy another Lexus, unless its a LOW mileage 1995-96 model that has had alot of the problem spots dealt with already. I dont like anything newer than 1995 to be honest. I will probably get an older 80s-early 90s American luxury car, or a low mileage early 90s Accord. These old LS400s are just too costly to service, but after owning an LS400 since 2003 (well you know, you have been here since 2003 like I have), I knew that, but not expecting this one to have the issues it has had, despite being a well cared for, 1-owner car (when I bought it) and having only 196K when I bought it and I have done nothing but baby this car... never over 3000 rpms, dodge potholes, keep it clean, oil change every 3K, etc. My last LS400 had nearly 300K and I didnt have near the issues with it than I have this one... there is only so much stress one person can take with a car before it pushes them over the edge. I mean I fix one thing and something else breaks. I dealt with power steering issues for about 16 months on this car and I finally get that repaired and now all of this starts happening. Maybe I am lucky my other car (which ironically is 22 years old and is a Mercedes) had never given me the problem this Lexus has, but the Mercedes I have is a simple car that dates back to 1981.

    btw - I ran the code and its code 71 again. <_<

  4. Well... again, it hit 85 miles after the CEL was reset and the light came back on, again when at highway speed. I was so angry, I punched the gas for about 4 seconds. :angry:

    After all of my power steering issues were finally solved, I decide to get the throttle body cleaned for $45 at the shop (had a hesitation)... this cleaning soon (next morning) tripped the CEL light. Ran code, showing it was the EGR (code 71), spent another $56 to have it cleaned at the shop... get the car back, now not only does it have a tapping sound at idle that sounds like a knock (which I am told it probably an exhaust leak at the EGR), and now the check engine light comes on AGAIN on my way home from work!

    Has anyone every seriously considered taking a sledge hammer to their car? I am SERIOUSLY considering it. I have babied this car since day one... I am done with that now.

    Sad part is I have this car sold and the person is coming next week to pick it up.... guess I will let them make me an offer and just get shed of this POS once and for all.

    Thanks for all of the help over the years.

  5. Thanks but where is the egr valve and how do you remove and clean it?

    The photo on this link will show you where its at... I had mine done at the shop

    http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/emission/egrfilter.html

    Remember, this is for only cleaning the filter in the modulator... its easy as pie, but there is more involvement in cleaning the EGR system... so much so that the shop charged me $56.00 - then they screwed something up (I was told probably the EGR pipe/gasket) because it has a tapping sound at idle.

  6. Well then frankly, I am not worried about it then. It can only be heard at idle anyway when the heater blower and radio is off... so its not a big concern. The car is sold anyway and I am not putting anymore $ into it. I am afraid to take it back to that shop, because everytime they "fix" one thing, they break another... its getting ridiculous.

  7. Ugh, that sounds dreadful. Could be your coils going weak... I was told this when my LS was idling rough and had a gassy smell from the exhaust. Just a guess though.

    Turned out I had unburned gas built up because I had only started the car for like 20 seconds and moved it one day when it was cold and apparently it had temporarily fouled the plugs... let it run for about 3 minutes then it was fine and has never happened again.

  8. No they didn't "score" a valve. Jaysus!

    It's possible that the EGR valve is not seated correctly, or the gasket is mis-placed or re-used, and what you are hearing is an exhaust gas leak, which can sound like a knock, right at the firewall in the middle of the engine. So take it back and let the "mechanics" listen to it. You have a bill, they gaurantee their work.

    Well thats good to know its nothing major, but knowing this place they will probably not think its anything they did (you dont know this shop, but I had no other choice but to take it there). I will give it a try though. What will leaving it like this do IF something happens they wont fix it? Will it cause any damage to anything?

  9. I can attest to that... my throttle body needed cleaned though... I had a hesitation and a jerking motion at certain speeds, which went away when I had the throttle body cleaned... however it caused the check engine light to come on. I was told it could have washed some junk down in the EGR... had it cleaned at the shop... now I have a tapping sound at idle that I did NOT have before. :rolleyes:

  10. What was wrong with the EGR system? Why would you do service if you sold it already?

    After I had the throttle body cleaned the check engine light started coming on..... it was a code 71, "EGR system malfunction". I wanted to be honest with the man buying it, so I told them the engine light was on and I would have it fixed first.

    Shop said it "EGR" needed to be cleaned... they cleaned it alright.... now the car has a knock at idle! :angry:

    Someone said they may have sprayed something in there and scored? a valve??

  11. OMG, if its not one thing, its another with this car. I took it to get the EGR system cleaned and I swear after I picked up the car from work and stopped in the parking lot I am hearing a tapping/knocking sound! It can only be heard at idle and if everything is turned off such as radio, heat, etc.

    I have driven it four times since and I still hear it. I dont know what they done, because it was NOT doing it before this. When I raise the hood and stand outside of the car, I cant hear it from the engine... only when setting inside the car.

    Someone is buying the car this week and I dont know what to do. This makes me cross. :angry:

  12. Wow, an issue that I have actually not had?! I am going to pat my LS400 on the hood. lol. Yeah, I have read alot of this issue, but strangely mostly on the 1993-94 models. I didnt have the problem on my old 1990 LS or my current 1991 LS. I kinda always thought it was the actual gauge itself - I thought perhaps they had done something differently with the panels on the 93-94 models since they were different than the 90-92 models. Guess not, as it seems like its the meter in the tank itself.

    However, with both of my LS400s, it did (90) / does (91) take it a couple of minutes to go up to full when I fill it up, but both were like that since day 1 when I bought them.

  13. Thanks. I am the 2nd owner and the filters were probably not cleaned. I have found a lot of threads on the power steering solenoid filters and will try to clean tomorrow if I can find all of the details on the procedure. Any recomendations?

    I am not sure if the 1995-97 procedures are the same as the 1990-94 or not. I have not heard about as many power steering woes on the 1995 models. If its like the 1990-94, drain the reservior, remove three bolts on the reservior and hose and it pops off.

  14. As Billy mentioned and I did in another thread, it may be your rack solenoid. Speaking of Billy, he is the one that was able to get me a used solenoid for my 1991 LS off of a crashed 1994 LS.

    I had power steering nightmares on my LS for about 17 months. At first, there was no change when I replaced the solenoid last month, but I know it was good and mine was bad (mine didnt click when powered up). I then cleaned the power steering pump screen and still didnt help, but by a week later, my steering was 100% again and its not given me anymore problems. I am pretty sure it was my power steering rack solenoid. It had got to where I would get a shudder on low speed turns... then it would get to where my steering was stiff. Sometimes it would work for like 10 seconds after I first started it, then it would go away. Its all good now. I would replace the rack solenoid first before I replaced the entire rack.

  15. Well i was eager to see if this would help and my oh my did this work miracles. my car will spin the *BLEEP* outta the tires now and it takes off soo fast now. It idles alot smoother and the dead spot has disappeared. I unplugged my maf because when i had it plugged in i got about 5 mpg.... without it being plugged in the car has soooo much more power and the gas mileage is much, much better. I think i'm gonna order a maf with a new wiring harness make it a win/win situation and finally get this car fixed!

    Sounds great! I knew you would be suprised! I was when I had mine done... had I known, I would have had it done years ago! It did cause a CEL code and I had to have the EGR system cleaned, but all is well now... wouldnt you know I am selling it now. <_<

    Congrats!!! I just had mine cleaned as well. I have 231k on mine and I was told that this was probably the first time it had been cleaned! It had a lot of buildup and my idle was at 400 rpm's when I brought it in. I got it back and it is now idling at ~600 rpm's. What a difference in power! However, I am still having problems with my power steering.

    It has been a rough few weeks on dumping $ into the car.

    Heater quit working when idling...will work when driving: common issue just replaced reservoir cap and seems to be working - Fingers are crossed!

    Alternator went out, oil had dripped from the valve cover and coated it - easy to replace: Great info on the site on this - Thanks Everyone for the posts!

    Replaced battery

    Valve cover gasket replaced 15k ago and leaked again, mechanic would not replace due to warranty....BS

    Power steering intermittent...Troubleshooting right now

    Check engine light on: TPS sensor - mechanic replaced twice - mechanic says it is a problem with a board???

    Hmmm.... your story sounds MUCH like mine! <_< I have owned my car for over two years and have put some money into it... nothing major, but alot of little nagging things, most of which I repaired. I have had all of the power steering woes... leaks, intermittent working, etc. I had fixed the leak (was a return line, but my alternator never got leaked on), blocked the idle up valve (had started smoking on startup), then it would shudder, then the power assist of the steering would rarely work... then put on a used solenoid off of a 94 (had to change the electrical plug) and cleaned the pump screen and about a week later, I had perfect power steering again. Still have the leaky valve cover gaskets and I am sure it could use motor mounts to get the super smoothness back again. I did replace the transmission mount (super cheap and easy), fan bearing (not so cheap or easy), etc. I had a hesitation on acceleration and it was the dirty throttle body... had it cleaned and it runs super, but a check engine light came on... had to have the EGR system cleaned... so far, so good. Its to the point where I need a higher setting and larger car now and cant really afford to do what it needs, so its getting a new home this week... someone that can afford to do what I cant.

    I bet your power steering issue is the steering rack solenoid.... you can buy a used one, do a search. You dont have to replace the entire rack... at least I didnt on my 1991.

  16. Thanks... I should have updated... my power steering is fixed.. after a combination of the replacement rack solenoid, pump screen cleaning and about a week of driving, the power assist came back full steam and its been fine ever since. :)

    Car is getting a new home on Wednesday. I already miss it, but its for the best.

    I have a '95 ls 400 w/ 131k and my ps has been intermittent as well. However, I found what will cause it to go on & off. If I bring the car above 5,000 rpm's under heavy exeleration, this will disable/enable the power steering.

    Not sure if this is related, but I am looking to see if this might be a vacuum valve problem that????

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