90LS400Lexus

I think there is something wrong with the poll, as it says I have already voted- even though I have not. At any rate- my car now has about 228,500 miles.

Thanks for that information!! Can you describe the vibration your car had and at what speeds? Did it seem worse at any other speeds? My cars seemed to have gotten progressively worse when I had the new rear struts installed. I did not recall it doing it before, but only shortly after. I know that they did not do another alignment. I have heard that this could be my problem.

I know that it is getting worse and worse and more and more irritating.

It does not seem like the tires is causing it. It seems like the entire cabin is vibrating as if a severe thunder is rumbling the car. The vibration does not seem any worse at any other part of the car. It seems the same throughout the cabin. It starts at the moment the car hits 35mph and not a mph lower.

I am 99.9% sure now that it is not my transmission.

Whats even worse is that my starter is doing that "sticking" deal in the mornings when I first start it and I am afraid that my starter is going out, or will go out if this keeps going on.

How much did the new driveshaft cost? How much did they charge to install?

Thanks again!!!!

Hi,

I work at Johnson Lexus in Raleigh, NC in the Detail Dpt. I drive every car that comes through the lexus service Dept. so that they can be washed. I have seen many LS400s with well over 250k. I do remember especially a 90 LS400 with 298k on the clock. I also heard from another guy that works in the detail dept about a car that he detailed with 365k on it. I dont think that you will have any worries about your car not lasting.

1UZ- how long have you worked there? You may have cleaned my aunts black 90 LS400 if you worked there in the mid 90s. My uncle bought it sometime between 1995-1997 from Johnson Lexus there in Raleigh. I think it had 55K when he bought it and paid something like $12,000 for it- but remember it was only about 6 years old and had low miles. I think they have about 180K on it now and have only had to replace normal maintainence items of course, as well as the starter. I think that is about it. I have not seen my aunts black 90 LS400 since I have bought my 90 LS400, so I do not really know how they compare with options. I think her car is a little better equipped than mine. My cars only options are sunroof, leather, remote entry, gold trim package. It lacks the air-suspension, Nak. sound system, CD player, & heated/memory seats, but those are options I would not use anyway.

BTW- my 90 LS400 has nearly 229,000 miles and still going and going. If I could only get rid of the annoying vibration between 35-65 mph.

Well, one thing that you can easily look at are the muflers or exhast pipes. I was looking into an Honda Accord, but I looked down and it had a huge whole in it. Like everyone else, I'll also say that in older cars electronic problems come into play too. Paint, was also mentioned; this 'can' determine if the car was in a fender bender or even worse, if the colors of the car don't match, (maybe the front fender is darker then rest of the body). You cannot examine the paint in the evening or when the sun is down or in a cloudy day. In a bright sunny day, move back about 30 feet or so, and look at the whole car, if the car color is dark the painted part will stick out.

You can also check if the headlights and taillights work, especially when applying the brakes. One of my friends brought a 1991 Jaguar from an auction, and he had the same problem, the taillights would turn on with the headlights but not with the brakes applied.

I see these kinds of auction as taking a little risk and the results also depend a little on Luck too. So, Good Luck.

Shah.

Not to change the subject, but the Jaguars have terrible electrical systems.

That is something I would also like to know, as my 90 LS400 with 228,500 does the same thing. I do not want to to ruin the starter, because I have heard that is big $$$$!

You are right VB- my car does have that automatic start function, but only when it is first started of the morning for the first time. It continues to crank, even after the ignition is released until it starts. Later in the day when I tried it- it stopped as soon as I released the ignition before it started. Perhaps it is because a little longer time is required to start when it is cold, but it still seems like a un-necessary feature. I just want to get that "errr" sound fixed that the starter makes even after the engine has started, that also only occurs when first started in the morning. Perhaps that feature is what is "sticking"? From what I have heard- it is cause for concerns.

I agree. If it came from a police auction- it could be iffy, as it may have seen some major abuse. You can *usually tell by the condition if the car has been abused or not. With this being said- I would not pay too much for the car- without driving it and seeing the mechanical conditions. A lot could be wrong and you would not even know it until it was too late. As a guide- I paid $3995 for my 90 LS400 last year. My car had 224K when I bought it, but it was a 1-owner, garage kept automobile, with like new interior, excellent, silky smooth engine and transmission, but some exterior dings and scratches. The only thing that did/does not work is the A/C. The Lexus dealer quoted me a price of $800 to repair, but I can probably get it cheaper elsewhere.

Overall, these cars are bulletproof and very reliable, but just like VB said- maintainence can be very expensive.

Plus, in most about states, Premium is $.10 per gallon more than regular. So, on a 22.5 gallon car you will only pay $2.25 more, when filling the whole tank. But this pays off when you get more MPG.

VBdenny: When my family moved to NC from NJ, I realized that one of the advantages of living in NC is that everyone fills up their own tank; and parking the Lexus at the gas station and filling it up with Premium Fuel is a rush.

Also, Valoline Complete Fuel System Cleaner have any short or long-term affect on the vehicle.

I agree 100% that premium should be used in these cars and it is not much more, but I have never seen premium only .10 cents higher than premium. I guess I live in one of the "other" states that does not offer this. Around here it is about .25 cents higher per gallon, except at one of the local supermarket chains that offer premium at mid grade price every Friday- which is when I get my gas for the Lexus. Last time I filled it up it was $1.65 or 1.67 per gallon.

NO what I was talking about is what seems to be an Automatic Start function. You insert the key and turn it to the start position and you don't need to hold the key in the start position, it cranks by itself until it starts.

Is it suppose to do this?

Not that I know of. I have never noticed it on my car. I will have to check it the next time I drive it to see if it does.

90,  you have brought up something that I wasn't sure about.  The automatic starting feature.  With the LS, all you have to do is just turn the key once and it is suppose to crank until it starts.  Then, it doesn't disengage quickly enough.  I wonder if the automatic starting feature can be disabled?  Does it even have automatic start or is that part of the problem?

VB- I am not 100% sure what your are referring to about the automatic starter.

I should have been a little more clear in my reply. I meant to put a "remote" starter feature was placed on the car, rather than "automatic" start. My uncle thought it would be great for him not to have to go outside on chilly mornings and start the car, when it was not in the garage. Something happened to it and it kept the starter engaged longer than it was supposed to on a few occasions and it ruined the starter.

That is when the starter on my car seems to "hang"- is when I first start it in the morning. It has that "errr" sound for about a second or two. Obviously pulling a lot of power, because I can see the fasten seat belt warning light get brighter when the noise stops. If I recall, my uncle told me that when he had the starter replaced on my aunts 1990 LS400 back in the late 1990s, due to a faulty automatic starter, it cost over $1000. Has anyone ever had the a starter replaced on one of these cars lately? I understand that it is a timely repair and requires moving of a lot of parts, such as intake manifold ?, etc. In one of the replies, it seems as if it takes about as long to get to that "plunger"? Is this true? If so, it seems like one would be better off just replacing the starter. I doubt I will replace my starter. I will probably sell it before I do that, as I do not want to put any more $$$ into this car, especially considering that I have that annoying vibration that I still have not figured out.

reading one of these reminded me of something: my LS doesn't have an underhood light which I think unusual. Just wonder if it is standard--and if it is, I sure will wonder where it went!!!!!

I do not think mine has a light either. Perhaps they knew that the hood rarely has to be raised on these cars before they bullt them? :D

Yes, it has been mentioned several times, as it is a common problem on these cars. I think it eventually gets blacker and blacker. Fluctuations are normal. I would not worry about it until it is completely unlegible. Luckily, I have not had this problem on my 1990 model yet.... I am sure someone here will have more

information on the fix however.

I have this same problem. How difficult is it to get to the "plunger" and what should it be cleaned with? Thanks!!

Looks like a very good deal. I paid $4000 for my 1990 LS, with 224K (at the time) in November of 2003. At times, I think I may have paid too much, but it was a 1-owner car, in excellent conditions, aside from a broken A/C evaporator, as well as a few scratches and small dings- so I may have got a fair deal. According to KBB - the private party value on my 90 LS with 225K was showing $4200, so the value on the 91 with 133K that you are considering should be at least $5000.

I agree with what 90LS said. Just check those items mentioned, because I have heard these are common problems several times.

My only problem has been the A/C not working.

Good luck!

I get about 350-400 per tank, on my 90 LS400, with 228K. It varies depending upon how much stop-go city driving and highway driving I do.

a car with a 455 V8 might have 230 hp but it must have a lot of torque.

many cars are faster at low end and not as fast in the high. like ferraris the 360 modena that has a V8 has a faster quartermile than the v12 550 maranello but from there the v12 will kill the v8

meaning our cars may be slow in the begining than some 4 cyliner but after that first gear or two say bye bye to the 4 cylinder

Yes- it seemed like a very "torqey" engine. The model year before on this car (1971 Buick Electra) was rated at 360 horsepower. The 71 Oldsmobile Toronado with the 455, as well as the 71 Lincoln Continental Mark III was rated at 375 horsepower. I remember that my old 1971 Oldsmobile would really roll the front tires. It was a FWD car. Takes a powerful engine to do that on a FWD 4400 lb car.

If this car is driven like this quite often, then you are lucky that this is the only "noise" that you hear from it. Because I am sure many more will soon follow. Maybe even the sounds of sirens may be heard. :D Good luck.

Thanks for that info. That is encouraging news. It is possible that it was changed by an independent repair shop before I got it, as the previous owner had stated to the mechanic to replace all belts as necessary. I have had the VIN# ran through my local Lexus dealer and some of it is gibberish and not very clear as to what was completed. Nevertheless, I have not seen anything about the timing belt on that printout.

I agree that the 95-up does have a more up-scale look. If it is worth the extra $$$$ to you to get the 95-up, I would go ahead and get it.

I have never tried this in my 90 LS, as I try not to abuse it. I did today take it to 4000 rpms in 1st gear (highest rpms I have ever had it- other than one other time- which was also 4000), when a old woman that thought I was going to pull out in front of her nearly stopped and started moving her mouth. I did pull out rather quickly. My car seems to accelerate just fine however and like everyone elses car- it seems to easily rapidly accelerate at higher speeds. You can definitely tell that these are heavy automobiles.

However, my Lexus seems to have about the same acceleration as my old 1972 Buick Electra 225 4dr. This Buick is an extremely large 4700 lb car, but it had a 455 V8, but being a 1972, which was the year that the horsepower dropped on all cars- it was only rated at 230 hp, but I think it was more than that. That car would easily peel the back tires, despite the very heavy weight. I really wish I had of kept this car. It was a real cruiser. My old 1971 Chevrolet Caprice had a 400 and it seemed to be just slightly slower than my Lexus, but it too weighed more than the LS400 @ about 4200 lbs.

I am guessing that your car is due to a major tune-up or something.

The last car that "tried" to race me was a latest generation Mitsubishi Eclipse. As mentioned- I do not like to drive my car hard, but I was not going to let this punk think that his oil burning Mitsubishi beat my LS400. I could tell he was redlining it, as I was only taking my car to 4000 rpms and was still going faster. :D

Blake pretty much said it all. Another potential problem on the 90-94s- is the instrument cluster and needle lights, as well as the LCD on the climate control. However, I have read a couple of reports of this problem even on the 95s-96s, but not nearly as much. I guess I have been lucky, as my 90 does not have these problems, unless they was already repaired before I bought. Both are great cars- and if the 95 seems like it is worth $6000 more- then buy it. As a price comparison- there was a local 95 LS400, in MINT conditions with 100K for sale here a couple of weeks ago for $10,000. Good luck with your purchase.

99LS- Not to change the subject- but I have been reading here and on the other Lexus club that the 90-94 LS400s do not have an "interference" engine. Can you point me to where you got that info? I am concerned, as I have no idea when that belt was changed on my 90 LS, with 228K. Thanks!

Also the instrument cluster illumination lights (panel and needles), as well as the heat-A/C control panel tends to go black on these cars after time. I have been lucky with my car, as my 90 still has all of the instrument panel lights in perfect working order, but it is possible that they have already been repaired. Good luck.

Care of the seats is really the key I guess. My 1990 LS also has 227,700 miles and the seats, carpeting and instrument panel are original and still in excellent to like new conditions, but I must remember that my car was 1-owner and garage kept before I bought it. I was thinking that 225K was very high miles for a 1995, until I remember my 1998 Ford Taurus that I just sold that had 250,000 miles. Beleive it or not- a Ford Taurus with 250K. Unbelievable. I would not have believed it unless I seen it. Still at 225K your car is just getting broke in. Repair/replace that seat and all will be fine- or just keep it as-is- that way you will not have to worry about taking care of the seat. lol. :P

I have never seen Lexus seats in conditions that bad. What year is your car? Did it come from the southern USA? I have not seen seats that bad on cars here in the southeast- where the sun can really be damaging. I guess it is possible that it never seen any care on the seats- or it was not garage kept like most Lexus'. I agree- I would either have them recovered or replaced. Have you had recovering priced? I know my grandfather had this done to the front seats of his 1990 Mazda 929 sedan. Now the rear seats on his car is terrible on the tops. After the hail storm shattered the rear glass in May of 2002- it got wet and really busted up fast.

My 1990 LS400 has 227,700 now and it has the same "tick" sound. I can only hear it when the window is down and the radio is off and even then, only when it is idling. I can hear it best at a drive-thru- when the tick of the otherwise whisper quiet engine "bounces" off of the wall. Mine has not gotten any worse and I have heard that it is not a cause for concerns.