landar

Try the local Toyota dealer for better pricing.

Sounds like some bushings are just shot. R&R at dealer or Toyota if not comfortable.

Welcome. How many miles on her?

Can you take a pic of the remaining sensor and post so we can see what you are up against?

Jackson, Your issue sounds pretty simple and common....warped front rotors. If you remove them and have them trued or "turned" to straighten them out, your shaking wheel might go away. If the rotors are too worn, just get new ones and new pads. 

Yes very nice Billy. Now, if you could only get another 200k out of your own body! haha. 

The leather on my LS was also in great shape. The only thing I noticed was cracking of the finish on the wooden part of the steering wheel. Does yours have that too?

Welcome Karthik.

I think you are right on with the starter not disengaging immediately and being spun by the motor for a moment. Could be that the starter is partially defective, maybe a weak spring to retract the gear. I always bench test my starters and then once installed, I try them again before the engine is all back together. On the LS, I jumper the starter solenoid to the battery to get it to crank before reinstalling the manifold. Just FYI for future starter changes.

You know, I don't think I would do anything at the moment except keep an eye...er, ear on it. If it is a defective return spring there is nothing you can do about it but tear it all down again. I doubt that it will damage your flex plate although the starter does get a bit more wear and tear. You might take a peak at the teeth on the bottom of the flex plate thru the cover and see if there is any excessive wear. 

Let us know what you decide to do. 

Welcome Ashton. 

With a 1992, there are a lot of things it could be... but lets look at the fairly simple stuff. As an example, your engine has two coils and two distributors. As part of a regular maintenance, the distributor caps and rotors should be replaced (along with other things). Parts get worn and need to be replaced on a regular schedule. Without a detailed maintenance history, it is hard to determine what has and has not been done. 

As Billy pointed out, the first thing to try is to check for engine codes. That is the computer trying to tell you what is wrong. To get the codes, use this guide http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

In fact, you should become very familiar with this site because it provides a ton of good info on your car.

As Bob guessed, it could be a sensor. Or it could be the filter capacitors in your ECU. Lots of things it 'might' be. But lets get the basic maintenance stuff out of the way and then try to methodically figure it out or else you will be on a real witch hunt throwing money and time at it.

Let us know what you find with the codes. 

9 hours ago, Exhaustgases said:

A good reason why DIY isn't always a cheap route to go.  There is no reason any of this should have happened, a real tech would not have done it. And for all wana bee's your car is not the place to learn any sort of mechanics.

Well I wholeheartedly disagree with this logic, Bob. Mistakes do happen and they make for a great learning experience, even if somewhat painful.

What DIYs should learn to do is to carefully read through the manual and understand what they are getting themselves into before tackling a job. But do not be so fearful that you never pick up a wrench. 

Working on a 23 yr old car is exactly the place to learn.

Welcome Mat.

Can you post a picture of the broken part?

Last time.... check connectors around the Fuel injector system/manifold area. Thats probably all it is if it was running fine before.

I went thru the same thing Jon. 1998 LS400 and leaking pan gasket. Then it would not go into gear for a few seconds. 

Short story, it was low on fluid by about 1/2 quart.

Read this post -> 

Sorry to hear about the accident, Yikes.

The cost all depends upon how well you want the car to be repaired. If you want it like it was before, it will take new fender, turn-signal/side light, possibly headlight, hood is messed up, and of course the bumper and apron. You could probably spend over 1k in parts alone, then there is labor and paint. I think you are looking at 2-3k to do it 'right'. 

Then again, if you are not real picky, the $700 might get it looking ok...not great but ok, maybe. Junk yard parts are key to keeping the cost down.

Welcome to the club! 

I have never messed with an aftermarket component like this but my first thought was whether you tried turning it 180 degrees to see it would fit better. However, after looking more closely at the pictures, I do not think that is the problem. 

It would be best to call the company and explain the situation to them because either they sent you the wrong part or they have a serious design flaw. 

I also wonder if the hood is going to close after you get it installed. Looks high. 

Anyway, it looks like a message to Throwdown Performance is your best bet to get this resolved. 

Maybe someone put in LED bulbs instead of the incandescents? That will make the warning come on. 

James, that the Lexus dealer is stumped just blew me away. I got a good chuckle out of it. Obviously, you can forget that dealer.

Since your car is a 93, have you checked the trunk wire harness for chafing? Its a common issue with that generation that causes weird things to happen.

And, if it were me, I would try putting it into gear while 'feathering' the gas pedal and see if it will go. Obviously you need to be careful doing this with your left foot firmly planted on the brake while you give it gas with the right foot. If the engine stays running when you put it in gear then you may have an air idle up issue. But if it stops dead even with more gas, then it may be the torque converter locked up or another transmission issue.

I am late to the game but will 'play'. It could be an immobilizer but from what I could glean from your first post, it sounds like the solenoid contacts or other bad contact. Personally, I would have run more tests before taking out the starter but it is done so no sense in second guessing now. 

Because the starter replacement is so labor intensive, I would have advised that the starter be a rebuilt or get it rebuilt. Often times, you need only replace the solenoid contacts and you are good. 

I guess the mechanic will know soon enough if it will crank. Keep us posted. 

A screen is a filter. Just filters larger particles. 

To me it sounds like it may be a sticking valve at cold temps. Have you ever changed the PS fluid or cleaned the filter?

Interesting that the title to this thread is incorrect. Not a starter but an alternator...oh well.

There is another thread that shows how a guy cut an aluminum roaster pan and formed it around the alternator. Not saying I endorse this method, but it does show a picture.  

Most likely just the mount. It is fairly easy to replace and prone to going bad. So I would advise to just order a new one and replace.

On January 24, 2016 at 10:34 AM, Rob1249 said:

 No one ever said "Changing the starter on the LS400 would make Mother Theresa curse like a sailor!" 

I think I did in this thread. Sorry you missed it in your search -> 

Absolutely, low mileage LS400's exist. And they pop up from time-to-time. There is one on Ebay motors right now. A 92 with 18,245 original miles. Of course, its going to cost a lot to buy it but that was not the question. Was it?

This link will not be good for very long, but here it is -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-LS-LS-400-/181989832191?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2a5f7075ff:g:ZM4AAOSwFqJWlXOQ&item=181989832191

yeah, could also be the fan bracket bearing. Might as well have John put a new one in.. ^_^

Did it eliminate the 'humming' noise, Billy?