landar

I believe the ground is behind the plastic inner wheel cover so you will need to remove the wheel and plastic and have a look. Might be corroded. Let's hope that's what it is. Otherwise, could be some sort of control relay or module. If you do remove the cover, try to snap a picture and post so that we can see what the connection looks like.

In your CL post you mention that the dash will not dim and that's what gets me to thinking about the sensor. But that is just a guess as I try to piece together your symptoms. I believe the sensor is toward the front of the dash near the VIN plate. You could check it by putting the lights in 'auto' and then covering it and uncovering it to see if the system responds (or pull in/out of a dark garage). It normally takes a minute or so to respond so give it plenty of time. I tried to find schematics for your car so I could see what is controlling the lights but I have not found any as of yet. I have the FSM for a 92(which should be the same) but the schematics are a joke and no lighting schematic. If you can find help with finding the schematics, this issue can be logically traced down. [edit] Did a little searching and found a thread with some schematics. The side marker lights have a common ground behind the front right fender. Wonder if that is intermittent? Here is the link to schematics...there is also a link to a .pdf but you have to read closely -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/396283-headlight-wiring-diagram.html

Sorry for the delay, Rick but we are NOT PAID professional Lexus mechanics. Just volunteer schmucks who like Lexus and trying to help when we can. So cut the sarcasim crap if you want any help. If the code is saying that a knock sensor is bad then you probably will need to go in (again) and replace that sensor. I do not know how or why your mechanic did not deal with the situation at the time but he apparently did not. Could just be a connector? But in any case, looks like you need to remove the intake and get at the knock sensor.

Good point, Paul. If the battery was "zapped", a second attempt would do nothing. And it would suggest that the starter solenoid is highly suspect. If a light were left on, then you should let the engine run for a good 20 minutes to recharge the battery. On the other hand, I do not know how old the battery is nor how long the light was left on. It could be an older battery (3 yrs or more) or that the light was left on overnight. Lots of unknowns.

If you are "Kaz" on the Club Lexus site, you say that the dash will not dim(an important piece of information) nor will the running lights come on. I am wondering if it might be the daylight sensor in the dash itself. Are you Kaz? http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/754476-got-my-first-lexus-ever-need-some-help.html

Welcome, Daniel. Are you referring to the fog lights or do you have DRL on your 93?

Much as I hate to admit, I have little to no knowledge in this area. I tend to keep my LS stock but I understand why some like to modify them. I would point you to a "sticky" on the Club Lexus site. Those guys are really into this stuff -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/260772-ls400-owners-post-your-wheel-setup.html

Glad to hear you got her running, Bryan. So, you inadvertently put the rotor on 180 degrees out of position initially and smashed the tab down? Just for the record, what positions do you now say the rotors should be in when at TDC? 9/5:30? BTW, this also felt like "Deja Vu". Good write-up/pics there too. -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/753413-new-to-me-1995-ls400-172k.html

I took pics when our 92 LS400 was torn down for a timing belt replacement and that is where the rotor tips were pointing at TDC (9/5:30). You would, of course, get the 3/11:30 positions if the crank was one full revolution out because the cams align every two revs of the crank.

We also went with the H rating.

That pic from lexls looks correct. Basically, the RH rotor wiper(and I mean the tip with the metal) should be in the 9 o'clock position and the LH rotor tip in the 5:30 position when the cams are at TDC. Notice in the lexls that the RH is about 3 1/2 "hours" ahead of the LH cam position(3 o'clock vs 11:30, though the cams are NOT at TDC in this pic). Another thing to check is your wiring, especially sensors (like crank). Could be as simple as a missed connector. Go over those again very carefully.

No, a corroded battery terminal would not cause the alternator to die.

Dshawn, welcome! Well, I can take guesses as to why they failed. The first guess is that the alternators are cheap and fail early. Or just got a bad streak of luck. Not likely. The first thing that I would want to know is who decided that the alternators were bad? A mechanic? Did he/she do a teardown to find out what, exactly, failed within the alternator? I would guess that you are buying "lifetime" alternators from a local autostore? Here is what I would do. With a new or rebuilt alternator installed and operating, I would check the charge voltage. Perhaps it is way too high and causing undue load on the alternator thus causing it to fail early. If the voltage looks ok (13.5-14.5VDC) then I would check the charging current. There could be an excessive amount of current draw on some load within the car which is causing the alternator to overheat and burn out early. Sometimes, I have seen a bad battery keep working but draw a lot of current to charge it. I would have a suspicious eye on the battery. My bottom line guess is that there is an excessive load on the alternator for some reason and that is burning out the diodes in the alternator. You might consider a high-quality Denso alternator with 100 amp (or more) output capability. But other alternators should not be failing so early. Check those parameters that I mentioned (voltage and current draw).

Yes, those are very nice tires. We just bought a set and got the $70 rebate too. You do not have to buy off of TireRack. You can get them at a local shop in your area just by using the TireRack price for bargaining power. I do not know if you have a Discount tire in your area but they will match or beat TireRacks price and you still get the rebate.

wow, that belt is in sad shape! You caught that in the nick of time and saved Lexi. The radiator being filthy on the outside is no big surprise...it happens. Just use some dish soap and garden hose to clean it off. I find using CRC Brake Cleaner works well for removing petroleum buildup on parts. Looks like you are doing a nice job so far.

I really like the Michelins. Have you ever looked at the TireRack site with consumer reviews? It might be helpful -> http://www.tirerack.com/tires/SelectTireSize.jsp?autoMake=Lexus&autoModel=LS400&autoYear=1994&autoModClar=

Hmmm, I thought I had replied to this thread but the posting is now gone. Charles, you may be able to borrow an oxygen sensor wrench from your local auto store. They are made with a cutout to get around the wiring. Can't hurt to stop in and ask about it. I agree about going with the Denso sensors with correct connectors so that you do not have to mess with cutting and stitching wires. I am not wild about Liquid Nailing 2x4's to the garage floor but if it makes it safer....ok. ;-)

Sounds like you are off to a good start. I can tell you will do a great job because you are being very thorough in your research. I always like to use a gasket if one is available. I have used the gasket in the water pump kit with no RTV (also known as FIPG...Form In Place Gasket). It is hard to beat RTV for sealing but I find it messy so I avoid it when possible. There is a water bypass pipe that takes an O-ring for the water pump. Sometimes getting the pump to pull off the water bypass takes some extra muscle but it does come apart. One thing to remember when using RTV is to apply it carefully and let it set up for a good 15 minutes or so(depending upon temp and humidity) before torquing the part down. That way, it will not ooze out too much when tightened. You can assemble the parts but just snug the bolts until the RTV sets. Then torque. It is also important to torque the pump in cross pattern to ensure even pressure. I like to torque in 3 passes, starting with very light torque and working up to the final value. Off hand, I do not know the size of the two threaded holes in the crank but I bought an inexpensive crank puller kit from Harbor Freight which is pretty nice. It had all of the bolts that were needed to pull the crank. The cam pulleys came right off with just a little prying and without using a puller.

Welcome to the forum, Bryan and congrats on your 'new' LS. You have covered a lot of territory in your first post and I am not quite sure what your particular question may be. You are right about wanting to do the timing belt ASAP and you can do it yourself. Do a search for the Aisin timing belt kit (rock auto, I believe). It will come with most everything you need for around $250. You also want to use the so-called Toyota Red coolant when you refill the radiator.

I believe the oil pressure sensor is near the base of the oil filter. If it turns out that the sensor is not leaking and the source is still not obvious, I would thoroughly clean the oil off of the engine, run for a day and then recheck for a wet spot of oil. In a day of running, it should not have a chance to spread too far and you should be able to narrow it down. There is also a color dye that you can put in your oil that some mechanics use to pinpoint leaks. I think you use a black light to see it glow. For now, I think you can just clean it up, drive it and recheck. With a leak as severe as one quart/400 miles, it should be relatively easy to pinpoint the source.

Kevin, have you hooked up an OBDII scanner to the diagnostics port and looked for any stored codes?

You know, Kias are not that bad anymore. :-). Next thing I would do is make certain that it is engine oil and not tranny fluid or something else. With the alternator being on the RH side of the engine and the AC/Oil filter being on the LH side of the engine, there appears to be a wide area of fluid. Like you said, being blown by the fan. That would indicate tranny fluid or possibly power steering fluid. There are not a lot of other areas that engine oil can leak out of, unless, maybe it is the oil pressure sensor.

Could be something as simple as being low on a fluid especially with the centrifugal force pushing them to one side on curves. Have you checked your levels such as brake and wiper fluids?

Hi Charles and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club! At 82, you are right up there with Billy Powell, one of our most senior and experienced mechanics. He still works on his cars so you can do it too. There are "main" and "sub" oxygen sensors on the LS. Here are a couple of fairly detailed tutorials to give you an idea of what could be ahead. Probably the hardest part would be getting the sensors unscrewed as they may have corroded over the years. Take a look and see what you think: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/mainoxygensensor.html http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/suboxygensensor.html

You are very welcome, Mike. And BTW, welcome to the club! Probably the best advice that I can give is to find a car that has been well maintained. Whether it is a 93, 94, 95 is not as important as how well the owner(s) cared for the car. Mileage is also not extremely important as long as, again, the car was well maintained. So, you should do a lot of research into service records, look at the general appearance of the car and try to decide which one had good care throughout its life. That does not always guarantee 100% problem free driving, it just stacks the deck very favorably in your direction.