landar

Chris, I think you and Courtney will be very happy with your 'new' Lexus. You must not have gotten the memo on how a Lexus is just outside the affordability of the average driver. ^_^ That's what most people think. Actually, I think a used Lexus is one of the best values on the road. Congrats on discovering one of the best kept secrets! I do not know if you plan to do some work yourself or have a mechanic to use. In any case, the following site may prove to be very helpful in understanding maintenance and typical issues with your new purchase -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/ Again, welcome.

freegard, does your ecu board look like this -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/597154-94-ls400-ecu-issues-running-rough.html If so, the board appears to be double-sided with plated thru-hole via's. To replace a cap, I would normally 'wick' as much solder as I could using a copper braid with solder flux. Then, taking hold of the capacitor in one hand with the iron in the other, I gently wiggle the cap from side-to-side alternately applying heat to the connection that I what to move. That way, I can 'walk' the capacitor out of the holes without cutting the cap off of the board.

Check/clean connector to the sensor first. Might just be dirty or intermittent. Welcome!

Spewing air for several seconds is normal and probably indicates that your gasket is doing it's job. If you had a check engine light on or something like that, the cap gasket might be suspect but since you report no such issues, I would just leave the original gasket alone. Only if it has some tears or obvious cracks would I replace.

If I recall, this topic has been discussed several times before. I believe the issue is the ECU. Sounds heat related. Do a thorough search and it will turn up. Welcome to the club! Here's a thread to get you thinking -> http://us.lexusowner...or-help-please/

It is probably starving for oil in that particular area at startup and/or has a sloppy valve clearance to aggravate the situation. Could be partially plugged oil passages. Pull the valve cover on the front and have a look.

To me, this is beginning to sound like an intermittent cell within your battery... if you are correct in your voltage charge measurements. I know your battery is new but it is still suspect. It is not unheard of to have a new battery with a bad cell. Either that or a poor cable connection.The battery indicator coming on is a clear sign of either low charge voltage(which you ruled out), bad battery or poor connection. Do you have a known good battery from another vehicle that you could try? Also, try measuring the charge voltage not at the battery posts but on the cable connector clamp heads with engine running and a load (like lights). There should be NO difference in reading between the actual post and clamp, else there is a bad/dirty connection.

It probably will not matter if you can pinpoint the leak or not if the line is largely hidden. If you cannot afford a shop then you need to invest in some bending and flaring tools to fashion a new line. The generic lines and tools are not expensive, you just need some patience to re-route everything. Again, pay particular attention to the other lines and replace if they look suspect.

The rear line looks to be part# 47326 in this diagram(the rear brakes are toward the right in diagram). It looks like it would be a chore to replace this line without a lift and some special tools/equipment. Since this is a very serious safety issue, I would try to get help from a shop, perhaps an independent brake shop. I suspect, as SRK suggests, that you would be better off routing a new line and leaving the old one alone. But again, this is probably something you want a shop to do. Now, if this line was rusted and perforated, are the other brakes lines ready to go? You might want to have the rest of the brake system carefully examined and take appropriate action. I don't know about you, but I would have had to change my shorts if I went through the same type of panic stop and this happened. I would not drive it anymore until fixed and would seek professional help (for the car). BTW, where do you live? Has the car been driven primarily in the rust belt? And... welcome!

Freegard, I do not know if the tank fill-up was just coincidence or not but you *might* consider replacing the fuel filter as perhaps accumulated dirt from over the years (or with that fill-up got dislodged) is restricting flow. Or perhaps the fuel pump is losing volume flow due to age? The filter is a fairly easy change.

If you have a 98, you have Coil On Plug technology, not like the pre-98 models. There is a coil on top of each plug so that is likely not your problem. I would hook up an OBDII scanner and read the code(s).

Well congrats on your 'new' ride. Backfires are typically caused by timing issues and as SRK mentioned, it could be several wires arcing over which essentially introduces an errant spark timing. Perhaps a distributor cap is arcing internally and doing the same thing. You might try replacing the caps and rotors and cleaning and spraying the wires with a drying agent to see if that helps. And perhaps the timing belt is worn but I can't imagine it being so bad as to throw timing off that much, especially since it runs so smoothly. In any case, you need to get this resolved soon because a backfire can potentially cause some serious damage including a fire. That would ruin your whole day. And engine compartment.

Wait a minute. I need some context/clarification here. Did you buy that 95 that you were looking at and mentioned in your other post? http://us.lexusowner...y-a-used-ls400/

The basic answer is contaminates. What that is, I don't know. "Usually", water turns petroleum-based fluids a milky white when churned.

Gettin close to that second timing belt replacement, Billy!

Dang those Marines returning from Afghanistan! They do not know how to be gentle with anything. Seriously, it was not the Marine that 'done' this. Just a worn bushing in the shift mechanism. Twenty years is your culprit. No 'easy' fix, but not extremely difficult either.

Generally, they are located on either side of the engine block. I know that is somewhat 'general' but they are really easy to identify once you crawl underneath the engine. Lexus does a very nice job of providing decent block drain plugs. Just put a bucket underneath the area of the plug or use a short length of vinyl hose to attached to the drain !Removed! for more direction of the flow. Heres a factory manual excerpt... co-2(drain).pdf

Yes. There are two block drain plugs, one on each side of the engine block. I believe they can be opened with a 10mm socket with an extension.

Joseph, I know you probably feel sorry for this abused and neglected LS and want to rescue it from a horrible life. But just run away...fast. You could sink so much money into this thing that a nice, well maintained LS of the same year would look like a pittance in comparison. Too many nice ones out there. Buy this only if you want a lot of work and enjoy it. Otherwise, it sounds like a money pit.

Ok. Now that is a little more and different information. If the engine is cranking then your battery is strong and charged and there should be enough power for the engine to fire. Only it does not run. But overnight, it mysteriously heals itself. Could be a bad electrical connection somewhere or a sensor (like cam/crank sensor) acting up. I wonder if it only refuses to start when the engine is hot? Your question about the charging system being sub-standard and a fail-safe mode...no, I do not believe the system is being shut down due to any charge issue condition. Your alternator could have a shorted diode that is allowing AC (Alternating Current) onto the system but that is pure speculation at this point and probably not the case. And remember, the charging (or lack thereof) and the intermittent starting could be totally separate issues. I would evaluate the charging system first. You have a DVM, so start the engine, turn the headlights on for a load and check the charging level. It should be north of 13.5v with RPMs at 2k. You should also test the voltage on the AC setting and note almost a zero reading. Also, do not rule out the battery and connections. Although you say the battery is new, it is not unheard of to get a defective "new" battery. Battery connections should also be rechecked to ensure that they are clean and tight.

If you pull the battery and charge it on an external charger then reinstall, of course it will act like nothing happened...except for that pesky battery light. The reason is that the battery is 'happy' and fully charged. The car will chug along for some time before the battery is again drained. You root cause is the charging system on the car, most likely the alternator has failed or the serpentine belt fell off. I would charge the battery and drive it to an auto store which can check the charging system. Or if you have a voltmeter, measure the charging voltage with the engine running. It should be around 13.5 vdc(or so). If not, you replace the alternator or pull it and have it checked as a first step. Welcome, Jerry!

Mike, on a 93 LS, you have two distributors with caps/rotors, two ignition coils, and plug wires. As you suspect, the insulation on these components can start to break down especially in high humidity weather. What I do is take an empty spray bottle, such as Windex, etc, and fill it with distilled water. Then I spray a mist on the coils and wires with the engine running to see if I can get the break down to occur. Do it in a darkened garage or at night and you can actually see the spark-over occurring. That test will help you pinpoint if you have an insulation breakdown due to moisture. If not, you can look elsewhere.

I really admire your tenacity, Nicole. It sure sounds to me like the alternator is not charging the battery, despite Oreillys testing. Tell you what...you can do some sleuthing yourself if you can get hold of a voltmeter. If you do not have a voltmeter then you can buy one fairly cheaply ($20?). And it will be charged to the 'education' account. ^_^ Or maybe you can borrow one? Anyway, I can walk you through how to do this testing as it is actually pretty simple. Do you have access to a voltmeter? Are you ready for an education? ;) Note: Sheab is probably long gone.

The insurance co. reached a price agreement with the body shop so I am going to have the Lexus certified shop do the work. The shop will use new OEM sheetmetal for fender and door skins. The total cost will be in the $7500 range although it could go higher due to unseen damage. The shop is very busy right now so my car will not be ready until Dec 1. The other shop (non-Lexus) estimated the damage at $4600 which lead me to thinking that perhaps they did not know what they were doing.

I hear ya, Jim. I get the itch for a sporty toy car once in a while. The FR-S does seem like a neat, affordable little number. I also have the itch for a nice Miata to tool around in on nice days. I also would really love to have an NSX but too much $$$. I too, just wait for the feeling to pass. Especially when I see a cool looking Mercedes CLK/AMG. ^_^