landar

Jim, is it time to buy back your 'baby'? You need a hobby....plus, you can play catch-up to Billy. That car still (did) look(s) pretty nice. [edit] just looked at pics on craigslist. Those years of salt seem to be getting to her. :cries:

That is youthful thinking but no such luck. The other vacuum lines are probably some sort of emissions for California cars. See the pics on http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/throttlebody.html

The wife would kill me but...how much ya unt fer it?

Being a 91, you can drive it without fear that the engine will be trashed by a timing belt failure. Yours is not an 'interference' fit engine. However, the first thing I would do is figure out the last time/mileage that the t-belt and water pump had been changed. It is very possible that you are due for both(every 90k miles for the t-belt). While it might not be all that comforting, a failure of those components will only leave you stranded, not with extensive engine damage. I would go after the noise with a mechanics stethoscope but you have to be extremely careful with the probe around a running engine. And don't wear a dangling tie with the suit. Unless its one of those fake, clip-on types. B)

The only thing you should be upset about is the fact you did not know about it before the purchase so that you could have used it as an additional bargaining chip. Congrats on your purchase. Enjoy!

It is quite 'normal' for the speedo readout to be inaccurate by as much as 3 mph. It usually reads higher than actual but could vary depending upon your tire size. How much inaccuracy are you seeing and to what side (high/low)?

Thanks for the update, curiousB. Armed with this information, I am going to crawl under my car before the snow flies and check this clamp/shield arrangement and take corrective action. It could save some heart ache/head scratchin'/money later on.

There are many threads devoted to the dreaded octane subject. Just do a search and you will see. The opinions are varied. The short answer is 'no', do not use regular on a regular basis(arr, arr). Per the owners manual, it is ok to use regular once in a while but do try to use premium for most fill-ups.

Congratulations and welcome! The 98 LS400 is a wonderful car. I love the body style of the early LS's. The others have given you good advice on those questions asked. There are some other areas that you might consider: such as draining and refilling the transmission fluid if it has not yet been done. I am not talking about a complete drain, just pulling the bolt and letting approx. 2 qts of fluid drain. Then refill with a like amount of OEM fluid only. If the fluid looks really dirty, you can drive for a couple of days or week and do it all over again. The coolant should also be drained and refilled if it has not been done since the timing belt. It can and does wear out and can adversely affect the water pump seal. Brake fluid and rear differential are other fluids you might want to change out (again, if they have not already been done).

I would not think that what you describe is common. However, there are a lot of variables involved...suspension, bushings, bearings, alignment, and as you mentioned, tires(most likely). Could be a belt separated or just worn/inferior tires. Who knows. How many miles on it?

That cracked me up, curious. Ain't it the truth?!

Jared, you rascal! You went and 'done' it after we told you no. I understand. Hard to pass up for $500, especially if it runs fine. Well, congrats. You now have something to occupy your spare time and to pour your beer money into! Just keep a tab on the costs and make sure you don't put too much into her. Like Billy, I was young once. :cries: Oh, any rust on it?

you'd best find a piece of wood, real fast! Maybe a couple of taps on the walnut interior would do the trick. ;)

Jared, Jared. You remind me of my son who is in the Navy. He would ask me the same thing about it. So, here is my 'fatherly' advice. Just pass on this one, unless you really, really, really love surprises and have the time and cash to spare. By all means go look at it. But question everything this guy says about the vehicle. Yeah, they all were driven by little old ladies and doctors and of course, 'babied". You obviously have good taste in cars and a nice LS would be a pleasure to own and drive. But save the coin and buy one that is all there and really babied. They are out there. It just takes a bit more looking. Be patient. This deal may seem appealing for a mere $800 but you would be amazed at how much you will have in it when it is all done. Pass.

This is kinda interesting. Thermal images of my 2002 LS430 heated seats using a Fluke Ti32 Thermal Imaging camera. I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice and tight the weave was on the heating elements and the good coverage. No large heating gaps, much better than many other vehicles I've seen. Of course. It's a Lexus!

This site shows codes and meanings. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html Do not know for sure but it might be a coil. Did you check for spark on each bank of cylinders?

I think he is just playing 'devils advocate'. I have a co-worker who does that. Can be annoying at times but it keeps you thinking and on your toes.

I went through the same exact exercise several years back -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57037&st=0&p=370281&hl="sport%20tuning"&fromsearch=1entry370281 I bought the Sport Tunings for my 98 LS400 but now have them on my 02 LS430.

The most likely culprit is a loose connection somewhere that was disturbed when you performed the tune-up. Recheck ALL connections in the vicinity of your work.

My 2002 LS430 has only been thru one (salty)winter. Sounds like I should do a preemptive strike and replace the shield clamps with stainless?

Those bushings look like they perform the same function as the strut bar bushings on the LS400. When they go bad, you usually hear a clunking sound when going over curbs or speed bumps at low speed especially in the middle of a turn (right or left) as you encounter the bump.

You are not far from being correct. Battery cells are connected in series and if just one fails, the whole battery fails. Or it could simply be a bad battery post connection. Or perhaps the battery was drained somehow with something being left on. Start by opening the hood, checking the battery with a voltmeter. Then jump the battery and see if you can get the car started. If so, check the charging voltage. It should be around 14V or so. How old is your battery? {edit} I see you are in the wrong section of the forum. You have an '08 LS460. Same logic still applies. So you are probably on the original battery and it is not uncommon to fail at the 3-4 year mark.

While I realize that Steve and Jim are in jest (like usual ), think about how much current would have to flow through the key blade resistance (essentially milliohms) to cause that kind of heating. The fuse would blow before that point...BTW, just how MUCH heating is going on? Its all anecdotal at this point. If the car is running fine and you cannot light your cigar off the key, then its a non-issue.

Well, congrats jtbel. Glad to hear you got things sorted out. You deserve a beer. So, how many miles were on the old belt and how did you finally resolve the issue? Did you just ignore the belt markings and put the belt on with crank at TDC and cams aligned to backplate?

You probably are only off by a single tooth to cause the anomaly you see. Close but no cigar. The reason it all works @50 degrees is because you use the markings on the belt to get things aligned. First the CR on the crank dot, then the cams. I suppose it is possible(though doubtful) that you got a mis-marked belt. Is it OEM or aftermarket?