landar

Have you ever checked or repaired the trunk wiring (chafing issue) that is common to this vintage?

I agree with Micah.Berry. If you find a well-maintained car, its worth some extra $. And keep in mind that Edmunds is a low ball quote. Kelly blue book will put it more in line. You can find a "bargain" with little or no maintenance records, then pump some serious money in it getting it up to your standards. All while you could have used the extra money to find a really clean car without all the headache to follow. When you get down to the older cars, the Edmunds and Kelly appraisal is just a ball park. These cars will last a long time WITH the proper maintenance. Without, they can be a money pit where you may quickly wish you had spent a little more upfront on a nice example.

Yes, you can look around in the dark. That's actually a good idea, but it may not be conclusive. And yes, it may be something other than a light that is causing the current draw. Assuming a drain is the problem. Putting an ammeter on the battery will confirm that diagnosis.

It sounds like a load drain on the battery. Typically, a trunk light or glove box light will be on and drain the battery after a day or so. You need to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery and insert an ammeter in series with the terminal and battery post. Make sure all doors are closed and car is as quiescent (nothing running, everything closed) as possible. Check the current reading. If it shows around 500 to 600 milliamp of drain, then a light is probably on. To trace it down further, you then go around disconnecting fuses or bulbs until the current reading drops way down. Then you deal with the offending circuit. Usually it is a switch that is stuck on.

Here's a pic of the Lex sitting in the parking lot of "Pawn Stars" in Vegas (if you dont know about the TV show, tune in sometime). Let's see, do I want to pawn it or sell it!? :whistles: And another pic in the Utah desert off of I70.

Whew. What a trip. Back home again...in Indiana! We (my 19 yr old son and I) made the 2,000 mile trip from Lake Havasu City, AZ to South Bend, IN. Left Friday morning and got back Sunday evening. The LS didnt miss a beat and ran like a well oiled clock(tick, tick, tick from the tappets...gotta adjust/shim the value clearance sometime ) The ride was comfy but I am glad to be home. Got to see the Grand Canyon, Hoover dam, Vegas AND pick up a vintage LS at the same time. And drive back through Utah, the Rockies..beautiful. Like I said, not too many crazy's like me! But this car is rust-free, something you don't find around here very often. This is one sweet LS and I can't wait to do a complete detailing on it. Will post pics when done. Maybe have more of a write-up of what I have done to it, issues found, etc, if anyone is interested.

Hi Landar...... I just put your old struts on my 99, I used poly bushings, might have been a mistake, I (think)notice it hits things harder now (more firm).. time will tell.. give me a comparison 98LS to a 430 likes and dislikes.. here or pm The 98 LS to 02 LS430 comparison is easy. I like the chiseled looks of the 98 better. And thats it. Everything else is better on the LS430, hands down. Better ride, quieter, more refined, more standard toys. All IMO, of course.

I agree with RDM. The repair manuals always tell you to disconnect the battery mainly for CYA purposes. I rarely disconnect my battery except for something where I absolutely do not want the motor turning over. Like starter removal, timing belt, etc. Could just see my wife coming out to take it for a spin to the grocery store while I have something under repair. :o

I was in a front collision just this spring with my 98 LS400. The airbags did NOT deploy possibly because it was not straight on but on the front drivers side. Still, the LS was totaled at an estimated $14k to repair. Check out this post for details -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63598&st=0&p=406142&hl=ouch&fromsearch=1entry406142

Please post a pic of the damage. And mileage/condition before the accident. No way to tell for sure until it goes to a shop. However, if it got hit hard enough to deploy the airbags and mileage is high, chances are good that the damage is very close to the actual value of the car.

Yeah, that may be hard to do especially since I have my Valentine One with me. ;)

I just bought the 92 LS400 that dcfish had listed -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57178&st=0&p=368205&hl=ls400&fromsearch=1entry368205 Three LS's in as many years. I think I am falling into the "obsessed" category. This Indiana boy is currently in a hotel room in Vegas (Baby!), doing some sight seeing and getting ready to point that Lex back to South Bend, IN. My teenage son came along for the adventure and to help drive. I am just adding a second Lexus to the family car pool and will continue to use my '02 LS430 as primary transport. Not too many nut-jobs like me to travel 1800 miles to buy a car but I wanted a rust-free and nice automobile. And thats what I got. BTW, we took a one way Allegiant Air jet ride (3 hours) directly from Indiana to Vegas for $90 each, got a rental car and started the car search. Lots of rust-free cars out here in the desert SW. We got this LS in Lake Havasu, Az about a 3 hr drive from Vegas. Gonna get an oil change here then start heading home on Friday (I70 most all the way). Wish me luck!!

Hmmm, wonder WHO bought that little gem? :whistles:

Interesting. It sure does sound like a venting issue of some sort. The tank is vented to a canister up front. I believe you need to remove the rear seat to get at the tank though I have never had to work on the tank myself. I found this site which shows how to replace the pump. Not sure how helpful it will be. Let us know what you find -> http://www.lextreme.com/fp.htm

You mean you cant even fill it full if you slowly pump gas into the tank?

Doc, first off, welcome to the forum. Secondly, it will help tremendously to provide more and detailed information as curiousB is saying. In your personal profile area, click on "Edit my Profile", then "Change Signature" to include the year and mileage of your LS. That is the first thing most of us want to know when practicing medicine, er, car diagnosis. Again, welcome to the club!

My '02 LS430 was perfectly quiet UNTIL I decided to clean and lube the rubber seals around the windows with 303. Immediately after that, the creaking started. It sounds like dry leather creaking. I tried teflon...no good. I still have not fixed it and need to get the Sonus stuff. The local shops do not carry it. Anyone know the special "sauce" in Sonus?

A 2004 with bad diff or bearings? How many kilometers?

Good to hear you were successful. Welcome to the club!

Your owners manual has a list regular maintenance items that you should follow. If you have not already, change the timing belt (and water pump while in there) as soon as possible. Losing a belt at this point could be catastrophic to the health of the engine (and your pocketbook).

Sounds to me like the dreaded broken wires in the trunk lid causing weird tranny problems.

First off, you are very fortunate that you did not do more damage. Seems to me someone else on the forum did this cable reversal some time back. Don't remember the outcome. Did you check all of the fuses, radio, CD, A/C, etc? Use an ohmmeter to check. I have seen fuses that looked good to the naked eye but were actually open. By crossing the jumper cables you basically put both batteries in series (which will cause a large current flow in the jumpers, being limited only by the internal resistance of the batteries and cable) but worse than that, the car that is jumping your Lexus is now putting a reverse voltage on your entire system. Depending upon the internal protection of the circuitry, you may have damaged a circuit card or unit that will need to be replaced. But do more fuse checking first. Do you have any voltage on either side of the Nav. System fuse?

The battery is not being charged properly with your new alternator probably because a wire is off or blown from the alt. Take a look at this recent thread for new ideas of what to check -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66023 Is the charge warning indicator lighted on your instrument panel?

It cranks right up? Does the engine actually run? Or the starter just cranks but engine wont run? Need clarification. Sounds like a wire(or connector) that did not get hooked back up. Fusible link maybe. Check your wiring harness from the alternator to the battery.

There is no common issue that I can recall. You might try spraying some starter fluid in the air intake to see if it might try to start up. That would give you a clue as to whether the engine was starving for fuel. Perhaps your jump box (whatever that is) is not powerful enough to start the engine. Try some good jumper cables with another car. Did the car run fine the week before it was put away?