landar

No scratches is a nice starting point but you need to get into the mechanicals if you are truly interested. One owner? Dealer serviced? What records are available? Even with low mileage, its worth $15k, IMO of course.

I recently took a 500 mile trip in my 98 LS and found myself wanting to go past my exit just so I didnt have to depart my beloved Lexus....weird, I know. I have actually thought about sleeping in the rear seat some night (might be the best "dog house" around if the frau gets ticked at me). Anyway, this is the most 'additve' car I have ever owned. I really cant explain it but its so darn well engineered and built that its love at first drive. Its been 3 months and I am still in love and wondering when the honeymoon will end. On the TB issue, I would be hesitant to rip into any major work just before a long trip unless you have at least a month to test drive. I have done what I thought were minor tune-ups just before a trip only to find that I had made some stupid mistake and I am now hundreds of miles from home. So, go ahead if you have the time for testing but I wouldnt fret the time-age factor, especially if you have been faithful in oil changes and the engine has not been abused(overheated, hard service, etc). I have 64k on my Lex and not planning to change the belt for a few more years.

Ok, it seems there is a relay which drives the solenoid. I would check out this relay and see if it might be defective. If it checks out fine, look into the theft deterent system. Maybe +12v is not being supplied to the contacts on the relay. st_18.pdf

Hmmm, now you have piqued my interest. I have to plead ignorance on not knowing if a 2000 LS has a relay between the ignition switch and the starter solenoid. If so, it may be your relay contacts have gone bad. The fact that you dont have any voltage to your 'trigger' wire is the main issue. The focus should now be on what drives the trigger wire. Relay or ignition switch? I will do a little digging for a schematic and let you know.

Hey Stan. You say you checked the voltage between the starter and ground but did you test the voltage while you were trying to crank it? Bet it drops to near zero. When I replace a starter, I always bench test the starter motor before installing. By that I mean I use jumper cables to actually supply juice to the motor and then engage the solenoid by(very breifly!) touching +12v to the solenoid terminal. I clamp the motor down because it will torque and jump. You have to be careful but its not rocket science. If the starter checks out, then its time to look elsewhere. I am playing couch potato quarterback on this one but it sounds like maybe your solenoid wire is OK while the much heavier gauge wire to the starter motor itself is somehow defective/high resistance. The starter pulls lots of current(> 100A) so good, clean connections are paramount. You should also check for a poor ground connection. Remember that any bad connection whether at the battery, in the wire or at the starter, +12v or ground, will render the whole thing kaputski.

It sounds like you are on the right track and that it is a misbehaving sensor or connector. Electrically, I am not sure how the sensor works but it is probably rather simple. Perhaps grounding a wire will fool the computer into thinking the fill level is fine. But then again, maybe it is looking for +12 volts. In either case, that of course is not a long term solution, only verification. I would be searching for a new sensor or cleaning the one you have. Pull out the entire reservoir system and give it a good cleaning. If it is really messed up you might even check with a local junk yard for an entire reservoir system in better shape.

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

I will take a stab at this. Perhaps there is a sensor on the coolant reservoir that is either faulty or your coolant reservoir really is low. The sensor is trying to warn you that the coolant is low before the car actually overheats. That may be why the temp gauge reads normally. It isnt low enough to cause a real problem just yet. Really quite elementary, my dear Watson.....(sorry, couldnt resist) :whistles:

I have a 98 LS400 and yes, if the lockout button near the coin holder is depressed, the inner switch will NOT release the trunk, however the key fob should continue to work either way. My key fob release is somewhat fussy and I notice that I have to very deliberately press the trunk button with my fingernail for many seconds for it to release. So, try another test and make sure you are depressing the button firmly and for at least 3 to 5 seconds. If that still doesnt work, then you may be looking at either a bad key fob or receiver(hopefully not the latter). I would pop open the fob and attempt to clean the button contacts with a solvent like rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip. The fact that the inner switch release opens the trunk clears the trunk solenoid mechanism as a suspect.

Also found this PDF http://www.lextreme.com/PDF/suspfront.pdf Hope this helps. I would be interested in any pics you might take if you have a camera and the time. Most auto machine shops (NAPA?) have bearing press equipment.

Good question. While I have not done this, there is thread you might want to read here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;#entry207102 Then here is the Park Place Lexus dealer illustration link discussed in the thread(since it is long, you might have to cut and paste 2x in your browser to get it all on one URL line): www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=213808&chapter=AMB880&appSectionid=4&groupid=10001&subgroupid=20005&componentid=60579&make=20&model=LS%20400&year=1992&graphicID=E880020&callout=3&catalogid=1

I have the dreaded 'clunk' on my 98 LS400 with 63k miles. Just examined the strut rod rubber bushings and they are dry rotted with cracks showing in the rubber. Now, I am new to Lexus and this forum. I have tried to do a thorough search on strut rod bushing replacement and believe I can do it with the info posted(thanks to all who contributed). One thing that I learned thru reading is that the strut bar design changed rather significantly between the gen 1 and gen 2 designs. The 'bushings' and 'cushions' talk was confusing until I realized this difference. Does anyone know of a good DIY tutorial for a gen 2 strut rod bushing replacement with pics (other than the service manual)? If not, I could take pictures of the process and post with detailed instructions. Would this be of interest to anyone?

...and then again, sometimes a leak around the oil filter is due to double gaskets(huh?). The old gasket sticks to the engine block because the poor !Removed! who changed the oil before forgot to lube the gasket with oil. Then the new filter also has a gasket which interferes with the old, or the other way around In any case, two is not better than one. I have done this myself in my youthful years. Very doubtful that this is the problem but it is worth a check.

Check your fuses and the connection from the positive terminal of the battery cable to the fuse box. If you have been a good boy most of your life, it will just be a bad fuse or loose connection. :whistles:

I have not had my 98 LS400 for long and thought the trunk release was normal. However, now I am wondering... is the deck lid supposed to go all the way up when I click the release or just pop open a crack? My trunk lid just pops open enough to clear the latch and I have to lift it the rest of the way. Time for new gas struts or situation normal? (or SNAFU? )

I was talking with a friend at work who owns a 2003 Camry 4 cylinder with 90k miles. I asked him if he had considered changing the timing belt. He told me it does NOT have a belt but rather a chain and does not need regular replacement. I just about fell over! Dangit. I always thought timing belts were a substandard idea primarily because of the replacement interval. Now I learn that Toyota is using chains instead of belts. In fact, the new LS460 has a chain! I know, I know, chains are noisier....supposedly. However, a correctly engineered chain should not be a problem. This is in a Lexus LS460 ad: "The camshafts are of a new, hollow design and are now driven by a chain instead of a timing belt for improved reliability and reduced maintenance costs." You learn something new every day. Just thought I would pass this along.

Personally, Catt, I wouldnt worry too much about it. Find a reputable shop and explain to them all of your fears. Then they can give you an honest assessment. I would ask them what type of materials they are going to use and if the work is warranted. You only want OEM grade(or better) materials. A good body shop can work wonders when it comes to feathering-in paint and clearcoat. I also doubt that you could get a whole body repaint. Nor would you necessarily want that. For one, the insurance would probably total out your car because it would cost major $$$ to do it right and cost more than the car is worth. And its hard to beat the original paint job so a good blending/touch-up job is what I would want while preserving as much of the original as possible.

www.lexus.com/models/GS/features/exterior/adaptive_front_lighting.html

Austin, My bet would be riding on an errant coolant temp sensor or connections thereabout. Take a look at this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...4&hl=sensor

You have the right idea, dcfish. I talked to a Lexus mechanic about flushing the tranny and he said no need for that. He recommended the 2 quart change every 10k miles or so. It may be excessive but, considering the cost of a rebuilt tranny, is money well spent.

Otherwise, the car rides fine...no vibrations, no pulling, no noises. Not having driven any other Lexus, I am not sure if this is normal but it does seem to jar the car more than I would expect when the front tires hit a substantial bump in the road. Jumping up and down on the bumper in the traditional manner does not seem to indicate shocks but then again, this may be a somewhat hoakie test(sorry VT ). Are you thinking strut/shock bushings or shock itself? Of course if I was in there to replace the bushings, I would also replace the shocks as well.

Well Dennis, you probably know by now that there are two main ingredients to making an internal combustion engine run: fuel and spark. Of course timing is very important also, but you should first try to narrow things down to fuel or spark. Your dad probably has some very good reasons for suspecting the fuel pump. I suppsose he could disconnect a fuel line and carefully determine if there is any pressure in the line. Similarly, you could disconnect a spark plug wire and see if there is any spark while cranking(but dont do these two simultaneously ) After you narrow this issue down, you can begin moving down the right path and focus on the real culprit. Best wishes!

I have had my 98 LS400 for about a month now and just love it. I noticed that when I enter my driveway at low speed(~5mph), that I get a little "clunk" sound from the passenger side. The driveway has a small curb just like a speed bump where it meets the road. So when I am turning left into the driveway, I hear a clunk as I go over the bump, but if I approach the driveway from the other direction, essentially making a right turn, no clunk. I took the car to the Lexus dealer and then to a local tire store and they both said they could find no problems. Either I am super paranoid about my Lexus and expecting too much from it or they are overlooking something rather simple. From a search on previous posts, I am inclined to believe that the sway bar bushings are bad. Would this make sense that the 'experts' are missing it? Oh BTW, the car has 63k miles on her and is, of couse, nine years old with original equipment. I am a DIY and would not hesitate to tackle this myself but wanted a "sanity" check from some of the more experienced out there. Wonder if I shouldnt replace the shocks/bushings while I am at it. Its got to be something that cant be readily detected w/o actually pulling it off and inspecting or replacing.

If you don't want the hassle of mounting each season, and don't want separate rims, the only way to go in my opinion is the Nokian WR tires. I have them on my LS4--they are the only tire I'm aware of that are truly all-season, yet also bear the important "mountain snowflake" extreme service rating. They have a special compound that isn't too soft for dry roads, so they don't get them eaten up during the summer months, but are truly a snow-rated tire. (Not the cheesy "all-season" ratings that most manufacturers have that are dreadful in any real snow). As stated, we get over 350" per year of snow where I live. My coworker also keeps WRs on his A6 year round, since he hated having to swap out his snow/summer tires 2x per year. Hope this helps. Thanks to all and a special thanks to new2mud. I just happen to have Nokian WR's on my old ride(2000 Eclipse) and they are fantastic. I went to the local tire store in Dec. looking for new tires and the guy was raving about these Nokians. Have to admit that I had never heard of them before. But the siping is excellent and even though my Eclipse is FWD, I had never experienced such road gripping power before. With that setup, I could drive in just about any weather condition with confidence. BTW, the Eclipse is now in storage and up for sale...figures, after brand new Nokians for the Mitsu, I have to fall in love with a RWD Lexus :whistles: The Eclipse was my mid-life crisis car. The Lexus is my senior-life crisis car I do intend to get the WR's put on my LS this fall and give her a try (but gonna have a serious talk with the experienced guys at the tire shop first). Mud, you have renewed my hopes! Thanks again.

You are correct that the car itself does not weigh that much. From what I can find the curb weight is around 3850. I was referring to GVWR which is slightly over 5k when fully loaded. Curb weight is unmanned. I carpool with a load of passengers so while we may not hit the 5k, we are close to 4500-4600 with equipment. The Lexus still gets this kind of mileage with all that blubber...er manliness on board.