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fsuguy

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Everything posted by fsuguy

  1. Hi itsdancarl, This is a bit of a long shot, since "chatter" is not clear to me. However, if you have a "clunk" when you go over a slight bump, bumpy roads, or when you are moving fairly slowly and hit the brake, soft or hard, it is possible that your front strut rod bushings are either worn out or have reached the end of their usable life. For the first generation LS400s, this bushing is a pretty thick rubber bushing (about 1") and around 3" in diameter sandwiched between two steel plates with 3 bolt holes around the perimeter, and a single one in the middle. Do not confuse this SRB with a lot of info on this forum with the other, later model SRBs, which will get very confusing in a hurry, since the later models have a different design. To replace the Gen 1 SRB, from the front of the car, at ground level, looking below the bumper, look for a large nut with a threaded bolt end facing forward near each wheel; these are on the two strut control rods which face forward and at a slight angle to the front of the car, and pass through the center of the SRB; the SRB is mounted to the frame with three smaller bolts. The strut rods are designed to help maintain the strut geometry and alignment. To change the SRB on the Gen 1 car, it would help you to first get a good idea of what you are working on, so first loosen up one front wheel, jack up the car and safely support it, then take off the front wheel and identify the steel rod, and its general direction. Once you have the wheel off, look for a steel rod about 3/4" in diameter, roughly but not quite parallel to the ground and angled slightly toward the front center of the car - this is the rod which goes through the bushing. Once you know this, you will have a pretty good idea of where the nut is and can easily locate it from the front of the car. Next, using a properly fitting socket and large ratchet (3/4") drive and a breaker bar (you will need the torque and leverage), loosen this nut. Note that there is another large nut on the other side of the bushing, and that one should not be loosened - doing that will alter your alignment characteristics, so DO NOT tinker with that second large nut. Once the front large nut is loosened, remove the three smaller (12mm or 13mm) bolts securing the SRB to the frame, and the SRB can now be removed. To get the 3 smaller bolts loose you may need to use a smaller socket drive and/or wrenches , since if I remember correctly, one of them is slightly harder to get at than the others, but not extremely so. After these 3 bolts and the front nut are taken off, you should be able to work off the bushing - the whole sandwich assembly should come off as a single unit. Installing the new SRB is simply the reverse of the removal procedure, and you may have to work a bit at getting all the holes aligned to get all the bolts re-installed. Whatever you do, don't get tempted to loosen the large nut at the back of the rod; also, do not tighten the large nut on the strut rod before the 3 bolts are installed and tightened. You should be sure to get the torque specs and use them. Finally, once the 3 bolts are torqued correctly, with the car on the stands, tighten the large nut fairly tight , but not to final torque specs - you will want to do that when the car is on the ground and the bushing is under load. This will prevent the SRB from early failure. Total time to do this (both sides) should take you an hour at the most, if you have the correct tools on hand, and you don't foul things up! Finally, I apologize for not providing the correct tool sizes and more exact instructions, since I did this a few years ago, and exact processes have been forgotten. Will try and clean this info up and post it as a how-to with pictures soon. Good Luck!!
  2. Hi, This may be a bit late, but if you have not resolved your issues, maybe you could please explain what you mean by it engages all gears - do you mean the shifter moves through the range of positions - L,1,2,3, R, etc., but the vehicle only moves in those you listed? The LS 400 transmission (at least the Gen. 1 version) has 4 solenoids, and I forget which ones serve which functions, but when these start to fail, your transmission will begin to show symptoms of failure. I know one of the longer solenoids are for the overdrive, but you can always look up that information online. However, the seals are also potential culprits - over time the seals harden and don't allow the Tx fluid to build up the necessary pressure, causing failure. You probably should first check for the transmission error codes and see if you can narrow down any issues reported by your ODBC. Hope this helps.
  3. OK all you smarties, here is question that has me baffled - when replacing the fuel pump on these first gen LS400s, there are two options listed 1. The Denso, and 2. The Aisan (guatamala) Does anyone know what the difference is, and why? I was replacing the FP in my 1992, and not knowing any better, got the Denso from an online supplier based on their claim that it was an exact match replacement for the factory installed FP. When I got the existing FP out, however, the construction was all metal and much more robust, with a couple of shiny bands at the base. I did not see any branding marks on it, but noted that the Denso I replaced it with had the fuel feed nipple made of plastic, and generally appeared to be of cheaper quality (cost about $200) Anyway, I compared prices for both the Denso and Aisan from the Lexus dealership and the prices are very different - $250 for the Denso and $360 for the Aisan (Guatamala)!!! Can anyone on here shed any light as to why this is so? By the way, I think that I should have got the Aisan for my LS, just based on the pictures from the dealership website show the both side by side, and comparing that to the FP I took out of my tank! $360!!! Thanks for any insight p.s. For those who are wondering about the Denso - it appears to be working well, but I am concerned about its longevity, simply because of the apparent cheapness in construction.
  4. If I am following all of this correctly, all your electrical troubles began after the alternator was replaced? If that is correct, I would suspect the alternator. Have it thoroughly checked out first. I think the original LS400 alternator is rated at 100amps - remember that the LS has a lot of electrical components all greedy for power. Good luck
  5. This may be a bit late and you may have already resolved your noise issue. You may have a loose/ill-fitting weatherstrip around the top and sides of the window glass; however, if that were the case, you would hear a whistling noise that would be easily identifiable as the source of the noise. I would suggest checking your transmission mount; if it is worn, you will have some noise that would be hard to pinpoint as being due to the mount, but will blend in with other road noise. Also, if your sun-roof inside cover is open, you will have more road noise. By the way, the issue with road noise applies to all the suspension components - where ever the chassis is being subjected to road shock and the impact is not softened by the components (usually rubber/hydraulics, etc.) The two checks I suggested you should be able to do easily. If you are more technical, or have someone who is, you could check your motor mounts, and the rest of the suspension system. Good luck.
  6. This is an old thread, but it is germane, and will possibly help others with these old models. I did some investigating after my oil level light would intermittently come on at highway speeds over 70 or so, and then go off, even though the oil level was at the correct marker on the dipstick. Turns out that there are two possible reasons this may occur: 1. The oil circuit is not allowing the oil back into the oil pan fast enough to allow the sensor to give a safe reading, or 2. The sensor itself is marginal (since it works off and on). The sensor itself is a float type, and is different from Gen. I to Gen. II at least that I know of. The differences are slight enough so that they will not interchange between the two models without some level of ingenuity. Cost of new sensors are approximately $400.00 (yes, $400!!) Note that this is the oil Level sensor, and is accessible on the upper side of the transmission housing after the PS pump has been removed. Two 10mm bolts hold it in place, and even after these bolts are removed, some dexterity is required to get it out since the float arm has a couple of bends in it, and the float itself is pretty brittle and can break easily. The sensor is some sort of proximity activated switch inside a brass tube along which the float rises and falls; the float has an embedded magnet and apparently works by activating the switch as it rises and falls inside the upper oil pan. P/N for the sensor: 89491-14070. Now for the possible explanation as to why the sensor may be malfunctioning - the heat from the engine is transferred to the oil and over time, heat will eventually lower the magnet's effectiveness, or downright kill it. There is a good physics explanation for this, but I forget it. Another reason could be that gunk buildup between the float and the post on which it slides may reduce its freedom to slide up and down. A good reason to keep the oil changed periodically! Now you know, if you have read this far. Good luck and good night!!!
  7. Chances are that if the shop worked on the starter, the connector to the heater control valve was disconnected, and/or the entire assembly moved to allow room for the starter work to be done. I would look for the heater control valve - it is on the passenger side firewall on gen. 1 LS400 models - and should have the cable connected to a movable lever that regulates the water flow. It is an easily overlooked reconnect when other more major repairs are being done. Also, while you are about it, you probably should verify that all your related hose connections/clamps are tight to save yourself a lot of grief down the road; if they forgot to replace the HVC cable connection, who knows what else they did not re-check! Good Luck
  8. my $.02: Have you verified that your Throttle Position Sensor is not on its way out? This should be a pretty quick fix; also, you may be able to pick up a used IACV from a boneyard for relatively little, or alternatively rebuild your own one if you are careful (aluminium housing and surfaces can be easily damaged!) - it will require a careful disassembly and then some cleaning - biggest problem I found during disassembly was the three tiny flat-head screws almost getting stripped due to rust. There are two bearings,either or both of which may be failing, but an off-vehicle test will let you quickly determine whether the IACV is working properly or not; I have read where a simple oiling of this part resolved issues, but your situ may be different, if it is the IACV. There is a good breakdown for this part (IACV) on the Aussie site, IIRC. good luck
  9. Hi, If your coils and fuel supply are fine, and you have no acceleration, it may just possibly be the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). Look up any posts on this and you may find some suggestions. I had a similar problem with my '92 and changing the TPS resolved it. For really good and detailed instructions, look up the lexls site. Good luck!
  10. Steve2006, Thank you for posting that bit of info about the '91-'92. Can you let us know whether the C6 Capacitor is the only one for the '91-'92 model years? My dash lights and Needle lights began blinking, then go out completely, and I want to fix them all in one shot (hate having to deal with those pesky connectors at the back!). Thanks for your help
  11. I know this thread is over three years old, and probably of little use except to a small group or enthusiasts, but it is good info and comes from an ECU expert (not me!) who knows about these things - many ECUs from around '88 through '99 often had capacitors that leaked after several years in service, and the electrolyte leaking onto the circuit boards can corrode the circuitry, causing all sorts of driveability problems. The good news is that with a little careful soldering and the correct replacement capacitors, the ECU can be restored to its original functionality, if the circuit boards are not damaged already. The key to repairing this is to use the correct capacitors - you will most likely not find the correct ones at your local RadioShack or electronics repair center, or places that you would expect to repair the ECU correctly. The following link - has all the correct capacitors and links to sources for ordering them, if you need to do the job. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/656360-all-my-crazy-lexus-issues-solved-ecu-leaking-capacitor.html For my part, I had experienced diverse problems and decided to check my ECU - the caps looked good, but rather than take a chance of them leaking and toasting the boards, I id'd the ones I needed from the link (above), ordered the capacitors from the two companies that stocked these caps - Digikey and Mouser Electronics, spent an afternoon taking the old caps out and soldering in the new ones, and I am happy to say that my '92 is as smooth as silk and no longer has any of the issues I was experiencing! One note of caution, if you decided to do this yourself - follow all the cautions associated with avoiding Electronic Static Discharge (ESD) and look for a short write-up I left on that site regarding the removal of the old caps. The replacement caps total cost is less than $20, in case you wonder about that, so don't stint by trying alternatives or knock-offs!
  12. Great post, Landar... Thank you!
  13. You probably should begin eliminating things one at a time - first check to see if your coils are good; there is testing process that requires you to check the resistances between primary and secondary windings. Once you eliminate the coils as a potential source of the problem, move onto the fuel, etc., etc. By the way, you would get more helpful responses if you provided some more background information like whether you had any work done on it, whether it has been sitting idle for a while, whether you just got it, or other problems leading up to this issue, for anyone choosing to try and provide some guidance.
  14. Hi, Glad you have your wheels back, and working well. Also, thank you for posting your solution - it helps us all!!!
  15. This link shows the difference between the different year models: http://www.lextreme.com/Lexus-Alternator.html Also, if your alternator is the original one that came with the car, it is of a much better quality than the ones you get from discount stores - you may be better off getting it rewound if the armature is bad, or alternatively, if you are lucky and only the brushes are worn out, replace them for probably $20.00 at the most. Hope this helps
  16. I think you should take a look at your alternator plug - I may be wrong, but you won't lose any time if you do check it out before you pick up a replacment. The '92 has a round plug, and if I remember correctly, some other model years have a different shaped plug. Also, the amperage is around 100 for the '92, so keep that in mind as well. Given the work you are going to have to do to get the alternator out, I would suggest looking around online for a new OEM one and save yourself some more work later. However, one other thing to know if you are set on getting a used one - check for leaks in the power steering pump/reservoir in the car you are taking the alternator out of - this would be a strong indicator that the alternator is probably going to fail sooner or later since PS fluid has probably leaked onto the alternator and shortened it life. Hope this helps.
  17. Hi, This is not to detract from the sage advice given already by engineers and the very experienced - check those suggestions out as well; however, under the assumption that you are pretty confident about the state of your car/performance before the work done by the shop, and other things being equal, let me suggest there is a good possibility that the O2 sensors actually may have been affected since the work was on the exhaust system. The following is extracted directly from a Toyota manual on ECU performance (note the references to injector duration): Engine Duration Correcton Factors "...The second step involves duration corrections. Input sensors used for Injection duration corrections are: 1. Engine Water Temperature (THW) 2. Intake Air Temperature (THA) 3. Throttle Angle (VTA or IDL & PSW) 4. Exhaust Oxygen Content (OX) Once basic injection duration is calculated the ECU must modify the injection duration based on other changing variables. Variables considered in the correction calculations are coolant and intake air temperature, throttle position and exhaust oxygen sensor feedback (when operating in closed loop). * As engine and intake air temperatures move from cold to warm, injection duration is reduced. * As the throttle opens (IDL contact break), injection frequency is momentarily increased. * Fuel injection duration swings back and forth between longer and shorter durations to correct conditions detected by the exhaust oxygen sensor..." I have omitted info on the basic injection duration, but they are set by input to the ECU from engine RPM, Air Flow Meter, & Manifold Pressure sensors, which may not have been tampered with, but these are also worth keeping in mind while troubleshooting. Let us know how you resolved this so we will all be the better off! Good Luck, and hope this helps.
  18. I would suggest following the tips about the fluid first - if those are up to spec and your idle is fine, then you may want to check the solenoids. There are four solenoids and either the 3rd or 4th on serves to damp the shift shock - don't recall which one. The first two solenoids are for the gears shifts and are identical to each other. The 3rd and 4th have longer necks and are different. Replacing them is fairly straight-forward if you have a means of raising the car high enough, and are reasonably competent with ordinary hand tools. It will involve removing the transmission oil pan (19 10mm bolts), and getting a new pan gasket or Toyota sealant for the form in place gasket (recommended); while doing that you may also want to change the oil filter, or at least thoroughly clean it - it is a metal mesh type and easily cleaned. Removing the solenoids and filter is merely a matter of undoing readily visible and accessible bolts once the pan is taken off. Couple of things to keep in mind if you decide to change your solenoids - 1. First drain out the pan - this will take some time, so be prepared to wait for a while! Once drained the pan cover will have to come off - if the pan has never been taken off, the seal will most likely be hard and you may need to break that with a gasket seal tool; use it carefully to avoid damaging the sealing surface. Once the pan is removed the rest is a piece of cake! 2. The wire harness which connects to the solenoids have plastic clips that will be brittle due to heat and the oil and are more than likely to snap off while removing the clips from the soleoids, so beware of that; if the clips snap off, keeping the connectors securely attached to the solenoid will be a challenge - a replacement harness is available from Sewell for about $25.00, but you will need to be able to identify the correct harness number when ordering it (very confusing so do your homework beforehand - I have posted the part number on this forum somewhere); also the surface that mates with the pan is aluminium and can get scratched if you are not careful removing the old sealant - be very careful about not scratching this surface when cleaning it - gouges and deep scratches will cause the pan to leak fluid and drive you bananas over time! Also, do not over-torque the pan bolts or you may strip the aluminium threads. 3. If you go the FIPG route, follow the directions for drying/curing time carefully; 4. Replace the drain gasket/ crush washer with a new one; 5. Finally, it should go without being said, but replace the fluid with new Toyota Type IV fluid to the correct level; If the solenoids have never been changed, then you may benefit from getting a set; these are not cheap - about $280.00 for each one, unless you can get them directly from Rostra (they will sell to jobbers, so if you happen to be friends with one it may help!). Hope this helps, and good luck
  19. ...see my post on your last thread regarding the same vehicle - there was a post also from landar that you probably should check out.
  20. ...couple additional things, and some of the more experienced engineers can chime in anytime - If the car idles more or less fine, but dies when given gas, then two possibilities exist: a. It is not getting enough fuel to combust the higher air volume mixture (too much air volume for the metered fuel), or b. Spark strength is not enough to combust the denser mixture (I think this is a very low probability), so... Do a vacuum test...the idle too fast is symptomatic of higher than normal volume of air - possibly a vacuum leak - do the test and verify the correct level of vacuum - there should be a number available. If the vacuum is too high, you have a significant leak and when you open the throttle too much air is killing the engine. Possible areas to check are the accordion style connector to the air intake on the manifold - cracks develop in the folds and are not readily visible without taking it off and risking cracking them, anyway, the three thin hoses on the TB, and if you still them attached, the PS vacuum hoses. These are common areas where you may develop leaks. The bump may have jarred a relatively loosely clamped hose and now you are experiencing the leak - if that is the problem. Of course, if you have not ruled out a loose ground wire, you will experience all sorts of weird problems, since the ECU must have its grounds for all the sensors for the circuitry to operate optimally. One final after-thought check the connector on the MAF to see if it is tight - should not cause the engine to die, though. Good luck and hope this helps.
  21. Steve2006, Much better with pictures!! Wish I had this info when I started out. Thanks for posting the link.
  22. Thank you Freegard... For those of you who are planning on tinkering with the ECU, or any of the other troublesome critters behind the glove-box and kick-panel, etc.: First read everything completely - you will have a good idea of what to expect. These instructions are for a '92LS 400 (gen 1), and may or may not apply to other year models! 1. Open the glove-box (GB), and look carefully for five plastic "plugs"; I say carefully because these are felt covered and are cunningly camoflaged to blend in with the luxurious felt lining in the glove-box! There are three on the bottom and two on the roof of the GB, evenly spaced apart; 2. On my car ('92LS400), I used a small electronics type flat-blade screwdriver (2-3mm blade width) to carefully pry up (down if you are working the roof) the plugs. Set them aside where you can find them again (important); 3. Look at the left and right sides where the GB open door is supported by flat arms - if you look carefully, there are odd-shaped plastic caps on the ends preventing the flat arms from wandering off and allowing the GB door to flop around uselessly. Identified them? 4. Using the same small screwdriver, put the blade between one of the arms on the outside but on the inside of the plastic cap, and very gently pry it off - they should be pried off sideways - toward the driver's door for the support on the left and toward the passenger door for the one on the right. By way of explanation, the GB door has two small plastic pivots/dowels facing outward and the supporting arms slip onto these two dowels/pivots, and the caps simply slide onto the pivots to keep the arms in place. Sorry I cannot provide a better description, but if you work carefully and gently nothing should break. Got these two things off? 5. Move the two supporting arms off the pivots and get a wide thin, but hard plastic sheet to use as a wedge/prying tool ( I used two or three small flat bladed drywall applicator tools and risked damaging the dash - happily no damage resulted!) Explanation - you are going to pop out the GB liner which should now be free, except for the two supporting arms; Insert the thin plastic wedge into the space above the felt liner and the GB opening and gently pry the liner box out - it is one unit and you will have to work it, perhaps from right to left or left to right, but it is relatively easy to do; it may help to carefully use another small screwdriver at the top left and right corners because the dash material may have swollen and covered the edges. Once you have worked the liner loose, you will need to maneouver it around a bit because the right (passenger side) support has a spring retractor mechanism built into the liner and you cannot simply pull the thing straight out; you will also need to disconnect the lamp, so while maneouvering the liner, do this as well; 6. A cautionary note is in order here - the left GB supporting arm appears to be free-floating once the pivot stay is removed; I would suggest taking it out and putting it somewhere safe until you are actually replacing the liner. I simply left it in place expecting to hook it back up when I was done, and the ill-begotten offspring of unmarried parents disappeared, possibly into the bowels of the beast. I can assure you the air around turned several shades of blue, but that's another story! Just learn from my mistakes. Also, set the liner someplace it can't get sat on after you get distracted by your freely expressed opinions about Lexus engineers, technicians and their ilk for making it such a pain to get to things! 7. When the GB liner is out look for two 10mm bolts at the bottom right and bottom left - these were hidden by the lower part of the GB liner and must be removed. 8. Next remove the lower kick-panel; this was a RPITA (the "R" is for royal), but thanks to Freegard, I finally got if off! Look for three plastic fasteners going directly upwards - these are very close to the firewall and not easily dealt with; I thought they were metal and "screwed" around for awhile not getting anywhere (air turned blue again with vituperation toward certain engineers, and their ancestors who are probably very, very upset) - they are best dealt with using a "clip remover tool" some kind of gadget that slides under and allows levering/prying them out. Got the clips out? 9. Find some space at the top of the lower kick-panel on the right and left, where the panel abuts the one above it; once you have a good grip, pull it straight out toward you - this means parallel to the ground; there are/should be four spring loaded clips that hold the lower kick-panel in place once the plastic clips are removed. It may be a bit hard, since the clips don't readily pop out, but you will not break anything if you pull it straight back and have removed the plastic clips; you will still have to disconnect the courtesy lamp at the bottom of the kick-panel before it will come free so don't horse it yet! Got that out? 10. Look at the bottom of the middle panel - there should be four 10mm bolts (going upwards) securing this to the chassis/dash frame. Note also that there are two spring clips that also hold this panel in place. I think the two middle panel spring clips are really for positioning it correctly - i.e., to line up things. Remove the four bolts, and pull downward gently; wiggling may help, but it will come out. Again, you certainly don't want to horse things here because the ECU is mounted onto this panel and the ECU has a *@#!load of thin wires coming out of it and you don't want to dislocate any of these! 11. Put things back following the above process in reverse order and you are done! Whew, time for a well deserved beer break and figure how to get a replacement GB support arm!!!
  23. This may sound silly, but check for fuel. Everything being the same, it appears most likely to be the culprit. Otherwise, check both the high tension leads or wires to the coils - depending on where you stored the car, if it was not moved at all, squirrels or rats may have gotten into the engine bay and played havoc with the wires among other things!!!
  24. Hi List, I am attempting to check my ECU but need some help with removing the plastic lower right kick-panel without breaking the darn thing. Can someone who has already done this ('92 LS400) kindly post the secret. I have removed the Glove-box liner and the lower plastic kick-panel's plastic screws. The books indicates there are four clips at the top of the panel, but they are not visible and I am not sure whether I should pull the panel straight out, down, or pry one way or another!!! TIA
  25. Hi, If you still have the car, you probably may want to follow the information in this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/77820-alarm-tripped-now-car-wont-start/ In his case, it was a second lead from the battery positive terminal that was not connected. Not sure if it applies to your issue, but worth checking out.
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