eastmanm

Congrats! I just finished mine as well, although I put in both a rebuilt alternator & ps pump. Having said that, I now wonder if I could have gotten away with resealing the old PS pump instead of buying a rebuilt one - the way it connects to the reservoir looked suspect to me, thinking that and the old ACV valve (which I removed) may have been the source of my leak. I applied liberal amounts of high temp gasket seal on the reservoir connection & did a full ps steering fluid flush, hopefully this PS pump will go the distance.

My alternator was soaked in ps fluid, so perhaps it was best to go rebuilt for me, if only for peace of mind.

Btw, with the ACV plugged & new fluid added, steering feels soooo much better :)

Looking at my pump more closely, I'd guess the weak area is where the reservoir attaches to the pump (besides that plastic ACV fitting, which I'm taking off). All I see is that little O ring on the shaft holding in the fluid - would it make sense to also apply some gasket sealant up where the reservoir housing sits again the main pump housing for extra insurance?

Its not clear to me what leak we're trying to fix here.

1) Leaky reservoir to pump body O-Ring

2) Leaky Air control valve (leaking to hose into intake manifold, white smoke out exhaust)

3) Leaky main seal on pump leaking out the shaft

I would think 1 & 2 can be done leaving the pump in the vehicle. 3 is a pump replacement (or a DIY rebuild for you adventurous types, www<dot>lexls<dot>com/tutorials/steering/pspumprebuild.html ).

Does anyone have any idea where these power steering pumps are most likely to leak? I'm putting one in now, if there is anything else I can do to extend the life of this pump (e.g. apply gasket sealant, another O ring, etc), I'm all over it! I've disabled my ACV, and will see if there anything else that can be done to further seal the reservoir/pump connection. As much satisfaction there is with doing my own repairs, I'd rather forgo the pleasure of taking out and installing yet another new ps pump if I can

Thanks, now that I'm the point where I have to whip out the wallet, think I just go with the less expensive one again - I'm hoping that by plugging the Air Control Valve at the bottom of the pump, that will eliminate a major source of leakage for these pumps.

I'd be curious if the new difference with RDM's experience has to do with the air control valve, as he and a lot of other guys are now plugging that & eliminating it as a possible source of leakage. Has anyone else experienced PS pump leaks after plugging ACV valves? I've personally gone through 3 PS pumps with my 2 LS's (one a 93, the other 94) and both had the ACV system intact

From my end, I just pulled out my old PS pump & alternator, and the alternator is coated with gunk, so now trying to decide whether or not to try and rig a shield for the replacement - I'd rather not mess with the original AC cooling design, but alternator failures are no fun either. Maybe plugging the ACV eliminates any need for a shield?

Appreciate any opinions - Mike

Gold 1994 LS400

O'Reilly's has it fitting my '94 LS400, but it is expensive - almost $200 than the other one ($337). But, given how these others tend to fail over time, would it be worth paying the extra bucks in hopes this one is made better? Would be curious if anyone has gone this route. As it is, my current leaky pump took my alternator with it, so even doing the work myself, this is something I definitely don't want to have to do again :)

Just got to my alternator - what a gunky mess (power steering fluid poured all over it). I suppose there is nothing to do at this point but replace it (vs. cleaning it up)? Car has about 150K, and it appears this one was put in not too long ago (Bosch).

Removing the alternator will help, but otherwise you just need to 'man up', the first time I removed mine it was OE torqued way beyond normal spec. Using a box end wrench doubled up to another can gain leverage if you can get one in place.

The alternator is likely soaked a little so it's a good idea to have it cleaned up anyway.

As my alternator just started acting up in my '94, I just got to this point tonight with the PS pump, hopefully I'll also be able to "man up" and break these bolts tomorrow morning. I also have lots of fluid discharge all around/below the PS pump, think I know what is bothering the alternator. Has anyone being able to rig some extra protection for the alternator (or found a more fail safe PS pump) - I'm guessing a LOT of LS400 alternators have been trashed by the PS pumps above them.

O.k., first $495 takes the whole shebang, really want it out of my driveway Good chance for someone to upgrade their stereo to Nakamichi?

Mike

I'll take it. I can pick it up Sunday after I borrow a trailer. Email me at projectrdm@gmail.com and we'll arrange it all, I don't get on here but once a day, but consider it sold. I've got cash in hand and have located a transmission already.

Thanks everyone, car is sold to RDM!

Mike

O.k., first $495 takes the whole shebang, really want it out of my driveway :) Good chance for someone to upgrade their stereo to Nakamichi?

Mike

I may have a buyer, or I may but it myself. Can I come look at the car possibly tomorrow afternoon or Friday?

Sure, give me a call (my cell number is 770 356 5447). I may have to go into town to see the doctor tomorrow afternoon, still trying to work that out.

Mike

Hey guys-

I just had a motorcycle accident and broke my right toe, so have been away from the computer recently. At this point, I'm not feeling up to taking parts off the car, so now offering to sell the entire car for $750. For everyone asking about individual parts, very sorry about the hassle.

Mike

Thanks guys. Yes, the interior color is tan. I will post some pictures later today (got really busy yesterday), so you can better judge the interior/exterior condition. I will also work up some price quotes for the various parts (have no idea at this point ). The one thing I'm worried about is shipping costs for an interior door panel from Atlanta to Kansas - anyone ever done that?

I ran a shop in Mableton for several years parting out cars and have shipped everything imaginable all over the country. Door panels are easily boxed and shipped, though the pricing is a bit high. You can get quotes online from UPS or FedEx to get an idea but always add a little more to ensure their pricing is accurate and you're not left paying out of pocket. Use Office Depot to ship UPS, they don't upcharge like the UPS Stores do, and they don't charge you handling fees either.

PM me if you have further shipping questions or could use some help pulling parts. I've torn down three LS400s in my day.

Thanks, I might just do that! Also, I've been trying to upload photos for the past day, haven't been able to figure it out (says I'm not allowed!?) I just attached them to this message, maybe that will do the trick.

Thanks guys. Yes, the interior color is tan. I will post some pictures later today (got really busy yesterday), so you can better judge the interior/exterior condition. I will also work up some price quotes for the various parts (have no idea at this point :)). The one thing I'm worried about is shipping costs for an interior door panel from Atlanta to Kansas - anyone ever done that?

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, if not, someone please let me know. Anyway, my transmission on my 1993 LS400 gave up the ghost, and I have decided to part out the car. Glad to provide pics, this one has the Nakamichi sound system (although the CD player stopped working). Located near Atlanta, GA, and glad to send pictures.

Thanks - Mike

1994 Gold LS400

I also live in the Atlanta area, and looked into repainting my recently acquired Champagne '94 LS400, which has some fading/peeling on the top areas of the car. One shop that came highly recommended is the Maaco in Roswell (but be wary of the other Maacos, as they can differ greatly in quality). After talking to 3 different shops, and looking at the finished paint jobs of the various levels of paints, I came to the conclusion that it will cost about $2200 to keep my Lexus looking like a Lexus (this is with the shop doing all the work & providing all the materials). Unfortunately, with the multiple coats & clear coat, there are no less expensive/halfway measures possible. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised and might not have purchased the car had I known that, although it has since proved to be in excellent mechanical condition, so I might yet go for it, and will post pics if I do.

Mike

Thanks Jim, will take a careful look at the trunk wiring (the fact that the tailights go off when the dash lights go on makes me wonder about that). I'll look into making sure the battery has plenty of oomph as well, although I haven't had any issues starting it, etc, even in the recent cold weather.

Mike

Hello everyone-

I recently purchased a '94 LS400, and the light switch seems to have a short - when I turn on the lights, some front panel lights go off (heater & stereo controls, although the dash works fine). If I turn the switch halfway, these panel lights come back on, but the rear tailights go off.

Anyway, I still have my '93 LS400 (tranny died), and was thinking of switching the headlight switch. Is that difficult to do? Anyone else have any suggestions? Thanks, would very much appreciate any thoughts on how I can best solve this problem.

Mike