TA in KC

It is probably the Idle Air Control Valve. I had a leaking power steering pump and alternator replaced on my 1992 LS recently. When the pump was replaced, they just removed the vacuum lines and capped off the connections to keep the fluid from being drawn into the intake manifold like it was before. The mechanic who worked on my car has been with Lexus since 1989 and said he has done that to 5-6 LSs and they continue to work fine. Another thing he told me was that all LS400s burn some oil on a cold start, because they were engineered that way. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I wish I had been paying better attention. Something to do with the type of rings they gave the engine in order to reduce friction. Either way, I do not think it is a cause for concern.

Actually, considering the labor involved, $560 does not sound bad at all to me to have the dealership replace the mounts. That's what most independent mechanics charge and they do not give you a courtesy car.

My guess would be that most salvage yards will not sell the fan shroud and motor separately. I don't imagine that is a very expensive part for a car that age. I would just replace them both.

Hi Ken, I don't think the rear seats will work, but if my memory serves me correctly, the mounting points for the front seats for 90-94 and 95-00 LS400s are the same.

Check your local salvage yards or EBAY. Those are probably the least expensive places.

I went to autozone to have the code pulled but they didn't have a scanner for my car. I drove it today the CEL was still on I didn't hear that sound again, but when I push the gas to get up to 40mph the car will sputter sometime or acts like its gonna stall put it gets going . When got back home I check all the fuilds everything was fine then I turn on the AC the car starts skiping and sputter again I gave it some gas it stop for a few mins turn the AC off it would idle fine but would I could hear it skipping a few times. I put the car in the shop a few weeks back they scanned it for me for $50 they only code that came up from what they told me was the car needed a iginter. I had that replace. I'm thinking more than one code came up and they didn't tell me about. Do you know how to read the codes on an OBD-1 system? Check www.lexls.com. This website is geared towards the LS400, but the procedure for your ES should be the same.

Your problems seem odd to me. I've never heard of an engine bearing failure on a Lexus LS engine. Is there any particular reason you are running 10W-30 instead of 5W?

I'll second that. It think most insurance companies work that way, at least my insurance company and several others to my knowledge.

I only replaced the ones upstream of the catalytic conveter. Since your ES has only single exhaust, you probably only have one upstream one. I'd start with that, and then replace the downstream one if the problem isn't fixed. I wouldn't wait too long to change the upstream one at least. Having a bad oxygen sensor gives you terrible gas mileage, and can eventually damage the catalytic converter. My LS only got about 12MPG when the sensors went out. Here is a link to an eBay listing for a replacement oxygen sensor. I believe this is for upstream (front) only. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-01-Toyot...sspagenameZWDVW

My LS400 gave the same code when the oxygen sensors went bad. I pulled the EFI fuse, and the light came back about a day later. Luckily, it was a pretty inexpensive fix. I bought some universal Denso oxygen sensors off eBay for $25.00/pair, cut the connectors off the old ones, and soldered them onto the new ones. By doing it this way, I saved over $100. It has been over a year since I did this, and they are still working fine.

It really depends on what area of the country you are in. Since I don't live where you live, I don't know what similar cars are selling for in your area. The best thing to do to would probably be to look places like cars.com to see what others are asking for cars similar to yours. Then you can base your asking price off that. You are generally going to take a pretty big hit in resale value without the car being equipped with a sunroof, but it sounds like your car is in fairly good condition and has been taken care of well. That will probably make up for it, if it stands out from others in those areas.

Toyota vehicles don't have rubber seals. They are polyurethane. I would just leave them. We didn't change them on my LS or the Toyota Pickup and they both have worked fine for quite a while.

I've installed a couple of these retrofit kits, so if you have any other questions feel free to ask. I wouldn't bother replacing the seals. I didn't replace them when I did the retrofit on my 1992 LS. A family member of mine also did not replace them when he did the conversion on his 1988 Toyota Pickup. The A/C system in both those cars has continued to work fine. The mechanics I talked to all told me the same thing. The seals in Toyota vehicles are durable enough to be left intact when doing the conversion. If you replace them you may be more likely to create another problem then to solve one.

No, it isn't against the law to charge your own system. California is trying to make it that way, but the law has not passed yet. It is illegal to buy or sell R-12 without a license in the US. Anyone can buy R-134a. Perhaps that's what you were thinking of.

On my LS400 (same engine), it is near the upper passenger side of the engine bay. I had to take off a plastic cover to make it more visible. Just remember, don't charge from the high side port (the one near the condenser). The refrigerant dispenser will not physically fit on that port though. What kind of recharge kit did you buy? Hopefully it isn't one with oil already mixed with the refrigerant. Chances are, unless you have a serious leak, most of the oil is still remaining in the system. If you charge it up with more oil that is contained in your refrigerant, you could accidentally over-lubricate the system. Oil does not compress like refrigerant does. If there is too much of it, it has to go somewhere (usually causes a line to burst).

Have you looked at your car's service manual? techinfo.toyota.com

I have not done business with this company, but they have been recommended by others on this forum. www.grahamsauto.com

I don't have a 2nd-generation LS, but I can tell you that the driver's side drain on my car is located near where the oxygen sensor plugs in. Have you checked that area?

You either have an expansion valve or an orifice tube, not both. If I recall correctly, Lexus LS cars have an expansion valve. What part of Kansas are you in? I have the name of a mechanic that does A/C service for very reasonable prices, if you decide you just want to pay someone else to fix it.

Here are some links for a replacement MAF sensor. They are very easy to install yourself. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS-LS400...5QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS-LS400...5QQcmdZViewItem

That side light is very difficult to remove. So difficult, I just remove the battery and change the bulbs from under the hood. I think it is much easier that way.

If the check engine light is on, the TRAC OFF light automatically comes on. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the Traction Control system. Why don't you pull the diagnostic codes and let us know what they are. That would give us a better idea of where the problem is coming from. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Looks very nice. How much did he charge?

I'd go with stock replacements for all suspension parts.

You should probably check EBAY. That seems to be the cheapest place to get used engines. You can check local salvage yards, but, as most people will tell you, the LS400 is a hard car to find there. I may have another source for a used engine, PM me if interested.