aarman4

If the oil is in your dipstick tube you may get vertical streaks.

I meant to make a thread on this 3 times now, and i finally remembered this time!

So, thank-you Lexus, for being so thoughtful as to add a little tiny sun-visor above my rearview mirror. Where I live, when I go to the city, we usually come home in the evening between 7 and 11 pm. That means 30 minutes of driving westerly on the Transcanada highway in Manitoba, with the sun in your eyes. THANKYOU LEXUS!!! That little centre visor that i said "how useless is that" when I bought the car has made me so happy this summer! At 6'5" tall, it is a lifesaver during our long prairie summer evenings.

Anyways, that being said, anyone else here ever use it?

I've been driving a 1990 and 1993 LS in the winters of St. Paul, MN for the last 6 years. Traction control helps but not manditory. More important is going to 4 winter tires (not snow tires) from November trough March. Winter tires, with their softer rubber compound plus many sipes, make a world of driving difference in the snow. You can spend a lot on Blizzaks but I have found Winterforce, sold by Firestone dealers, to provide excellent traction at about 1/2 the price. Good luck.

I drove my 91 LS from manitoba to BC, though Calgary this previous winter, all through large snowfall areas, and really crappy conditions, and I stayed with the traffick no problem...with exception the crazy rigpigs in Alberta(you will see exactly what i mean when you get there)... Good winter tires, and you will be fine. Not all-season, not all-weather, WINTER.

WELCOME TO CANADA!!!

I have seen similar that are actually a wired product with a resistor which goes in place of your 02 sensors. Heaps of camel dung no matter which way you look at it.

Well, the Cash for Clunkers bill has gone to Obama for his signature. It says it is for cars that get 18 mpg or less, and I went back to the official government page, and my 94LS is still listed at 18 mpg. So it might be fun to go into a dealers showroom, haggle on a smaller car, and then, only then, pull the Clunkers deal. Fun, fun, fun. Looking at the Nissan Cube. 15 Grand or so. Less the Clunkers discount. Will look great in the garage next to my Mazda MX-5 Turbo. Some people never grow up...

Sorry to say, but i think the Nissan Cube just gave the Pontiak Aztek a run for it's money as the nastiest looking vehicle ever created....

Are you ready ...... check this out:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p...mp;rdpage=thumb

$15,000 - $8,000 = $7,000 loss and one big ugly mistake. I wonder what it's diff looks like inside right now?

'91 LS400 145k miles getting code 71, CEL & TRAC OFF light when reaching hiway speeds.

Code clears when fuse pulled and lights stay off until 65mph again.

I cleaned EGR valve and the plate behind it with temp sensor in it. it was about 3/4 blocked with carbon. Vacuum pull test on egr valve stalls engine so

I believe it is working.

car seems to run smoother but lights came on again.

I believe it is time to replace the vacuum modulator but wonder if there is a way to clean it?

If I do replace it, will a early '90's Camry part work? Autozone has one that looks identical to Lexus

but they don't show a part that covers the Lexus.

Has anyone tried a different modulator with sucess?

Thanks much.

Can you explain to me the vacuum pull test? I have been trying to find a way to test if my egr is working or not as I have a code 71 as well.

The manual, if I recall correctly, calls to check the egr, followed by the temp sensor. The only issue, is that my manual shows the egr as electric and not traditional.

Let me know please, thanks!

I just used a clean tube connected to the top of the egr and sucked on it while engine was running. engine stalled immediately. based on what I've read, that proves egr to be good. you could also just use the tube already connected, just disconnect the other end.

Thanks JML, I will give it a go.

'91 LS400 145k miles getting code 71, CEL & TRAC OFF light when reaching hiway speeds.

Code clears when fuse pulled and lights stay off until 65mph again.

I cleaned EGR valve and the plate behind it with temp sensor in it. it was about 3/4 blocked with carbon. Vacuum pull test on egr valve stalls engine so

I believe it is working.

car seems to run smoother but lights came on again.

I believe it is time to replace the vacuum modulator but wonder if there is a way to clean it?

If I do replace it, will a early '90's Camry part work? Autozone has one that looks identical to Lexus

but they don't show a part that covers the Lexus.

Has anyone tried a different modulator with sucess?

Thanks much.

Can you explain to me the vacuum pull test? I have been trying to find a way to test if my egr is working or not as I have a code 71 as well.

The manual, if I recall correctly, calls to check the egr, followed by the temp sensor. The only issue, is that my manual shows the egr as electric and not traditional.

Let me know please, thanks!

Mine does it too under 20 km/h...... Not worth my time to fix personally, but i do hve the same thng but only for very low speeds.

Hey guys..buying a 2005 LS 430 today with 85,000 for $18,000. Tell me, what are the best upgrades for this car for the money? This is my 3rd LS and I feel this car needs some exterior upgrades to make it stand out from looking like an old man's car (I am turning 50 this year - shhhh). Anyway, if you have ideas, pictures or thoughts, let them roll.

Look forward to your threads.

GDF

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments. And yes, simple is so much easier on these cars. I will end up with some slight window tinting and 18 inch rims/tires.

BTW, does anyone know where to get OEM quality lexus floor mats. The ones that came with this car are shot. Thanks again.

Lexus has OEM floormats ;)

np bro, glad to help....i have tried to express to others on here just how much better they look and perform...they are soooo much better than the stock ugly lights and u dont need a HID kit

Python,

Are you using the bulbs that came with your lamps? I think they are awesome, but I winder if they are just generic or if they might be a high-lumen ultrawhite style? If they are only basics, I cannot imagine how nice a set of ultrabrights would do in them.

Hey everyone,

I got my Eagle Eyes headlamps for my 91 LS last week(actually, they are meant for a 94, but my car is a 91), and at 2:30 am ths morning, on a mild evening in Manitob, I went to work nd put them on the LS. It took me 2.5 hours, that included setup of my flood lights, finding my tools and extension cords, testing and figuring out harnesses and bulbs, removing the headlamps, cutting off my old 9004 connector and soldering in a new 9004/H4 connector, putting it all back together, and then taking it for a drive in the early morning light.

!!!THEY ARE AMAZING!!!

Despite the thoughts of many, I actually like the corners it came with more than the originals, and hve decided to keep them on. It doesn;t look right at frst, but with thee wheels I have on there, it fits right into the car in summer mode.

During my quick test drive, I was completely amazed by how much more light I had. Even while it was light this morning, the 'eyes' illuminated everything well.

I will keep you all updated soon for how I feel about them at night, and i still need to do an aiming I believe.

The only downsides so far are:

-Covers are plastic rather than glass, so I have to keep my distance on the highways at wintertime here.

-Corners do not fit as good as I would like them too. It is acceptable, but not perfect, but still better than using the old corners with the new heads IMO.

-Fog lights have no yellow glass or bulb inside. I need to see if I can get the lex fog bulbs in yellow.....Even still I wonder if they will be useful, as when I used them against my garage door, they really illuminated in many directions, but on the road, the pattern seems similar with the fogs as it did with my old fogs, so we shall see.

I took a load of instructional pics so maybe LexLS will throw them up on his site if he wants.

More to come!

PS - Thanks to LOC member PYTHON for the help he gave me before and after ordering the lights.

Hey guys..buying a 2005 LS 430 today with 85,000 for $18,000. Tell me, what are the best upgrades for this car for the money? This is my 3rd LS and I feel this car needs some exterior upgrades to make it stand out from looking like an old man's car (I am turning 50 this year - shhhh). Anyway, if you have ideas, pictures or thoughts, let them roll.

Look forward to your threads.

GDF

First of all, congrats! I wish those cars were even less than double that in Canada!

If you are looking to set yours aside, The first thing I would recommend to do is put some of your money into some new rims that look classy, idependant, and also reflect your personality and style when they are on. Not every set of rims looks good on an LS, so it definitely depends on the image you want to show.

Next, if it doesn't have it already, is window tinting. This is personal preference, but can change the overall look of your vehicle quite dramatically.

After that, Puddle lights might be a nice addition, depending on how much road salt and dirt you will be dealing with on a daily basis.

I don;t have much else to say, it will be a beautiful car regardless!

The "check engine light" is a known flaw that occurs when the battery is disconnected. There are tutorials on this website how to fix it. Lexls.com, I believe, is a great source. There is nothing wrong with your engine. But it's such a PIA to get the light off, I simply put black tape over the light.

I mean, the car is older than my cousins. Which means that they're as big a maintenance PIA as my 94LS. But I love my cousins, and love my old Lexus...

Carefully use a test light on your cig lighter, or a multimeter and check for voltage. ground onto the ring, and poke the centre at the bottom, try not to bridge them or you will need to buy another fuse. If the voltage is there, then get a new lighter plug. If not, then check wiring. if it is all rusty and nasty insde, then you might need to buy a cig lighter socket replacement.

You can also try swtitching lighters between the back and front lighters, and see if the problem chases the plug, or the socket.

The cigarette lighter is "as new" since it's a non smoker's car. If the front lighter is out will that cause the rear one to go out also? Seems like they would be in tandem.

I am unsure if they are on the same circuit, but if you replaced the fuse and it is fine now, then I would hope not both are out. If they are both still out, then chances are theya re on the same circuit and it is having ground issues.

The "check engine light" is a known flaw that occurs when the battery is disconnected. There are tutorials on this website how to fix it. Lexls.com, I believe, is a great source. There is nothing wrong with your engine. But it's such a PIA to get the light off, I simply put black tape over the light.

I mean, the car is older than my cousins. Which means that they're as big a maintenance PIA as my 94LS. But I love my cousins, and love my old Lexus...

Carefully use a test light on your cig lighter, or a multimeter and check for voltage. ground onto the ring, and poke the centre at the bottom, try not to bridge them or you will need to buy another fuse. If the voltage is there, then get a new lighter plug. If not, then check wiring. if it is all rusty and nasty insde, then you might need to buy a cig lighter socket replacement.

You can also try swtitching lighters between the back and front lighters, and see if the problem chases the plug, or the socket.

Can anyone recommend a place I can purchase 4 factory chrome 16" rims for my car? Used is OK.

There were no "factory chrome 16" rims" for a 1994 LS400. 1995 was the first year that chrome wheels were available as an official Lexus option. Anything before that was aftermarket chrome.

True, but you can get any first gen stock lexus rims from a seller on ebay that chromes them. He will charge less if oyu have originl unchromed and send them his way in exchange, but he does have chrome, first gen wheels, and no, they are not chromed from the factory originlly.

GREEN LIGHT

Ebay has them, not cheap though.

And Chrome is beautiful!

Your cigarette lighter, unless I am mistaken, is controlled by fuses in the drivers leg area, not under the hood. Check there first.

Both of my remote keys are falling apart. Is the dealer the only place of Earth to buy replacements?

As far as i know it is the only place. Ebay has some occasionally, but I would question whether it is worth the gamble with the non-Lexus keys and fob's.

What does your LS handbook recommend?

That is usually the best spot for this type of information as it was written with usually millions(and in this case billions) of dollars of researh behind it.

That being said, I run synthetic in my LS due to the -40Celcius Winter temps(-60 with windchill on occasion) and it has no problems starting in the dead-chill of the Canadian prairies.(The telescopic steering wheel sure makes odd noises at that temp though, and my guageset takes several minutes to fully illuminate as well).

Most of the guys around here that I work with (Mechs) recommended I switch to syth for the winters at the bare minimum, and I have been very happy. My other car was a 2004 Echo and it had a really laggy slow turnover on mineral oil under the same conditions despite havinga baby engine to spin, but the battery is also smaller in that car, so take that for what it is.

1992 LS400 no spark at coil#1, +B voltage good at coil connector(primary) with ignition on

*coil ohms good(primary and secondary)

*cam sensor ohms good

*coil primary wires good continuity to IGNITOR #1

ALLDATA states there is no test for these, parts stores don't seem to be able to test these either

Note: with engine running if coil#1 primary plug is disconnected engine shuts off

Switch the twin parts around and see if the problem chases your switched parts or if it stays with the originals.

There is a tiny little button on the edge of the 1st gen keys..

Get your keys at Sewell Lexus.

http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/default.asp

That button is just for locking and unlocking the doors, the alarm still activates itself when you selflock the doors from inside and then close them,

She's a beauty Lucky13!

Do you find that the roof deflector you have makes much of a difference on your vehicle for sound/wind around your sunroof, or is it just a styling preference?

Please fellas, lets not "Draft" behind 18 wheelers on the interstate

Not once did I say to draft, just be behind. I think Tailgating is the single most frustraiting thing one can do to the driver in front of them. Having the truck out there, as well as other vehicles around distrubs the air on the road you are travelling. The more disturbed, especially in the direction of travel, the better for your fuel economy for this aspect of the drive.