intellivised

I've been so back and forth about if this bill passes or not. My Lexus - a '92 LS400 - has low mileage for a car that is 17 years old, I just rolled 128,000 today pulling into the grocery store this morning. I love the ride. I love the luxury. I love the thoroughness of the design. I've replaced the upper control arms, I've replaced the PS pump, I had the solenoid cleaned and flushed. Timing belt? Taken care of. My mechanic friend that did said my water pump was in good shape so we didn't do that. I'm going in for new sway bar bushings this week to get some of the creaks and pops out. That all being said I always wonder if this car is really an expensive albatross. For all the accolades it receives for it's reliability? I don't know. There are so many expensive failures just waiting to happen like my starter contacts. Need brakes. My screen went black. My AC doesn't blow cold (in Wyoming this really isn't a big deal) and worst/best of all I just really... the night when it was -20 below and my door actuator failed and I had to disassemble/reassemble the door and gave up re-attaching the light I fell out of love with it. Everything on this car is expensive. I keep thinking - $600 for a water pump job? $300 for new plugs and wires? That's 3 or 4 car payments right there. My driver seat is worn out. I don't live in an area where I Lexus would probably sell that quick. I'll get more for the CARS bill than a trade in and I won't have to have every weirdo in town come over and look at my car. I don't have time or live in a climate friendly enough 9 months out of the year to deal with the issues that keep cropping up - It hasn't been the greatest mountain car. I think, even in this economy, if cash for clunkers pass I'm going to send the old girl out to pasture. It'll be sad, but I've been test driving a lot of cars that are in my budget range that are a lot of fun and will be a hell of a lot easier/cheaper to outfit and fix.

OK. Here's the story: This winter here in Wyoming we had a day that hit -40. That same day I took a group of friends up, and the person sat in the passenger side closed the door but the actuator mechanism had frozen up. I couldn't get it to work and had to disassemble the door and work the actuator to get it to function again. The problem was - it was -20, and my garage was at a nice brisk -10. I had run out of patience (and feeling in my hands) after a few attempts and couldn't get the light and its connector to hook up, especially without help. I just bolted to door up. I really want to get everything reassembled now that it is June - is there a way to get to the harness (like take the light out?) without undoing the whole door again?

First off, thanks to everyone who responded to my post about the seats. I got some good ideas and hopefully some traction on what I'm going to do. I am also in need of some other interior help: The previous owner of the car, I think was a sometime smoker. The car doesn't have That Smell but there is a very obvious melt/bubble on the black plate that surrounds the shifter. How do I get a new one? That whole assembly needs to come apart for cleaning - is there a good tutorial for that? I also have a missing 'wood' panel in the back, one of the window button consoles in the back. Mostly worried about the actual parts, I can figure our the reassemble later on.

Yeah, I was curious, so after someone posted this, I looked in a owners manual I had for my old 1990 LS400 and it does show the warning light. The reason I thought they did not have one, is that years ago, someone on this very site had a thread going that these cars didnt have one, which I thought was odd, because even my old '87 Camry had one. Also, the fact that this warning light was not only burned out on my old '90 LS400, its also out on my current '91 LS400, so I just never thought much of it. I have two brake lights and one taillight on my LS, so I know if that light worked on my car, it would be illuminated. I guess with 6 taillights/brake lights that more lights tend to go out and that light is probably on alot, hence the bulb blowing out quicker than others. ? I am suprised that my "low coolant" warning light bulb has not burned out yet... the sensor is bad and the light has been on ever since I have owned it... coming up on two years. My sensor went a few months ago. I'm tired of looking at the Parthenon of Doom. I spent $40 on a diagnostic and quite a bit more on some Toyota coolant before I figured it out that it was, indeed, just a broken sensor. My landlord was real happy with my Lexus peeing coolant over the driveway because I had misgauged the overflow valve.

My 1992 LS400 has been in excellent mechanical shape and I've kept up with it. My attention, though, has been turned to the interior. I don't want to sound mean, but the prior owner was quite large and in charge and the drivers side seat shown an unusual amount of wear. Well. The other morning I came out to my car and noticed that it finally happened - I have a crack in the seat. I can see the green foam. I'm sort of interested in replacing this car - or at least moving it to 'plan B' - but want to shore up the interior problems I've had. My carpet covers for the lower part of the door are loose (nothing a hot glue gun would be able to handle, I'm thinking) What should I do to fix this? Is a new seat in order? Or a trip to the real or virtual junkyard? Is there a good way to patch these? If you think it'll help I can venture out in the morning and get a camera phone picture. Just let me know. Also! Bonus round: One of the 'wood' panels in the backseat covering the window buttons are missing - where can I get one of those? Thanks! New swaybar bushings next Saturday - I'm excited/hoping they'll make a difference.

I went with 35 because I thought that's what the manual said and 40-42 what the garage put them at seemed really high to me. If it ends up being a little higher, I might just keep it at 35 for the benefit of a slightly stiffer ride and sharper handling; I don't think that should compromise tire handling too much? I'll be honest - I don't worry about tire rotation on my summer tires. Before you all scream !Removed! murder! understand that I really only have them on my car for 6 months or less and since Laramie is such a compact town - it's hard for me to put 5000 miles on them a season; even when you include a few trips to Denver/Boulder. So my rotation is done at the annual tire change. My winter tires get even less mileage but I'm thinking this next year will be there last. The snow is unpredictable and I had a few trips to the airport on dry roads with the iPikes.

You can't go wrong with what your owners manual or sticker suggests. Regarding high PSI vs. low I would opt for the high if it wasn't excessively so. Bear in mind that your tire wear in the center will be faster and the ride will be harsher. Point to remember, when the temperatures warm up in the spring and summer you normally will have to readjust the tire pressure again. Just as a matter of curiosity, when you checked the tire pressure after you got the car back from the garage, was that after driving home, or after sitting at home and giving the tires a chance to cool down? The reason I bring this up is the tire pressure will increase exponentially as the tire or ambient temperature increases. I'm pretty religious about keeping up with the tire PSI's and the other day when I checked my "other" vehicle they were all at 40 PSI, up from the recommended 36. The 40ish reading was the next morning after sitting in my garage for the night. The temperature variation here is pretty extreme due to the elevation; i.e. it can get to the high 70s or 80s during the day and it'll still get down to the 40's or even 30's at night (I really enjoy that).

OK. So I'm starting to get into actually understanding cars and my Lexus. It was only a matter of time; I find it really interesting and live in a town small enough to walk everywhere if I have to (in case of a major breakdown). As anything learned later on in life, there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge. The big thing I'm curious about now all the sudden is this: What PSI should I have my tires at? I want to make sure I have them set right on my 1992 LS400. I got my winter tires off a month ago (yes, winter and snowy roads go all the way to May here) and my summer tires are on. I always check the tires before I go to Fort Collins, CO since it's through the mountains and I go once every 2-4 weeks. I noticed, though, when I got the car back from the garage the PSI was in the 40's and it was even all around (looked intentional). Hadn't been driving for the day and the gas station was across the street, so it was accurate. The manual says 35. I've read that more is better, or at least being way under is bad. And being way over is bad for different reasons. A few articles on Tire Rack can be a dangerous thing; so I'm seeking input. Also - just so this isn't a total n00bfest at my expense, I will also say a few things about my winter tires. I bought a set of Hankook iPike's. I've had them two seasons now and it's important now to mention that I live in Wyoming at 7000' next to the highest point on the US interstate. Long story short: We get a lot of snow. And ice. Hail capital of the world, so I'm told. Mostly the snow is the powder kind (but we also get the gross stuff in early Spring like what you see in MI where I grew up). This last winter saw a LOT of snow, and I had a few encounters with unreal conditions on highways that shut down behind me and can saw that the iPikes were great. They were a budget minded choice - I had thought about Blizzaks but these were cheaper. I've only gotten stuck once in two years and that required some outright hoonage in an empty K-Mart parking lot to do. The tires themselves have proven to give me a lot of confidence and ability to control in severe conditions. So.... thoughts on PSI's?

This also seems plausible. I'm going to keep the car until at least fall, so this might be a good mid-June project when my band the month off and I actually have a weekend to myself. Thanks! Anyone know of any handy guides for where/what lights to get? I have to order some of the amber/yellow lights for the front, so I might as well order a bunch of them together.

I've actually read the owners manual when this first came on and the light that I'm talking about looks like a car (orange) with little lines coming from the back, and I *remember* reading in the manual that it was a brake light out indicator. I can't be quoted on this, I need to check to make sure. The interesting thing is that this has happened before and then it goes away, but it's been happening a lot more. I came home from band practice and the light didn't come on - and the only thing different about the car recently is that it sat out in the rain for a day; it's finally dry. All my rear lights work. I'm tempted to think that it's something to do with moisture and the wire harness. I'm still open to ideas though.

OK. So I've done my homework already and checked up and wanted to get an opinion or two before I proceed. My car (92 LS400) is starting to do that thing where the 'brake light out' light comes on after starting up the car and then stays on. At first it only did it occasionally, but now it's a full time deal. I searched on the forums and found some similar problems and even went over to this link: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lighting/bulbout.html And checked it out. I'm not getting any of the other weird behavior, just the bulb out light (and I have no bulbs out, I already checked). Maybe that's on its way? My main two questions are: - I'm a horrible solderer. I know enough about electrical equipment to spot a loose or damaged connection but shouldn't be allowed to touch anything with repair in mind with a ten foot pole. I'll probably recruit a friend to do it. I have a guy who does all my guitar pedal work, I'll probably recruit them for this. I just need to know how to get to the harness to have a look - any tips? - Is this something that'll make my car unreliable for long trips? Like the computer being erratic effecting braking, etc. My band is playing down in Denver (about 2 hours) this Friday and I'd like to be able to drive a carload of friends that want to go; but I don't want to put anyones safety at risk. This explanation certainly makes sense since my car is a 1992 and ever since my band started I went from never using the trunk to always using the trunk - guitars and amps and the occasional bass player have ridden back there. So... what do you all think?

Going to revive an old thread: This *just* happened to me. I disassembled the door per the instructions on the link above and... I'm not sure what I did. I jiggled it. Like a broken toilet. I got the door apart, futzed with the assembly by yanking on it and by just messing with it I got it working again, no problems. Well I had a problem. I left my dome light on a week ago and haven't really driven much since. 30 minutes of no engine and radio and dome lights while I was getting the door off drained it just enough to keep me from turning over. I got a jump and did a lap around town so I can get to work in the AM. I'll replace the battery before I go out of town next. I think my cable/door issue was cause by two factors: - I've been playing the role of DD for my band and my friends a lot lately. The party crew hasn't been gentle on the door. - The weather. It's been unseasonably warm... and then Monday we had a blizzard. Snowy Range ski resort is boasting 36" of new snow. It's almost April! I guess this most is mostly Thanks! and a quick follow up... ...anything I can do to keep this from happening in the future? I only half reassembled the door; just in case I need to get back in on Saturday I have that option. Like some silicone? Also: I, for the life of me, could not get the door light wires to clip back in. I gave up, it's bed time. Any tricks? Also also and unrelated: I got my solenoid flushed/taken care of. Steers like a champ, lines stopped sweating.

intel; There is a huge volume of information and posts on this subject. Very short story is........Clean the screen on the rack solenoid. It is the cause of excessively high pressure, which is causing your leaks. Please do a search for power steering, power steering solenoid, etc..........many, many pages. Thanks - done and done. I also called the drummer of my old band (Lexus tech) and a Lexus service department in Northern Denver and they said the same thing: "Let's just do a flush (I have the wrong fluid in - and am NEVER going back to a 10 minute place again) and clean the solenoid filter before we go crazy and tear the thing apart." Thanks! I'll share my findings, too.

I'd like to add to this topic. My 92 LS400's power steering is leaking, too. I had my pump replaced a little while ago (less than 1 year), but there are still leaks coming from the rack and the high pressure lines - just not from the pump. My solenoid has never been cleaned (that I know of). I'd like to hear what you guys come up with. I don't have the money to replace my rack and lines! Think cleaning would help fix my problem?

Update: Sticking with dino oil (for now) - I'm going to get the seals and gaskets looked over/learn what I'm looking at before taking the plunge. New air filter? I've been kind of lazy about this but it's on the docket for the next paycheck.

I second any calls for 4 tires. I live in a pretty extreme/cold weather part of the country (Wyoming) and all I can say is that having 4 dedicated winter tires on my car has seemed to really make a difference, not only with driving but overall confidence. I bought the car during the winter when I lived in Michigan (lots of snow) and the all seasons didn't cut it - I spun that car out so many times. I bought dedicated winter tires and they've treated me well and helped me deal with some outright harrowing (e.g. interstate shutting down) conditions. The tires I chose (Hankook iPikes w/o studs) seem to do well, though I've been in situations that have called for either chains or studded tires and if I had to do it again I'd reconsider studs. I'd research the kind of weather Vermont gets and buy a dedicated winter set for your car and have them put on right when the weather starts to turn. I'm very happy with my winter/summer set, and this way I'll have two sets of tires that'll last me a lot longer than a dedicated all weather set and give me better handling year around. It also let me splurge a little bit on summer tires since I knew, realistically, they'll only get 5-6 months of use, we still had snow and ice on the ground right up until the end of April!

And the survey sez: Sensor! After trying for a week+ to find something mechanical wrong with everyone here's awesome help, I took it up to Toyota. Paid 1/2 hour of labor and the said my sensor has a circuit closing issue. Which is exactly what my former band mate (he's a Lexus tech in MI) said - he had replaced my timing belt before I drove from MI to WY and he said my water pump looked strong, and that was less than 10K miles ago (I don't drive very much out here, Laramie is small). I'll probably replace the sensor when I get the coolant flushed late next month. Looks like Toyota when they were investigating reseated the connection so it's less likely to stay open for now, so the Parthenon of Doom isn't glaring at me for now. Thanks again everybody for great input and answers!

*AUGH* It's back. Just went out to the store and back, and the Parthenon of Doom light has reappeared. As soon as I pulled into my garage I gave it a few to cool and checked the overfill tank. To the brim! The pressure change even kicked on the overflow valves and it peed a little on my garage floor. This is actually the first good look I've gotten at the old coolant. It's orange. Orangey-greeny. Not the light 'robotussin' red you'd expect. I'm thinking maybe previous owner didn't put the right stuff in. Any thoughts? Everyones been awesome so far helping this relatively new guy figure this out. EDIT: I just ran the car, radiator light *ON* while looking (top down) at a VERY full coolant overflow tank. Any help would be appreciated.

Trip around town confirms so far: No light. I'm going to add "checking the coolant overfill" to my weekly chores. When I sat down and REALLY thought about it: the light went away when I dropped my friend off at the grocery store. Important thing to know is that up here in the mountains sideroads have BIIIIIG dips for 'rain gutters' since it's all hardpan and they direct all the flashflood waters to storm drains/resevoirs. If you take it any faster than 10 your going to loose some fillings. It's made me think maybe there was an airpocket in there and I just burped it. Or that jiggled the sensors just right. As of right now, my roommate is taking credit for it. Overflow level is fine. I'll keep an eye on the temp, get the radiator flushed before it gets scary cold and have whomever cleans the solenoid screen let me know if they see anything down there.

Update: The problem seems to have gone away. Air? Lack of pressure cap? Wacky sensor? Who knows? The actual coolant level seems fine. I have to go on a little drive this evening out the edge of a town. I'll bop on out to the highway and back on during my trip. As of right now, I'm going to cancel my appointment @ Toyota and actually have the system flushed (it could use it) soon.

I'm hoping to get healthy soon - this cold is NO fun. I tried again to get a REALLY good look at the level and got nothing, even with borrowing lamps from the house. It's just not easy to see. I let the car idle at 2000 RPM for a bit and once the temp. guage started moving I cut the power and made sure my coolant reservoir was fine. Jiggled some wires. Tank is at it's neck (expecting a bit of overflow to pee out tomorrow) so it's most def. not the Last question before the sudafed takes over: How hard should the cap be to get off? Mine's pretty easy given the fact that I assume its supposed to be a 'under pressure' situation. VU meter? I work audio and video... that's something I can get behind! I have a date with Toyota on Friday, we'll see what they say. Hoping it's something simple/silly.

I'm going to jiggle some wires later. I'm actually quite sick today, so getting the gumption to gout and do anything has been difficult. What's "normal" for a cruising around town engine temperture? It's about 70 here, and it got up to about the hashmark below 50%. That'ss about when I ran out of energy and had to come in.

Actually the "leak" was just me accidentally overfilling the coolant reservoir, and a little p/s sweat. This morning I checked the oil (light brown, no traces of coolant) and actually disconnected the battery to clear any codes that might be going on (took off negative lead, counted to 10). My clock reset but my radio buttons were still intact, wonder if I need to do it longer - I was in a hurry to get to work. Reservoir tank looked unchanged. The fluid in it looks orange, not red (age?). I'm still having an impossible time reading the level. The tank is near opaque and even lighting it from behind, everything just reflects and it looks like a red mass. I'm just checking by standing OVER the overfill and looking down in. Called the local Toyota place (they're honest, if not a bit $. Only people in town that have an Lexus working experience) and have an appointment in for Friday. So I have until then to get the light to go away on my own. It's driving me nuts. Any further suggestions? I'm not looking forward to paying for an hour of labor.

Update: I let the car idle for a bit (called a friend that I needed to catch up with) and then drove stop and go around the block for 10 minutes with the heater ON full blast. The heat gauge never went beyond the 3rd hash mark (below half) and tended to stay there, just below it. Let the car sit to cool off a bit, checked the reservoir with a flashlight behind it and it looked solid red. Standing up over the reservoir and looking into it you could def. see fluid (some of it had a green tinge to it, or maybe even yellow). Started the car up and the warning light came on AGAIN. I'm stumped. I want the light to go away (hopefully cheaply!). Are there any simple things I can do to possibly fix this before exploring the possibility of taken it in to get looked at? Should I not be driving my car until I do get this fixed? Also: The light comes on after the car has been running for 45 sec - 1 minute, it's not immediate. I don't have anyway of getting under the car - and I've not noticed any leaks besides my overfill spill. Summary: Coolant level fine. Temp. gauge near constant (below half, right on that closest hash mark) Light comes on. Any suggestions? My main concerns are: How do I fix this and Should I be driving my car?

eatingupblacktop: Thanks for the great tips. I also love your user pic! I think I may have overfilled the reservoir since I have such a hard time reading it (the capacity is 1L and I think I'm in for .7). I ran the car for about 3 minutes @ 2000-3000 RPM and when I was done it looks like the system had dumped out my fresh overfill. The reservoir doesn't really seem to be going down at all, but again, it's hard to read. And I'm inexperienced. I over did it, I think. I saw the sensor and went into OMG NEED TO ADD mode. As far as the other signs: White smoke? No. Leaks to engine? No. Radiator? Need to check. Oil? Will check in AM. Under the car? Besides the overfill, the only leak I have is some minor sweating from the P/S system (need a solenoid cleaning) Will check the heater thing right now. I'll then pull it into the garage and let it sit and see where the coolant is at.