Csosz74

Ok, here is an update. There was no overheating, but there was smoke coming into the cabin from under. The car has been towed to another mechanic. It turned out the timing belt broke. He took the engine apart and put it together, everything's fine, except cylinder number 1-3-7 has misfire at higher RPM. So they are working on that now, but other than that, the engine is strong as before. And he paid around 2500.

Thanks, I added fluid, it's gone. Brake pads are wearing out. The level was halfway between min and max.

Hey everyone, 1990 LS400, and when turning to the left 'fast', my parking brake light turns on. For my first idea, I checked the brake fluid level, it's above the min. Any ideas? Thanks A

Hey everyone, my boss was driving to LAX, when lost coolant, the car stopped and had to be towed to a repair shop nearby. The mechanic said he was driving without coolant for a long time, the engine has been severely overheated. Probably thermostat, water pump, radiator failure, he does not know. He says the compression is 25 in the cylinders. He suggests to change the engine. My question: is it usually better the swap the engine then repair? He gave an estimate for $6000 with labor, new engine tune up, change misc. parts which need to be replaced (obviously the radiator, maybe some tubes, etc). The 'new' engine has 45000 miles in it, or at least that's what they say. I guess that's a very good price. Thanks, best regards A

Thanks for the replies. It turned out that the previous 'mechanic', who did the tune up didn't push the spark plug wires correctly, so they cracked, became wet, etc. so they needed a replacement, and also, he put cheap spark plugs instead of the right ones.

Hi everyone, 90' LS400, 264000 miles. I pushed the interior trunk lock into locked position. I have both the thick and the non thick key for the car (the thick is with the remote). I know I can open the lock only with the key with the remote - master key? - but I can't push it in, seems like the lock mechanism got problem. I tried WD40, jiggle, wiggle, shake, force, everything to push the key with no luck. Is there a way to remove the small panel from the dashboard with the lock, so I can play with that? Now I can open my trunk only unlocking the exterior lock, and even there the key seems to be hard to push in. I always have to put some lubricant every once in a while. I checked the wear on the that key, but seems to be ok, looks exactly the same as the other one, no excessive wear is present. The battery is missing from it, can that be a problem? I don't think so, but maybe? Thanks A

Thanks very much. The car is from 1990 with 263K. I will take it to repair soon so will ask the mechanic to check the codes. A

Hi everyone, my LS400 stutters when I try to hold 45-50mph. I just push the gas lightly to hold that speed and the car stutters. I guess this is the right term. I have no problem at higher or lower speeds, and it does not do when I floor it. I have a small leak at the back of the left side valve cover, can it cause this? Thanks A

Hey everybody, 1990 LS400. I guess the previous owner's little boy has put something in the vent which is in the middle-in the box-and blows the air to the passengers in the back. When I accelerate or stop, it moves, or rolls in the vent, I can hear. Now, how can I get that open in order to remove the 'something'? Thanks A

Thanks, actually I just came from the mechanic, the problem was the fuel damper, not the regulator. He replaced the seal on the top and now it's fine. And yes, he said it was dangerous. Regards

Hi everyone, 1990 LS400 the fuel pressure regulator leaks. Is it easy to change? Is it dangerous to drive around until I get the part? I have average tech skill, used to do plumbing:-) Also, can something else cause the leak other than the bad regulator? p.e. bad fuel pump, or whatever. Otherwise the car runs fine... Thanks A

Hey all, for those , who has a tiny crack on the coolant reservoir - who doesn't - I bought epoxy in WM for 3 bucks. Problem solved. :D I hope it will hold on 4ever... A

Hey guys, actually they 'repaired my ground and the battery terminals' for 70 bucks and now it's good. Or they just cleaned the alt and charged me. I will never know the truth... A

Thanks guys, I appreciate the quick replies. Will take my car back to my mechanic to check those out. A

Hey all, try to keep you awake... When I hit the brakes, my headlights blink. When the windows are closed and I try to pull them up, my headlights blink. They even blink during driving. They just go black for a quick moment, and they work fine after. It so disturbing and I'm certain it's not right. I just had my P/s pump and alternator changed 3 weeks ago. Two weeks later I had to go back and get another pump installed because the first one started to DUMP the fluid all over. Maybe that second leak disturbed the new alt? thanks A