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

Is that in 'D' or in 'P'? Here are my numbers: cold start in 'P' 1000rpm, in 'D' it's 600. When it's warm, 200 in 'D', and it runs smooth. When I add gas to rev up to 600, it does not sound really well. I can live like this, the only thing that bothers me that I leave from work, take the freeway, after 22 miles I arrive to home and it still on higher rpm, only when I stop at the parking lot then it calms down, not on the way home during driving. That means it consumes more fuel I guess. A

thanks will do that A

Hey guys, there's a question I've always wanted to know the answer for. I have a 1990 Ls400. When I start the car and the engine is cold, my RPM is (with the trans at D) around 400-500 rpm. I leave for work and go cca. 18 miles on the freeway. When I exit the freeway and stop at the red light, then the rpm goes down to 200 (in D of course). Is this normal? Of course I know that when it's cold then the rpm is higher, I just don't know how it's called in English. Why it doesn't lower the rpm while driving? It only does when I stop for at least 15 seconds. Hope I was clear A

Thanks, but not interested at the moment. Here's the link how to remove the door panels: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/body/fdoorpanel.html A

Hey, just a thought... I had the same problem with the yellow taillight indicator. It came and just went away, all my lights worked fine. But I had a small, but continuous leak from the power steering pump, which finally ruined my alternator. So just for a quick look, check the P/S pump for leaks and the alt. A

Hey guys, just my experience with my 1990 LS400. With my 'normal' foot, I got 20 mpg. With VERY careful foot, 35 miles an hour, 65 on freeways, no 'shooting out' :P at green light, I got 21 mpg. What about the tuning chips? Anyone tried one of them? They supposed to boost the horsepower and get better milage? Or we're talking about without modification? just a thought A

Yes, both the alt and the PS pump have been replaced. 590$ total. Now it works fine. the problem came out on Thursday when going to work. Then I disconnected the battery for the day and I could go home. For Friday, the battery was KO. I had to recharge to get to the mechanic. Thanks all

Hey guys, my right side front speaker is muffled and both of the rear ones don't work, I will replace them. I understood they're 4 inches in diameter. If anybody replaced them, is there any brand you would suggest? How many Watts it should be? Thanks

Thanks, as it turned out, that happened. the leak from the power steering pump made its damage on the alt.

Hey guys, I have an 1990 LS400 with 255xxx miles in it. Just today some lights came out on my cluster. Oil temp, handbrake (footbrake), rear lights, coolant temp, battery (or alt) No reason for these things, I checked every fluid, all's fine. Just read another topic about it to check the wiring at the left side trunk hinge. No visible problem found, no cracks or opening on the wires. I have a nice leak from the power steering pump, slow but steady. Can this leak cause any problem at my check lights? Also, a few months ago the yellow rear light indicator came out on the cluster, but after a while it went away. Thanks for any ideas...