handygal

Google 1997 LS Coach and you'll get all of the info you could ever want to read. From My linkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LS For 1997, a limited "Coach Edition" LS 400 was produced in partnership with American leather manufacturer Coach Inc. The edition featured Coach leather seats; embroidered emblems on the exterior, floormats, and armrest; special colors and added trim; and a Coach cabin bag. Production was limited to a yearly run of 2,500 units.[54] And http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19970326/press001578.html This year's LS 400 Coach Edition comes equipped with a collection of features at a significant value, including Coach leather interior, a special Coach leather center console with an embossed Coach logo, wood and leather accented shift knob, unique five-spoke alloy wheels, carpeted floor mats with an embroidered Coach insignia, six-disc in-dash CD autochanger, power tilt/slide moonroof, and multi-adjustable power front seats with power lumbar support and memory capability. Additional touches to the LS 400 Coach Edition include subtle exterior Champagne-pearl badging and a Coach leather Cabin Bag in British Tan. The Coach Edition will be available in five tone-on-tone exterior colors: Opal White, Cashmere Beige, Black Onyx, Moonstone Pearl and Silver Jade Metallic. Coordinated interior colors are available in Ivory, Black or Cypress.

I've had a 95 SC400, I have a 98 LS400 now and my mom has an 03 GS400. We've had all 3 since new and none of them goes to the middle point, they are all under and always have been. I had a thermostat issue with the car before the SC so I tend to keep a mental note of every car's normal, I'm not getting stranded by that again. You really do have something going on though. I wouldn't be surprised if you have 2 things going on. I'm hoping that sensor fixes your mileage issue, I've been considering changing mine too.

I can't find the thread anymore. Too bad, lots of good info in the old archives and a funny story that involved me reading and researching for days, then jumping around in the trunk at 3am holding on to the garage door. Neighbors think I'm nuts but it reset whatever that issue was with the yaw sensors. For your VSC issue, are you having any symptoms?

I have a 98 and I had this a few years ago. I'll have to look up my old post because I had a few strange things happen in about one year. I did have to change the throttle position sensor but my car did vicious, horrible things to me when that was going bad :). I can't remember if the VSC and check engine lights were that or the yaw sensors. Let me go look around and see if i can find my old thread

All the doors should lock with one press of the lock button. Two quick unlocks for all 4 doors (sometimes more, I press it 4 or more times, no wonder mine doesn't want to work now) and the trunk you have to hold the button down until it pops open, takes a few seconds assuming that it isn't locked. Is there a difference between a master and a secondary remote for that car model? I would look up the key options and make sure that you have a master key. You will need a real master and best to make sure you have one before something dumb happens (been there too).

I'm right there with you. I haven't found info elsewhere yet, i started here. Some days I don't get up past 30 mph for several blocks and have no idea how fast I'm going. The speedometer seems to come back between 30-40mph. Sometimes the tach is dead too. Or only the tach is dead and the speedometer works. I'm not sure why it annoys me so much, but I almost feel sorry for the car, it looks dead with the needles like that. Every time I want to show someone, it works again. My mechanic already warned me that it will be in the dash. I love my car, I love my car, I love my car . . . . .

Your car has HUGE brakes. The rear centerbore is big. I had problems with the rear wheels not seating properly even though the wheels were hubcentric. I can't recell, but there might have been a ridge near the center? It took the techs several tries to find the issue. Good thing I work there! If the shake is in the seat, it's coming from the rear wheels. If the shake is in the steering wheels, it's in the front. Let go of the wheel and decide where you feel it. Sometimes it seems to come from the floor or through the pedals. I've had at least 5 sets of wheels on my car now and if the rear centerbore is right, the wheels have balanced just fine.

What are those wheels? No, don't put spacers on these wheels. Or on your car. You could do an "adapter" type that would bolt on and give you at least an inch. That is the only kind that you could use that would give you enough depth. A regular spacer would give you 1/4", a half inch if you are feeling suicidal. Usually bolt on adapters change bolt patterns, but you can get them 5x4.5 to 5x4.5. But don't. Those wheels aren't that hot looking, not enough to mess with your car's handling and ride. You need lip more than anything. Oddly enough, I have too much lip on the wheels on my '98 and have to change them again. I let my team put staggered wheels on. Nice on a BMW, not so nice on my LS. I strongly suggest new wheels. Something deeper. Get them hub-centric. Your car is pretty heavy and can be a little sensitive. You don't have to spend big money, but you should do it right and not mess with the spacers.

what did the dealer find on Monday?

My mechanic insists that the transmission mount is fine. Then he took it for a drive and heard the thump/pop. OMG, I think I want to faint, he promises that it really is a backfire. I thought it sounded like a slight backfire when I had the window down. I never ever want to hear a Lexus backfire. The mechanic started it up on Monday morning after it sat in his yard all weekend and said it smoked up the whole yard. Now they are chasing a leak and possibly fouled plugs (new a few months ago) and then on to coils and so on. Anyone have any words of wisdom to share with me? Any similar experience?

My '98 did the same thing, needed a TPS. I don't remember the cost of the part, I know it was a few hundred dollars. They have gone up a lot in the last 2-3 years, the US dollar has terrible value now. It is also a pain to change the part. It's a pain to change any part on this car. I generally pay at least as much in labor as I do on the part. I try to look at it as all part of the maintenance of a good vehicle. All in all, the car has needed a TPS and a starter. Over the 9 years we've had it, it turns out to not be so bad expense-wise. All in all, the car has been very good to me. One of my previous disasters needed $600 parts from the moment it came out of warranty until the day I dumped it. The car was $19K to start with but from age 3 to 4.5 years it must have gone though $3K in parts alone. I'll take my Lexus any day of the week.

The recall did not affect every '97 LS400. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/recalls/rec...recno=7031& Canadian recall for the same issue?

I just thought of another reason parts prices have gone up a lot in the last 2-3 years. The american dollar is in the dumper. It used to cost me 90 cents for a Euro, now it's something in the $1.20's, I think we dropped vs. the Yen a similar amount. That alone is almost enough to explain the difference. Good luck on the hunt. Mirror glass is a great candidate for can't go wrong at the used-parts dealer.

I think maybe the point was that you might have found a good deal on the mirror, other users have paid much more for other model years. Have you tried the local "junk" yard. They aren't what they used to be. Many are very sophisticated used parts deals with computer links to dealers across the country. It's been several years since I've used them but they found me a mass airflow meter and had it the next day for $200 instead of the $800 the new one from the dealer would have cost. Mass airflow meter at 35K miles. I didn't just walk back to a Toyota, I RAN!

Lexus vehicles have alluminum wheels, they CAN'T rust. Steel wheels can... Exactly. Steel wheels for winter tires. Yikes. I know plenty of people buy cheap wheels for their winter tires to save on mounting/dismounting them. But steel on a Lexus? Ouch, not looking to preserve any of the Lexus ride. And to find steel wheels these days that fit. Now that's a hunt. I was joking when I made the rust comment, I didn't think anyone would actually put steel on any car these days, not unless it was something they had left from the 80's (if they are rusting that much, maybe they are from the 80's). Just don't tell me they are 15". Or white "wagon" wheels. Or Chrome Mods. Or *gasp* gold ones! Oh my goodness, I'm back in the 80's, working at the wheel store. Flashback.

I have this every day with my '98. It is more pronounced when it's cold, but I smell it when it's 80 outside as well. Every morning. I try to back up out of the stinky garage pretty quickly in the morning, I don't sit around and play with the radio or anything until I'm out in the open because the half-burned gas smell is so strong. I have no advice to offer. My mechanic wasn't impressed with the question, I think he likes "real" problems. :)

Trunk? I'm just surprised, I've never seen a trunk lid come down. Now the hood, that mammoth beast, that's a whole different story. We can give you lots of links for the hood. (If you happen to be a Brit living in Long Island, because of the different terms we use, we can probably help)

The bypass will take one of your spare keys to send the proper code. If you have more than one spare, you are in business, order the bypass module.

I have read through pages of posts regarding transmission issues with mostly older LS's. I need some help as to what I should try having inspected / replaced before I have the transmission changed in my beloved 98. Currently, the car seems to have a problem downshifting. Whenever I'm coasting there is a good chance that when I step on the gas again, the car won't find the gear, hesistates, catches with a thump and a jerk. At one point I was driving with the window open and it almost sounded like a slight backfire pop, imagine a Lexus with a backfire! Oh my. I was in a neighborhood with a series of stop signs and I did stop, barely, and when I stepped on the gas again, I heard the thump/pop each time. It is getting worse. I think I completely avoid it if I downshift manually. So now when I have to slow down but not stop (a changing traffic light, speed bumps, turning,) I shift down to at least 3rd gear, even if the car really needs 2nd. It seems to find second if I tell it to downshift. It's a bit of pain, would be smoother if I had a clutch! The only transmission related maintenance I've done is tranny fluid changes. Not the full flush, just a few 2 quart changes (Toyota fluid, was it type IV?). I'm not sure if it helped or not. It seemed to at first but maybe not. The car has 72K miles on it. My mom was the original owner, I've had it for 4 years. I'm a sports car kind of girl, so I'm not exactly a gentle driver. I live in south florida, so heat and rubber degredation is always a concern of mine. I was going to have the mechanic start with a new transmission mount. The miles are fairly low on the car but considering the age, I thought it might be a start. Can anyone offer more suggestions?

Who has their tires on long enough to see major corrosion? Even the ones I had on for three years didn't show much of anything except maybe the slightest shadow where the tire bead touched. At least no one said "rust". If the wheels are rusting on your Lexus, you made a major mistake that no amount of nitrogen can help. :D

Did I mention that I put a staggered setup on my car? Ugh, don't ever do that. The car is too square for that BMW look and I have a very slight rubbing problem in the right rear when I turn left. I know how to fix that in about 5 minutes, so it's my own fault it still touches. The wheels you show are deep. Very deep. Somehow that look just doesn't sit well with me on the big square sedan of the older LS's. I did it because 1. They were free, 2. I chewed up one of the previous aftermarket wheels I had that I hated, 3. it was a request from the Ruff Racing wheel group, kind of a corporate favor. That said, I hope you love what you picked out. It could be an awesome setup.

I have 20's on my 98 LS and the ride is almost identical to what it was as far as smooth road comfort. Cornering is a little tighter. It will never be like my SC400 was, but it is sufficient in the corners. The only warning I will give you for all aftermarket wheels is that you need a shop that knows their stuff. They need the latest and greatest balancing equipment and on-the-car balancing available if you can't get your ride smoothed out. Did you order these hub centric? If not, have them put rings in from day one. With a '96 you don't have the giant brake clearance issues and the large hubs of the '98 and up. Also, keep and store your OE rims if you can. In our shop we have a computer system that lets you look at different wheels on your car. I know there are a few around online, I just can't recall them off-hand, I play with the one in the store. TSW wheels used to have one for their wheel line. If you want to get an idea what wheel styles are available and what the brands are, you can try our website, www.goodroads.net. Just pictures really, not a lot of cars on it. Good luck! (SK, I have the same car as yours (98, silver), and I used to live close to Mississauga. Small world.)

It is safe to drive. Any engine code in the computer will cause this. Why? Beats me. Any decent mechanic can read the code for you. I am willing to beat my new tires that you got a Throttle Position Sensor code. The one I just got was P0121. Stupid thing. Here's the kicker. Our 2003 GS430 is doing the same thing, started two weeks ago, just haven't had a chance to take it to the mechanic. I'm going to blow a gasket if I go to Lexus right now but I have to take the GS so they have it on record - quickly before it has too many starts and the code disappears. My mechanic suspects it's a design issue, the sensor is buried and there is probably too much heat around it. This has been an issue for me since new. I let Lexus tell me there wasn't an issue and now, of course, it's out of warranty. I won't let it happen again with the 2003. Since my 95 SC400 had a whole different set of issues, I believed Lexus. They probably just didn't know better when the Gen II's were new. They have to know it's an issue by now. So what was the verdict for you?

A new key definitely cheaper than that whole mess. The short of it is - the locksmith slim-jimmed the car, the alarm only goes for about 2 minutes. Just don't close the door again. Thanks to work-related connections (I work at a wheel store), the parts department had no problems cutting a key for me and one of our drivers was ready to go get it for me. The locksmith had tried to cut it according to the key code but it didn't work. Verdict -- without any key with working transponder, the ECU would have to be removed and programmed -- "flashed" they called it. Locksmith's guy was $500, dealer was much more. ECU is located under the dash, behind the glove box. So expect about 40 screws from an uncomfortable position to gain access to this. Of course, Murphy's Law must prevail. After having just gotten the ECU out, I found the key. A day and a half of crazy searching by 4 people did not reveal the key. I found it while on the phone, walking aorund the yard -- it was hanging in a hedge that we had all checked several times. Locksmith copied the key. Made an extra copy of the key to hubby's truck too, and everything is good. If you only have one key for a second gen Lexus, realize that no master = no duplicate transponder = no starting the car without reprogramming or replacing the ECU. I survived 5 years with only one key for my SC400 but I was stupid to wait too long to get a spare and now paid the price (though it was a lot less than it could have been).

tire pressure should give you a pull. So should alignment from my experience. It doesn't sound like your car is wandering to one side, but rather it goes in differnet directions to varying degree and takes more than just a slight adjustment of the steering wheel to remedy, it needs a tug? I'm with 99lsguy on this one, the simple stuff dose not cause a random wander that needs a tug to straighten. Ball joints and tie rods. Unfortuately, I have found that I have to have my neighborhood mechanic diagnose the problem, then I go to the dealer and tell them the symptoms and that looking X-part has shown damage or whatever. They couldn't fix my 95 SC400's problems. My mechanic tested the spark plug wire harness, found a few bad wires, and with that info the dealer could diagnose and replace it. Only one of many. This from the largest dealer in the world?