Marklouis

....labor intensive....seasoned mechanics...$600 - $1100 bucks.... well, as a semi-wise man once put it, "if it aint broke, don't fix it!" i think i will at least check the clearances at the recomended engine temp with my flats gauge as im changing my valve cover gaskets, and if its too far out of spec - i will have it "profesionally done" but im gonna have to watch him/her do it....it's just tough for me to put my baby's care in someone elses hands. :( thanks for the replies Crome and Fatty!

Those part #s, at Carson/Toyota?? or just any parts warehouse... i will be following suit on this project!

I was wondering if anyone actually had to adjust thier valves with shims, i havent checked mine yet, but was just wondering about the difficulty of the job if I needed to adjust mine any when i do check them.... ....I couldnt find anywhere on the post where someone actually had to adjust them. Thanks! B)

Make sure you have the reciept and description of the work they did, it doesnt have to be detailed, but make sure your insurance company knows of the repairs done on your car before the accident - have them fix your car and let them battle it out with Midas - this may be a possible way you should do it...i wouldnt even call Midas, let your insurance agent inform you first! Sorry bout your car man...thats awful! but good thing you arent hurt!

And they're not, trust me. I spent thousands of dollars on my 95 LS, mostly due to gaining confidence in my repair ability and wanting to try. But, you've also got to take into account the fact that many of the folks on here asking "help me" questions, are driving 10+ year old cars. Age hurts almost as badly as neglect. But, I get what you're saying, I really do. As Lexus has a unique characteristic about their cars, that isn't matched by anyone else, so does Mazda and their zoom-zoom approach. Which they do very well. You won't find a match to that characteristic in the Toyota branding, period. Nissan and BMW are about as close as you're going to get. I always felt like our 3gt drove more like a little BMW 318ti of yesteryear, then any other type of 'small' car on the market. VW has their feel too. I think what you're wanting, is exactly what Toyota engineers dial OUT of their cars, which is also what attracts a lot people to Toyota. That is, the road. Toyota insulates you from the pavement and the mechanicals of the car. Especially the Lexus brand. They go for "smoooooth" operations. Mazda, doesn't even really try. Of the asian cars, I would have to say Nissan has created the best balance between the two. But, ever driven a 50k mile nissan? They're not the same car you bought new. If I could, I would have kept the 3 for my "toy" car. But, that just wasn't in the cards. I think you'll also see more repairs on Toyotas now too. I think the curse of being #1 is going to get them. #1 = bullseye on your back. #2 is the best spot to be in. I say this, because it seems to me that the cars built up to 2005/06 seem to be performing better then the 06+, when Toyota was clearly going to take the #1 spot. Getting something, and keeping something, are two totally different animals. I'd rather have something in the "getting phase", then in the "trying to keep it phase". well said! and there is only a small percentage of people who actually pay attention to the ratings and reviews of vehicles, and since new car sales are trimming and used car sales are booming, more people are starting to do thier research on reliable, affordable vehicles - and the 90' - 06' LS is within that top Category. Heck, i researched on Edmunds used car reviews - and thats how i found the LS...just read the reviews on any of them and its 95% good stuff.

ive had my 95' LS for 8 months now...driven it on many trips! Panama city, Texas, Gatlinburg, Cades Cove, Nashville, and soon Texas again!! Im a Traveling man, so comfort and safety is my priority...if i want to get a little wild, ill just hop in my 400HP 69' fastback w/4 in the floor and go nuts!!..you know what i mean SRK!!...two totally different personalities that everyone needs to juggle sometimes! in the past, I had an 86 Mazda RX-7 - pretty fun car!! 84 5.0 stang, - easiest car to get squirly with! 94' Vigor - suprisingly balanced, solid, agile, and quick! Hard to find a decent one for sale though... i would have to say in the comfort/Luxury class....the LS takes the cake over Cadillacs, MB's, Lincolns and Mercs for long hauls...you seem to be able to drive longer periods in the LS without getting tired or too worn out! Happy Lexin' round yall! ;)

Im buying my wife an 04' with the massaging rear seat soon...so she can drive will i can get relaxed!! Actually finding one for sale will be the big challenge!

Man! what a deal for an 97 LS! Congrats Ash!! ;) you wouldnt be the same Ash from the Acura Vigor club would ya? he was from Denver as well - if you are, enjoy your new upgrade!! lol

First off, Congrats on being an LS owner, second - you virtually stole that car - i woulda bought it for almost twice that amount! Guru has a point with the check engine light. make sure it illuminates when you turn the ignition to the ACC position. if it does not light up, the bulb is out or missing. if it lights up and turns off after you start it - the codes could have been cleared recently. i would still get a diagnostics done on it and see if it pulls any codes anyway. Autozone i believe still provides this service for free. ask the previous owner about the service records, when and if the timing belt has been done, and if any other major work has been done. you def should have more power than what you describe - the second gen. LS is rated at 260hp and 270tq. give or take a few away on condition. let us know the codes if any are pulled! happy lexin!

True i admit to buying $30 Brakebest rotors, but i checked them with my digital caliper mics (God i love those things) and they checked out wonderfully...the Brembo's did have a nice set of Vented Rotors...at $115 a piece. I drive my baby easy, so i didnt see any reason to go beyond Economy... I have noticed today under heavy braking, there is no pulsating at all, just under medium braking. I will post my findings.

Cool! adding that to my list of to do's B)

will replacing the Temp Coolant sensor also apply to the 95-97 LS? Great write-up! always encouraging when little fixes make a big difference!

with gas prices now, the LS is hard to beat..driven lightly, MPG isnt that bad at all! and gasoline will be around for a long time my friend.

after you get your situation straightened out, good maintanance on Leather seats is simply wipe down with a damp cloth every so often to keep the moisture in them. The UV protectant is already applied to the surface colored layer for protection at the leather factory, as it is for most of your interior parts. im not saying its bad to use leather products on your seats, but it's time consuming to apply that stuff. i would definately use the Lexol pH Balanced Leather Cleaner as amcdonal86 suggests - good stuff for surface contanimants and scuffs. let us know what you discover! ;)

at least start out by replacing your Transmission mount for $35-$50, also the easiest to replace, im posotive it will resolve more than half of the issues you are experiencing..worn mounts can be annoying in your driving experience. luck!

The technology hasnt changed all that much - OBDII is still used to diagnose the new cars. Consider the cost of your LS back in the day brand new - the materials and methodology used to build the LS still surpasses some of these new cars today -keep in mind these cars were built with comfort and Luxury in mind, not sportiness (just look at the size of the anti-sway bars front and rear on your LS...Puny!!) i have taken a serious look at the interior of the door panels matched to the door with all the little extras to prevent rattling and road noise, the way the seats hold thier shape after 13 years of abuse, the brightness of the dashlights with no flickering or issues, even the quitness of the engine with 200k + miles on it - the transmissions in the LS are a work of art, and the company that makes them are proud of it! - even with the mild maintanance we do on these cars, its better than the 30,000 hit you will take on a brand new Camry/Accord. my wife has a 2002 Honda Accord EX fully loaded we bought with only 30k 2 years ago. it has had a tranny recall. (still shifts hard) rear wheel bearing hubs replaced. noisy engine under accell. shocks replaced. it's an ok car to get around town with, and a little sporty...but to travel long distances? nich! cheers to your research! ;)

Hey Tex! I actually had the rears replaced (economy-brake best) because they really were "uneven" - im like you, i would have had the Fronts replaced as well, but the cashflow for car maintanance is low - and the caliper mics showed uneveness on the fronts as well plus grooves, so i took a chance at getting them turned. so far they have done well after the bed-in process. $11 for turning each vs. $60-$80 for newer ones. once i get some cashflow back in the car maint. fund, i will replace them if any issues arrive with them.. this is a link i found on one of the posts: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/tech_white_papers.shtml very interesting, but i believe the best knowledge is obtained by hands on experience with just a little bit of guidance...there are just too many variables in life to worry about the molecular structure of things. thanks Tex-lexy! ;)

! Hi Marklouis, You didn't mention it, but I assume you bled the calipers well. I don't think if there was moisture in the brake lines this would cause what you describe? How old is the brake fluid? In my experience, this type of vibration/pulsation would be abnormal after a brake job. Does the steering wheel move when your experience the vibration/pulsation? If not, then if could be coming from the rear brakes. I'm wondering if is has anything to do with Anti-Lock system? I would think that if it were a physical rotor issue, you'd get pulsation at any brake pressure. If the rotors are the floating type, I always carefully tighten the lug nuts down on the wheel so that I gradually torque them back and forth across each other to make sure the rotor is torqued evenly on the wheel hub. Did you rotate the tires while you have them off? By the way, buying new rotors doesn't necessarily guarantee that they are machined properly. That's all I can think of right now. Let us know what happens. Thanks for the reply - not certain on the age of the brake fluid, never changed it when i bought the car. so im guessing it might be best to replace it totally - this is the first time after a brake job ive experienced this pulsation. The Pulsation is definetly coming from the floorboard - so reaer brakes yes. the rotors are the floating type - i had to replace 2 Wheel studs because Sears damaged them when they put on my new tires...that may be part of my issue, cause i couldnt get them to seat flush to the axle-plate. I will re-torque them tonight and see if that helps any. im getting the tires rotated and balanced this weekend. i've read posts of people having bought new rotors, and needing machining. ill post my results..thanks Randy! :)

only one thing comes to mind when i look at that: Ford LTD Crown Victoria

...Mirrorfinishman is that you??

okay all -Happy St. Patricks day by the way! PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER-I know that the car-buff world is full of do it yourself shade tree Pad-slappers and the total brake system replacement all-outers with Certifications out the wazoo - I ask you all lay your differences aside and work together on this one - we have lost too many good men in Thread wars - God rest thier on-line souls. -_- Here is my monday night fun: New Front brakes, new rear brakes, Front rotors turned/lathed at Orielly's(man those front rotors are thick!!), new rear Rotors. cleaned ALL parts with Brake Cleaner. Checked emergency Drum Brakes parts - Very thin Pads there- Should I replace? Backed Calipers back just a bit. installed new Brakes into Calipers }lightly{ greased the contact points on the Brake sliders. Torqued the Caliper Bolts to Spec. Brake lines check good. no Brake fluid Leaks. Brake Fluid level good. (did not change out Brake Fluid) Drove the Car Lastnight 5-10 miles braking lightly under 45 mph. all was well. Driving to work this morning: Light pressure braking from any speed - smooth Medium pressure Braking from any speed - Vibration/Pulsation sets in. (maybe moisture in the brake lines???) Heavy pressure braking from any speed - smooth I'm hoping this will smooth out over the next two weeks, but im open to suggestions on what this might be. Thanks!

welcome to the Forum Edgar from the great state of Texas! (whats with T.O. and the Cowboys man?) you've come to the right place! you dont remember the codes? hopefully someone here can point out a quick solution to your troubles. You can use the search option at the top-right of the page to search the Forum - and that will probably answer most of your questions about your car. i've used it many times and found the solutions to most of my issues. I have a 95 LS as well...sweet car aye? enjoy the ride and keep the bail money handy for them cowboys!

nice!! my 95 has the same issue in the top of the back seat center, the leather is drying out and trying to come apart at the seams! im trying to keep it damp and hoping i can stop it from tearing completely! please post pics of any changes you might do to her. i love the 95 - 97 front ends look but i like the 1st gen rear ends better. keep on lexin!

oh yeah thanks for letting me know.. so do you think its a good deal then? i actually have never bought an item off e-bay, or overseas for that matter <_< make sure the engine harnesses match, or can be switched, cause most engines from japan have a different design/setup than what we have here(i know the Lexus/Celsior is made in Japan, but there is a different design spec for each country as far as the egr setup and harness is concerned) are you buying another motor to modify? or are you needing to replace yours? as far as the price goes, good deal - and the 4.0 toyota V8's are pretty much bulletproof...and if it doesnt run, use the guarantee if they have one, if not, you have spare pistons, rods, and cams to pick from ;) good luck!

most any type of motor coming from japan has low mileage because of the rediculous laws on the emisions and restrictions on the age of vehicle and mileage you can have there...no joke. Honda, nissan, Toyota motors can be had easily from Japan with low miles. M