lex4me

Do you guys know if new flow control and air control valves come with the ATSCO reman pump that Autozone carries? It seems that my air control valve is also suffering and needs to be replaced.

If you are looking to have your chips/scratches disappear, the procedure is quite a bit longer than merely using the brush built in to the cap of the touch up paint and involves stripping the area of wax, wet sanding the area, building up the area where the scratch was, and then sanding smooth. Full details can be found here. Good luck!

With everything that I am replacing, I was planning on getting an alignment anyway. What I discovered, FWIW, is that the cam washer fused to the head of the bolt sits in the same orientation as its equivalent that is placed on the other end of the bolt by the nut. Regardless, I did place matchmarks noting the position of the bolt on both sides prior to removal. Thanks! I bet I couldn't get that bolt out without almost completely removing the rack since my engine mounts were shot and allowed the drivetrain to sit lower than it should.

This little project had already turned into quite a large one. I am replacing the following on both sides: 1. front upper control arms to get new upper ball joints 2. lower control arm bushings (Daizen Sport variety) 3. front upper control arm bushings (pressing out the new Lexus ones that came with the control arm to put in the Daizen bushings) - plan on putting the new OE control arm bushings on eBay ;) 4. front lower ball joints 5. front struts 6. rear struts 7. both engine mounts 8. transmission mount 9. rack and pinion with new inner tie rods 10. sway bar bushings (once I find a source) 11. outer tie rods A new add-on will be a power steering fluid filter. I am tempted to replace the high pressure hose and p/s pump, but would rather avoid it with everything else that I am doing - the directions that came with the new rack just indicate to be sure to flush out the old fluid and install a filter. The pump and lines were not leaking, only the rack. I am also migrating to 99 GS400 wheels with new Kumho Ecsta KH11 tires. I hope to replace the rear control arms bushings, but haven't had luck finding a source that has them available yet. The local dealership replaced my rear carrier bushings just nine months ago, but they are rattling now over every little bump. They've offered to take a look at it and correct it if their fault, but if they determine that it is not their fault, they will charge me a minimum of $75 - about the cost of new bushings. Grr... I may wait to tear apart the rear after I find a source on the rear control arm bushings since I have no desire to tear into this again.

You may have noticed from my other posts that I decided to replace the rack anyway, making getting the bolt out an easy process. :) I didn't have luck getting it out just by loosening or even removing the bolts holding the rack to the subframe, though. The lower control arm bolt finally was able to come out for me at least only after the rack was almost all the way off of the car. On hindsight, this probably would not have been the case had I removed the four bolts, raised the engine an inch or so, and then tried it. Oh well. Doesn't matter now as the old rack is off. I do have a question about that bolt, though. It seems that there couldn't be any difference between installing it from the front of the car or from the back of the car. I have tried it both ways and the camber adjustment works identically in either position. I take it from your post, however, that you noted something different. What am I missing? As it stands, I plan on reinstalling that bolt from the front to completely avoid having to mess with the rack should I have to remove the lower control arm ever again.

Never mind - got the rack off without issue. The things to know are: 1. Sliding the seat belt through the steering wheel and then attaching it to the drivers seat (as if you were "buckling up") only works if you bring the seat all the forward - I even lowered the shoulder height adjustment to help it reach. Once the buckle was engaged, I used the power seat motor to move the seat back to put tension on the belt and therefore the wheel - that wheel isn't going anywhere. Thanks for sharing that killer idea from the book! 2. The universal stays on the steering shaft, but not on the rack (obviously). Not sure what the match marks could be used for since I am replacing the rack, but I went ahead and put them on the splines for the rack and on the universal using touchup paint from a car I no longer own. 3. Jacking up the engine and transmission is required to gain adequate clearance to remove the rack. I put a wood block on my floor jack to prevent damage to the drivetrain and placed the jack at the mating of the engine and tranny (where the hangers connecting to the exhaust are). I removed the nuts for the two engine mounts as well as the four nuts for the transmission mount and then raised the drivetrain about an inch, maybe two. After completing the above (and obviously disconnecting my outer tie rods, removing the electrical and P/S hose connections, and removing the four bolts holding the rack on to the subframe), I was able to roll the rack off of the fingers on the subframe that hold it in place. Thanks so much for the assistance!

Do you know if these replacement bushings are rubber or a polyurethane blend of some kind? David Phan (www.vftbushes.com) is reported to soon be selling the front control arm bushings for the 90-94 LS's and to soon thereafter be selling the rear control arm bushings. They are manufactured by Andrew Vlamos in Australia are reported to be extraordinary. There are general reports among SC owners that the polyurethane ones have a tendency to squeak.

A much better explanation, FWIW and for those interested, can be found here. AAA also did a nice writeup, found here.

The local Sam's Club has a very, very nice toolchest as well, for those in the market. $600 gets you a double decker with tons of storage and ball-bearing full slide-out drawers. It could use more deep drawers though - I think the manufacturers were thinking all anyone has is screwdrivers and socket sets.

Thanks for the time that you've spent replying to my question! Is the dimension shown at the outer tie rods the suggested initial amount of threads that should be showing after initial rack installation before the initial alignment or some other measurement? Is there any mention in the manual as to whether the expectation is for the universal to come completely off of the steering shaft spline or if it is supposed to ride up further on the spline during the rack removal process? Not sure what the copyright laws are on this, but it may be that I just would benefit from a copy of the pages in the repair manual that reference this procedure! I have been keeping my eye out for just the second volume on eBay, but haven't had any luck thus far.

I am currently in the process of replacing the struts on all four corners on my 91LS. Front OE struts were about $38 each, rears were about $47 from irontoad.com. Didn't price springs, but I know that they are more. I did see a set of Eibach lowering springs for $300 or so, if you are looking to move into something a bit sportier in the way of handing. The Lexus repair manual walks you through the process step by step if you are so inclined. I can't think of a reason to replace the fronts unless they are failing on you, but I would definitely suggest replacing whatever you end up replacing in pairs (don't just replace the spring on the passenger side without also replacing the spring on the drivers side). Good luck!

The use of 87 octane results in detonation of the fuel in each cylinder a bit earlier. As a result, the computer has to step in and reduce the advancement of the timing to prevent pinging. By using a premium fuel, the timing can remain more advanced, giving you more horsepower as a result of increased downward pressure placed on the piston since a more compressed air/fuel mixture explodes in each cylinder. Depending on the engine (and especially on how you drive), you may or may not feel the difference. A dyno would tell the story, though. I have run 87 octance in both of my LS400's (current 91 and previous 91...sigh) for about 100K in total between them. I could feel the difference in performance and saw a very slight increase in fuel economy when using the higher octane stuff. I don't often drive aggressively in this car, though, so the difference in performance wasn't worth the extra money at the pump for me. I sold the last 91 with 200K on it with no drivetrain-related mechanical issues. Hope this helps to answer the original question. The days of having to use pimple medication are sadly part of a distant memory. Ahh...those were the days. ;)

Thanks so much for the prompt reply. I have a few more questions now (big shock, I know). ...if you fix the steering wheel so it absolutely cannot turn when you have the universal disconnected from the rack... Using a seat belt absolutely prevents the wheel from turning? Seems like the wheel could turn a bit no matter what you did...thoughts? ...place matching marks on the universal and the rack control valve shaft so that you can put it back in the same orientation... Does it mention the purpose of the matching marks if you are installing a replacement rack? Any idea how can I know what spline to put the universal on with the new rack? ...loosen the bolt on the upper side of the universal, remove the bolt on the lower side of the universal and then disconnect the universal... Any mention on *how* to disconnect the universal? It seems that there is no where for the shaft to go (not enough vertical clearance). Can't imagine that jacking up the motor would help, but is there any mention of that?

As part of my front suspension replacement project on my 91 LS400, I noticed that my rack and pinion was leaking, so figured that it was a good time to replace it. Although the volume 1 Repair Manual has been guiding me through the process on the strut removal, etc, volume 2 has the details on the steering rack - trouble is, I don't own Volume 2. I figured that I could do this rack replacement without the manual, but I came across a warning label on the old rack that raised a red flag. The message says: "CAUTION: To prevent damage to the "spiral cable & reel assembly" and possible airbag and other electrical system failure: Do not attempt to remove the steering shaft without reading the repair manual." Can anyone with a Volume 2 repair manual tell me what this warning is in regards to? I had already counted the steering wheel turns lock to lock and put the wheel at the middle, but this might in regards to something else. On a related note, any special secret to getting the shaft to release from the rack when that time comes? I have had to use puller on other splines on other jobs in the past, but there isn't room for a puller given the tight clearances here. Thanks!!

I got a great deal on some Blizzak's in the 205/55/16 size and put them on the car for the winter months without major issue. The thing to realize is that the speedo will be off about 3mph and the tires aren't rated to handle the same amount of weight as OEM. For 16" wheels, you ideally want 225/55/16's.

Thanks for the tip! Did you put the bolt back in the same way again after you were all done or did you switch it to have it coming in from the front? I am wondering about camber adjustment issues if I switch it...

Hello! I have a 91 LS400 that I am performing major suspension surgery on - new almost everything. In the process, I had wanted to replace my lower control arm bushings with the Daizen Sport variety. I got the passenger side out just fine, but the driver side is giving me some grief. It seems that in order to get the bolt out that connects the arm to the subframe, I'll have to drop the steering rack. I am tempted to just cut the bolt, get a replacement, and install it from the front instead of from the back. Any issues with doing this? Has anyone else had this experience? Please advise.