LSPaul

Second on the lexls writeup. The hitches that are out there for '90-94 cars are pretty light duty, as they bolt to the rear bumper beam only and not directly to the body. I believe hitches for '95-on are generally class II, so one can safely pull bigger stuff. If you're wanting to use a hitch-mount bike rack or a light duty trailer, the class I setup will work well (that's what's on my car). For stuff like a heavy cargo trailer, light car trailer or a car tow dolly, I'd probably pass (although I *have* pulled a light car trailer with small car, and car dolly with a mid-sizer over substantial distances with my '94). With adequate planning and reasonably careful driving, the stock brakes are just fine for a tow. The transmission was happier pulling with overdrive off when fully loaded. Wiring harness can be tapped inside the trunk, left-hand side, no problem.

Also, check the connectors under the dash, where the wiring harness from the engine compartment goes into the distribution block (fuse panel). Disconnect, wiggle around and re-install first. If you have Deoxit on hand, use that on the connector contacts. The lack of a signal at the diagnostic connector makes me think you're not getting proper connections at this junction block (I went through this when I bought my '94 and over several months, dug through everything). As for the ECU itself, I don't have a suggestion for a vendor to replace electrolytic capacitors inside the ECU. There's probably more suggestions out there as to who NOT to use for recapping (I borrowed a 'rebuilt' box from an acquaintance when I had to replace caps in my ECU, and it was worse than the original box!). If you have any electronic soldering skills, consider re-capping the ECU yourself; *much* cheaper than sending it out.

Other than the 'dub' badges, this is quite cool, and in nice shape! One very minor upgrade you can make to your hood strut prop setup, other than a new pair of struts: I use a pair of locking pliers/'vise-grips' to lock a hood strut in place (on the rod, against the strut body). More secure, less likely to bonk your head when you inevitably accidentally knock the stick out of the way.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Let us know how it turns out. I'd love to see pics of the car sometime--it sounds like a stunner!

So, you're getting a check engine light that goes on and off, right? The TRAC OFF light comes standard with a CEL. ;-) First up, you'll want to figure out what the check engine codes are. I'm not certain whether the diagnostic port connector layout is the same as the same vintage as the LS, but you'll want to jumper the correct pins on the diagnostic port (either under hood or under the dash). I looked at lexls.com for the pin connectors on the occasions I've needed to. Or search the archives here. You'll need to count blinks with the correct pins jumpered to get the CEL code. The behaviors you're telling us about makes me think that your issue may be that a bad coolant temperature sensor. There's two of them on the intake manifold, adjacent to the top side ignition coil, under the RH (driver's side on your car) side spark plug wiring loom holder. They're relatively inexpensive to replace, just use care when removing the connector. Also not unheard of on early LSes is bad electrolytic capacitors inside the engine ECU, if changing coolant temp sensors ain't the answer. Good luck!

Depending on where you and the car live, it's also worth checking the connections from the wiring harness that runs from the engine compartment to the junction block under the dashboard. I'm not sure if it's in the same location on RHD cars as on LHD (under the LH side of the dashboard, above where the brake pedals would be on an LHD car), but I had a power issue with my LS that ended up being slightly corroded connections at that junction. When I bought mine, it didn't run, no HVAC, etc. I unscrewed and removed the connector, then sprayed DeOxit on the contacts and reassembled, resolving that problem and all the other running issues I had been having. Paul

I run synthetic 10W-30 in my '94 (230k miles on it at present); I normally use Mobil 1 Extended (and 15k mile change intervals), but 5W-40 Delvac 1 was on sale a while back, and I'm running that at this moment in mine. Paul

To get access to the engine ECU -- Inside the car, passenger side: 1) Remove the trim kick panel below the lower dashboard (it pops off--clipped into place; either leave in place or disconnect the wiring to the footwell light). 2) Remove the glovebox: First, disconnect the left-hand glove box door check, then using a screwdriver, press in then remove the clips inside the glovebox; pop out the airbag sensor on the LH side of the glovebox. Carefully pry out the glovebox, leaving the glovebox door in place, slipping the airbag sensor out of the glovebox... leave that connected. 3) Unbolt the lower dash pad (five bolts w/ 10mm heads--two at top, three on the bottom). Pull it down/off. On '93-94s, the engine ECU is attached to the back of this. 10mm socket to remove the ECU from the lower dash pad. Otherwise, Yamae's posts on the CL forum (see Trey's link above) will show you where the ECU is placed on the earlier cars. Installation is the reverse, blah, blah, blah. I've had good luck with ECU capacitor replacement kits from the usual online auction sources (there are sellers who have put together kits from Digikey/Mouser, which is the way I went) to replace capacitors in my LS' ECU last summer, which resolved running issues I had at that time. Note that replacing capacitors does require some skill in electronics soldering and repair; don't attempt it if you don't have those skills. Paul

If you're draining the transmission from its oil pan, one gallon or so of ATF will fill it back up. Be sure to use only fluid that meets T-IV/3309 specification and follow the right procedure to check it. Paul

For the headlights, look online for the "Eagle Eyes" branded replacement assemblies (I bought a set off an auction site). Superior beam pattern (faux E-code--nice level LH cutoff, throws light high and to the right as an E-code pattern should, uses 9003/H4 bulbs (you'll need to adapt the wiring from your 9004s). No need for LEDs with the optics here; fogs are clear but unimpressive unless one wants to blind oncoming drivers. The side markers supplied with the lights are cheesy looking, IMO, but the headlights more than make up for it--they're the next best thing to finding unobtainium European-spec headlight assemblies. On the speakers, the Nak speakers are common failure items, but if they sorta' worked before, they can be refoamed and still sound quite good once done. I've refoamed all of the door speakers in my car over the years. Wobbling shifter? When braking? Rear trailing arm bushings are likely shot. Polyurethane bushings are fairly plug-n-play (see writeup at lexls.com), and do the trick. Enjoy your car! Paul

If you haven't found replacements yet, the top nut from your old strut will likely work on the new one. As for the strut mounting nuts (mount to body), I've reused nuts, no problem. From memory and eyeballing them, they're probably M10, 1.5 or 1.75 pitch. A well-stocked hardware store, home improvement store or local Fastenal store should be able to figure out what you need based on the other two top mount nuts that you have. Good luck! Paul

I went through same thing (chasing down DTC 47) earlier in the year, after replacing and re-adjusting the sub-TPS on my '94. My experience with chasing down the sub-TPS issue is that the ultimate cure was to re-cap (replace the electrolytic capacitors) in the engine ECU, located under the glovebox, behind the lower dashboard kick panel. Fairly common with this vintage of Toyota/Lexus ECUs. The kits of new electrolytic caps sold on an online auction site (correct values, manufacturer, temp ratings, etc--$12-ish), will resolve it, once installed. You will need skill with electronics/soldering to do this job. Otherwise, watch for a used '93 or '94 (only) engine ECU and takes your chances. If a used one works, go ahead and re-cap your existing ECU, as you'll eventually need it! Paul

I'm not familiar with an LS club in Chicagoland off-hand, but you might see if there's one floating around on Facebook. Maybe you'll have to start one! Nice LS, by the way! Best, Paul

Hi, Lexie- For the exact part number, the definitive answer is to get access to the module itself for the part number (talk to your mechanic). Otherwise, you'll want do register and dig around at toyodiy.com for the module, its location and the part number. Here's what I found for diagrams: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1995_LEXUS_LS400_UCF20L-AEPGKA_8401.8.html Hope this helps. Good luck! Paul

Unfortunately that site link I posted four years ago is long gone. The basic service items as on your '95 won't be much different in accessibility as on the earlier cars. For a 'right from the source' answer, Lexus and Toyota offer one-day online access to the repair manuals (TIS info) for a fee. If you have the patience to download many, many PDF pages, you can have the whole manual, which is what I eventually did for my '94. Paul

From what you're describing, it IS the air bag. I experienced the same sorts of things when I had an air ride LS... When the rubber air bladder is cracked, it'll first fail when in normal ride height position, but will hold air when the suspension's in the high position. Several years ago, I had good luck buying a re-man'ed air strut from Arnott for the '93 I owned at that time, but I don't think they offer rebuilt air struts for the LS any longer. The height sensors rarely fail, the electronics could be suspect (ECU caps), but most likely it's the air strut if you're hearing air leak. Changing the struts is actually easier than changing a convention rear spring/strut, BTW. Still a pain, but slightly easier since the airbags compress easily when disconnected. As for where to find another air strut, you're likely going to have to look on ebay, or check car-part.com. Paul

New parts availability isn't necessarily the challenge for the cars--it's pretty amazing the level of OE parts support that's still available for a 20+ year-old car! The steering damper is still available from Lexus, $160-180-ish online. $50-something for a Bilstein that fits and works is a nice workaround. As for the exhaust, one of the many things that never ceases to amaze me on these cars is the insane quality of the materials that went into these cars. With a pre-soak of PB Blaster, the nuts on the cat (as well as for most of the exhaust system!) came right off without drama. The shop manual says to drop the transmission for the EGR tube (OEM part readily available new, $160-ish), so even messing with that bolt was far preferable to doing a transmission R&R. I have a couple other cars at home in the queue for transmission dropping (doing a clutch replacement on a Saab 9-3 followed by my vintage Saab 9000 in line after that for a gearbox replacement), so I don't need to drop any more transmissions than I have to. ;-) Paul

I've been too busy working and daily-driving mine (4k miles/month so far this year) to say much here. However, I've done some things as maintenance and repair items in the last few months that are worth sharing: 1) Earlier in the year I read about a fellow in Kansas City who's gone through his '93 with lots of repairs/updates on a Jalopnik sub-blog... One good tip I saw is that a steering stabilizer/shock from a W140 Mercedes Benz (1990s S-class) is readily available and works well as a substitute for the original one. The Bilstein unit I subbed in was $~50-ish. 2) An auction site seller is now carrying generic strut rod bushings ("front strut cushion") for the early LS with pricing around $60/ea. The cheapest I've been able to find an OEM one is in the $150 range. I'm trying one out and will see how well it holds up. It's certainly quieter and tighter over small bumps now. It'd be interesting if someone made a polyurethane version of this... 3) As the spring driving season started, I stripped and re-sprayed the original Enkei 5th Anniversary Edition rims before getting my three-season tires mounted this year. The finish on the rims had worn/faded badly and the logos had pretty well faded from the center caps. Commonly available Dupli-Color wheel finish is a bit darker than the original color and has slight metalflake, but turned out nicely after a few coats of base and two coats of clear. To replace the Lexus logo on the center caps, I had a copy/print shop make me a batch of Lexus logo stickers in the exact matching size, done in black Scotchcal decal material, to apply to the center caps of the rims. Turned out nicely, and the paint's been reasonably durable so far. 4) Repaired a cracked EGR tube by using MAPP gas and flux-coated brazing rod (three different cracks in the flex section). Getting the EGR tube out was possibly the biggest automotive PITA I've dealt with in years (thanks to the center bolt on the back of the RH cylinder head). It took me about three full days of messing around to get that bolt out! To break it loose, I used a cut-down a 12mm 6-point 1/4" socket (took about 9mm of depth out of the socket with the angle grinder and bench grinder, as clearance in that space is VERY tight), used a 1/4" u-joint, a 1/4" wobble extension, then transitioned to 3/8" extensions running diagonally along the length of the transmission (!) and a 3/8" drive to break it loose and remove it. The job was slightly easier with the RH cat converter removed, but not by much. The center bolt? Didn't go back on the car. :-/ 5) At that same time, I had to deal with a flaky throttle position sensor (threw codes, thought it was the EGR tube at fault and CELs drive me nuts). An emergency fix was done by prying the cover off it, using DeoxIt D5 electronic cleaning spray to clean the contacts and wipers in the sensor, then goo'ed the cover back on with RTV gasket sealer, taping it to keep the cover on until the RTV cured. It worked long enough to source a new TPS and install it. 6) Over the last year I've had to repair all of the original Nakamichi speakers in the doors (but not the sub or tweeters), due to the usual foam surrounds breaking down. I've re-foamed plenty of stereo speaker drivers over the years, so these drivers are very straightforward to repair if the voice coils haven't blown. Replacement foam surrounds are available on the interwebs fairly inexpensively and the finished product sounds good. I just need to find a few more unblown junkyard Nak speakers to re-foam and keep around as spares. Paul

Paul, I'm in Iowa City. As to your last post, that makes more sense--During one of my last visits to Willis (I'm in DSM fairly often for business and to see friends), the service advisor had no issue giving me a ballpark price on the timing belt/water pump service. I'll likely do it myself, but it's good knowledge to have. Your experience with the other dealership sounds about on par with what I've heard over the years about them. Paul

Yikes!! Willis or Lujack's? I don't have any experience with Lujack's, but the treatment you got sounds like you were at Willis... Were they working the bugs out of their new service area!? ;-) Your experience sounds like you received Willis' normal, amazing (really) service. As a bonus, if it was Willis, their body shop has always done stellar work, no matter what they touch. When I lived in DSM, theirs was the only body shop I'd trust any work to (even before I owned a Lexus). Paul

"That'll buff out!" Thankfully it looks relatively minor. Paul

Rear end shimmy when braking is usually due to failure of the rear carrier arm bushings (where the trailing arm attaches to the rear spindle). There's replacement polyurethane bushings available for this app (Armstrong Distributors p/n ADUS505 for a single, PSB505 for the pair, available from Amazon. Last I looked, the set runs something like $60), To R&R, jack up and put the car on jack stands, disconnect the trailing arm, then remove the remains of the original bushing (for the metal sleeve, a sawzall makes quick work of cutting the metal outer band, just be careful not to cut into the spindle! Chiseling or hacksawing it out by hand isn't fun), To install the new bushings, use the supplied grease on the surfaces of both halves of the poly bushing, insert the two halves of the bushing and the center sleeve into the spindle, then re-attach the trailing arm. Repeat for the other side. Hope this helps. Paul '94 5th Anniversary LS

How often does one get to say this with a straight face... "Nice rack!" ^_^

I've never heard of LS400 heater cores going south, nor have I had issues with either of the LS' I've owned--the first one I drove nearly 150k (sold this spring at 300k) and my current LS that has about 200k miles on it. The only cars I've owned that had a history of flaky heater cores were the old Saab 9000s, which of course, were one of those cars that seemingly were started on the assembly line with said heater core on a hook, and the car built around it, for an extra high degree of difficulty to replace. ;-) Paul

You were using the amp before adding the second battery? Yes, check your connections and grounding everywhere... but because of the size and current demands of the amp, you're still getting a spike in current demand to power up the amplifier, which is what you want to address to keep the charging system from doing what it's doing.