LSPaul

Plenty of eBay sellers take plastic, either directly or through PayPal (the site getting its extra piece of the pie through the transaction fees to the seller). Paul

KYB's a good way to go for strut inserts. I've had good luck with various eBay sellers, Amazon and Rock Auto. I've used all three for strut purchases for various cars, most recently (two weeks ago) eBay sourced KYBs for my '94 LS (rears). Paul

Randall, I fiddled with the car on and off through the year (mostly off), so real progress was slow in coming. Instead of contact grease, the DeOxIt product I used (CAIG DeoxIT Pro Gold) gently cleans, conditions and lubricates electrical contacts--it's stuff one would normally use on relays, noisy controls, connectors and switches in electronic equipment. I've used it for years in repairing vintage audio and vintage amateur radio gear. Good stuff and spendy, too ($25+ for a 140g aerosal can of the stuff--which will last years). Paul

After a year, it's time to post an epilogue on this particular thread: I'm pleased to say that I was ultimately able to find the answer to my own challenge with this '94 5th Anniversary LS. Executive summary: The connector/connection inside the car between the power/fuse block and the interior wiring harness wasn't making full contact, for whatever reason. Cleaning the connector appears to have done the trick. Detail: Since I was able to get the FI relay to engage and the car to fire off by adding a 12v external source, I was able to determine that I had power to the fuse block/junction panel under the dash. My first attempt at getting the car back up and running was to run a fused bypass lead from the circuit that supplies power to the ECU to the appropriate circuit of the ECU and one side of the battery light circuit. Some success there, as I was able to get the car running on the crummy gas on board and start assessing the rest of it. I ran into further challenges... The blower fan, AC compressor, return circuit for the alternator and most of the instrument cluster lights (including the charging bulb and thus, the alternator) weren't working! I started to dig back into wiring during the fall and early winter months here, spending many hours studying the wiring diagrams. I pulled the the LF tire and inner fender, then carefully opened up the body wiring harness that goes from the inside power block to the under-hood junction block. I didn't see any obvious physical issues, and started checking continuity with my DMM... which was present between the two ends of the wiring harness for the alternator return lead!! Huh?! I started moving wires around under the dash, since I had things pretty well torn apart in the lower half of the dashboard... the battery light and the rest of the dash lights came on with the key on! So, I focused attention to that connection-- I unbolted the interior wiring harness from the junction block, sprayed DeOxIt on the contacts of the junction block and interior wiring harness connector, worked it in and out and reconnected the harness to the junction block. Success! Time to put the car back together! From there I retaped and plastic loomed the wiring harness to the front of the car, put the inner fender back in, re-installed the tire, followed by the dashboard--both right and left lower sides. Now that the car runs, I've moved forward with the majority of the mini-projects on the list from earlier posts (cleaning, fresh gas, replaced front seats with a pair I had here with good leather skins on both halves, replacing the broken LF door handle (found one in the correct color, no less!), fluid changes, etc). I got the car registered and on the road Friday, putting a couple hundred miles on it since yesterday! There's still more maintenance and upgrades that need to be done, but those things will come in time. I currently have the chance to pick up a somewhat rough LS430 locally (and cheap!!) right now, but I'm seriously considering taking a pass on it, now that this LS is back on the road. Paul

I suppose it could be done that way, but the pressure one needs to compress the tensioner pin is so substantial I'd be concerned about stripping the threads that the mounting bolts go into. Once the tensioner's compressed in a big bench vise or a hydraulic press (I've done it both ways), slide a small (3mm?) hex key in as the manual says to do, re-install (just make darned sure the timing marks are all lined up) then deploy the tensioner by pulling the hex key. I've not heard of a timing belt tensioner going bad on one of these cars. Best, Paul

Surprisingly, it's been pretty much snow-free out here in this part of the Midwest so far this winter. As far as I'm concerned, after last winter I'm quite all right with the lack of snow. Now... between there and here, it looks like the mountain west states have had plenty of winter already. The '93's a pearl white/beige, ex-air suspension car. 282k.; good driver, but not pristine--my daily. My clients and co-workers think it's nice. ;-) . The '94's coming out of project status. That one's an Anniversary Edition car (warm gray pearl--stunning color on an early car!), 180k, very solid, just catching up on deferred maintenance and minor fixit items before putting it in service. In an ideal world, I'm keeping the '94, even if a '430 purchase happens. :) Email me off list if you want to discuss further. Best, Paul

What the others have said: Run away from that car! It sounds like it was "expertly" beaten to within an inch of its life, then "expertly" modded. If you were in the midwest, I'd say touch base with me, as I'll be selling one of my LSes (I have a '93 and a '94 LS at moment, and may be picking up an LS430 in the next month). Best, Paul

Optioning on the '93s and '94s isn't all that different than the first gen cars, but there's quite a few running differences that makes these two years the best of the 'first gen' LS. Just a few of the rarely noticed but improved things include bigger brakes (huge improvement) with associated 16" wheels, H4 headlights (as opposed to the really crummy 9004 bulbs used in US-spec 1st gen cars, R-134 air conditioning (MUCH more reliable than the R-12 setup in the earlier cars), electronic odo/trip computer versus the analog odo, to name a few things. Paul

TB/WP job's a must-do, especially with an unknown past belt and pump change. Most of these items on that list are DIY-able, anyway. You'd be surprised how quickly front toe being off will make for a pronounced pull to either direction and chew up a tire edge--been there, done that. More important is to get the front off the ground and check condition of tie rod ends (both inner and outer) and ball joints. In a pinch, one can check and adjust front toe at home pretty closely using a string (tied to rear wheel, stretched across the length of the car and across the front tire), then adjusting the outer tie rods as needed. If the sellers have service history on the car and have had the car for a long time, it's probably a decent bet. Otherwise, there'll be others. For $3500, buy it, check the front end over, replace what needs replacing then get it aligned. Paul

If any of the electricals are left inside in spite of the interior being mostly gutted, bring some sort of 12V battery, some jumper wires and see if you can jumper that lead. Otherwise, you're stuck drilling out the lock (bring plenty of drill bits in varying sizes) and using a BFS (screwdriver) to turn that lock cylinder once you've drilled it out. Hope this helps-- Paul

Check your glove box and owners manuals, if you have them with your car. McGard supplied locking lug keys for many cars as original equipment, and chances are they supplied yours, too. If you have the registration card for the locking keys (mine came in a small green envelope, and was in the owner's manuals), it's pretty easy. Information at: http://www.mcgard.com/index.php/customer-service/replacement-parts-ordering-information .. Over the years, I've broken one key (d'oh!) and thought I had lost another (ended up being misplaced), so I've ordered a couple keys for my LS. Takes a week or two for turn-around, and the price was reasonable (>$15). Worst case, if you absolutely have to get the locking lug off, hammer a slightly oversized socket over the locking lug and remove with a 1/2" breaker bar or impact. The lug will be scuffed up, but it will still be very usable. Good luck! Paul

Odds are that the upstream O2 sensors are the ones that have gone bad. The LexLs tutorial's helpful, and once the car's up safely on stands or ramps, it shouldn't be too tough a task. I've had to replace both RH and LH sensors (okay, I've had to replace the LH sensor twice); it took well under 30 minutes for the whole project, per side. Best, Paul '93 LS, 276k miles

Did you check the fuses under the hood (including the maxi-fuses/fusible links)? Paul

TL;DR version: Two words: Winter tires. Last winter in the midwest (I'm in eastern Iowa) was pretty brutal, even by our standards. I was in some interesting winter driving situations last winter and got around just fine... Fresh dedicated winter tires on separate rims (I'm currently using Blizzaks, but will probably go with General Altimax Arctics the next time, as I rack up quite a few miles for work--which makes Blizzaks a one-or-maybe-two-season proposition for me) will keep your LS from becoming a "BMW" (barely moves in winter). Make sure you have no 'check engine' lights on, as it'll disable the traction control system, which is a really helpful tool, and occasionally essential. As for driving with TCS in the LS, I've found that I'll have better results and control by taking advantage of the TCS, i.e., giving it enough gas to engage traction control, versus trying NOT to get wheelspin like one would normally do when driving on snow or ice. Later LSes with stability control would be even better, I would imagine. Otherwise, good maintenance and paying attention to keeping the undersides clean will help prevent rust from forming. When cleaning, pay close attention to the rear fenderwells and under the trunk floor/against the rear bumper, as I discovered rust forming on my '93 this spring going from the fenderwell to the bottom of the trunk--the rear fenders lack the plastic liners that one has up front. Paul

If you're listening to your car, that particular bearing in the serp belt idler pulley will give you plenty of warning. Mine started to go over the winter; finding a replacement locally was tricky, although Autozone listed one that fit. After I replaced it, things didn't sound right when I first started the car. What I found was that the shape of the replacement pulley was slightly different, so tightening the bolt locked the new idler pulley to the bracket. The fix (since it was hovering near zero degrees F that afternoon)? Press out the bearing from the OE pulley, press out the new pulley's bearing and swap that one into the OE idler pulley. Same bearing manufacturer and part number in both. Paul

'93 and '94s are pretty much completely interchangeable across the board (body, mechanical, electrical, etc). '90-92s: Many bits should swap, body-wise. '95 wasn't so much a mid-cycle enhancement (like the '93-94s were, compared to the '90-92s), but really a completely different car. Paul

+1 on Blizzaks or other dedicated winter tires. I switched back to all-seasons about a month and a half ago, after one of the more challenging winters we've had in a long time in Iowa. I'm in the car a great deal for work (I'm a Realtor); this winter I had listings scattered across five or six counties at the same time, many of them in rural areas. I didn't have any issues getting around with snows on, even in deep snows and drifty conditions. The early LSes with traction control do pretty well in the slick stuff, so long as one gets on the gas just enough to have the TCS step in. Now... without snows, an LS is more like a "BMW": Barely Moves in Winter. ^_^ Paul

Do a search here on the forums, or go to techinfo.lexus.com. I believe it's $10 for a one-day subscription. Paul

Annnnnd... it was good while it lasted. The last time I tried to access the site I wrote about earlier, it was a dead link. Bummer. There's lots of the '93 and '94 manuals I didn't have time to download. Eventually I'll buy the one-day access to Toyota's database and get the rest. Paul

Okay, so this is probably more for the "high miles" thread, but I happened to see a nearly 900k mile LS currently for sale on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-LS-LS400-1996-lexus-ls-400-with-896-977-miles-no-misprint-/261390124176?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3cdc10c490&item=261390124176&pt=US_Cars_Trucks Pretty cool. I now feel that hitting 300k miles this year in my '93 will be no biggie... Paul

Good morning and thanks for the link! The Russian site that I had found took their TIS pages down... At least I was able to download nearly all of the '94 electrical stuff. The '93 diagram's pretty much identical to the '94. From my reading of it, the relay gets power from the M-REL pin of the engine ECU... So I'm trying to figure where to look--upstream power sources to the ECU or a break in the downstream power (between the ECU and the relay pin). The brake lights and shift interlock both work, no problem. Thanks again- Paul

I'll go with "famous" over 'infamous', thank you very much! All the fuses are intact and have continuity, plus I did the relay swap test into the '93. All good there. ^_^ Update: In the "nothing left to lose" department, I did a quick experiment this evening: pulled the FI relay, jumpered pins 2 and 4 at that relay was able to start the car--it ran for a few seconds, enough to turn off the oil pressure light, then I turned it off. *That* alone is real progress. So I'm back to tracking my way through the engine harnesses to figure out where the break in that circuit is located. I was able to download the wiring diagrams for some light reading; there's more of that in my future, me thinks. Paul

Hi, Randall-- Thanks for the thought; I was hoping you'd chime in! The car doesn't run at all. I checked for spark both at the end of the coil leads and at random plugs. I eyeballed the LH side distributor (cap/rotor) when I had the LH timing belt/spark plug wire cover off-looked all right. Caps and rotors certainly do get brittle--I replaced those bits on my '93 during my in-field timing belt change; those were pretty cracked. Paul

Hi, all-- Before Christmas I picked up another older LS ('94 5th Anniversary edition) with some minor issues and 80k fewer miles than my '93, a nearly-perfect body and the previous owner's service receipts from 2001-2011 or so from the Lexus dealer in Des Moines. The car has plenty of the usual issues (instrument cluster electrolytic capacitors, split leather on the front seats, broken driver's door handle, needs new tires badly, but has hadlots of money spent maintaining other bits), all for a grand. Why not own two LSes? I plan on getting this car into shape, keeping it garaged and on standby, eventually rotating this one into service and retiring the '93 when it gets past 300k/something big breaks/rust starts breaking out. We'll see. I have started to revive this, but have run into a challenge; I'll get to that in a moment, as that's where I'll pick the collective's mind on this one, even after spending hours studying the electrical manual and diagrams for the car. The car was advertised as missing on half the cylinders; I thought, piece of cake--I checked and subsequently replaced the LH coil, which did test out of spec with my DMM. I can hear bits of toasted/broken catalytic converter rattle in the LH exhaust pipe when I close the door, too. The result of putting in the new coil? Nada. Cranked, no spark. I went back and forth from here to Des Moines few more times while on business in mid-late December/around the holidays, making visits to the car (still in the seller's driveway at that time) to test and try stuff. I made some progress, but I still haven't fully solved the mystery. Here's the progress, sorta: I had/have the luxury of being able to swap/test parts with my '93. I've been able to eliminate the fuel injection and main relays (swapped around and tested on the bench), fuses, both ignitors (with a swap from my '93, crank position and camshaft sensors (resistance checked in situ), I've pulled the computer down and checked voltages... which at first led me to believe I had a bad ECU, as there's no "Check Engine" light with the key on (checked to make sure the bulb was good, too), no codes pullable when the test pins are jumpered under the hood and no main power to the box with the key on. Before Christmas I pulled the ECU and while visiting family out-of-state for Christmas had my brother (who's an electronic tech) check the boards for damage, the electrolytic caps (for visible leakage, values and ESRs), with no issues noted. For an encore, I plugged the '94's ECU into my '93... which started right up and ran fine. Arrgh! Who knew I would wish for a bad ECU? I finally had a break in the weather and business a couple weekends back, so I borrowed a neighbor's pickup, rented a car trailer and drove over to Des Moines, where I got it out of the PO's driveway, onto the trailer and home. Looking at the car further in my driveway (between snows and massive cold blasts), I did notice bits of plastic wiring harness loom that appears to have been chewed and deposited by a mouse or similar creature under/around the brake master/booster. Apparently the car sat outside for several months before I bought it, which would be more than enough time for mice to do their thing. I pulled the inner fender last week to inspect the harness from the LF side of the cabin to the front junction box, but didn't see any damage to the wiring harness. When I turn the key on, the main relay does operate, but the fuel injection main relay doesn't--there's no voltage at pin 1 (that actuatuates that particular relay, but there IS voltage at pin 2 (where the relay would close, sending power to the ECU. After all this, some questions: -Could I get away with jumpering the pins where the FI relay is to see if the car would get power to the ECU and theoretically start? If it actually works, I don't plan on driving the car this way--just need to see if it'll run! -Any ideas where to look and feel the wiring harness for damage (I have also checked the trunk hinge harness and didn't see anything broken there) -Is the ignition switch itself something that commonly fails on these cars? Thanks in advance for your thoughts and input. Paul

One other thing to check is the bulb for the "check engine" light, itself. I've had to replace that particular bulb on my LS. IIRC, it's mounted in the bezel, not the instrument cluster. Paul