LSPaul

What a bummer. The challenge here is that the mold's still alive and present even after your efforts so far. You'll need to clean and treat the interior with an antimicrobial product to kill and remove the mold inside the car, as normal cleaning products won't do the trick; (even bleach won't kill mold). I've found some reading online from auto detailers who have cleaned up interiors that were far worse than yours. You want to wear a proper mask to protect your lungs, etc., and work in a well-ventilated setting. Paul

There's also a Russian indie Lexus shop that has the TIS pages online: http://www.ls400.ru/lexus-89-2000/ Menu pulldowns and TIS pages are in English, thankfully. -Paul

+1 on Landar's suggestion. I've had multiple starters and alternators overhauled by automotive electric shops for far less money and with better quality work/components than buying a rebuilt unit. Paul

I've had good luck downloading TIS manual section pages from: http://www.ls400.ru/lexus-89-2000/ Paul

While surfing the Bay of E tonight, looking for front wheel bearings for my '93 LS (I threw a used RF spindle assembly on the car last week, and the LF wheel bearing's starting to get grumbly around curves), I stumbled across Park Place Lexus' listings of new OE parts. The price on front bearings was too good to pass up, so I grabbed both of them they had available... I'm picking through their other listings now. Might be worth a look/might be a new alternative. Paul

Pad-wise, I've had very good luck over the years with Wagner Thermoquiet pads; they're easy on rotors, generate lower dust content, long-lasting and stop well. They're spendy compared to many ceramics on the market, but worth using. I would also check that the sliding pins that hold the caliper onto the caliper bracket are moving freely, the rubber boots are in good condition and that they're properly greased. If they're binding or stuck, they could cause things to heat up (since they can't slide smoothly) and help things warp. Paul

I got to do this very project over the weekend on my own while out of town; thankfully I was near a buddy's house in the city where the water pump failed on Friday night, while on the Interstate. This was NOT how I expected nor wanted to spend my Friday night/Saturday/Saturday night in Madison, WI. I'm thankful I had a full set of tools on board, and was able to find a full TB/water pump kit to purchase locally on a Saturday morning (plus distributor rotors, serp belt idlers and Toyota-spec coolant Saturday evening). What worked for me when it came time to mount the timing belt, was to have the TB tensioner idler off, mount the belt, then install the tensioner idler pulley, then the new tensioner with pull pin in place. Once I deployed the tensioner, I made sure that the idler bracket/pulley swung up into place, getting things tensioned properly... It took time to figure out this part of reassembly, as the tensioner idler arm/pulley didn't swing up upon deploying the tensioner. Thankfully the cams and crank all stayed in time, even though the belt was on the loose side. Landar's advice to ignore the lines on the new timing belt after running the engine around by hand to make sure that the cams and crank stayed in time when the crank was at TDC was incredibly helpful, as was his tip of the big Allen key in the hole in the flywheel. I would have fretted much, much more, otherwise--even more than I had all weekend getting the car back up and running, a couple hundred miles from home, plus needed to be 300+ miles away yesterday to meet with clients. Thankfully everything worked properly, immediately: the car started on the first spin of the key at 3 a.m. Sunday morning. Paul

Alternately, if you can't lay hands on genuine Toyota trans fluid, many auto parts stores carry Mobil 3309 fluid (accept no substitutes), which is also T-IV spec. Paul

I've been wanting to do some handling and suspension upgrades to my LS400 since I bought the car, having come to the LS from sportier-handling sedans over the years (mostly Saabs, but also some BMW seat time). Since the air suspension on my car went out last fall, I switched to Strutmasters (the springs are a nice compromise, the supplied rear shocks, utter junk), then switched the rear strut inserts to KYB GR-2s, which work nicely. Still, I was getting tired of the car listing around curves. In the last few weeks, I bought the Daizen poly sway bar bushing kit from TM Engineering (ordered online), and a new Addco rear bar (off eBay from an Addco dealer; note that Addco makes the bars to spec, and usually doesn't stock, so it's made to order and shipped directly from the factory). As others have noted in the past on this and other forums, both make a difference in handling. So, I figured that the combo of the poly bushings and new sway bar would be a good combo. I installed both kits this evening in the driveway. The install on the front bushings was very easy, and the rear bar job itself was pretty straightforward (it helped to drop one of the rear mufflers, and I undid the hangers on the other rear muffler). The challenge I ran into with the sway bar swap is that the new poly bushings supplied were too short (about 1/4") for the original sway bar bushing brackets, and the new brackets with the Addco kit didn't fit the body correctly, either. Since I still had the pair of new poly bushings from the Daizen kit, I ended up drilling/grinding the holes larger (*much* larger diameter (and significantly heavier) compared to the original air sus spec sway bar) with a Dremel tool so the bushings would fit the new rear bar and the original brackets. I buttoned everything back up and took it for a quick spin tonight on a handful of very twisty county roads near home... Wow--what a difference the combo makes! Turn-in on curves and interstate on-ramps felt much quicker, body roll is markedly reduced, and I was able to go into curves at higher speeds, plus could feel a slight and pleasant trace of tail rotation when I lifted off the throttle. All in all, this combo is a relatively inexpensive (under $200 total) way to make an early LS much more enjoyable to drive. Paul

My own experience with this wasn't due to blocked drains, but with the sunroof seal, itself. A couple years back, I started having leakage at the front corners of the sunroof, dripping onto the headliner, a bit onto the visors and onto the seats. I went the usual directions--ran nylon lawn trimmer string through the drains, compressed air, the sprayer on the end of the garden hose, etc. It drained well, but still leaked--very annoying with clients in the car... I sat in plenty of rains with a flashlight in the driveway, trying to see where it dripped in, and narrowed the source to the front corners of the seal around the glass panel. Another little way I've been incredibly pleased with the insane build quality of these cars is that the cloth on the backing has never delaminated/come loose from the shell, as most other cars one would start to see the headliner deteriorate. In the "temporary becomes permanent" category, I experimented by pulling outwards and slightly up on the front corners of seals, which did the trick. The front corners of the seal now sit up maybe a couple millimeters higher than normal-not terribly noticeable. The real fix in my case would be to replace the seal on the glass panel, but I've not felt motivated to go through the process of removing the glass panel, sourcing and fitting a new seal and reinstalling and adjusting the whole thing. Paul

You'll also want to check to see if the "check engine" light comes on when you start the car, because, a CEL light will also light the "TRAC OFF". If the check engine light doesn't come on with the key on/not started, the bulb's pretty easy to get at and replace... Been there, done that--recently. Paul

I'm not sure they're available in the later sizes, but I've found the new Bridgestone Ecopias to be very quiet (I'm running them in the 225 60 16 size on my LS). Paul

I can't tell you for certain on that vintage of LS, but the changer in my '93 is always powered on, and I can eject the CD cassette with the radio/car off/key out. Paul

Welcome to the group, KY. I stumbled across a Russian Lexus repair shop's site with (from what I can tell) all of the Lexus TIS pages for the UCF10 and UCF20 cars (in English) that I've had good luck with: http://www.ls400.ru/ . Lots of PDFs... Paul

Found this online last week while attempting to troubleshoot the air suspension on my '93. Main site's in Russian, but the links pop up individual sections of the TIS (service manual) in .pdf format: http://www.ls400.ru/lexus-89-2000/RepairManual1992.html

Epilogue: I had the occasion to roll through Chicagoland/northern Indiana over the weekend, so stopped at the yard in Gary and pulled all four suspension height sensors from the LS in that particular yard--not a fun removal project with wheels on and in the dirt/near mud, but they all came out. I got home tonight and figured I'd swap one of the sensors and see if it made any difference in the codes I was getting after a system reset. Ummm... no. Implementing plan "B" is tomorrow evening--swapping in the set of used Strutmasters that showed up on my doorstep yesterday. I'll probably keep the air struts around for a while and eventually offload them. Hopefully the ride will still be decent with the conventional setup... I was so spoiled with the air suspension! Paul

Good questions, all. 12V (b+) is a common circuit, as is the ground side. Ground leads check out from the rear two sensors to the ECU and body and 12V is common from the relay to all four sensors--and checked out. While I was checking each corner, I sprayed DeOxIt on the contacts (great electronic contact cleaner/conditioner, btw) in the off chance there was moisture, dirt or light corrosion present. No difference there. The sensors in the A/S cars aren't a simple pot setup, god forbid--they're a sealed optical system (LED/phototransistor/toothed wheel acting as switches, sending inputs to the A/S ECU), unlike those on Gen3-cars that use height sensors to aim the HID lighting--I believe the later cars use pots as sensors. The sensor outputs are independent at each corner of the car. The car uses an onboard air compressor, a bazillion solenoids and some valves to raise and lower the car. The height sensors tell the 'puter if the car's "level", which then activates the rest of it. Many of the car's electronic systems give inputs to the air suspension ECU. Pretty slick, really. There definitely was not an air leak here--the car defaults to full-up (with no jounce or damping control) or full-down. The original (flawed) thought was that maybe the sensors are stuck "up", so I let the air out manually. Not the smartest move on my part--my suspension defaulted to "up" and now they're definitely "down". I'm waiting on a price of a used sensor set from the yard in Gary that I dealt with over the weekend, and will probably call the yard in Rockford that supposedly had an A/S car. I also found a used lower-mile Strutmaster conversion kit on another Lexus forum, which I bought and am waiting to have shipped from Cal. Best case, if the price is right, I swap sensors. Worst case, I convert the car to the conventional setup--either way it's off the road this week. Thank goodness for the back-up car. Paul

Steve: Nope, the A/S switch is in the correct position--that would throw a DTC 71 if it were turned off. The fourth level sensor also had voltage (9v key on/car not running and 14v running). I was able to successfully follow +12v from battery, through relay #2 and ECU, then to each of the four sensors. I'll study the diagram again to try to follow grounds, but on at least two sensors I checked, I was able to measure voltage between pin 1 and the ground pins on two or three of the sensor connectors. The ground lines on all of the sensors all go back to the ECU, near as I can tell. When the system went into the current state the other day, weather was a bit damp, but not rainy, and it started about a mile and a half from home--the car was fine when I started and pulled out of the drive. The road I was on at that time is pretty ordinary (no major bumps, etc). Checking I suppose it's not unheard of to have multiple level sensors die at once (someone's old post on CL indicated that it has happened)... It just seems really unlikely to me, that's all. If I can find a set inexpensively enough (I'll be calling the same j/y I visited over the weekend), I'll go that route. Otherwise, it's time to do the conversion to a conventional suspension setup. At least it's not a horribly difficult swap--a couple hours' work, at most. Paul

Steve: Update du jour: Finally laid hands on a used ECU (one originally thought to have been ordered had already been sold; roadtripped a few hours each way to buy another one yesterday--that car was junked due to a bad engine, not suspension). I plugged it all in and voila--the same result--the same codes--DTCs 11, 12, 13 and 14 in a row. Grrr. I've printed off and have studied the schematic for the system--the six pages now spans the width of my kitchen table and I'm now tracing circuits with a DMM. I have followed power from the ECU-B fuse to the trunk harness, then to the #2 relay located on the ECU and verified there's juice. Following that B+ circuit, I've verified that the voltage (9-ish volts measured) is at three out of the four height sensors (pin 1 on all connectors to the height sensors). Still need to pull the RF wheel and check that side. Am I missing anything here, or am I on the right track? Paul

Hi, Steve-- Yes, when pins one and seven were jumpered at the switch block connector on the ECU body (next to the relay for the height sensors), the compressor did operate. After finding TIS docs online, I've traced my way through the circuit diagrams, troubleshooting flow charts, etc. If it were just one or maybe even two height sensors throwing codes, it'd be straightforward to address. It appears that each sensor has its own harness for signal and power, all leading to the ECU main harness, so it doesn't appear to be a simple power issue. With all four height sensors going "out" at the same time, and no difference being made when I've cleared the ECU codes, even for a second, I'm leaning toward the suspension ECU having failed. I located a used one at a recycler in my region yesterday for a very reasonable price, and had it shipped-close enough for normal one-day service with the shipping carrier they use. Hopefully it'll be on my door step this afternoon or Monday at latest; I'll update when it's arrived and installed. Paul

1993 LS with air suspension: Driving along this morning, and noticed the suspension "HI" light flashing regularly. Got home after morning appointments, got it into the garage and pulled DTCs from the computers. The codes I got were 11, 12, 13, 14, for all four suspension height sensors, plus the usual "73" DTC for the car not running. Now, I could see that just one sensor could be wonky, throwing a code, but all four at once, and out of the blue? First I thought that perhaps a sensor's wonky, given the weather today (damp/rainy, temp in the low 60s/high teens C), so maybe letting the car down from max suspension height could make sense--so I let the air out of the air struts. Uhhh, no difference, and ultimately not smart. Still have the codes, and now it looks very unintentionally VIP in my garage. :( I've tried clearing the codes from the suspension ECU by pulling the appropriate fuse, as well as disconnecting power at the battery. No difference. I've removed the air suspension ECU, disconnected and reconnected the harness and reinstalled. Nada. I have bits and pieces of the air suspension section from TIS that a buddy of mine shared a few years back when I bought the car, but am missing the section pertaining to these DTCs (I believe it's pages 149-155 from the shop manual). Ironically, I just sold my previous #1 car (an '01 Saab with 324k miles) yesterday, but luckily have another backup car. Any knowledge, inputs and/or the TIS pages I'm looking for would be warmly welcomed. Thanks, Paul

SW: +1 on the real estate biz: In 20+ years of residential real estate sales game, I've seen no shortage of fanciful attempts at doing away with the traditional real estate sales model, usually by those who don't have the learned knowledge of their market and who think they've invented a better mousetrap. Likewise, in the insurance world, there are those who may shop on price only, but when it comes down to actually needing service, they'll get what they paid for. Paul

Perhaps it's a bit too soon... But, on a lighter note, I visited the "Deer vs. Lexus" theme a couple years back as the image for my Christmas card. The tagline on the card was, "D'oh! A Deer!" -Paul

Ouch--glad you're both unhurt. I'd also guess you're north of $10k, sadly. Paul

I'm a big fan of car-part dot com--I've used it to search salvage yards (errr, auto recyclers) nation-wide for specific bits, then contact the yards directly. YMMV, non-celebrity and non-paid endorser, blah, blah, blah. Paul