Slvr99LS

lol. Thanks. :D Well, if they would bill me for the $2.61, I would send it by money order :D - I have it, but only in cash. :( I guess when I make my next payment I will be able to get it. :) Hopefully it wont take too long to post and I can complete the order by my credit card. :) Yeah, the Caprice is tucked away and can rest. :) Nice '72 Rivvy - I had a '72 Electra (same 455 engine) and I loved it! True, it would pass anything but the gas station. I wish I had of kept it. Photo from 2002 when I owned it... (it was like new on the inside) Sold to a guy in Rock Hill South Carolina for $1800! It also had the rare gear shift wiper control button option. Must say... that is one fine lookin' Electra you had there from the era of the land yacht... with GM perched on top of the mountain. A 5,000 pound slice of a bygone era. Tough to comprehend, especially right now, but General Motors once owned literally about a 50% slice of the automotive pie. What a tragic fall from grace. Fact is, I've been a GM owner most of my life. While the ownership experiences over the years have definitely been a mixed bag, on balance I'd say the positives have surely outweighed the negatives. Genuinely hope they emerge out the other side of this recession as something other than a government controlled entity forced to build hideous Washington-mandated cars that absolutely no one wants... even with huge tax breaks and incentives factored into the equation. Garbage is still garbage even when it comes attached to a seemingly attractive price tag. This country has some of the brightest, most passionate engineers on the planet when they're not continually hamstrung by the bean counters and office politics... and can focus on what really matters - building great products that will stand the test of time. When a manufacturer provides some breathing room and encourages people to think 'outside-the-box', you end up with game-changing, landmark vehicles... like the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang... 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado... or even the 1990 Lexus LS-400. By the way, the guy in Rock Hill, SC got a great deal. B)

Guess I wont be getting it - not now anyway. I am not much of a credit card person, so I only have one that I requested a CL of $1000 on that I mainly use to get a rental car when we go on vacation. I had $59.00 left on it - the part was $50, shipping $5 which would have been $55... all is well, right? No, I go to place the order and it adds another $6.00 handling (it dont show you this until you place the order and type in ALL of your information), taking the total to $61.61. Pathetic isnt it? Oh well. Not meant to be I guess. For the record, I'd be more than happy to donate the extra $2.61 to the cause as long as you solemnly swear to buy the mount, the whole mount, and nothing but the mount. I'm sure that '72 Caprice could use a fan belt or a new set of points, but in this rare case, your LS has to take precedence. Speaking of 1972, man do I miss my boat-tail Riviera. 455 cubes under that mile-long hood and a huge Rochester 4-barrel... that car could pass almost anything... except a gas station.

Since starting this original thread regarding "Nakamichi vs. Pioneer" systems, I'll admit to having gotten a little off topic here, but as a recent LS buyer there's just so much to talk about with these cars, it's tough not to get carried away. Not sure if it would be worthwhile trying to determine what percentage of forum members cars are equipped with the Nak system, but I do know out of the literally hundreds of cars I viewed both in person and online over a period of a few months, for what it's worth I'd guesstimate only 5 to 8% of the vehicles I found had it, maybe less. By far the majority were base model cars with a sunroof. Actually never found one that didn't have the sunroof. Navigation is a pretty easy option to find on pre-owned '99 and 2000 model cars, but I honestly didn't want the nav in this instance. Unfortunately you couldn't buy a car from that era with both the nav AND the Nakamichi. As far as options went, it was one.... or the other. Starting with the LS430 in 2001 apparently you could order the awesome Mark Levinson system (which I haven't personally heard yet, but really want to) together with navigation. I'm partial toward the styling of the '98 to '00 cars though, so I decided early on in the process of finding a car that having the upgraded sound system was of higher priority to me than a 10-year old navigation system. The technology has come so far along (integrated Bluetooth, 3-D mapping, real-time traffic, continually updated maps, etc.) and the prices of stand-alone navigation units have come down so far that the Nakamichi got the nod instead. So far so good. It's like a high-speed concert hall on wheels. Sometimes I even save some precious 93-octane and just sit inside listening to CD's with the engine off. When it is time to burn some dead-dinosaurs, turns out the best part of all is, it's even loud enough to overcome the sound of the suspension falling apart. Money well spent. :D

Blake - Thanks for replying so quickly. Now that you've confirmed that, I'll go ahead and order up the bushings (among other things). Curious, were you ever able to track down what was causing the noise in your suspension? I suppose if nothing else, I can hopefully look forward to better tracking on the highway which could definitely make for a less fatiguing drive, particularly on long trips. As it stands now, the car does require a lot of small corrections in the steering at higher speeds. Call it a hunch, but I suspect my bushings are going to look far worse than yours did. Best case scenario would be that they do for the suspension what the transmission mount did for the driveline, which was a revelation.... and worse case would be feeling no change whatsoever. If it falls somewhere in between the two extremes, that's fine too. It's a chance I'm willing to take. Next step is the control arms. And here I thought after all I'd read that buying another Lexus would assure more time driving and less time wrenching. So far, my seat time is roughly equal to creeper time laying underneath the thing. I partially blame my OCD. With that said... could've easily avoided all this hassle by just signing on the dotted line for $1,300 a month for 6 years and got a shiny new LS-460. Levinson sound... 8-speed automatic... nearly 400HP... ventilated seats... ahhhhhh, and I'm thinking that really deep red metallic they have this year is looking particularly sweet. Or I could just come back to planet earth, shut up and get back to work changing strut bar bushings, gear oil, transmission mount, engine oil, sway bar bushings, air filter, power steering fluid, tires, brake pads, rotors, wiper blades, cabin filter, transmission fluid, spark plugs, coolant, fuel filter... ahhhh I gotta stop - I'm depressing myself... and Visa just sent me a 'Thank You' notice and a fresh new card to melt. How thoughtful of them. B) Will post more pics once the next box of fun arrives and I can find the time to get it all installed.

I changed just the strut rod bushings on my '99. You will need to press out the bushings with a big press; I can't remember if we used a 15 or 30 ton. It looks like Park Place is selling the bushings for about $40 a piece vs $115 each for the whole arm. Here's the part number: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1999_LEXU...2.html?hl=48674 Blake, now that's some interesting info you've got there... which unfortunately now conflicts with what I thought I was ordering! I did read your post from some time ago on here which included photos (always appreciated) of the strut rods removed from your car, and that post is where I got the part number from. There was definitely some confusion/disagreement on what part number fit what. Talk about in the nick of time - I was literally set to order those bushings tomorrow morning... or what I thought were those bushings, except I was given part #48674-40051, and even called Sewell Lexus on Monday to confirm it. Their online microfiche only shows the first 5 digits of the part. Some gal in parts answered whose name I unfortunately didn't catch. Now, the question becomes... which is the correct one, and which isn't. Did you happen to have kept your parts invoice around for confirmation? The number doesn't seem to have superceded. Looks like I have some additional homework to do tonight. Nothing worse than placing an order, waiting days for your parts with great anticipation... and then... they don't fit. Incidentally, what's the mileage on your '99? And once you changed the bushings did it make a significant overall difference? Thanks again - appreciate the helpful info.

Hi Ruud, as a former owner of a '92 model LS, I did learn a few things over the years about the first-gen cars. The notorious EGR pipe is a royal pain due it's nearly inaccessible location behind the intake manifold crammed against the firewall. Most owners end up replacing or repairing it once the starter motor fails (located under the intake manifold) since the EGR is clearly accessible when doing a starter replacement. In any event, here's a link to a well-written older post specifically on this topic that may be of great benefit to you - hope it helps: us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5974

Did a little hunting and found a Lexus dealer which has the mount for your first-gen LS priced currently at $50.55 ... not sure what the differences in the trans mount are between the '90-'94 cars and '95-'00, likely some minor detail change but they do carry different part #'s. In any event, here's the direct link: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=214082&catalogid=0

Gene, thanks for the reply and compliment. Regarding your '99, are you going to have all the work done by a Lexus dealer or an independent shop? You mentioned 90K, so I'm guessing they'll be doing the timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, accessory drive belt, possibly crank and cam seals, along with the trans mount, strut rods, etc. etc. Another friend of mine has a '91 LS with about 125K that's still on the original T-belt (yes, he's driving on borrowed time... and knows it)... if you don't mind sharing it, curious what that full service ends up costing when all is said and done. Even realizing that the costs of service varies about as wildly as opinions on what beer tastes best, I'm still certain there are plenty of people who could potentially benefit from your upcoming experience. I know I've said it before, but this forum rocks!

If your car has more than about 70,000 miles on it and your tires are properly balanced, then worn front strut rod bushings are a likely cause of front end vibration at highway speeds. Here is a thread where Blake918 showed a photo of them: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/lofiv...php/t27557.html Here is an Australian website that discusses why the strut rod bushings (they call them "semi-longitudinal tension rods") wear out so quickly on a 98-00 LS400: http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_3041/article.html The front strut rod bushings on my 00 LS were thoroughly worn out by 80,000 miles causing a severe front end vibration above 60 mph. Replacing the strut rod assemblies completely eliminated the vibration. Appreciate this additional info. Fairly well convinced after all I've read that my car does need strut bar bushings, and possibly the upper control arms. Problem is, I can't seem to find the correct part number anywhere for JUST these bushings and the majority of online microfiche pictorials for whatever reason are incorrect. Looking at the front suspension pictorial, Park Place Lexus for example shows the strut bar... no problem there... but with 2 studs on one end, and a threaded end on the other. Not sure what's going on there, but obviously the bar has the mount studs on one end, and the large rubber bushing on the other. I'd like to replace just the bushing rather than the entire bar. The bar itself doesn't wear out, so why spend $100++ per side? I do have access to a press... or even a blowtorch if necessary to burn the old ones out as one forum member apparently did with his control arms (great idea by the way!). Perhaps some phone calls are in order, but if the parts jockey on the other end of the line is staring at the same incorrect diagram, that isn't going to be of much assistance. Has anyone on here replaced just the bushings on a 98-00 LS? As always, any input is greatly appreciated. Have a nagging feeling already that by the time I get this car to where I want it to be (which is simply riding/driving the way it should), seems I'll have intimate knowledge of every inch of it from bumper to bumper.

Sounds like you're going to do the work yourself. Good deal. On that note, I'll throw in a couple more quick thoughts. One thing I neglected to mention when I posted last night about the trans mount is what tools were involved. Basically an ordinary metric socket set, and a small bottle jack, along with a piece of wood to support the rear of the transmission while you unbolt the mount. Put the wood on top of the jack and raise the jack just enough to take the weight off the back of the trans. It won't take much of a lift. For consistency, I also used a torque wrench for reinstalling all the bolts/nuts along with one drop of medium-strength Loc-Tite on each thread for nothing other than piece-of-mind (probably isn't really necessary). Can't say for absolutely certain that your '94 is 100% identical to a '99, but my understanding is they're built on the same basic chassis so my belief is the procedure for replacing your mount will be essentially the same. Once the old mount came out, I was stunned how much higher the jack had to be raised up to get the new mount bolted in... this was due to the fact the old mount had compressed so far! I was praying I didn't (and hopefully won't) need the engine mounts as well since they look to be a LOT more work to change than the trans mount was. Like I mentioned, I went after the cheapest/easiest part first. Once in a while, you luck out. Still have plenty more work to do though, but I think I can see the light now at the end of the tunnel. Look forward to hearing how you make out with yours.

Somewhat off-topic, but one thing I noticed from your photos that stands out to me... and it seems to be fairly consistent on these cars as they age... but the leather interior of these cars seems practically indestructible, especially compared to most other manufacturers. I have seen a few that were torn up, but it's rare. I'll assume Lexus simply chose a higher grade of hide as part of their 'cost-no-object' philosophy regarding the flagship LS. My '92 LS with 215K, which I doubt had ever been garaged, was showing some moderate checking & cracking in the tan interior, but it was definitely still passable. If it were a Cadillac at the same age/mileage I probably would've been sitting on the seat springs and not much else. :D btw, great deal you got on that car... I would've given it serious consideration if I weren't already neck-deep in my own project LS!

Hey all... Here's the promised follow-up from my original post last week that mentioned some strange vibrations I was experiencing with this newly purchased '99 LS. When I originally went to look at this particular car a few weeks ago, as I was doing a customary 'walk-around' inspection, one thing I did is rev the engine up a bit with the transmission in Park and noticed it wasn't exactly what you'd call 'Lexus-smooth'. Actually I think a 15 year-old Pontiac Grand Am with the Quad-4 engine might've been smoother. Hmmmm. From the initial feel of it, if you tried to balance 17 wine glasses on this engine I think all you'd end up with was a bunch of tiny shattered glass shards and an aluminum V-8 drenched in your favorite choice of vino. It had a particularly rough spot near the 2K-RPM range that varied in intensity above and below. Duly noted. I didn't bother mentioning anything I found to the owner of the car as my belief at this point was that his mechanical aptitude was limited to putting the key in the ignition and adding fuel every few hundred miles. Anyhow... my thought at the time was "probably not a deal breaker", but I was already seeing $$$ signs dancing in my head. With that said, unfortunately I bought the car somewhat spontaneously without the benefit of a high-speed drive either as I ended up viewing the car in the middle of a large, highly-populated city during rush hour. Retrospectively, I realize this action in and of itself wasn't too bright (I never claimed to be bright) and goes completely against my grain under normal circumstances. What can I say. I was antsy for an LS! In any event, to make a long story short after looking at a LOT of these cars over a period of months, I decided to take the plunge because this seller had an alternate buyer already waiting in the wings... so it was a case of "buy-now-on-the-spot"... or let it go and keep looking. Just couldn't let it go... it had the very desirable (to me) Nakamichi stereo, excellent overall cosmetic condition, was owned by the same family since new (that much I was able to confirm), had a decent level of maintenance for most of its life (apparently up until the last couple of years), and was painted in what my eyes view as a great color. Once I got it home and had a chance to really spend some time with the car I began to question whether I'd make a huge mistake. Classic case of buyers remorse when reality sets in and completely eclipses initial excitement. What a buzz kill. Kind of a sucky feeling, particularly when you've just dropped enough cash on a purchase to finance the government operations of a third-world country for at least an hour. In a nutshell, that earlier noted mid-RPM vibe translated out on the road into a fairly loud, low-pitched thrumming/humming sound right where you spend a lot of driving time... the 40 - 55mph band. I was really thrilled with myself at this point. Smell the sarcasm? The car also has notably warped rotors and some clunking & banging going on in the front end over certain types of bumps. Multiple issues. Ok, no need to freak out... I think. Like a late-night Poker hand gone wrong, I was kinda feeling 'pot-committed' at this point. With 161K on the clock, I do realize virtually ANY used automobile is going to need some type of work. The unknown question is how much work. On some cars I've owned it just seems to never end. Considering Lexus parts pricing, I was praying (and still am!) that this isn't one of them. In any event, I'm fairly mechanically savvy in my opinion and do the majority of my own work, so the first thing to do is get under the car and spend an afternoon getting dirty. I call it 'vehicular-bonding'. I could make a far more human analogy but I'll refrain for the benefit of any female forum readers who may be out there. Anyhow, first thing: Flush every fluid from stem to stern. Mobil-1 synthetic 75w90 gear oil in the differential (not much metal stuck to the factory magnet - a good sign), 6 quarts of correct Toyota T-IV trans fluid (drained the pan twice - fluid was pretty ugly), oil and filter change (OEM Toyota filter), power bleed the entire brake system with the specified DOT-3, etc. The good news is that the underside was completely dry and since the car was garaged the majority of its life and seemingly not driven much in foul weather, so it wasn't a rust bucket undernearth. What a treat. Slight attitude change at this point. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Fingers crossed. After many late nights reading this and other Lexus-specific forums (which I have to say has been a HUGE help overall - thanks to ALL!), I decided to make the transmission mount a focal point since it was seemingly one of the least-costly, easiest-to-change components on these cars which had the potential to make a significant difference. I will say at this point that doing a simple visual inspection of the mount with the car up on a lift showed exactly nothing. The mount looked normal in the sense that it wasn't horribly deformed or visibly broken. No matter, it definitely looked original so out it came. Now, this is where the story gets interesting. This site has been such a valuable resource of information already, I feel the least I can do is try to give a little back and hopefully assist someone else in solving their own troubles with one of these cars. With that said, it was only when a brand new transmission mount is compared side-by-side directly with an old mount with some real miles on it that it becomes painfully clear what occurs. Not only was my old mount compressed roughly 1/4 inch in overall height, which changes the all-important driveshaft angle, but once the weight of the transmission itself had been removed, it was obvious the old hardened rubber had actually cracked and broken free of the mount on both sides! My optimism that this mount may solve at least one issue was definitely rising now. To keep this post from reaching Biblical length, I'll state that once this $45 dollar part was installed, the difference was literally 'Day & Night'! The driveline vibration... completely gone. Wow. 50mph was now glass smooth, along with all other tested speeds. Subsequent close analysis of the old mount shows clearly what causes the vibration. The engineers built-in sort of a 'fail-safe' to prevent the mount from completely collapsing with age. It's equipped with a snubber that when enough degradation occurs, the two pieces compress enough it defeats the design intentions of the mount by allowing the top and bottom halves to contact one another and literally pass driveline vibration straight through to the body of the car. This was the cause of the harmonic 'hum' which varied with engine speed. Sure the rotors are still warped and give the sensation you might lose a filling or two when applying the brakes, and the front end bangs in a decidedly un-Lexuslike manner entering certain driveways with a sound more akin to an '86 Yugo on it's last legs, but hey... one thing at a time here! Rome wasn't built in a day and I consider myself a realist, so let's face it - even a Lexus ages. So my advice at this point would be: anyone with a similar type of driveline vibration... if you're on the fence about it - go ahead and replace that aging transmission mount. It's a dozen bolts 'n nuts and about 45 minutes of your time. It sure can't hurt! I'm going to try and attach 2 photos to this post. Assuming it works, the first pic is the brand new mount. In the second photo, it may be tough to tell but look closely and you'll see that the rubber on the old mount has completely sheared from the metal base. The amount it has compressed over time may not be quite as obvious, but believe me, it's there. More posts to follow as I delve into the front-end shortly with wallet wide-open and new-found optimism...

Hmmmm.... would kinda explain why the touch up paint stick from the local parts place didn't quite match. Couldn't find a color code on the car... assumed Lexus was celebrating the turn of the Millenium a bit early... but you know what happens generally when you assume. <_< btw, thanks for all the input regarding the Nak vs. Pioneer. I'll be posting a follow-up shortly regarding the vibration situation...

Hello all, first time post here and a recent buyer of a '99 Millenium Silver LS. I probably should've posed this question some time ago while I was actively searching for a car, but I am still curious. Question I'm posing is regarding the factory audio systems which I haven't seen discussed very often on the forums. Being a life-long audiophile, music is very important to me, so I searched for ages to find the right car that specifically had the Nakamichi audio system based on favorable prior experiences years ago with my '92 LS. Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to jump back and forth between two different cars equipped with the standard Pioneer Premium Sound and the Nakamichi both playing the same source material. Does anyone outside of a Japanese engineer know the real specifics of how they differ? The head units look outwardly very similar and if I'm not mistaken, the interior has the same number of speakers regardless of which system it's equipped with. The Nak was a very expensive option when new which I'm sure plays a huge role in why it's so difficult to find a pre-owned vehicle that has it. If it weren't for my fixation on it, I would've likely bought a car long ago and saved plenty of aggravation and countless hours. From an overall standpoint, wondering how much is the 'psychological factor' with the Nakamichi, compared to what really exists. And no, I'm not one of the lunatic fringe who will spend $1200 on a power cord for my DVD player, then listen intently for the next 3 months attempting to convince myself that I hear a difference. :) Just someone with an appreciation for quality sound. With that said, any input is appreciated - thanks. P.S. The car also has some odd vibrations and resonances at certain RPM and speed levels that I'm trying to track down. I've read it could be anything from tires to trans mounts. I'll tackle those in a future post after I've replaced a few of the simpler/less costly components and see what happens. These forums have been a great source of info so far!