Larry W

I replaced a leaking heater control valve last week and now it appears the overflow tank has a small crack on the top. Lexus wants $237 for this plastic bottle!! Does anyone know if this part is available from another source? Can it be epoxied or do you have another remedy? The "crack" is only about 1 inch across. Thanks in advance,

The mechanic checked the system and recommended a pump down and recharge. I was OK with it as he said it could possibly have air in the system. Made sense and I was allowed to stay by the bay the entire time. I did inquire why was the right vent & the rear vents are still was not as cold as the middle vents. When I called JM Lexus the mechanic said that vent was the furthest from the evaporator, but I still feel it should be cold. Our Toyota Avalon has the coldest a/c coming out of every vent front and rear. It does seem that its low on freon as it does get colder at 35-40 mph. Taking it back for another look (leaving wallet at home). Sight glass by the way is not clear. Its foggy. Thanks for your opinion.

He checked the air coming out of the vents with an infra red tester. I know a temperature probe is the best device, but I figured if he was off a few degrees and the A/C worked, I would be happy. He noted 40 DEGREES coming out of the center vent. I told him that the same temperature as my new Maytag Refrigerator. No comment. He did say the sight glass was "clear". I did not verify, but I'm going out to the car now to check it again. It was foggy the day before I brought it in. Going back tomorrow to get it fixed or my money refunded. A tire store that does a/c repair? Interesting. Who would you call to fix your home air conditioning? Tire store mechanics are hacks! Cold on one side and not on the other is an indicator that your system is low on charge. I do this everyday on Lexus only. There is a hose coming from the a/c compressor to the condenser. Look under the battery where it bolts to another pipe. If you see any oil residue there, the o-ring connecting the two has deteriorated. Very common on this model. There should be a sticker under the hood that tells you exactly how much refrigerant your system requires. If you see bubbles in the sight glass, the system is low. You might get away with topping it off, but if you have a leak, you will be constantly adding to the system(days? weeks? months?) depending on the size of the leak.

He checked the air coming out of the vents with an infra red tester. I know a temperature probe is the best device, but I figured if he was off a few degrees and the A/C worked, I would be happy. He noted 40 DEGREES coming out of the center vent. I told him that the same temperature as my new Maytag Refrigerator. No comment. He did say the sight glass was "clear". I did not verify, but I'm going out to the car now to check it again. It was foggy the day before I brought it in. Going back tomorrow to get it fixed or my money refunded.

I took my 94 LS into the local Tire Plus store to have the a/c checked. It wasn't cold enough after having a rebuilt compressor, clutch, and new evaporator installed. The work was done about 6 mos ago by a local mechanic and it seemed to be working OK when the temperature was in the 70's. South Florida temp today was 95 degrees with a heat index over 100. The Tire Plus mechanic said I probably had air in the system as he could not find a leak. He pumped down the system and recharged it and said it was OK. I drove off noticing the a/c did feel colder, but no where near my Wife's Avalon. I did notice today that the air was colder at 35-40 mph coming out of the middle vents. I'm assuming the air blowing over the condensing unit at this speed is helping the cooling. Its really at low speeds that it doesn't cool well enough. Could it be low on Freon? I also noticed the right vent (passenger side) is not anywhere as cold as the middle or driver's vents. Also the rear a/c seems to be the same air temp as the right vent. Any suggestions?

I had the A/C on my 94 LS 400 serviced yesterday. The compressor, clutch, & evaporator were replaced about 6 months ago when it was cooler than the 100+ degrees now here in Fort Lauderdale. I noticed that the air was not quite cold enough coming out of the center vents. The right passenger vent was not even close to being cold. The local repair shop said that vent is the furthest from the evaporator. The sight glass was foggy so I knew something was not right. A determination was made that there was air in the system and a pump down and recharge was required. I had the service performed and it felt a little colder. Not anywhere near my wife's Avalon (could hang meat in her car). The mechanic said the sight glass was "clear". It is colder, but not as cold as I think it should be. I'm in and out the car all day long on appointments so I know what it should feel like. The mechanic did say the heater control valve was defective (could see the white build up below the valve). Any suggestions?

It could be a number of things. I just replaced the compressor,clutch assembly, dryer, and shortly after the evaporator assembly on my 1994 LS. Living in Ft lauderdale the temperature is now in the 90's with a heat index of 100-105 degrees on some days. Really need A/C here every day. I shopped around and found an independent shop to do the installation. Lexus wanted well over $2000 for this repair. The independent was about $1000. Your system could have a seal or hose assembly with a leak. You need to take it to a shop and they will do a leak test by injecting a dye into the system that will show them where the freon is leaking from. After its determined what the problem is you can shop around for the best price.

Jim: I just pulled the shifter cover off and got the ash tray out (no problem). Emptied ash tray (of 50 coins) and flipped it over and saw the (2)connections attached to my cigarette lighter. I removed the nut and the plastic washer between them and tightened it down. Plugged in the lighter and nothing. Tried the GPS and nothing....now scratching head. Thought I had it fixed....oh well...thanks for your assistance...any suggestions? Checking fuse box in a minute (again).

Jim: Do I have to remove the shifter cover on my 94 LS or is the link behind the ashtray? If so, any tips on how to remove the ashtray? I'm sure its something simple, but I'm not seeing it yet. Thanks.

I have a 1994 LS 400 with 112,000 miles. I use a Garmin GPS daily to navigate around parts of town. Just the other day I noticed the front lighter was not working. I switched to the rear and it also was not functioning. I pulled the cover off of the fuse panel and checked the fuse and it was OK. Any suggestions of where to look next? I don't smoke so I really only need it to power up the GPS. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Bobby: Did they happen to clean the needle on the speedometer? Still sticks when it gets hot here...(Ft Laudedale). Didn't know if this was a service they do while they had it apart. Larry

I purchased a set from Advanced Auto which is conveniently located down the street from my home. (ck their website) (2) years ago for around $20 a piece. They have a lifetime warranty so if they fail, I'll be right over there for a free replacement. Took about 10 minutes per side and they work great. Lexus diehards will pay about $75 each at the dealer.

Bobby: Thank you for the information. I will contact them today. Larry

Old problem that's finally catching up to my LS. The dashboard lights flicker and then go out just after start up. I know its not going to be too long before I get no lights at all. Just wondering if there is a reliable company (and possibly reasonable) where I can send the dash pod to? I'll remove it myself. Thanks in advance.

For about 6 months I was a little upset that my power antenna was broken. It was stuck in the up position about 18 inches which meant I could no longer go to my favorite car wash (when I got lazy or needed a quick wash). I was checking online when I came across "AntennaMastsRus.com I looked up my car (94 LS 400) and saw a replacement antenna with a new plastic feed line for only......$12.50 plus $5.00 to ship it! My antenna motor was still cycling when I shut the engine off so I thought I would give it a try. Received the part and went over the very detailed instructions. There was even an 800 number if I couldn't understand the explicit instructions. It is best to remove the antenna assembly from the car (suggest wearing vinyl gloves-very greasy). I took the cover off and found the old cable "broken" and curled up in the base of the antenna. Removed the pieces and put the unit back together. Re-installed the antenna and had my son power the unit up and then shut the power off. I fed the "new" cable inside the antenna housing from the top of the fender and it WORKED. It pulled the cable down and I lined up the antenna until it was ready to go into the housing. It continued to pull the cable and the remainder of the antenna in until it was flush again (hadn't seen that in 6 months). Next had my son power up the antenna and it rose to the occasion. My LS is in excellent condition having always been garaged and waxed frequently (110k miles as of yesterday). I continued this tradition so you know this antenna issue was quite annoying. By the way we called Lexus of Pembroke Pines and the antenna assembly is $435.00 plus $240 labor and its special order. Any day you don't have to visit the dealer is a good day!

I just had a new evaporator, dryer, and compressor w/clutch installed on my car. I noticed in our hot Florida weather that the a/c was not quite cold enough to the touch coming out of the vents. I did notice that the a/c is colder coming out of the driver's side and middle vents, but slightly warmer on the passsenger side and rear passenger vents. Am I just a little low on freon? Could it be that simple? Any advice would help. Thanks in advance.

I think I'm going to remove the dash myself and do what you're recommending. Thanks. I'll update when the repair is complete.

I need to purchase a rebuilt dash pod assembly. I've decided I can no longer handle the black gauge assembly being dark for 10 minutes of driving. My Lexus mechanic says this assembly is $2100 (new) at the dealer, but can be purchased rebuilt. Can someone please forward the website for this company? I also need a replacement key shell for my 94 LS. The kid at Autozone didn't know his own strength and he cracked the case. The website for Lexus keys no longer has the earlier key assemblies.

I had a new a/c evaporator installed last month and now my wife noticed the carpet on the r/s is damp. The Lexus repair shop said there is a gasket that is leaking and should be replaced when the evaporator is installed. OK, the shop will replace it. My son noticed that the a/c vent on the far r/s is putting out slightly warmer air than the rest of the vents. Is this due to the evaporator issue? Comments & suggestions?

Any dealer will stock it, and it's likely the same part as Toyotas of the same year range too, so maybe a Camry or 4Runner mast will swap over, I know Nissan uses one mast for their entire range. To replace it, it's literally 60 seconds of work unless the cable has actually broken inside the motor, which is not typical. There's plenty of online info on doing it yourself. Thank you for the replies.

I have 115K on my 94 LS 400. I have pretty much serviced most of this car and am still wondering about the transmission service. Local tranny shop said to leave it alone if I'm not having a problem. Some of the more "senior" members on the LOC seem to agree. What does Lexus recommend? It shifts fine with no issues, but I don't want any trouble down the road as I plan on having this vehicle for sometime to come. Local flush at the dealer is $125 and I know they would use the correct fluid. Is there a replaceable filter on this trans? I was told its a metal filter and a flush is really all that is required. Any recommendations? I live in Fort Lauderdale and the heat index for the past few days has been 105-110 degrees. Am I worried about nothing as this trans seem to be "bullet proof"?

There was a company selling the replacement parts out of California. I found them on the internet and misplaced the info. They carried a complete line of replacement antenna parts including the plastic feed cable controling the mast. Kit came with the exact instructions for replacing the cable and they even had an 800 number for additional technical service. I will have to research again and advise. Complete parts kit was under $20 and it only works if your existing motor is still functioning (obviously).

The power antenna on my 94 LS 400 stopped retracting. Motor is cycling when starting or ignition is switched off. I did find an internet dealer on the west coast that specialized in the repair kit. I misplaced the information. Does anyone have this contact? Thanks in advance.

I posted this problem last week after having a new A/C evaporator installed. Car starts fine when cold, but will not restart until it cools off. Runs great with no sputtering, misfires, or rough idle. Some of you posted that it was the temperature sensor. Would the mechanic have removed the top of the engine cover to service the evaporator? I thought this unit was all under the dash? Is it possible the ECU has a loose connection under the dash since he had to unplug the wiring harness to install the evaporator? Can't rely on the car until this problem is corrected. NO codes are appearing and NO overheating. I may have to take the car to the dealer (hate that thought). Please give me more ideas to try. The temp sensor is not expensive so I may try that this weekend.

Is there a link with pictures showing how to service this sensor?