dasha1

I will 4th that. I have a 99 and 98 LS with the MXV4 and would not think of using another brand. They are smooth, quiet, handle well, and last a long time.

You might consider an 8 inch Pioneer Premier shallow mount (TS-SW841D), which is available on Amazon for less than $90. It has 500W max and 120W nominal power, and the spec sheet states that it can be used in free air applications. I installed one in my 1999 LS400 to replace the stock sub (and also installed a 300W JL Audio amp and line level converter). The size of the stock hole for the sub was perfect. I just needed to drill new holes around the periphery to mount the new sub. The profile of the sub was sufficiently small that the cover grill fit back in place with no trouble. The Pioneer sub sounds great - better than the Nakamichi sub in my other LS400. I know there are better rated subs available, but it wasn't easy finding one that was "free air." I did not want to sacrifice the room in my trunk to a subwoofer enclosure.

I currently have a 98 and a 99 LS400. The 99 has exhibited the "hesitation" thing since I've owned it. When I approach an intersection and merely slow down, e.g., to 5-10 mph, but don't quite stop, once I start accelerating again the car hesitates momentarily and it will then "bang" into gear. The problem is annoying, but I've learned to live with it over the past 4.5 years. I now usually avoid it because I developed a very delicate touch with my right foot on the gas pedal. When I first got the car I asked the Lexus dealer about this issue and they said it was normal and not to worry about it. A tranny fluid flush and change did not help. Interestingly, though, my 98, which as far as I know has an identical engine and transmission, does not hesitate like the 99, or at least does so to a far lesser extent. That makes me think that there might be some adjustment that can be done to minimize the hesitation in the 99. If anyone has encountered this hesitation issue and has improved it, please let us know. Thanks.

I've owned 4 LS400s, a 91, 95, 98 and 99, and I still have the 98 and 99. I prefer the 98 and 99 for the following reasons: (1) more power; (2) exterior looks best (to me); (3) 5-speed transmission; (4) better handling; (5) side airbags; (6) interior is slightly better in 98 and 99, e.g., wood steering wheel and shift knob. The 91 had developed some of the problems noted elsewhere in this forum, e.g., power steering leaks, but was still fairly reliable before it was finally wrecked at 212K miles. The wreck made me realize that these cars are built like tanks. I hit a concrete wall at 45 degrees at 50 mph and the damage to the car was far less than I would have expected, and I only had minor injuries. I bought the 95 with @ 155K miles (to replace the wrecked 91), and had it for 1.5 years without needing to do any repairs to it at all, aside from oil and other fluid changes. No kidding. I took it to the Lexus dealer a few times during the time I owned it and figured that they'd find at least something they recommended fixing or replacing, but each time they said it needed nothing. Based on this limited experience, I would agree that the 95-97 series is very reliable. The 99 I bought with @ 80K. It had been trouble free for the first four years (and 45K miles) I had it, but I've recently needed to replace some of the front suspension components, e.g., strut rods, front ball joints, and will need to replace more of them soon. Actually, the strut rods were probably bad for about 10K miles before I finally replaced them. This car still has a buttery smooth and quiet ride. The 98 I bought only a few months ago with 126K and it already had the strut rods replaced before I bought it. The rest of the suspension parts on the 98 seem fine, thankfully. The 98 was a 1-owner bought from a Lexus dealer, so I didn't think I would have any problems with it. However, I needed to replace a front wheel bearing soon after I bought the car, which was expensive. The transmission mount needed to be replaced when I bought the car but the two front engine mounts could have waited another few years. I replaced the tranny mount and the two front motor mounts and the improvement in smoothness and ride was incredible. I also switched over to Mobil 1 synthetic and the car had apparently always used conventional motor oil. Based upon what I read elsewhere I was worried that switching to synthetic at such high mileage (126K) might cause an oil leak. I did not experience any leaks, though. I have not gotten tired of the 99 LS400 in 4+ years of driving it. I still like it as much as when I bought it, even more, since I recently upgraded the stereo in it. I plan on keeping the 98 and 99 for a long time yet. I used to go to the Lexus dealer for all maintenance and repairs, but I now order parts as needed online at parts.com and use an independent mechanic to do the work.

Hi! I have a 1998 LS400 that came with HID headlights from the factory. Now the driver's side bulb is blown and the dealer wants $300 for a replacement (!). Could I use the Kensun bulbs you mention in you post - will they fit? If yes, do you receommend I replace both sides? Sincerely, Jay D I don't know. You might email sam at kensun (sam@kensun.com) and ask him what he recommends. My guess is that you can find a bulb that works for around $50 and certainly much less than $300 the dealer quoted you. It would be a shame, though, if you bought a bulb, plugged it in, and it blew out right away because it was not compatible.

So, does the "inner circle" give you access to the part no. diagrams or not?

jrSDA

Okay, so what about "the diagrams [being] available on numerous other websites"? Can anyone provide any links? Anyone know if the part no. diagrams can be purchased, like the repair manuals? Any advice here would be appreciated. I relied heavily on toyodiy to identify and order parts.

Looks like you have answers to the engine light and A/C issues. Here is a link to the stereo knob part number: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1991_LEXU....html?hl=86120A You can use www.toyodiy.com to find various OEM part numbers for the parts that you will need while you own your LS400. Then, after you have the part number, you can order it from, e.g., www.parts.com or www.lexuspartsonline.com. There are other sites, also, but I find parts.com to be the least expensive, even with their outrageous 15% shipping fee tacked on at the end when you checkout. It looks like the knob is available and costs about $9. I did not search for your door lock, but I am sure you can find it using the approach just described. Sometimes, though, the part you need is part of a larger module and you have to buy the larger part. For example, if you only wanted OEM bushings for an upper control arm, too bad. You'd have to buy the entire upper arm for $400+. Hope this helps. Good luck with your LS400. My first one was a 91 LS400 and I drove it to about 220K before it was totaled in an accident. I was sorry to see it go. I had no intention of getting rid of it because it was still a great car even with the high mileage.

I bought a 98 LS400 with 120K a couple of months ago and noticed that the ride did not seem as smooth and quiet as our 99 LS400. It also had a vibration upon start-up that lasted until I shifted into reverse. The Lexus dealer said the transmission mount was bad and quoted me around $350 parts and labor to replace it. The dealer also said that the engine mounts were fine. I declined the dealer's generous offer and bought the transmission mount on parts.com for around $40 and had a local mechanic install it for $50. The old one fell apart when he removed it. Changing the tranny mount helped, but the 98 was still not as smooth and quiet as the 99. Upon acceleration, it sounded almost like an exhaust leak. The car also didn't seem as buttery smooth as the 99. So, I ordered the engine mounts from parts.com and had them installed a few days ago by the same mechanic. Wow! What a difference. When my wife first turned on the ignition, she couldn't tell if the car turned over because the former noise and vibration associated with the car cranking were gone. The noise that sounded like an exhaust leak was gone also. The ride in the 98 became as smooth and as quiet as the 99. Having good engine and transmission mounts is really key to obtaining the smooth ride these cars are supposed to have. Interestingly, I looked at the old mounts after they came out and they were not torn at all. They were compressed by at least 1/2 inch, according to the mechanic. The compression of the rubber was apparently enough to reduce their ability to absorb the vibrations. It seems that one test for whether your engine mounts are absorbing vibrations like they're supposed to is turning on the ignition. You should feel almost nothing. If you can feel shakes/vibrations, your engine mounts are likely compromised.

My 1998 has stock tires and rims and the Garmin GPS indicates about 2-3 mph less than the speedometer at speeds b/w 60 and 80. I just noticed it two days ago and was wondering about it and then happened to read about it here. Interesting. My 99 LS has the stock Nav system which does not display speed. I might check it at some point against the Garmin.

I don't know what it was like when it was new (I bought the car in '01 with 53K miles) but the ride is smooth with these arms. They seem compliant, but controlled. I guess the bushings are similar in hardness to OEM. Thanks, that's helpful, and tips me toward buying the Arnott arms. I haven't used any aftermarket parts yet for any repairs, but I may go with the Arnott control arms because the OEM upper control arm costs are ridiculous. I spoke with a gent who was selling a single new OEM UCA on Ebay for about $330 and he apparently can get Toyota/Lexus parts at dealer cost. He said that dealer cost for the upper control arms for a 99 LS400 is $311.58 each. (I think it's the same part for a 95-00 LS400) Coincidentally, the price on parts.com is is $358.32, exactly 15% higher than the purported dealer cost. But then parts.com adds another 15% for shipping and another $2 for a handling fee and you're up to about $415 apiece. If I install the Arnotts, I will have two OEM control arms that could be refurbished and later put back into the car if the Arnott's fail. Anyone know of an entity that would install new bushings and a ball joint in an old control arm? I found a website (www.lextreme.com/Lexus-Control-Arms.html ) for someone who apparently refurbishes the bushings but not the ball joints and he still charges $200 each, not including shipping. That price seems high, and I would not be interested in replacing the bushings and not the ball joint.

Do these aftermarket control arms make the ride tighter and stiffer than the OEM's? Can you feel any difference?

I recently completed a major upgrade to my 1999 LS400 Pioneer system. I did it in two stages, first the sub, then the remaining speakers. I really could not find enough information on this forum about upgrading the stereo, so I will give a bit of detail here in case it helps someone else thinking about upgrading. First, you did not specify whether you have the upgraded Nakamichi or the standard Pioneer system. I assume you have the Pioneer because if you had the Nakamichi you would probably not be interested in changing it. I think there is about 90 watts more going into the Nakamichi sub. The standard Pioneer system is rated at 215 watts for all speakers in a 2000 LS400. I’ve read before how much goes to the sub, but I can’t recall. It is not much, like 60 watts. If you simply want to install another factory subwoofer, the part nos. are 86160 50100 for the Pioneer and 86160 5011 for the Nakamichi. You can order them from www.parts.com. The factory sub comes with its own bracket around the periphery of the speaker and which has three tabs extending from it. Bolts go into the ends of the tabs and secure the sub to the deck. There are clips that hold down the grill and it can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver to expose the subwoofer. The third stoplight snaps out easily as well. There is a wiring harness inside of it that needs to be disconnected so you can move the fixture out of the way. Replacing the sub with a new factory sub is not difficult. I also own a 98 LS with the Nakamichi. The bass from the Nakamichi is way better than the Pioneer. After listening to the pitiful bass from the Pioneer for a few years, and then buying the other LS400 with the superior Nakamichi, I decided to upgrade the Pioneer subwoofer. My goal was just a modest upgrade that would not disturb the factory design. I did not want a subwoofer box or anything else in my trunk, nor did I care to have other cars or pedestrians hearing a loud thumping sound coming from my car as I passed by. I thought that upgrading the sub only, not the door speakers, would be all that I would do. Since I did not want a box, I tried to find a “free air” sub that would fit into the stock 8 inch space. There’s not much to choose, but I discovered and bought the Pioneer shallow mount SW841D on Amazon.com for about $80. It is 500 watts max power and 120 watts RMS. The Pioneer spec sheet specifically states that it can be used in free air applications. This Pioneer sub fits nicely into the stock 8 inch opening, but you cannot use the same holes that the stock sub uses because the stock sub uses its own bracket. I drilled 6 small holes around the periphery of the stock speaker hole in the rear deck to match the locations of the Pioneer sub’s mounting holes. I used stainless steel nuts and bolts and also included rubber washers (vibration control) to secure the speaker. My wife held the nuts in place from the trunk side while I tightened them. I learned the hard way about controlling vibrations, but ultimately ended up with a vibration free and rattle free installation. I used some ¼ inch neoprene gasket material under the lip of the sub that became sandwiched between the lip and the deck when I tightened the speaker mounting screws. I also applied Dynamat Extreme (bought from Amazon – this stuff is expensive) dampening material all around the speaker opening on both sides before installing the speaker. I also applied the Dynamat over virtually the entire rear deck, top and bottom. I also added a thin piece of felt across the top of the third stoplight to eliminate vibrations between the stop light and rear window. To power the sub I used a JL Audio A1200 I bought on Amazon for about $130. I ran 4 gauge wire from the battery, through the firewall, under the door trim, under the rear seat, and to the trunk. I installed an inline fuse close to where the power wire connects to the battery. I located the amp in a formerly empty compartment in the right hand side of the trunk, beneath the trunk floor, totally hidden. You can’t just feed the factory wires into a new amp because the factory signal is already amplified. I used a “Peripheral” line output converter between the speaker wires coming from the factory amp and the JL Audio amp. This changes the signal to one which the amp can use. The converter was about $20. However, I mistakenly did not get the unit with the “remote turn on” feature. I instead used a 12V feed from my Navigation unit that is located on the left hand compartment in the trunk to turn on the amp, but I undesirably had the amp turning on with the ignition, even when the stereo was turned off. Getting a converter with remote turn on is key because there are really no 12V wires to tap into (that I know of) that turn on with the stereo. Here is the unit that I would have bought if I were only upgrading the sub: “Peripheral SVENR Two Channel Premium Line Output Converter with Remote Turn On.” It also is available on Amazon for around $35. The line output converter I used also fit into the same compartment with the sub. Before attempting the installation, I ordered the factory repair manual for the LS400 on Ebay in a download format. The factory manual shows how to disassemble seats, speaker grills, etc. For the subwoofer installation I did, I needed to remove the grill and third stoplight noted above, and also the rear seat, the rear deck, the trim around the driver’s and rear passenger doors, and a cover in the trunk that spans the width of the trunk and encloses the subwoofer. The compartments underneath the trunk floor are easy to access. They just pop open if you pull on them. In any event, the results of upgrading the sub were amazing. The sub sounds better than the Nakamichi in my other LS400. Plenty of good clean bass with the setting on the amp turned only about 1/3 of the way up. Replacing only the subwoofer in these standard Pioneer units is a sufficient upgrade all by itself, in my opinion. It brings the Pioneer unit much closer in sound quality to the Nakamichi. The four door speakers and tweeters in the Pioneer system are not bad. Nonetheless, the door speakers in the Nakamichi produce more lifelike sound and you hear subtle notes with it that the Pioneer does not pick up. I ultimately decided to upgrade the door speakers and tweeters as well, and now my 99 LS400 has a better sounding stereo than the Nakamichi in my 98 LS400. But the upgrade to the subwoofer was definitely the single biggest improvement and would have been enough by itself. With all of the parts, wires, Dynamat, etc., I probably paid a bit over $350 to upgrade the sub.

I have a 99 LS400 with factory HID and recently bought a 98 LS400 for my wife, but it does not have the factory HID. The light from the 98's factory halogens was pitiful in comparison to the 99's HId's. It was a dim, yellow color that barely lit up the road at all. I bought a pair of Kensun 4300K slim ballast from Amazon ($109) and installed them in the 98. The light is fantastic, probably at least 3X as bright as the halogens, as advertised. It makes night driving a lot easier and safer. The lights don't blind other driver's, either. The HID bulbs were directed properly by simply installing them in place of the halogens without me having to adjust them. The lenses on the 98 LS appear to be the same as those on the 99 with the factory HID. That is, the lenses are not fluted and seem to be "HID ready." On your 1st gen, the lenses will be fluted and this may create some light scatter issues. If you install HID bulbs in your factory housings, you'll want to make sure that they don't create a blinding hazard for oncoming cars. The Kensun lights recommended above work flawlessly as plug and play, without needing a relay. (A relay is an extra device that is wired between the battery and the lights and provides 12V to the lights directly from the battery when the lights are switched on. It prevents flicker and turn on problems created by the factory wiring not providing sufficiently constant voltage.) I needed to reverse the polarity of one of the connections on the Kensuns, which I understand is quite common. I bought another pair of HID's for the fogs from a different vendor, and they would not turn on with the auto-on feature when starting the car. They'd flicker and then go out, so that I had to switch them on manually, after which they worked fine. I didn't want to bother installing a relay, but I always use the auto on setting, so I bought a second set of Kensuns for the fogs and they work perfectly. I've only had the HID bulbs/ballasts in the headlights for about one month, so I cannot say how they will hold up long term.

Agreed. I have used www.lexuspartsonline.com for years and their prices are good, but parts.com is a little cheaper.