Granite88

Hi guys! Figured I would start a progress thread as I fix up this old LS I just picked up into a reliable daily driver & long distance cruiser. most updates will be maintenance and repairs for a while.

A couple buddies of mine in MN introduced me to these cars, and after feeling the need for something comfortable and reliable I finally picked one up!
1996 LS400
197K miles.
$2400. AC works great!
Almost totally silent idle, no ticking valves. Hard to tell that it has the miles on it that it has.
I really enjoy driving the car. Its smooth and has lots of power. It also does VERY well on gas for having a v8. Should be a good daily driver.






I drove it home from Chicago (about 4 hours) with a slow transmission leak and a VERY OLD timing belt that at that time- I was un-aware of. The people selling it took it to a dealership religiously and had thought that when the "Drive belt" was replaced twice, that meant the timing belt. Nope. I looked up the VIN's records and the people that owned it since 34K miles took it to a dealership for every little squeak and bump from the car. It shows it was cared for the way it drives. With the exception of the old timing belt.


Had a very good shop that I trust install a full GATES timing kit and they also replaced all the transmission cooler lines with new ones so no more leak.
I am mechanically inclined, but the timing belt job was too big for me on this car. I own a 1982 VW Scirocco as a project car. I saved it from going to a wrecker years ago...so I am familiar with wrenching on things a bit.

After the timing work was done my serpentine belt began to chirp- and that is whats next on my list of things to fix. I already ordered a Gatorback belt to see if its just a poorly fitting belt.
The old belt is within range, but it squeals a little when the A/C is turned off. With the AC on its quiet with the added load on the belt.

The belt appears to be within proper tension range. Will see what happens when I replace it with the GatorBack belt. Ive seen examples of worn out belts that look to fit fine but just annoyingly slip some.

I also have to undo a bit of slack I took out from the throttle cable. I took the slack out of it and took too much. My cruise control that worked fine before now just accelerates nonstop slowly. My fault on that one.

My Fuel door popper also JUST stopped working yesterday. Doesn't even click when I pull the switch any more. Probably a fuse. Checking into that soon. Yes I know about the fuel door release in the trunk.

My "Fixed" list:
Timing belt - Done.
Transmission lines leak - Done- all new tranny lines.
Serp belt Squeal - Done (note: new tensioner pulley due next soon)
New Spark Plugs & Wires + Caps & Rotors - Done.
Fuel Door opener issue - Fixed.
ECT sensor - Replaced.
New tires - Done.
Rear muffler delete, turndown tailpipe extensions added. - Done.
Replace all standard interior lights with white LEDS - Done.
Woodgrain shift **** - Done.
New Windshield - Done.
New transmission filter + 3.75 quarts of new OEM Toyota ATF - Done
Brake Pads & Rotors - Done

-----To Do:
ABS/Trac control lights coming on randomly. (hoping to check this out while doing my pads & rotors)
Replace CD changer door. (scratched)
Buy a SPARE rebuilt ECU, or get one from a junkyard and send it to be repaired to keep handy as a spare. (I mention this because my
Replace broken power antenna with a nub of some kind. (possible lead to a good replacement?)
Seafoam the engine through the brake booster hose.

Fun things I plan to get to eventually after maintenance:
-Summer wheels (Was thinking newer oem Lexus wheels or something aftermarket jdm that looked classy.)
-Clear front bumper indicators.

I think I did OK. I plan to fix the rest of the stuff myself as I can, or with the help of friends as I need to. Hope she lasts me a long time (Hello, Mr. Matt Farah's 1996 White LS400. I have your less-driven brother)

jaaa

Looks like a nice one. Good luck going forward. My 1996 bought with 217k and now 227k has been an adventure. It was badly neglected, so I've dumped a lot of maintenance into it in the last year. Hows the motors on the steering wheel? Mine were almost shot and had to get pick/pull ones to get it to move at all. BTW, that timing belt really looked bad. This car isn't that bad to replace the timing belt on, as I did mine last month. A fair amount of work, but fairly straightforward. Hope you have a few less problems than I have had this last year.

Granite88

Thank you! I really enjoy the car, I hope it serves me well as I fix it up. I am hoping the worst of my mechanical maintenance is over after having the timing belt serviced and the trans lines fixed. Its all tuneup and general maintenance from here I hope
As for the steering wheel motors they work fine on mine. They sound a bit tired, and are not actually set to move very far, but they still appear to work okay.

Losiracer2

Nice pickup, I've found my twin! I got my 97 with 253k for $2700 although I've got the coach style wheels in chrome but mine isn't a coach ed. I later upgraded to these 20" Enkei mesh wheels. But it too needed a T belt soon after, 2k miles, since the crank seal decided to go. Guy told me I had 50k to go on the belt, don't believe anyone without documentation. Also needed balljoints and spark plugs/wires, coolant temp sensor, and an immediate oil change since the guy used Pennzoil crap in there, swapped it out for Mobil1 and now running Royal Purple. The saving grace on my deal was the guy spent about 1000 bucks on recent maint (new tires, alternator, brakes all around, radiator, strut bushings, limo tint and rear muffler delete with some nice polished Vibrant 3" dual tips) so i felt it was worth it since those were items that were needed on the majority of other cars i was looking at.

The body and paint on yours looks pristine, aside from the broken antenna, which mine was too and the cracked windshield. I say you got a good deal on yours for the amount you paid with the relatively low miles on it. I found an AntennaX one on Amazon for 20 bucks that I swear is a ringer for a Lexus OE one.

It should be a fun project. Ever since I've fixed mine 8 months ago, I haven't had to do anything to it since, and I drove 80 miles/day for work, these cars really are that reliable. I also live in AZ where we've had one of the worst summers heat wise in I'd say a decade. My AC still blows ice cold in 115 degree blistering temps.

You should get the clear Depo all clear headlights/corners and bumper lights along with the red/clear LED tails. It really modernizes the look of the LS, especially in Diamond White Pearl like we have.

Granite88

Wow, I actually really like those clear front bumper lights. Looks nice on our color scheme. I added that item to my watch list on eBay for the future.

Gotta say, your car looks great! All the work you put in definably paid off. I have a ways to go, but I'll get it there so long as nothing catastrophic happens.

dicer

How does everyone get the big pictures?

Granite88

PhotoBucket IMG embedded links.
Check out Photobucket. Ive been using it since I first got into car forums long ago.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

welcome, looks exactly how i got my pearl 97 a few years back, gold emblems and grey interior too! start with the FAQ and keep us updated with your progress. you have the right direction in mind, taking care of the maintenance first before modding.

dicer

No photo buckets for me. I see too many missing pictures from them.

Granite88

Gotta love simple fixes. Gatorback belt fixed my belt squeak.


While changing it I checked the pulleys and found why the old belt was squeaking. The tensioner's pulley has a tiny bit of play in it, just enough to have a slight misalignment.
$20 for a new pulley on the tensioner's spindle. I'll be changing that when the pulley actually begins to make noise. For now its fine since I have a belt that doesn't squeak from a misalignment.

Also, check out them spark plug wires. Original 1996 equipment. XD Soon enough those will be next.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

That would be because people don't keep their accounts current, or closethem. not PB's faul.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

All the more reason just to upload the pics in the forum.

jaaa

It sure is annoying to see a great write up on how to do XXXX and then see that the photo's(where 90% of the information is) are missing.

mikaelse

Wow .
I thought my timing belt was old with 20 years and 95kmiles when I changed it. Gates belts are good I believe but I used a Mitsuboshi which is claimed to be OEM .
Compared to yours my old one was close to mint condition. I also exchanged the water pump.
Just a tip . It is easy to exchange the bearing in the serpentine belt tensioner for a new one. Saves you a few bucks.
The Idler bearing was also very dry sounding on my car. Exchanged that also.
Then you also have control over bearing manufacturer. Important is to use a enlarged play bearing since it is a press fit. I used C3 play. About 10$.
Easy to press bearing in and out with a few sockets and a wise as tools. Just remeber that the screw has LEFT winding on the tensioner but not the idler.

Granite88

Not much of a big update other then I found out my radiator was half plugged up with grass and crap (on the outside of course)- blew that clean even though I wasn't having overheating problems anyway.

I just made a couple videos for a new YouTube channel I started that revolves around car & computer stuff.
I couldn't find a single good example of the OEM radio sound quality- so I made my own video:

I also made a video that was about my serpentine belt that used to squeal: