ls400geek

The no. 2 panel (or whatever it's called): does it just pop off? is it just held in by clips?

Dranom

iTrader: (7)

What do you need done? Replace air filter?

ls400geek

No, I've already done that.

I need to drop the glove box so I can take out the ECU and Blower Unit

LScowboyLS

it is held in by well hidden fasteners

there is an art to feeling out what is holding something without breaking it - find a guy who can take apart laptops or cell phones

Kansas

I have little memory about how I did it but when I installed a handsfree phone kit shortly after I purchased my 00 LS in 2003, I found that removing the glove box and panel under it was easy and intuitive. Just crawl under and take a look.

Didn't you just buy this car? You got a disaster on your hands?

ls400geek

Disaster? Not really. I want to disassemble the blower unit and clean it out (check the air inlet servo motor etc) -- because it often makes a clicking sound behind the glove box when starting up (I think it's some debris caught in there or something). I also want to replace the electrolytic capacitors on the ECU since they are 15 years old.

The car runs pretty much runs like a new car, only a few more things to fix. (We did quite a bit to it over the past few weeks.) I also want to take off the throttle body and clean it well. I am going to change the differential OIL as well since it's probably dirty after 60,000 miles (6 years). I am also going to change the ECT Sensor. I want this car to last another 10 years or more.

LScowboyLS

ECT Sensor is a great idea, as are electrolytic caps in ECU - make sure you use OEM real Totota part for ECT Sensor aka ECTS

on the ECU caps, be very careful to get the exact caps mentioned in post#1 of my how-to, substitute caps are NOT recommended

be very careful to wear all cotton clothes and bare feet, and make sure the person desoldering and soldering them has a good bit of experience, and be very careful with the flat cables that connect the two boards, and double check your cap polarities when finished, as well as inspecting thoroughly all of the new solder joints and the boards themselves for stray solder, clipped leads, etc.

this is not a job to attempt if you have kids or pets running around - try and pretend you are in a pristine Japanese factory and you are the master Lexus craftsman (woman)

if you have specific questions, PM me

ls400geek

The ECT Sensor I got is aftermarket ($10 from ebay). I took measurements at various temperatures and the resistances fit within the acceptable ranges in the service manual. I'll take the same measurements from the 15 year old OEM one I pull out to see how it is--and share the results here.

I have a grounded wrist strap I use when handling sensitive electronics and have had a lot of experience soldering.

I just replaced 10 electrolytic capacitors in my brother's 1968 Fender Bandmaster amplifier head--they were bulging, leaking & smoking:



I bought the low esr electrolytic caps that both you and yamae mentioned, thanks for the information--bought them from digi-key a couple weeks back and have been sitting in a baggy waiting for installation.

phlorida

If I remember correctly, you have a 98 LS like I do. I was told on this forum that the 98 ECU was unlikely, but not impossible, to have bad capacitors.

ls400geek

Yeah, but there is no real easy way to tell if they are going bad so I'll just replace them to be safe. Chances are they are fine.

LScowboyLS

yamae and I are the two experts here on the subject, and neither of us has ever said that the 98 ECU was unlikely to have bad capacitors!

we may have said a bit less likely, but that is not saying much, as the earlier years, especially 93-97 are epidemic!

90-92 and 98-00 are less likely than 93-97 to have issues for a couple of different reasons, but all LS400's have these capacitors degrading to some degree, and someone who is a competent solderer like ls400geek would be crazy not to replace them! (like she said, if for no other reason, they are 15 years old!)

to quote yamae from post #8 of my how-to fix the ECU capacitors thread: "what I can say is that the lifespan is longer than roughly 10 years or so but you cannot expect a lot if used for longer than that."

These capacitors are extremely critical in how your car runs and how the transmission works.

LScowboyLS

impressive guitar amp recapping!

I wish the ECU's had this kind of room to work on - lol

phlorida

I'm glad that you saw this and corrected my previous statement because I was paraphrasing you from a previous response. "Unlikely" should have read "less likely."

"I agree that 98-00 have not had the huge issue with it that 90-97 models have a couple of reasons for this, one of the bad capacitors that was causing the problem (Nichicon PF) was phased out in 98, though some can show up in 99 and 00 ECU's because that was a manufacturing phase out, not a usage phase out until the ECU redesign of 2001 also, 98-00 cars are newer, and this problem happens with time, and is exacerbated by the car sitting, like a Florida snow bird car does, half the year. have definitely seen the problem on 98-00 models, just to a lesser degree, so far, than 90-97"

LScowboyLS

FYI - Florida seems to be especially bad on ECU capacitors, not sure if it is the heat, or more likely that this state has a lot of snowbird LS400's that sit a lot during half of the year, and capacitors don't like sitting around unused, for some of the same reasons that batteries should not sit around in a discharged state.

capacitors are a tiny battery, of sorts!

phlorida

I have purchased the replacement capacitors based on your recommended cap list but hadn't done anything with them based on my misinterpretation of your previous comments. I'll find someone to do the soldering for me soon.