blkstealthpaid4

I am planning on taking a trip to NY late this month.I live in atlanta and will be driving 1000miles to NY.My car is a 90 LS with at least 250k miles.Though the odometer says 175 carfax said it had been tampered with and in 97 the previous owner changed the timing belt.I have had the car for almost 31/2yrs and have not even done a tune up.It doesn't feel like it needs one at the moment.I have also changed most of the suspension parts.I also plan on changing the thermostat and PCV valve again.My tires are pretty good but I am scared to get stuck in no mans land and having to tow the car while on my way.I could spend about $300 in renting a car but I want to go show off my 19s and my double din head unit.I know these engines are robust and so is the tranny.I see engines on ebay for the LS and they never sell.Am I safe making this trip without worrying about tranny or engine?I am talking about 1000 miles one way and another 1000 within 5 days of staying there.has anyone ever taken such a a trip and nothing happened on a 13 yr old car?
I took this trip in my previous mazda mx 6 1988 and got stuck in NC after the second time around.(tranny)
I would forget about the dodge caravan 97 because I had it towed 7 times and I had to give up on it.I have never had to tow the LS.
Please help me decide.
Thank you!

Christian

Hello,

we drove last year with our 92 LS with around 400000km from Hamburg Germany to Napoli Italy. That was a 4000km trip without any problems. The car alwys gets his Lexus service every 10000km.

Chris

blkstealthpaid4

Correct me if I am wrong but you drove 1mile X4000km/1.64km=???
How many miles is that?

VQT

How do you know the last owner replace the timing belt in 97? If there is a sticker under the hood say so then it should tell you at what mileage the belt was replaced. If the belt is within 90K miles and your trans. hasn't showed any symtom I don't see why not. 19" wheel driving to NY is not a good idea, you will be dealing with snow unless you have time to wait until the roads are clear of snow to drive. If youare driving to NY city, be prepare to handle pot holes that are larger than the wheels...

Drove my 93 SC400 from Philly. to Los Angeles last summer covering more than 4500 miles. Stop by Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone NP, Arch NP, Canyon Land and Bryce Canyon, Vegas ... without any problem Car was 140K miles at that time.

SharpLS-96

He has approximately 249,000 miles on his LS and drove 2,484 miles on that trip.

Mileage is nothing on an LS when it comes to the engine so I would take the trip with it. To be on the safe side make sure your Serpentine Belt is good, change your Upper & Lower Radiator Hoses when you change your Thermostat. Make sure your Water Pump, Alternator, and Battery are in good shape.

Have you done a Transmission Fluid change since you own the car? If not, I would do it prior to going, top off the rest of your fluids and you'll be fine. Try not to drive it to hard.

Good luck.

blkstealthpaid4

Good idea to do the tranny service while changing the thermostat.The engine has a sticky on it for the time the Tming belt was changed and it said 187k miles in 97 and right now I am at 175k miles.I bought the car with 126k miles in 2000 sept.

LexLS

The LS is probably one of the most reliable cars on the road, if not the most reliable. I keep mine well maintained and would be quite comfortable setting out on a 2000 mile road trip right now without checking one thing. But, it would be a good idea to check fluids, tires, inspect belts, etc, if you are uncertain about these things.

I'm confused about your timing belt though . The belt was changed at 187k and now you have 175k on the clock, huh? Typo?

Wide LS

I think the previous owner moved the odometer back.
3 1/2 years and no tune up? Have you even changed your oil every 3,000 miles?

Christian

Hello,

sharpLS-96 seems to be right with his conversion.
I just want to say that half of that trip was on the German Autobahn with a lot of top speed driving
(200km/h+or 125m/h+).

If the car is in good condition you have nothing to worry about. In all the years our LS never had a breakdown.

Chris

blkstealthpaid4

It is amazing I have not done the tune up.I have done struts,upper control arm,spindle,painted twice and injector cleaning every three months.I guess the injector cleaning is what saves me.I will post pics by next week.No one believes it's a 90.I also did the thermostat two yrs ago.

retrodrive

mine took it easily when it still had the 185k engine. Once it is done I have to go to Florida through NY. Ultimate test for my engine swap

mtsao

FWIW, I drove my 90LS with 178K from Chicago to Charlotte,NC (and Myrtle Beach, SC) and back to Illinois over Thanksgiving without any problems. Total distance covered was about 2300 miles in 5 days. Or, I should say, only one minor problem...my TRAC light now comes on and stays on periodically , whereas I did not have that issue for the past 3 months I've owned the car. But that's for anojther post.

Also, I agree with the poster who cautioned against 19" rims in NYC--I'm assuming that they're wrapped in summer/high perf. tires, and that's bad news if there's snowfall on the ground, and doubly bad on a RWD vehicle like the LS...good luck though.

Lexozz

Word of advice from a fellow who was born and raised in NYC (Brooklyn). Don't go showing off in the wrong neigborhood. You could end up sittin on rotors without your double din head unit. I'm not trying to sound harsh or scare you in anyway I'm just saying be on your guard. My car is bone stock and I couldn't sleep well unless it's parked in the driveway or garage when I was living in the BK. If I ever spent the night out late the Club brake pedal lock would be on and to top that the fuse would come out (it can't start without it)

azari

I'm taking a 1000 miles trip to Florida in about 20 days with my '91 LS. I'll stay there for about a 2 weeks and be back (another 1000 miles). I don't know the condition of your car, but I think these cars were made for this sort of thing. They love to be driven on the open road. If anything, engine and tranny should be the last things for you to worry about; but a car is made up of a thousand parts, and any one of them could fail. Don't worry about engine and tranny, look at other things.

Wide LS

Where in FL are you going?