NC211

First of all, VERY IMPRESSIVE SITE!!! I'm new to the site. I have recently purchased a well maintained 95' LS400 w/ 82k miles on it. Coming from a 2001 Maxima SE to this is like going from a Cessna to the Concord. Love the ride! No more SE suspensions for me. I do have one concern though that I've seen on here from other users. It's in my transmission. I notice when I quickly take my foot off the gas at around 40 mph, the transmission stutters and the car thumps and jerks a bit. I've also noticed a slight vibration in the steering wheel when accelerating around 35-50 mph. I'm thinking maybe transmission mounts are getting close? It is especially noticable when going up a hill. I live in Raleigh, NC and we've got some hills. The car also lurches when putting it into D or R. I'm used to front wheel drive, so this may or may not be normal and I'm just not used to it, or could simply be it's age showing. Any suggestions guys on what it might be? If you think it's mounts, any suggestions on a good place to buy them to avoid the dealer?

On a side note, last weekend I detailed the car with a clay bar, 2 coats of polish and 2 coats of wax. I cannot say enough about that clay bar! It took 9 years of road grim off that paint and it looks increadible, especially since the car is black. It a tough job, one that requires a 12 pack of your favorite suds "and no nagging wife around." It's a shame that a 9 year old car is sooooo much better than a 3 year old nissan. Truly amazing machine.

Thanks ya'll

NC211

Oh, I did have the 90k service done on it from the dealership, timing belt and water pump included. That was part of the transaction deal. I guess that included all transmission and diff. fluids changed.
Thanks,
NC211

Losiho

Lol ! Yes some peace and quiet is the most important thing when detailing a car


Regarding the transmission, I would guess it could be worn transmission mounts. Regarding the thump when shifting between R and D, is it present all the time, or only when the engine is cold ?

joshthorsc

Welcome to CL!!!

When you shift into Drive or reverse, I remember someone talking about why that happened but that person said it wasn't his motor/tranny mounts though. I have a 92' sc400 (160k) and I have all the same problems you are having now also. Your vibration at 30-40mph might be your torque converter going bad or maybe need to flush your tranny fluid. I've heard from alot of people that the vibration went away after they did a tranny flush or drain and fill. Some also said that after they changed their torque converter, the rumble went away. I'm gonna do a drain and fill this weekend so hopefully that'll help a little. I also heard that it was bad to do a complete tranny flush on a high milage car(mine 160K) if it has no service records. It could damage the seal or something like that.

You can also type down "vibration" or "transmission" on the forum search and there you'll find all your answers. I hope this helps!!!

NC211

Thanks guys! The lurching from D to R seems to happen all the time, but less noticable when the engine has warmed up. I saw somewhere on here too about this issue. Something about how the vehicle will rev itself slightly right before engaging the gear. Oh well, for a 9 year old car, as long as it doesn't do damage then it's ok by me. But the stuttering and thumping has to go, can't take that. I can tell that will cause some serious damage down the road "loosen seals and so forth". I think it's a combination of both the mount and converter. The mount has to be getting close to it's last leg being that old. Rubber is rubber. The converter however won't be fun I'm sure. I'm hoping the 3000 mile 3 month warranty will cover that. If not, someone please call the doctor for me as i'm sure it'll be very expensive The fluids and filters should all be new since the 90k service was done a few weeks ago. Anyone know a good place to find weather-stripping for the doors? The've lost their "cush" over the years and need to be replaced. Don't want to pay the $120 per door at the dealership, ouch!

Thanks ya'll

JC1688

I had the same problem on my 95 Ls400. I bought the car in 1999 with 63,000 and noticed it right away. When you let go of the gas at around 40 mph, the car buckles. It is a well known problem on the 95 Ls400. There is a TSB on this problem and I was lucky to get it fixed under warranty. They changed the ECU, cruise control ECU and the spark plugs. It is very, very expensive to fix without warranty.

NC211

Thanks JC1688! I'm a little clueless on the terminology though, can you help me out. What is a ECU? When I hear ECU I think "East Carolina University" of which you should never send your daughters to for college. Trust me. I am taking the car into the dealer on Monday morning. It's under a standard 3 month 3000 mile warranty, so hope that kicks in for me! Otherwise, I'm toast. You're right on the money with the "buckling." That's it exactly. Do you know where I can get my hands on a copy of that TSB for this issue?

Thanks JC, greatly appreciate the help!

JC1688

ECU is the computer or the "brain" for the car. If you bought the car from a Lexus dealer, insist that they fix it for free as it was covered under a TSB. The TSB number is no longer in the database of the NHTA website. I can't locate my repair invoice but I did print out the TSB number which I have to locate. (Remember, this was in '99). When you bring the car into the dealer you have to tell the service advisor that you know this problem was covered under warranty as a TSB. This was originally covered under the powertrain (6 year or 70,000) miles which you are over. Tell him to look up the TSB and that it involved replacing the ECU, cruise control ECU and the spark plugs. Be very firm about it as he would play dumb at first. For such a smooth and quiet riding car this problem (jerking only between 35-45mph) magnifies it 10 times worse.

Hope this helps.

NC211

Thanks JC1688! The car is at the shop now. I did find a complaint on the nhsta website about this exact issue and they said it was the ecu just like you said. I printed it off and took it with me to give to them. After thinking about it, the ecu maybe why my steering wheel doesn't always retract all the way when I pull the key out too. We'll see what happens, hope they do the right thing. I got a feeling since they're floating the bill they will probably not want to. But we'll see. Thanks for your help!

On a side note, the dealership gave me a 2004 gx330 to drive as a loaner. Nice car, but still doesn't compare to my 9 year old LS. What's with that electronic throttle setup with the gas peddle? I noticed it on the last loaner they gave me "new camry." It's got like a half second hesitation in it. I don't like that one bit. Nothing beats a cable link straight to the throttle.

JC1688

Thank god you bought the vehicle from a Lexus dealer! It's at least $2Gs (ask how much it would have cost without warranty) if paid out of pocket. The ECU they replace has an upgraded firmware ( increases and holds rpm slightly throughout the rev range especially when you let go of the throttle. Don't worry, you won't even know it). With the new ECUs in place, the car will feel slightly different ( especially driven on a cold day before the car is warmed up). The steering wheel problem happens to me too except it's when I insert the key in, it does not go into the last saved memory position. This only happens probably 1 out of 30 times. Lexus dealers are usually good about dealing with TSBs and warrantys so I don't think you have to worry.

Let me know what happens, I'm curious.

NC211

Well, it looks as if a possible pissing contest may be happening in regards to the waranty. Now tell me this, how in the world does the main component that runs the engine and transmission not fall under the two sections "engine & transmission" the waranty covers? Got me.......They did find the TSB and the guy said it's mostly based upon the way the car is driven. But, it only does it when you're driving it normally, runs smooth as butter when you're flooring the thing. Who knows.... I knew this would happen. I'll eventually corner them to step up and do what's right.

You hit the nail on the head amigo. ECU all the way around. Now we just got to get 'em to own up to it.

NC211

Update: JC1688, you're the man! They're doing their best to side step me, but I've got them cornered. Check this out:

The dealer told me last night that this issue of replacing the ECU units were done as a "courtesy" to those who were effected. They stated that it is an issue to those who drive the vehicle in a certain manner. Basically implying that those who "hot rod" a LS400 are those who are effected. However, the vehicle does not do this when it is being pushed hard, it does this when it is being driven normally, like how I drive. They're not sure if they can own up to the process of doing this under warranty. Oh,?? well you can take the country club to the dealer, but you can't take the dealer to the country club. If anyone knows how I can get a copy of the TSB on this issue, please let me know! I am preparing my argument as follows:
A courtesy is dounuts in the lobby, free transportation to and from the shop and a nice voice on the line when you call. That is a courtesy. Refusing to honor your warranty to replace the key part of a vehicle that not only the designer / manufactorer, but the National Highway Transportation Safety Board also says is faulty and dangerous is not a courtesy, it is a liability. Image if on some cold day I were to hit a slick spot on the road and take my foot off the gas to gently coast across it, "a process that is not only taught, but endorsed by the United States of America Division of Motor Vehicles," but instead of gently coasting over it, the car buckles and jerks around due to a faulty command sent by the "brain" of the machine. What do you think will happen? The car will loose traction, spin out of countrol and not only put those who are in the vehicle at great risk, but innocent people who are around the vehicle at the time. This isn't a puff job here, it's a real issue. The manufactor agrees it's bad. The government agrees it's bad. The owners agree it's bad. The one who does not agree it is bad is the one who is on the hook to pay for it, via their warranty issued at time of sale, of which is still in effect. We all know those 90 day, 3000 mile warranties are used primarily to sell a car, to make the buyer feel as if the vehicle is soooo good the dealer is willing to put his stamp on it. And we all know that most of those warranties expire without issue. They are basically a marketing ploy. I would understand if we were talking about an alternator, or power steering pump. The car is nearly 10 years old after all. I would expect those to wear out. But the brain of the car? An issue addressed by the powers who call the shots, and agree it is dangerous and has offered a fix? But the dealer refused to fix it? Yeah, that's not a courtesy, that is a liability, a well documented one with a long history.

Ya'll agree?
Anyone know how I can get a copy of the TSB?

Thanks! This site is great!

Strida

Good luck NC211. Lucky for you, you purchased the vehicle from a dealer. Sucks for me, I bought my 95LS through a private party. I wish Lexus should issue a recall for this.

NC211

Strida, it was explained to me yesterday, and from other research on Lexus in general that they sometimes "code" a recall as a "campaign." The dealership told me there was a "campaign" for this exact issue back in the day. They said they needed to run my vin # to see if it qualifies for the campaign. It's basically a stall tactic they're doing. It may be in your best interest to swing by a dealership and bring this up to them. Tell them to do what JC said and find that TSB. Tell them to run your Vin. It couldn't hurt, might find that you're car is under the same situation and you might be able to talk them into it. Might be worth a try. I'll try to post the nhstb complaint weblink on here soon.

JC1688

Courtesy? You cannot drive the car with this problem! (Unless you never go over 40mph or go into overdrive). The buckling is so annoying that for 2 weeks I drove around trying not to let go of the gas between 35-45mph. It is impossible! Unless you shift out of overdrive right before you let go of the gas. Crazy!!! Anyway, I don't see how anyone can avoid this problem driving in "a certain manner". 95% of the time, the car is going to be driven normally and even if you never go on the highway, the car will go into overdrive at around 30mph. Before I brought my car in, I did some research and found the TSB of the problem in the web. I'm not sure if it was on the NHTSA website but I remember there were at least 25-35 different TSB for the 95 Ls. I don't know why half of the TSBs are not there anymore. Maybe someone with an account with Alldata can look it up as I still cannot locate the printout of the TSBs number. My car was covered under the manufacturers warranty ( I bought the car privately and they did not care I was not the original owner as I still had temporary plates) when I brought it in. I think the 90 day, 3000 mile used car warranty might be a little different. They would have a harder time getting the manufacturer to pay for the warranty work since your cars warranty expired. The problem lies right there. The dealer does not want to absorb the repair without someone footing the bill. Running the Vin is just a stall tactic while they check with Lexus. At the time, the service advisor said my car was only the 7th or 8th car that they did this work to but said it affected all the 95s. They did not upgrade the ECUs during the production of the car. The dealer said the problem crops up after the car reached about 60,000 miles and that the TSB wasn't posted until 97or 98. I will go back to the dealer tomorrow and see if I could get a copy of the service work.

Keep us informed.