pfantom68

I just bought a 91 LS400 today, and I need help with a couple things on it. It's dark grey, with grey interior, standard suspension and traction control. 180k on the clock, and I got it for insanely cheap.

Anyways, first off... the car is throwing a CEL and airbag light, so I went and diagnosed both of them today.

For the CEL, it's throwing a code 28: "Main oxygen sensor signal (on right bank)". Now, I'm in Michigan, and we don't have emissions, and the previous owner told me that it's had the CEL on for the past 50k miles, so I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make much of a difference to replace this. But since I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, what would be involved to replace this myself?

And for the airbag light, it's throwing a code 14: "Open in squib circuit". Now, I have no idea what the hell this means, so can anyone provide any insight into this? I'm almost positive it'll cost me an arm and a leg to get it repaired at the local Lexus dealer (as with anything else). Is it really serious? I mean, I don't care much for functionality of the air bag, as long as it doesn't randomly blow up in my face.

Finally, there's a thump from the back of the car when it's put into gear. The owner thinks it's the differential, but he doesn't know much about cars. The car drove fine at low speeds, but I don't wanna get stranded somewhere either. What do you guys think this may be?

Anyways, I'm not going to actually have the car on my property for another month and a half at least, but here's some pictures of where it's currently sitting:





(the crap on the side of the bumper is ice)

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

nice car from the looks of it.

o2 sensor is a fairly simple replacement, but u need some experience working on cars/wiring. search around for a decent universal replacement.

the other code is potentially dangerous, it means that theres a break/short in the circuit that controls the squib for the airbag, the squib is the small EXPLOSIVE CHARGE that propels the bag outward during impact.

the thump is most likely the rear transmission mount, though it could also be the differential /rear carrier bushing. id replace trans mount though since its going to make a noticable difference in the feel of the car.

pfantom68

Thanks for the quick response, dude!

For the O2 sensors, I found a tutorial and it doesn't look too hard to do.

But now that I know about the squib circuit... that has me concerned. The owner told me that he had service done to the traction control when it stopped working, and during that time, one of the airbag connectors may have been messed up, because that's when the light came on. I'm no electrical guru, so how much do you guys think something like this would cost to get diagnosed at the Lexus dealer, and how much would it cost to repair?

I guess I'll have to take a look at the drivetrain later on once I get it to my friend's house to store it, but I'll be sure to keep you guys updated.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

a regular toyota dealer may be abetter bet, they charge less for parts and labor

it may be something as simple as a loose connector, take the lower steering column covers off (carefully ) and take a look, the airbag connectors are easy to identify, they're all bright yellow handle them gently.

pfantom68

Just a quick update...

Got new pics on Friday night with my friend:









Car won't be on my property until the end of the month, but even then, I dunno when I'll have the time and money to get it all fixed up, as well as change the timing belt and completely tune this baby up.

pfantom68

And here are 2 underbody shots:



Car has been in Michigan it's whole life, so it is rusty under there, but for the price I got it for, it's good enough.

Boyscout

iTrader: (3)

say 'ello to my rrrusty friend