SPhoto

i have a 91 ls400 and last night when i tried starting it, turning the key all the way, it would just make a one click noise. stuck in a walmart parking lot, i let the car rest over night & tried again the next morning thinking the battery might've been the problem and same results with the one clicking noise. got my car towed home and tried starting it with one of those portable jumpers still same results with the one click sound. took off the jumper & tried one last time starting it...this time instead of the one click noise, as i turn the key and hold it as if starting the car, the one click noise turned into multiple clicking. like a machine gun!
i asked around and i've been getting told, "its your battery" or "its your starter". what could this problem be?

SPhoto

can anyone tell me exactlywhat this hose is?! mine is very hard, brittle, and cracked, and not connected to the manifold. also i could smell gas coming from it. could it be related to my car not starting?

Mugen_1

Hmm. Mine sounds like a machine gun after I've left the stereo on while cleaning it and I try to start it a few hours later. A jump courtesy of our Odyssey usually fixes that, though.

SPhoto

weird. could you tell me what that hose is Mugen 1?

Do.Man

the clicking is most likely your starter on its way out..

and the hose is a vaccuum line that connects to your the acv on the powersteering reservior, where another vaccuum line is connected to the intake.

SPhoto

yeah that hose is cracked and it smells like gas coming out from there. i need to replace the hose too right? since its cracked, brittle, hard, etc.

oh & noob question >.< the starter is that black cylindrical part under the hose i hi-lited right?

Do.Man

yeah if its brittle and hard then replace it. it shouldnt smell like gas though.

the black thing is not the starter. the starter is under the intake manifold in the center of the engine which you cant see unless you take the manifold off. its is gonna cost a bit..

renato902

I had this problem some time ago. Ended up being my battery, I swapped it out for a new one and everything worked perfectly all over again. It's funny because I was late for an exam when it happened. I was at a light and the radio display and climate control started to flicker. I turned off the car thinking restarting it would solve the problem but it wouldn't turn over! All I heard was that clicking sound. If I would let the car rest for 10 mins, the clicking sound would become the machine gun sound you were talking about. I pushed it to the side of the road and within half an hour, my dad came with a spare battery he had from my mom's Acura, nursed my car all the way to Costco and bought a Kirkland battery. Hasn't failed on me since, best battery I've ever bought lol... I hope that changing your battery solves the problem for you too

deanshark

Has anyone ever actually heard a machine gun fire? They don't click. But we all know what you're saying. Was there any kind of warning signals before this happened like hard starting or lights dimming? Don't just go buy a battery, have yours tested first. No sense throwing parts at it that it doesn't need. If the battery is drained have your alternator checked, it could be it's not charging the battery. Check the connections on the battery cables to make sure they're clean and tight. This link shows all that and how to diagnose your problem. The pics of the starter are from a 2000 but same idea. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...os-inside.html
That vacuum line that you're talking about should be changed if it's cracked, you don't need a vacuum leak. The smell is probably just from the fumes in the intake.

trukn1

Before you go and throw parts at the car, do some elimination processes first. That "machine gun" sound can be caused be a number of things. I to have had it happen with my 92. The first, and most simple of things to check is the battery connections. In my case, the positive cable was the culprit and just needed to be moved a little and re-tightened (positive cable is a common "to go item" on the first gen. Battery COULD be dying and on it's way out as well,,solution- have it checked at your local parts store before investing in the money for a new one. Last, but certainly not least, (worst case scenerio),,starter MAY be on it's way out. Is the most expensive repair option of those I have listed. You cannot see the starter from just having the hod open. As others have stated, it is COMPLETELY buried under the intake manifold, in the valley of the engine block, pretty much right next to the fire wall. Entire top end has to come off to get to it. Hope this helps a little to get you on the right track.

SPhoto

does anyone have a picture of where the starter actually is so i have a visual please?? and i dont think its my battery because since i got stuck in a walmart parking lot, i went & bought a BRAND NEW battery and replaced it and still it didn't work so i returned the battery. now people are telling me it could be my starter or alternator. man idk what it is!

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

wierd, usually its the battery. if u searched you coulda came up with your visual in a minute.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-progress.html

Privateer

For those who've never heard a machine gun.

Ma Duece

SPhoto

Besides pulling off the intake manifold, is there any other possible way to get to the starter? Or even see the starter atleast?

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

not really. u can peek it through the gaps between the intake but not enough room to do anything.