Hi everyone! I'm making this thread as a place where I can keep track of everything that I will be doing to my car. I recently picked up a 1990 LS400. $1400. 187k miles, and around 100k on transmission (previous owner swapped it out as the original was slipping). Updated door panels/seats from newer year LS400 that came with the car as well. Of course the car has its quirks/issues for being 29 years old. Here's a link to my member intro post: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post10436963






Now onto what is wrong, what I have fixed, and what i have modified.

01/26/2019: Purchased car

These are some of the issues that came with the car when I bought it:
1. Seats were not connected as the connectors from the first gen LS400 are different than the 2nd gen's.
2. Telescopic tilt motor wasn't working so the steering wheel was stuck all the way up.
3. Manually having to open the fuel door by opening the trunk with the key, then opening the first aid compartment and pulling on the fuel door latch release, then prying the fuel door open with the car key.
4. Having to press the Shift Lock Override Button to shift from park every time (probably a stuck Shift lock solenoid).
5. Foot well lights would stay on causing the battery to drain. Which is why the previous owner kept having to jump start the car since he hadn't figured out what the problem was.
6. Car came with a spare key, no remote.
7. Power locks are not working, I have to manually lock/unlock all the doors
8. Speakers only work on the right side of the car.
9. The trunk and fuel door release levers don't work. I'm not sure if it's because of it being locked with a valet key (which I don't have).

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

Not a bad start but it does look like you have your work cut out for you. Shame they couldn't find grey seats and door placards though.

 

10. Cruise control also doesn't work (probably a bad CC ECU)..

I have subscribed to Toyota's Technical Information System or TIS for the $20 Two day subscription where I downloaded all the repair manuals and wiring diagrams for my 90 LS400. Took a few hours to download everything since they're all individual PDF files. In total I have 543 Files, and 199 Folders ( I like to be organized lol). That was definitely a well spent $20 as I don't mind digital downloads over paperback (more expensive).

 

02/09/2019:

Did some modification to the stock intake without cutting or hacking into it and retaining everything in original form. My goal is to get a little bit more airflow into the engine.




Used rubber splicing tape wrapped around the filter one time to fill in any gaps. That way the clamp will latch around the filter with a snug fit without any movement or play.

My attempt at a homemade heat shield. Used cardboard paper and aluminum foil.

Air intake cover re-installed while the intake still retains a stock look.

 

Now I'm a fan of V8's as I love the rumble of them and I couldn't just drive a V8 without hearing some of it. The stock quietness was, well a little too quiet for my taste. Yes, I am aware of these cars being engineered with the most quiet v8's (for their time). I cut off the exhaust to open it up and see how the engine sounds. Instead of a muffler delete I decided to go with a muffler + resonator delete (2 resonators). These engines sound amazing when they're able to breath! I'm hoping to go to a muffler shop this weekend to get some pipe welded and ran straight back doing an X or an H (preferable) setup. The drone in the cab is pretty loud right now under 2k RPM's. Then again that's also due to the fact that the exhaust is cut right below where the center console is

After the exhaust setup I'll be getting coilovers maybe within a few weeks.

 

01/28/19:
- Fixed telescopic motor issue with the wheel being stuck all the way up by spacing out the telescopic motor with a zip tie.

- Temporarily fixed the issue with the seats being moved back as the connectors from the newer seats are different than what came with the car. Which caused the seats to be in a permanent position as they weren't connected . To adjust my seat to a more comfortable position I had to splice some of the wiring for basic motor functions to a 18v cordless battery. This is a temporary fix until I can figure out how to wire it correctly. Here's a link to the thread that I made in relation to my seats: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...my-1990-a.html

 

Yeah there's definitely a lot to keep me busy with. True, the grey seats and doors would have been nice, keeping it the original color. I can't complain though as the seats are in great condition!