damon

Family has 3 LS400's and I believe the oldest 90 model has exactly the same phenomenon that Lvangundy described on the drivers side . This seat also needs recovering but I can visibly see that the right shoulder side is further from the dash than the window side.

This led to a debate as to whether this was a bent frame or a motor problem. What did yours turn out to be? What was the best option to fix it?

In short, this LS needs upholstry help, padding help , and either frame or motor help.
Carson gave a new seat quote that exceeded the value of the vehicle.

any help appreciated,

Thanks, damon

dj.ctwatt

There is a sort of axle from the motor (only one motor one one side) that actually turns gears on each side to adjust the recline on the seat. . . I had the same problem and tore apart the car/seat to find out what the problem was the axle was slipping and not engaging the gears on the other side of the driver's seat, so only one side would adjust. There is a DIY fix somewhere, but I don't have the link off hand.

Word of caution, be VERY careful not damage the vinyl when removing the seat. . . it's very hard to remove the seat when it is locked down in the fully reclined position.

damon

Thanks for the reply.

It occurs to me that the simple way to tell if this is a bent upper seat frame is to measure. If it is not gears that have somehow slipped , the seated portion of the chair should be equidistant from the dash on both sides.

I searched an old post where apparently Lexus has a replacement upper bar for the frame. Since this seat needs an extensive rebuild anyway, that would be of interest. Who sells new foam padding? Does Leatherseats.com address anything other than the cover?

damon

Pagong

I have that same problem on my 90 LS and all i did was give it a "gentle" push with both of my feet... BUt that was a temporary thing.

I would like to also know if I could take my car to an upholstery shop have them put more padding in the seat. Do those shops do that?

RUDENESS

I have the same problem with my 91 LS400, please forward any info on this asap please.......

damon

Here is the path my father has chosen to restore the seat in our oldest LS.

The seat cushion itself is totally shot so simply recovering with new leather would not do the trick. He has ordered a new Toyota seat cushion. I will provide price and part #'s as stuff arrives. He has also ordered the replacement support bar across the upper seat back.

A local shop to Dallas has been contacted to recover the seat with the new parts. This is going to be a fairly expensive endeavor. This is also not the method I would have chosen.

damon

bblueser

I have a '92 LS with less than 40K miles. It's a very nice car; literaly driven by a little old lady. My point is that the front seats were not worn out by this lady, the bottom cushion padding is just too hard, and the leather gets hard, too. The result is an uncomfortable seat.

I took the seats to a local upholstery shop and spent about $250 to have new Toyota (Lexus) seat cushions installed. The new cushioning didn't help, the factory cushioning is too firm. So, I took matters into my own hands and, after taking the seats apart no less than 10 times, to install new cushioning of various thicknesses and densities), I finally hit upon a combination that works well. It was a ***** getting there, but I finally arrived at a solution to the comfort problem.

The trick is to hollow out a 14" X 14"X 1.5" thick area of the bottom cushion, directly underneath where you sit on the seat. In that hollowed out area, install new foam that measures 14" X 14" X 1.75" thick (slightly thicker than the factory foam that was removed). After trying no less than 9 or 10 foam types, I finally settled on foam from a Steelcase office chair! Steelcase just developed a new foam for its Leap chair, and it is similar to a dense memory foam. It's the only foam I found that resulted in a comfortable seat.

Oh, another important part of this project is to attach a piece of hard rubber sheet (approx. 1/8" thick) to the top of the S-type springs that the foam rests on. If you don't separate the new foam cushioning from the underlying springs, the foam will be damaged.

Sorry for the long winded description, but I hope it's understandable. If not, let me know and I'll try to make it clearer. Maybe I could even draw up a diagram.

So, don't waste your money by buying a new Toyota cushion; they're a waste of money.

damon

bblueser,

Now that is stepping out of the box! First thing I notice is that the "leap" chair is not exactly inexpensive. Were you able to get the foam seperately? If so how & where?

Your description is more than adequate. Thanks for the info & the effort you put into exploration.

damon

Does anyone know what other model Lexus seats fit an LS400? I would guess that a toyota frame rail stays pretty uniform, but I've never thought to look. Do know that GS400 seats feel much sportier than my LS.

bblueser

I think Supra seats will bolt into the first gen LS. Actually, instead of leather, I would prefer a high quality cloth seat. I thought about shopping for an aftermarket seat, but they all look too sporty for the LS.

damon

So how did you acquire the Steelcase seat cushion?

bblueser

The foam is nothing more than a dense memory-type foam. For those who don't know what memory foam is, it's cool stuff; expensive, but worth it!

Find a foam dealer that has several densities of memory foam in stock, so you can feel the different differences. Pick one that's about pretty firm (but not the firmest).

damon

Parts just arrived from Japan

71512-50020 Seat Pad $196.52
71620-50010 Seat Spring $ 515.27

These are Toyota Part #'s

Now on to the re-upholstrey portion of the event. This is going to be one expensive seat repair!

damon

bblueser

Damon:
If you haven't yet bought the springs and cushion for your LS, don't do it. It's a waste of money. The springs are made to last a lifetime; they're not just coil springs, they're S-shaped springs that are supported by coils. Having seen them, I can't imagine they would wear out.

The seat comfort problem is due to two factors:
1 The Lexus/Toyota foam is not really foam. Rather, it is layer upon layer of fiberglass-type material that is too firm, in my opinion, for a car seat. I replaced my "foam," and it made ZERO difference in comfort. Comfort was only achieved when I cut out the factory cushioning and replaced it with firm memory foam.
2 If the factory cushioning is replaced with foam, place a 1/8" thick layer of vinyl or rubber sheet down on top of the S-shaped springs, so they won't damage the new foam.

Do what you think is right, but you can save your money and return the new foam and springs.

damon

BBlueser,


This is not my call. I have a 94LS , my father a 90. He insist on doing it this way.
I prefer your method. I posted the part #'s and prices in hopes that it will help fellow members.

This is going to be a $2000.00 seat overhaul!!
Mom btw has a 96 LS

damon

bblueser

Wow, for $2K you could buy new salvage yard seats from a late model LS and have the brackets customized to fit the first gen models.

Hope it works out for you, but don't be surprised if the seats are still uncomfortable after you replace the too-hard cushioning and springs.

Good luckjavascript:smilie('')
eek!