Hi CL, great place going on here

Found the forum a couple of months ago and figured I might as well start contributing and post today.

I just got my LS back, I had to get a new A/C compressor. Cost me $1050 altogether, but this car is so worth it, I never even thought twice about not getting it fixed. I usually work on my own car, I know nothing about A/C.

Like the title says it's a '90, I've owned it since Jan. 2001, it has 155,000 miles, and this thing is so smooth, it still gives me the giggles!

I found CL in one of my google searches when my alternator went out. You guys had already diagnosed why it failed before I could even post. Power Steering fluid!

Yes, I thought I had a bad leak and would need to rebuild the pump. But, I found a nice little thread about white smoke on cold starts. The infamous vacuum valve, I have now become very familiar with, had failed. Quick trip to Lexus, slap the valve in. NO MORE SMOKE!!!
Thank you guys.

Also I would like to give back by telling you I made a bad mistake when I first got the car, and I hope you learn from me.
I had a bad radiator/bottle cap. I took too long to replace it, I split the plastic bottle, overheated the water pump, seized it, and as I'm sure you now have imagined, shredded the timing belt.
A nice 18,000 miles after belt replacement.
That cost me over $500 just in parts, I did all the work.
All because of lazyness, and about $20 would have prevented that.

But besides the A/C compressor failing after 16 years of Florida use, the blackened climate control display, and tach and speedo needletips dimming, only negligence has hurt this car.

WOW!

Glad you like it - I like my 1990 as well. I too had to redo the AC system. Oh, well.

welcome to CL

post up some pics

congrats on the DIY

Welcome to CL!!

Wow I wonder whats wrong with the first gen LS's a/c?? I need to get mine repaired as well.

woah, i have the same white smoke cold start problem, my fluid is leaking, about 2 weeks after a fresh fill and it moans and groans, would the vacuum valve fix that or do i need to rebuild the pump and all that stuff?

Thanks all, here's a pic.

She's dark brown, not the lighter, more common maroon color.
I've never seen another one like this.
I also have the beige cloth interior.

PlutoBHG, the valve will stop the white smoke on startup and fluid loss. If you have a leak you will have to fix that also. I wiped my pump and surrounding area clean and dry, and it stayed that way, meaning the wetness was from my spillage.

Good luck and let me know if I can help in any way.

My god that is a RARE color. and it looks to be in good...no, scratch that...GREAT shape.

I believe its called Chocolate Brown Metallic Pearl. We are talking 1 of ~1,000 here. IIRC, there were only 20,000 LS4's made in 1990, you have a RARE one.

Wow, thanks man, I had no idea.

Here's another pic.

no problem, like i said im not entirely sure on the #'s but they shoudl be near there.


keep wax on that paint! looks great.

wow that is smooth, he is right it looks like its in great shape, way better than mine hehe

nice looking 90' ....

You can really appreciate Toyota engineering when they reach the higher miles. Other cars fall away at the 7-9 year mark...Toyota's keep going long after that. Yours is nice ride. Welcome to CL!

Nice ride, paint looks nice and shiny, where in florida? Im in Tampa.

Thanks again for the welcome and the compliments!

I totally agree with you RA40, unfortunately most people don't know that.
I know I didn't until I drove my dad's '91 LS, two weeks later I owned my '90.

The paint is awesome from six feet away, there are a lot of imperfections.
And the roof clearcoat layer is starting to haze.
The dark brown has some type of red pearl action, here's my favorite corner.

GRAND_LS 4, I'm in Jacksonville.

Mike G.

Nice Ls man, I think the first generation Ls's still look good. They won't ever go out of style.