my92ls

Hello All...

So i have a 92 ls400 200,400k .. recently i noticed that i had no heat. Not good 'cause it gets cold and rainy here in Portland.this was after i been having (last couple months) slow power steering leak, along with coolant leak. i also had my temp gauge randomly just to HOT then back down to normal. No other issues with my car except it is slightly disaligned.

I end up taking it to a friend of my shop and he tells me its my HeaterCore and would be about a $1000 or so to do the job. Another option is just to swap the engine out and be able to get another few years out of it. THis sounds like a good idea to me since i would like to keep my lexus.! This would put me in the hole about $2500.

So what are anyones input on what i should do?

Thanks!

etex

I don't see a reference to an engine problem. What's wrong with the engine? Or am I missing something?

my92ls

Hi .. Sorry i was confusing..i Guess there is really no other engine problems..I wanted some input on what i can do to solve my problem of having no heat. I got scared of the $1000+ price of getting the problem fix..Or do you think the issue is not as big and complicated as i am making it?

etex

My first thought would be, unless you have absolute confidence in the shop you are using, you should get a second opinion. It might just reninforce the first one, but maybe not. I think you'd feel better about it with a second opinion.

bokomba

check your thermo stat if it isnt your thermo stat then i think your water pump is going bad and if it is it will cause slack in the timing belt and you will BREAKDOWN. it happened to me -try and listen for a squealing noise from engine you may be able to hear water pump bearing thats gone bad. if you do the job you would obviously change you timing belt and you would want to rebuild your steering pump(kit is about $30 at dealer). Good Luck

19psi

check the heater valve on teh pass. side firewall. make sure it's opening when you have the heat on. its controlled by a cable. have someone sit inside and change the temp from max cold to max hot. teh cable should move, operating the valve. if the cable doesn't mvoe, the little motor under the dash is bad. pain to replace. or, you could just manually move it int he winter for heat and then when summer comes, move it back to shut off the flow. heater cores rarely go bad unless tehy start leaking coolant.

my92ls

well so far i do not hear any noises from the engine..its still fairly quite under the hood, with no ticks or dings or squealing.. i do HAVE the signs of my coolant leaking..i notice it mainly the next day after the car has been sitting overnight..would this be a sign of the heatercore going bad? I keep having to add more coolant cause i never know how much is really in there..

my next thing i will try is to check the heater valve..If anyone could tell me where it is exactly located in my 92ls400..im kinda ignorant on engines, sorry.. =) ..Also, where would the thermostat be located and how do i check to see if it is bad.?

Thanks again..

19psi

where is the coolant leaking from? directly under the engine, in the middle, near the front? if so, that's your water pump. that's not a sign of the HC going bad.
the heater valve is on the firewall, passenger side, right above the valve cover. it's black plastic, with a couple heater hoses attached to it.
the thermostat is on the front of the engine, at the top. the upper radiator hose attaches to the housing (thermostat housing). there's a 19mm or maybe 17mm bolt right in the middle of the upper part of the housing. that's used to bleed the system after filling it. however if it's bad, either you will run too hot or too cold. if you are experiencing neither of those symptoms, dont' worry about the t stat.

bokomba

your WATER PUMP seems to be the culprit, go to to www.lexls.com/tutorials and click on engine mechanical link for a DIY on water pump and timing belt. You need to be mechanically inclined to undertake this task. like i said previously if it is you water pump which it seems to be, it will continue to deteriorate and will cause slack in timing belt. Plus you dont want your engine to keep over heating, you'll damage it. Good luck