Looking at a 91 ls400 locally but it currently has a broke timing belt the seller said the engine is non-interference (not sure what that is lol) so it wasnt destroyed. Lexus told me on my IS300 if the timing belt goes it can damage pistons and other stuff in the engine. So is the engine ok or could it have damged the internals? Not being able to drive the car before buying really has me concerned but if all it need is a belt, water pump etc then i might go for it.

 

the 90-94 motors were non interference. 95+ were interference motors. there was a big thread a month ago, search for it.

 

He also said the water pump froze while he was driving at about 40mph which in turn broke the belt. So you saying the engine should be ok?

 

yep just change the belt, water pump, tensioners etc..

 

Well I guess you learn something new everyday. I feel reassured that my engine will be ok when my timing belt breaks.

 

i think the SC motors are different.....it was discussed in the thread i mentioned before.

 

So would the car be a buy at $1500 with 119k? Needing that done?

 

Yes that is a buy. There is a good chance that the fan bracket support failed & not the WP. That seems to happen with the early LS fairly frequently. You will want to replace both parts.

 

Whether the car would be "a buy at $1,500" is up to you. If you have the belt, water pump and related parts professionally replaced, it will likely cost over $1,000. Also, you are relying on the seller telling you that the drive train is in otherwise good condition. Maybe there is a reason the seller isn't replacing the timing belt before selling the car.

I'd say pass on this car. If you want an older LS, I suggest you look for a 93-up. I liked the 90 LS I drove for 13 1/2 years and 183,000+ miles but there were huge improvements starting with the 1993 model year. By the time you get everything working on the 91 LS, for a similar price you can probably buy a 93 LS that is already in good running order for the same total price.

BTW, I had a timing belt break on my 90 LS at about 75,000 miles when the water pump seized. No damage was done and, as indicated above, after the repairs I drove the car to over 183,000 miles.

 

Ya thats my biggest concern is if there is anything wrong drivetrain wise since the car isnt driveable it is currently sitting at a repair shop though so i could ahve it checked out i guess. The guy said its a 2 owner car and has a bunch of reciepts from the services done and it has had recent maintenance done to it so it does seem likes its been taken care of prior to this problem. A buddy of mine works on lexus so he could do the repairs much cheaper than anyone else could but then i would need it towed.

He said $1500 firm in his ad but i was gonna start him at $1200 if it looks good enough to make an offer on.


"Yes that is a buy. There is a good chance that the fan bracket support failed & not the WP. That seems to happen with the early LS fairly frequently. You will want to replace both parts."

The shop its currently sitting at said it was deff the water pump and belt. He also told me there was a puddle of water underneath the car.

 

If the guy isn't willing to fix his car so it runs before he sells it, I wouldn't give him even $100. There are just too many later model year LS400s in good running order for a similar total price.

Heck, in the current weak market, my high specification, cosmetically nearly flawless, fully serviced, perfectly running, 113K mile 2000 LS400 probably wouldn't bring $8,000 in a private sale up here in Kansas.

I think you can do far better than that 91 LS unless you just want a "project car".

 

The car is right down the road so i'm going to go check it out tommorrow it doesnt hurt to at least look. I'll see if my mechanic buddy can come along and visually see if there is anything amiss although not sure you can tell much w/o it running. Not really looking for a project but am down for a cheap dd i'm trying to get away from car payments lol.

 

+1 damon, that's a great buy, put 1000 into the car, and drive it another 100,000 miles

 

i'd pass personally. for one, you have no gaurentee of anything other than it doesn't run. second, unless you can diy (and even then possibly) by the time you're done you will be right at what you would have spent on a running car. also, a broken belt at 120k is a pretty sure sign it was not maintained properly.

 

The water pump froze up causing the belt to snap and since he has had the car he replaced ball joints, replaced A/C comp, spark plugs and wires.