Hi all.... First, I am so glad that I found this site. It is great. I just purchased a 98 LS400 with 218,000 miles on it. It really drives well and I am very proud. I just ordered a transmission mount from Lexus to help cure a light vibration feel the car has. Due to this web site I was able to figure out what the problem was. I have a question. I purchased the car over two weeks ago. The guy I purchased the car from just got the car back the day before (I bought it) after installing a brand new starter on it. However, it seems like the car cranks for a long time before starting. Like 2 to 4 seconds. Sometimes it is a little quicker. Does that seem long to anyone else? I am just thinking that the dealer maybe fried a starter relay or something... Let me know your thoughts!

 

It could be an aging battery. That is the first thing that comes to mind since when I replaced mine and the starts became faster.

 

Yea I have the same issue with my 96 LS takes a little longer to crank up than you would expect from Japanese craftsmanship. I think the fuel injection may need cleansing but when the engines hot it cranks up nice and quick. One of the veterans on this forum will post you to help you better....

 

get ur battery checked out.

 

Two seconds is not unusual. Four is on the high side. With that many miles, could be a tired fuel pump or leaky injector(s). When was the fuel filter last changed? This all presumes the engine cranks briskly. If not, it might just be the battery or connections as LiCelsior suggests.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will start by checking the battery. It seems to crank pretty quick then I will check fuel pump / injector...

 

My '99 LS w/120k miles does the same, didn't think much about it til this post. Starter sounds like it's spinning fast enough, although it doesn't take more than 2 or 3 seconds to crank, and cold temps don't seem to make it more difficult to start. But when it's at normal operating temps it doesn't seem to start any faster either. Most new vehicles I've owned would only take a second in the START position to fire off, the LS takes just a little longer. I once had a '77 280Z that took a few seconds to pressurize it's fuel rails, so I'd leave it on RUN for a few seconds before starting it, seemed to start faster that way. I might try the same on my LS. Just got new plugs & air filter, no appreciable change. She runs & idles like a brand new car so I've got no indication there's a problem. I think if there were a misfire or engine fault it'd be more stubborn on sub-zero startups.

 

I agree Wanderson. I was reading a bit more about it and the fuel pump does not pump until it starts cranking. In my previous vehicles you could turn the key to on and hear the fuel pump clicking..

 

same here, i did the plugs, wires, dist. caps, rotors, fuel filter, injector cleaner ( 1 bottle last year), i run shell vpower, inspected drive belt, pcv vavle, egr filter clean, i cant really remember the rest. Everything mentioned though was the original, plugs and wires caps and rotors seemed to make a difference but not sure (at least for starts). I have just pinned it down as it being a V8 or a slow fuel pump (as mentioned). Cold starts are worse but its -40 C here in winter so with no block heater thats expected, haha and it still started at 200 000 miles!

So dont really worry about it, i think its normal...Enjoy your LS