After a few hundred miles here are my impressions of the car compared to my 96 Acura RL.

The LS is bigger inside and out. It feels heavier and more connected to the road. The engine is quieter. The stereo sounds better than the Acura Bose system, however, the Acura has steering mounted radio controls. I'd say smoothness while driving is mostly a tie with the LS slightly better. Driving around town the power between the two is very similar, but on the highway the LS will blow the RL away. The leather used in the Acura wears like iron, with 160k on it the seats are nearly flawless.

Here are the problems I have found.

1. Auto antenna mast is MIA, but the motor still works.
2. It needs front strut rods and possible UCA's as well.
3. EGR pipe is leaking exaust
4. There is a whine from the AC compressor
5. I think the 80 yr old man that owned it hit every curb Wisconsin.
6. I haven't measured, but it seems to be sagging on the driver's side.
7. Paint is just starting to bubble around rear drivers wheel well.


The good news.

1. The power steering pump and hose is dry.
2. The cluster is flawless.
3. I have no car payment

 

Cool mini-review/comparison with your Acura.

The majority of problems you listed are normal. How many miles do you have on your LS?

Mike

 

130k miles

 

Nothing compares to an LS. All the problems you mentioned are common and if you search here you can find DIYs to fix most. There was just a post recently about the drivers side sagging, I think it was said that it sits 1/8" or 1/4" lower then the passenger side normally.
The best thing you mentioned was "I have no car payment" Can't beat that.

 

Considering the age and mileage, I'd say that the issues you are experiencing are normal with the exception of the bubbling paint. Like mentioned above, there are some good DIY ways to fix those problems inexpensively.

Mike

 

My 1995 LS400 sags on the drivers side....about 1 inch difference form the other side. No air leaks overnight, it remains the same. Not hitting the Fender..just a "lean". Could this be a height sensor or something?

 

*Update*

Here is a list of things I have done to my LS since I got it in September.

1. Front strut rod bushings.

2. Upper control arms. I used Arnott's and so far so good.

3. Lower ball joints.

4. Rear carrier bushings.

5. Engine temp sensor.

6. Motor and transmission mounts.

7. Rear coilovers. Coil in back was broke producing the "lean" I commented about.

8. I swapped-in a used A/C compressor that took care of the "whine" I was having.


I did it all myself with the exception of the motor mounts. Local shop put them in for $120--money well spent in my book. I believe I have a bad tire or possibly a bent rim. I had a bad shake in the front and doing a tire rotation and thus placing the bad wheel in the rear helped, but I can still detect it.

I still get an occasional "creak" or "groan" from the front end while backing or making sharp turns. I am guessing it's the front strut mounts-we will see. I also get the slightest "clunking" from the rear over light bumps which I believe are the rear uca's.

I am also sending it in to get a dent taken out, the bubbling paint on the wheel well fixed and the front bumper painted. Lastly, it needs a complete tune-up, it still has the original plug wires. I'm taking a break on it for a bit, my kids tease me that it's a piece of junk as I am always working on it. I nearly have it the way I want it!


1996 LS400
135k, all stock

 

keep it up!!! super clean 95 ls400 for sure!!! i wished my interior was that immaculate!!! soon i will be doing a lot of maintenance like you and hope to redo my interior

 

This car is amazing. Just back from another road trip, this time with a slight tail wind but it was pushed hard! I went 80 to 100 the whole way and still got over 25 mpg. The return trip was into the wind and a bit worse but not much worse than our old Accord ES 4cyl would have been at these speeds. It's unreal how easy it will accelerate from 80 to 100+ even up hill.

She has 150k on her now but runs like a top.

 

thats great... I am driving from LA to Vegas Tuesday so lets see what kind of fuel mileage I get.

 

wow nice pick up & hella clean too!

 

Nice looking LS! I also have a 96 model that is very nice but had the same suspension issues as yours. I did the strut rods and lower ball joints and it was vastly improved but still not right. Now I have new upper control arms and shocks in hand for the front and carrier bushings for the rear. Now I just need some time and motivation. I'm also wondering if I should go ahead and order new lower control arm bushing just so I don't end up having to tear this thing apart again.

When you had yours apart, did you check the lower control arm bushings? Were the UCAs and rear carrier bushings heavily worn? Does the car drive up to your expectations now?

 

If I had to do it over, I would have ordered all the parts and done it all at once. My rear carrier bushings were completely shot and easy to change. I changed the lower control arm bushings but they actually looked good still. The source of my front end problems turned out to be the cheap upper control arms I installed. I shelled out $800 for factory arms and it made all the difference in the world. The front is like new now---and most of it is.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was going to work on mine today but ended up playing golf instead. It's good to know that the carrier bushings fixed the rear. I'm sure that mine are completely destroyed.