'97 LS 400 thoughts?
02-27-13, 12:11 AM
#31
Now that I am thinking about it, that price was for a 2JZ inline six, not a 1UZFE V8.
03-01-13, 07:48 AM
#32
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Sell your car for 3200, then the add the 2225 to that money. With 5425 you can get a nicer ls400 with all the work done. Unless you prefer to deal with the animal you know than the one you don't know. Just seems not smart to do work to a car that costs 3/4 of its value. Or get someone to do it cheap. You can find old retired guys who will do all that for 1000 or less and if you get the right guy he can do a good job. Just get a guy who has done it many times before and has a good reputation.
This is the real reason.
I bought this LS from the original owner, an 80 year old guy who kept a logbook of EVERYthing ever done to the car.
WHITE was not even my first choice but the car had pedigree!
So, having said that, I'm not afraid to sink some money into it should I decide to keep it....and I think I have.
Cowboy, you have made some key observations in this thread and I appreciate.
Besides the waterpump+TB+ tensioners, and starter+gaskets job...what other items should I have done at 161,000?
Hoses?
T-stat?
What other items?
As I stated earlier in this thread, all my wrenching is done on 1st gen Range Rovers and 1st/2nd gen Discoverys so I'm farming the Lexus work out.
03-27-13, 05:18 AM
#33
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Update: I'm keeping her. Gonna drive it another 100k or so. 
Just had the TB, H2O pump, new rad hoses, t-stat, new starter done last week.
New tires went on yesterday; Michy Pilot sport a/s plus.
Now I have to hack the stereo for an iphone or find out how to install aftermarket... any known faceplate adapters available?
Just had the TB, H2O pump, new rad hoses, t-stat, new starter done last week.
New tires went on yesterday; Michy Pilot sport a/s plus.
Now I have to hack the stereo for an iphone or find out how to install aftermarket... any known faceplate adapters available?
Congrats.
03-27-13, 05:25 AM
#35
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03-27-13, 09:47 PM
#37
Update: I'm keeping her. Gonna drive it another 100k or so.
Just had the TB, H2O pump, new rad hoses, t-stat, new starter done last week.
New tires went on yesterday; Michy Pilot sport a/s plus.
Now I have to hack the stereo for an iphone or find out how to install aftermarket... any known faceplate adapters available?
Just had the TB, H2O pump, new rad hoses, t-stat, new starter done last week.
New tires went on yesterday; Michy Pilot sport a/s plus.
Now I have to hack the stereo for an iphone or find out how to install aftermarket... any known faceplate adapters available?
If you're keeping the stock speakers/amp, you'll never know the difference between this and a dedicated mini-headphones jack in. I'd also buy a tape deck cleaning kit, that will make a difference in sound quality.
I used to be big into car audio, but man it is one expensive hobby to do it right. I guarantee my $400 2 channel home stereo setup will blow out of the water just about anything except the very best $2000+ car audio setups.
03-28-13, 01:12 AM
#38
Tape adaptdor. I bought one at radioshack that has worked great.
If you're keeping the stock speakers/amp, you'll never know the difference between this and a dedicated mini-headphones jack in. I'd also buy a tape deck cleaning kit, that will make a difference in sound quality.
I used to be big into car audio, but man it is one expensive hobby to do it right. I guarantee my $400 2 channel home stereo setup will blow out of the water just about anything except the very best $2000+ car audio setups.
If you're keeping the stock speakers/amp, you'll never know the difference between this and a dedicated mini-headphones jack in. I'd also buy a tape deck cleaning kit, that will make a difference in sound quality.
I used to be big into car audio, but man it is one expensive hobby to do it right. I guarantee my $400 2 channel home stereo setup will blow out of the water just about anything except the very best $2000+ car audio setups.
OP is getting a new headunit, but for those on a budget, my old aux in mod is still valid. (mine's ~7 years+ old now and still going strong, total cost w/o cable was <$20 or so)
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...em-stereo.html
03-28-13, 05:51 AM
#39
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I agree with Puredrifter; I'd really rather have a hardline aux input.
I'd do the tape as a very last resort.
I put one of the Blitz ipod/iphone kits in my Land Rover Discovery II.Works great; unplug the CD changer and plug in the i-adapter.
I was surprised to see there was no Blitz(or Grom) kits for the LS! There are way more old LS's running around than Discoverys! lol
I'll go dig/search around that aux input thread...
What is the Beatsonic? N/M looking @ beatsonic now; kinda cool
I'm not really on a budget; I want this to look as good as stock and plug my iphone(4s) in...
I'd do the tape as a very last resort.
I put one of the Blitz ipod/iphone kits in my Land Rover Discovery II.Works great; unplug the CD changer and plug in the i-adapter.
I was surprised to see there was no Blitz(or Grom) kits for the LS! There are way more old LS's running around than Discoverys! lol
I'll go dig/search around that aux input thread...
What is the Beatsonic? N/M looking @ beatsonic now; kinda cool
I'm not really on a budget; I want this to look as good as stock and plug my iphone(4s) in...
Last edited by j e f f; 03-28-13 at 06:22 AM.
04-22-13, 01:23 PM
#40
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Well, since I decided to keep the LS, I have done the TB/90k service and replaced the starter.
Then new tires went on; Michelin Pilot Sport plus.
Then I got the windows tinted to minimize future sun damage.
This past weekend I tackled the radio. Went to Crutchfield and got a Kenwood DDX470 whatever that is---it was on sale/open box but new.
I knew some of the radio issues from searching here but the Crutchfield wiring adapters did not/would not fit. So I basically wired power/memory into the Lexus harness in the dash and ran my speaker outputs down the console tunnel and into the green multiplug from the amp.
No subwoofer of course but everything is working correctly. Mounted the phone mic by the trip odo shelf. You can see it hiding up there in the corner.
Used the Scosche DD dash kit and it looks ok.
NOW, I'm contemplating the Beatsonic wiring harness kit. For those that have used the Beatsonic, was the function/sound as good as before?
It sounds ok for 1997 speakers but I can tell the sub is missing...
I will probably take it to Crutchfield and have them do the door speakers in the future at some point.
I had to search around the plug until I found the antenna turn-on; never could find that info here yesterday...
Then new tires went on; Michelin Pilot Sport plus.
Then I got the windows tinted to minimize future sun damage.
This past weekend I tackled the radio. Went to Crutchfield and got a Kenwood DDX470 whatever that is---it was on sale/open box but new.
I knew some of the radio issues from searching here but the Crutchfield wiring adapters did not/would not fit. So I basically wired power/memory into the Lexus harness in the dash and ran my speaker outputs down the console tunnel and into the green multiplug from the amp.
No subwoofer of course but everything is working correctly. Mounted the phone mic by the trip odo shelf. You can see it hiding up there in the corner.
Used the Scosche DD dash kit and it looks ok.
NOW, I'm contemplating the Beatsonic wiring harness kit. For those that have used the Beatsonic, was the function/sound as good as before?
It sounds ok for 1997 speakers but I can tell the sub is missing...
I will probably take it to Crutchfield and have them do the door speakers in the future at some point.
I had to search around the plug until I found the antenna turn-on; never could find that info here yesterday...
04-22-13, 08:41 PM
#43
Just gave my daughter and son in law our 97 with 171k on the clock. REplaced the air suspension with springs and shocks, did a complete brake job along with timing belt, starter and full service at 150k. Just bought an 06 430 with 28k on it. Why? Only because I wanted something a little different. Put the 400 next to the almost new 430 on the road and compare and what did I find? Not a whole lot of difference. The 430 is faster and quieter. Bottom line- these cars are incredible. What ever you do, get another LS (lifetime spoiled)!
04-23-13, 05:12 AM
#44
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04-23-13, 07:10 AM
#45
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