kito123

I purchased a 97 Coach Edition a few weeks ago. The seats are in almost perfect condition but the armrest was showing wear. I found one on Ebay yesterday and ordered it.

I assume it is not as simple as just unscrewing the current one and screwing this one, correct? I don't have a BF, brother or father around to do it and I am not handy with tools so my question is where to get it installed?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181175422632...84.m1497.l2649

As soon as I got the car, I got 4 new tires, brake pads all around, and changed the timing belt and water pump and a transmission drain (not flush). Now, I hear this whirring noise when the A/C is on it is cooling fine but I am wondering if the A/C is about to go..... also, since getting new tires it seems as though the car has a bit of a vibration when I am going about 55-70. Could it be that the tires were not balanced correctly or does it need an alignment?

This car was a one owner cream puff, not a scratch, dent or ding in it. However, I am feeling pretty discouraged tonight, the week after getting it, it was keyed, and when I drove it to the grocery store tonight, someone stuck bubblegum into the hood, I mean they must have spent several minutes mashing that gum into my car as it was spread out over almost 2 inches!!

Sorry, there were actually a couple of questions I need help with if you can look past all the rambling

LScowboyLS

don't be discouraged, you have a great car!

but you have to understand, even though the LS400 has been one of the world's most reliable cars, it has several areas that may need to be addressed, common issues with your model, after all, it is 17 years old, no matter how beautiful it is!

here are the very typical things to expect (you may only have some of these happen)

strut bar bushings (cheap and easy)
transmission mount (cheap and easy)
lower EGR pipe (cheap but not easy)
ECU capacitors (cheap but not easy)
upper control arms (not cheap but easy)
cigarette lighter fuse link (cheap and easy)
idle air control valve (cheap used and pretty easy)

there are probably a few more little things I am not thinking of, but those are most of the weak areas

the vibration could be many things, I would start with the transmission mount, a road-force tire balancing, and the strut bar bushings!

yes it is!

kito123

Sorry, I meant I was discouraged at the car being keyed, then the bubblegum!

Thanks so much for the helpful information! I will try to do the armrest myself then....

What about the AC? Should I take it in or as long as it is working just live with the noise?

Dutchy

My AC compressor started yesterday to make some noise too ! Mine is a 1995 with 126.000km. Its a JDM import, and i guess they haven't used the AC much back in Japan. The AC works fine and gets ice cold too, only that noise came in a few day's ago The ac has been serviced about a year ago, they always put some new oil in it too then, so that could not be my problem.

LScowboyLS

can you be much more specific about the noise?

for example, of you raise the hood with the car running and A/C on, is the noise more or less evident when listening outside under the hood?

does the noise change in pitch or speed depending on how high the fan setting is?

can you turn on the manual fan only mode (auto setting off) and make the noise come and go based on the position of the A/C button alone? (in this test, the fan speed should stay constant)

how well does the car cool on a hot day?

PS - the right body shop can make the keying appear to have never even happened, it just takes a little bit of $$

dc893

Sucks that people can be such jerks!!! With the vibration the very first thing I would do is get the tires balanced. These cars a very sensitive about having the tires correctly balanced. Also I think it's just the tires since the vibration started after the new tires were put on. I wish I new more about A/C systems. That is a complex system that should not really be worked on by anybody who is not 100% qualified.

As for the car being keyed, probably the cheapest thing to do is get some touch up paint. I would go for the pen style touch up paint. Then get a paint rubbing compound and just buff it out by hand, Touching up the paint just requires some patience and a steady hand. This of course depends on how badly they keyed the paint. I REALLY hate people who do stuff like that!!!

Also as stated before replacing the armrest should be very simple, probably something you could do.

kito123

The car is now sitting in my dads garage while I am traveling, I will listen more carefully to the ac when I go get it next week and post back.

Thanks so much for the help guys!!

kito123

Oh and the repair of the scratch is not "a little money" at least to me, LOL. Two quotes, both around $375..... Its only and inch long but all the way to the metal.

LScowboyLS

well I have it on good authority that this amount is pocket change!


but on a serious note, I think a friend who is an artist and skilled can take the factory touch up paint and make it where no one but you will notice it, at least until you can get it fixed right.

and if it was only an inch long, that sounds more like a negligent brush up against the car while drunk and wearing a sharp belt buckle, by some idiot, rather than an intentional "keying" which is usually more than a foot long and often all the way down the side of a car, as in 6 feet or more.

Either way it sucks, but perhaps knowing that it can be made perfect again takes some of the sting away!

YoshiMan

My 95' makes a bit of a "Whirring" sound when the A/C compressor is engaged as well, however its odd as you can only hear it inside of the car and not even when you open the hood and listen. The A/C still works wonderfully and I'm not concerned that its gonna go out anytime soon. Does your's change in pitch with the engine RPMs?

kito123

I was using the word keying wrong, it was probably not even done with a key, and was not done accidentally. It is on the exact center of the hood and whomever did it put some force into it. It is an inch long and at least a quarter inch wide in a jagged back and forth motion. The same night this happened to mine at least 3 other cars here got it also. Probably some drunk or bored kids....

As for the ac, I will post back once I get my car back.

deanshark

Hey Cowboy; once you have a Lexus there's no such thing as pocket change anymore. Even $100 is extreme for some people at certain times. That's why my car sits sleeping now.

kito: the A/C noise: the "whirring" as you say, could be a bearing going bad in the compresor or just the fan itself. When you get back to your car listen for if it's only when a/c is on (and defroster) or if it's also with the heater. Also listen for where the noise is, in the engine compartment or inside under the dashboard and which side.

The vibration sounds like the tires weren't balanced correctly. Like said before, these cars are very sensitve to tire balance. They should be done on a "road force" machine. You should also always get an alignment when getting new tires. I know money is tight but that will save money in the future.

As for the gouge in your paint, for now just get a tiny bottle of touch-up paint to match just so it doesn't start to rust. I'm sure, when you can afford it, you can find a small body shop that can fix it cheap.
The armrest you can do yourself, it's only a couple screws.