sparkstack

Hello All. First post here. Picked up a white 96 LS400 from Colorado last week. has 178K miles on it now. Interior is really clean, and the exterior is also in very good shape, aside from someone keying the passenger rear door and side of trunk. I need to find someone to repair this. Any pointers would be appreciated.

The Lexus is to replace my Audi S6. My wife pretty much stole that from me when her lease was up on the SUV she had, so i've been driving around in my '90 Miata for the last 18 months, and desperately needed something with more seats. My wife has since decided she really likes the Lexus now - so we will see how long i get to keep the keys for.

Drove the 1000 miles home without any issues, other than a known vibration around 1800-2500 rpm. I say known, as it was listed as an issue on the inspection i had done before i flew out to buy the car.









Because i'd been lurking around here for a while i figured i knew what was causing the vibration, and so i ordered a genuine transmission mount from a Toyota dealer on eBay, and fitted it today. When i removed the old, this is what i found:



Replacing it has made a world of difference. So much so that I'm contemplating replacing the engine mounts now as well. That seems to be a bit more of a pain in the *** to do though.

While i was under the car i took a few more images. It's seems really clean under here considering it's age.





It does seem to have a slight oil leak on the engine pan, and i also noticed there appears to be a grommet missing from one of the O2 sensors:



Other than those items, mechanically it's sound underneath.

There are a couple of issues inside. First, the steering column doesn't extend out. It goes up and down with the key, and i can hear a relay 'click' when i press the controller to the move out position, but nothing happens. I've read about removing the motor, but not got to it yet.

The other issue is that more often than not, when i put the stereo on, i only get sound from the sub and the drivers door. If i power off and power back on the headunit, all the speakers start working. I've removed the telephone stuff from the right side of the trunk, and connected the two loom wires together, so not sure what could be causing this. Again, pointers appreciated.

That's all for now. Loving the car so far.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

Well the steering column,on these are a piece of cake,one garden hose washer and you are done.
sorry, I dont play the radio..
but this car sure looks like one of mine
welcome to the club............

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Seems like th O2 sensor has been changed with a universal one. The Y-pipe has def been cut off on that side and they also cut the converter flange and welded the pipe straight to the converter. Not a big deal unless the converter goes bad which usually does not happen.

sparkstack

I knew up front it had two new cats fitted, and that they were aftermarket. The sensor looks the same (wiring wise) as the one on the other side, and that one has a rubber grommet where it enters the body.

sparkstack

Mine doesn't have a stripped gear issue. It's the telescoping that won't work. I pulled it apart this morning and the motor works fine. It appeared that the telescope position sensor (variable resistor) had a break in it along the tracks. Once i removed it from it's mounting location and manually moved it forward, the telescope function started working again.

EDIT: seems the issue is with the motor / gearing after all.

I had to get the motor spinning outside of its mounting to get it to have enough torque to make the mechanism move once i pushed it into the housing. All was well from that point. Right up until i put the last screw back on the trim.. Then the bugger stopped working again. At least i know how to remove the trim now...

Anyway, i went back in and this time i just gently backed off the mounting bolts for the motor a half turn. Now the mechanism is working. Not sure how long it will last for. Am i looking at a complete replacement?

dicer

Since its now in Illinois the state of salt roads? Make sure to keep it washed off underneath when they are salting stuff.

89234 is the item number I think just scroll down to it.
http://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.co...rimLevel=19107

Rdrcr

Nice LS. Congrats!

Mike

CELSI0R

Congrats!

Great find. Too bad it was keyed - some people are just jealous of 20-year-old cars..

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

looks like a great car with nak sound system. maybe check the amplifier under the pass front seat to check for debris or spilled residue under the covers.

the underside indeed looks great for the mileage! to me that O2 sensor doesn't look factory so it may lack the proper grommet. i would def find a grommet as that hole directly leads into the cabin under the carpet. where are the floor mats?

sparkstack

Ah. You got me. The interior pics were actually what the seller sent me. The car did come with floor mats. Drivers is looking a little tatty. Rest are in excellent condition.

It also came with the first aid kit - and a full tool kit (minus torch) but I am missing the flat key and also the key tag.

How does one go about getting replacement keys if the tag is missing?

dicer

? what happened to the photo of the item that I found in the parts book? Wasted my time again?

lextout

how many miles on this gem? if you bought it under 3000 i say you got one hell of a deal, sure does look like a cream puff.

sparkstack

178,000 miles. I paid $3200 and change. Slightly higher than what i was originally looking to pay for one, but i thought it was worth it.

@Dicer - take a look at my edited post above your link to the part #.