Stereorob

my three..

1995 ucf20 **Summer -feels bogged down, drive like a pile of garbage, everything makes a sound. **Winter -drives like a race car, tranny shifts crisp and pulls HARD in acceleration, all functions and accessories work better. windows and sunroof roll faster, etc

1999 Ls400 **Summer -drives like a race car, tranny slips when cold but shifts are perfect once warm, everything feels solid, all accessories work better, pulls HARD in acceleration, tire shredder. **Winter -hard to start if it even will, wont even go into gear for about 20 mins and when it finally does, it stumbles and slips all over, windows are slow to roll down, whole car feels clapped out

2000 Ls400 **Summer -flawless performer, pulls like hell, blistering acceleration, shifts crisp, smooth and perfect, all accessories work perfect, no squeaks or rattles of any kind **Winter -doesnt feel as fast, idles too low, tranny slips between 2&3 for a second and shifts hard, everything on the car makes some kind of noise, windows and power accesories dont work very well, windows and sunroof are slow to roll up and down and feel labored...

why is this? it really seems like some cars get "used" to a climate almost like people, especially where they spent their native early years. for example, my 95 feels like a damn new car in the winter, but it also spent the first 10 years of its life in Jersey, is that why? my 99 and 00 however, are original Florida cars. thin blooded maybe? i know the cold air makes almost ever car feel better, but not florida Ls400s apparently.

what about your Ls400s? where are you from and how does your car behave in different seasons?

VolumeToo

My 1998 seems a little noisier at first in really cold weather; I'm thinking that for winter I should maybe use a thinner oil. (Currently I use 10w40 semi-synthetic.)

In damp conditions (which you can count on in the UK from November onwards), it goes like a rocket! Seems to run quieter too. Perhaps the moist air helps the combustion process or something. Way over my head!

Legender

My 98 does not like the cold.. takes a bit to warm up, but once warmed to operating temperature does not seem to have a problem. Don't roll the windows down much when it's that cold so have not paid attention to that.

400fanboy

Weather temperature doesn't matter.

Car is a little rough while it's cold. Idle is rough, bit more vibration from the engine. But once the engine has warmed up (probably 100 degree oil temp) it smooths out and feels buttery.

Trans slips going into 3rd gear ONCE every time I start the car cold. Never slips any other time.

spuds

Winter-around freezing 1-4 misses in first 1-2 minutes of idle in driveway.After that its 4 season mode,no drivabilty issues at all that I can feel,no CEL lights have shown.

Stereorob

the ONE TIME cold 3rd-gear slip seems to be very common with the 98-00s. it never fails with my 00. on a cold start it slips from 2 to 3 ONCE the whole day and then is solid. what causes this? seems like pretty much everyone i know that has a 98-00 has this same issue...

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

of all the vehicles I owned over the years, nothing is as finicky or sensitive to ambient temp than my LS400, so I can definitely relate!
this is not to say the car is horrible, in fact I miss driving it a lot, and would still want one in my stable.

of course cars behave differently with changes humidity, elevation, and condition to name a few.
I didn't really mind the differences, the only one that comes to mind is that the car wants to lunge forward when cold due to the high idle speed as the engine warms which is very normal.
the brakes would seem to be weak at that point as I have to press harder, but again that's bc the engine is reving at 1.5k at first start up!

Fit1too

Are you still in Florida? It never got above freezing for a whole week last winter here in Southern, Indiana. One morning I got up and it was -11 degrees! I haven't had my LS400 but 4 months so I don't know how it will perform. I try to be easy with my cars when it is cold outside. I let mine idle for a few minutes, hopefully until the idle speed drops. When I take off, I try to take it easy for the first few miles. This could be difficult for those who have to jump on the Interstate right away. Fresh fluids, a good battery, and appropriate tires are always a plus in the winter. I do notice that many transmissions are hesitant to go into overdrive when the car is cold My 02 Solara would linger in first gear a little longer when it was cold. Of course it had over a 100K on it. The elements do take a toll on our vehicles.

Stroock639

i would't call it a "slip", but yes all the 98-00s will rev to 2500 rpm in 2nd before slowly shifting into 3rd, but only ONE time. this will only happen when the coolant temp gauge is still resting on its peg, but once it's moved even slightly (coolant temp at about 100 degf) it'll shift normally. also the torque converter won't lock up until things have warmed up a bit more still. i think its just a way to get the fluids warmed up faster by holding the gear a bit longer.

i find humidity affects the car as much if not more than temperature does. on a cold but dry day, mine will definitely be a bit "rougher" at first, but once things warm up everything smooths out. on a humid day (like if it's foggy or something) things just don't feel as "nice", and even more so when it's colder out too. if anything mine will idle higher in really cold temps, but usually it's right on the money with 500 rpm in D, 750 rpm in P/N. you can notice though that the car is faster in 40 degree temps than 80 degree temps.

also, if you've been driving very gently for awhile, the first few times you step on it the trans won't be quite as "crisp", but after getting the revs up a couple times it seems to get a bit more lively and rev happy. the steering, mainly, is stiffer and doesn't return to center quite as nicely when everything's very cold. but i think i still have some air in my power steering that i need to get out.


edit:
never mind turns out the throttle cable was just a bit out of adjustment, i guess since it's getting colder now the cable had shrunk just enough that it had begun to tug on sensor slightly, loosened the rear nut a few turns and voila everything's back to perfect

400fanboy

I don't think so... It's a really rough shift. It certainly slips because the revs blip of for a moment before it bites down on 3rd gear. Yes it does want to hold second, but it's weird how it only does it once.

Still though. Sounds like it's a common symptom, but no big megathread about it causing issues. Which is good.

Stroock639

Losiracer2

97 LS400 - 297k miles. COLD - 0-32 degrees, takes a while to warm up, the transmission shift lights don't illuminate until I've driven the car for a few minutes. Starts up and idles fine though, right at 1500rpm and when warm, drops to 500rpm and is smooth. All throttle inputs when cold are slightly delayed due to warming up, so I drive it gently until the temp needle is at least 1/4-1/3 way up.

WARM - has no issues. I replaced almost all the underhood vacuum lines right after buying the car as well as the PCV valve and cleaned the throttle body so that helped the car a bit I think. Its an AZ car so it has no issues with things sticking, like throttle plates or valves or anything with corrosion since nothing is rusted on it, even underneath.

99 LS400 - 147k miles. COLD - starts up fine, previous owner replaced starter at Lexus about 27k miles ago so its very healthy sounding. Car is VERY quiet at idle compared to my 97 under the hood, even though my 97 has a muffler delete and vibrant tips, I can tell the engine itself is healthier and more finely tuned. Transmission indicator illuminates like it should and has no issues shifting, but I can tell my 97 shifts smoother, so i'm going to do a drain and fill on this soon with Toyota T4. Still getting used to the drive by wire throttle vs. my cable throttle in my 97 so it has very good response. No squeaks or rattles of any kind. Previous owners garaged the car at all times and it shows. Interior is soft and supple, even the rear seat headrests on top dont have any sun exposure and are soft. Suspension doesn't make a sound, only on moderate bumps I think a lower balljoint is worn, I hear a clunk and found it in the Lexusdrivers repair order from a tech. saying the RF lower balljoint is worn. But shocks don't squeak and are original, never replaced. I can definitely tell difference between Lexus shocks and KYB Excel G shocks now having driven both cars back to back. Even at 20 yrs old and 147k miles, they are a bit tired but soak up bumps better than the Excel Gs front and GR2 rears. But I don't know if equating softness translates into a more plush ride. The newer Excel G shocks control the movement of the body much better.

WARM - don't know yet, had the car only two weeks this Friday.

Sin1UZFE

My 99 is solid in both weather, but im in CA so the lowest its had is 31. But 110 weather its solid, strong pull but gets slightly warmer when idling for a long time with AC

AndrewRM

Mine acts kinda how I expected this first winter. It's a solid clean car so it doesn't really make more creaking sounds or anything. But, the transmission shifts later and harder for a couple miles when colder. After a few minutes, it shifts on time and very smooth. To me, I guess this seems normal for a 20 year old automatic.

valex

I have had a 99LS for 14 years and over 200K miles. I live in the Rockies, don't have the luxury of a garage, so LS400 lives outside. The coldest I ever started the LS was about -20F. That was like 10 years ago, winters have been a bit warmer here. When its cold like that I don't even try starting my diesel Spriter van without plugging it in (to warm up the coolant) I always let the LS400 idle for 10-15 min before driving it. It doesn't shift like in summer first few minutes (normal, right?)
Couple years ago starter started going out and the first start in the morning in the WINTER was a struggle. Consecutive starts were ok.
After changing the starter everything is back to normal.