Hi everyone,
I am looking for a part for my 1993 LS 400 air suspension that is proving quite difficult to locate. It has to do with the air tubes to the shocks. I do not actually need the part itself but the fitting that goes into the shock WITH about a foot or two of tubing attached - ideally. I attached a pic of the fitting.

The part numbers can be any of the following: 48986-50020, 48983-50010, 48983-50040, 48985-50020, the parts are all air tubes but with different configurations for the four shocks. and since I am only interested in the fitting the entire tube is not necessary. What would be fine is if someone has a tube that has been cut as long as it has the fitting at the end (see pic).

Thanks in advance

 

Will nobody pick up the challenge?

 

sorry about your troubles, but most folks here don't repair their air suspension and install conventional strut/springs as a replacement to the troublesome system.
but if you are set on trying to fix it, the best place is a junkyard.

try car-part.com to find a place close to you, or use the site to locate a yard that will ship the part to you.
as with air suspension, it's probably not cheap or they sell it as a whole assembly, and not the part you need.

is it a hardline? did you strip the fitting?
if it were me I would try to repair the existing parts that you have.

 

Hi Timmy, appreciate your time to answer me. I am trying to keep the car as original as I possibly can (and that's not easy). Your link to car-part.com is welcome and I kinda know that a junkyard is where I may have to end up, the problem is finding one that would have a few of my model cars they are scrapping.

What happened was when I was removing a shock the air tube got hung up and broke off close to the securing nut. That left me with a small pigtail of tubing sticking out from the fitting that I have no idea how to reattach to the other end. So I am trying to get another fitting with a longer piece of tubing attached to it that would allow me to join the broken ends of the original tubing together with a union or some such thing.

Thanks again very much and please let me know if you come up with anything further.
Anthony

 

Speaking to Timmy gave me another idea - does anyone know the best way (other that a 1/8 brass union) to join these two hard 'plastic' lines together?

 

gotcha! I wasn't aware these lines were hard plastic.
I've done aftermarket air suspensions in the past which utilized an 1/4" airline.
to join two lines together I used a "push-to-connect" union fitting, which they make in hard plastic composite as well as brass.

I used hardline as well, and PTC fittings worked just the same! just make sure you cut the line square to give the best air tight seal.

check it out here:

 

No Lexus dealer support?

 

Thank you Timmy, but the problem is that now that I don't think I have enough broken tubing extending out from the fitting to attach the union. It broke off real close to the securing nut so there is only like an inch or less tubing extending out from it.

Now if there was another way, by gluing or sleeving or heating or some such, that will allow me to join the short part to the other damaged end - that would be the ticket. Sorry to be so difficult but that's the reality I'm facing.. I hope you don't give up easily lol.

 

Hey Yoda, unfortunately not where I live in Trinidad, West Indies! We do have a Toyota agency but I guess because we are such a miniscule market (pop about 1.2m) they are only interested in sales and servicing what they sell - I can't blame them either.

 

the PTC fitting only needs less than an inch to bite and secure!
can you attach the securing nut and join the tube via PTC fitting that way?

 

Ok Timmy, I hear that. Well honestly if it only needs about an inch to secure it maybe I should take the chance. The part link you sent from Amazon really does seem small enough to work. I'll sleep on it then maybe I'll decide to try it out. $28.00 is not all that amount of money anyway.

Thanks so much for your advice and interest. I'll keep you informed.
Anthony

 

Update. I am not yet able to find the fitting with attached tubing that I need. Thus I decided to see if I can take apart the fitting itself to determine how the tubing is attached and I managed to do just that. It appears that the metal fitting that goes into the shock is actually pressed in to the tubing and held there by numerous small barbs.

The only way I could release the fitting from the tubing was by cutting it lengthwise (carefully!) and so exposing the barbed portion. It was then a simple matter to insert another piece of tubing of the same type over the barbs and voila, I had what I needed to complete the repair. The tubing is 3/16 OD so I used a compression fitting to join the two ends. I think a Push-to-Connect fitting may also work just as well.

What a relief!

Anyone please message me if you have a similar problem and need some additional clarification. I'd be only too glad to help.

 

glad to hear it's resolved!
compression or PTC works. PTC is just for convenience and ease of the install/removal (which you probably aren't going to do much of once it's set).

 

Exactly as you say Timmy. Thanks for all your help and encouragement. I already ordered a 3/16 PTC fitting from ebay and should get it next week. In the meantime I'm cooking with gas. Once I worked out how the part with the o-rings that goes into the shock connects to the tubing, it was all downhill from there. Whoo Hoo!

Anthony