abelluther

Hey all,

I thought I'd fill you in on what's been going on with my beloved LS400. For all of the niggling issues with the car, I sure do like it.

-Purchased in September for $3,150 with 144,000 miles with and engine light and brake light on, the interior is in good repair with the driver's seat and center console lid looking the most hard worn.
-October replaced the driver side door handle as it was cracked all the way through, a common occurence with these cars I understand
-October stalled out after driving home from cabin up north. Grateful for the threads here as I used the re-routing air fix and had the throttle body cleaned...took care of the issue.
-October repaired the radio antenna, the cable had recessed all the way into the motor so I had to open it up...grateful for the step by step here on the forums...works like a charm now
-November had the front brakes replaced with Bosch rotors and pads
-December finally was able to clear the engine light by replacing the downstream passenger side O2 sensor....I had known it was the thing throwing the code but wasn't able to get under and get enough leverage to get the old one out...had a buddy at a shop get the old one torched up and twisted out. Replaced with Denso O2 sensor.
-January car starts shuddering at lights and misfiring. Engine light comes back on and Traction Control goes out whilst in a snowstorm...good fun. Thankfully was only a short ways away from family and was able to park the beast in their driveway. Checked the code, was P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire. Came back to the forums, found out it was likely my ECU(221) and was able to confirm that was the issue. Dug out the ECU Pro tip- If your LS400 has the 6 CD changer that is going to have to come out, don't try to work around that hunker. Have now sent my ECU to SIA Electronics in Illinois to have the capacitors replaced. Has anyone used their service before?

That's where I'm at. Thankfully I don't need my car immediately and can afford the wait to have the ECU repaired, but man is that an annoying quirk. What should my next repair be?

Thanks for all the help with my other problems in the past!

In all her glory, before the brutal days of Wisconsin winter.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

when these old Toyotas misfire I try to replace the spark plugs first to see if that cures it.
most of the time it does, and it wouldn't be too expensive to try.

hope the ECU fixes it and you'll enjoy the car even further.
I predict the next repair to be suspension related, but that topic has probably been covered here too!

Legender

Clean looking car from the picture. Nice find and welcome to the club. Sounds like you certainly know how to use the search feature.
Hope the ECU clears the problem but if you're not sure on the miles on the plugs they're easy to replace.

abelluther

I picked up some Denso Double Platinum plugs(PK20R8) and look to have them in on Wednesday, same day as I put the newly capacitor-ed computer back in. Should I replace the plug wires while I'm at it or should the new plugs be enough?
Timmy0tool, yep it's almost time for the front suspension to get some love, I'm getting the pot hole knock that has inspired a mother thread here on the forums.

Thank you both for the advice and observations!

Fit1too

I'd put the ECU back in first and drive it to see if that was the problem. Then you can put the plugs in for good measure or as a cure.