Thank you. I have an uncle who can solder and is a mechanical engineer so I might go the re-capping route.

 

I definitely like the cars, nicest car I ever drove. Turns on a dime, comfortable, commands respect on the road. I'm not sure I can help myself when it comes to the spending money on it. I mean any 20-25 year old car, that looks nicer, could actually have more issues mechanically and stuff. I want to do as much to it myself that I can. I have never changed any fluids in a car. I guess its a good place to learn. I would be tearing it apart more but its my daily so I don't want to get stranded.

I see a nice one right now. I kinda get to into things at first so I wouldn't mind having 2 right now. I have withheld so far. Thanks for the advice.

 

Some unsolicited advice, do one thing at a time i.e. change the oil, then clean the throttle opening, etc. That way if something goes wrong and you make things worse, you know what made it happen. Like I said before, this is a great learning opportunity and it’s not like your starting out with a 2012 model. Also, it’s great to have a parts car as well. I purchased a 99 RAV4 last year and have our old 98 RAV4 as a parts car. It has saved me hundreds of dollars in parts already i.e. headlight, windshield cowl, dash bezel, console, etc.

 

The only thing that really scares me about your car is the rust why I wouldnt invest much into it,as you say they are mechanically crazy good machines.Drive it and enjoy it,get those miles out of it for sure.

We LOOOOOVE our baby for sure!

Oh,I hope you will have cash available because when you arent expecting it a creampuff shows up,thats happened a lot on this forum to folks.

 

I will. I just bought myself a bottle jack and some jack stands so I can work on the LS400 myself.

 

The rust is a pain. For the most part its very manageable (I think) It will be garage stored in the winter so maybe that will help after I try and deal with it. I drive it pretty much everyday. It loves the highway. Its been abused for a couple years and I treat it nice so I hope she hold together. Good thing I am still expecting something to happen all the time.

I will let you guys know all the juicy details for sure.

 

Recently I was driving and the speedometer and tachometer cut out. They were out for a couple minutes then came back and have since been ok. I was planning on painting my stock wheels black. But then I got some wheel cleaner and cleaned them. They look so much better. The wheels have minor bubbling but I think with another washing they will look just fine. However I scuffed up one of them and removed the bubbling, so now I have to touch it up at least. Should probably hit it with wet sandpaper and it might look better.

 

There are reports of the speedo and tach doing that. Next time try tapping on the dash above the cluster. I remember seeing posts on the subject.

 

This is when you take off from a stop, the needle sticks on 0. Mine does it when it's humid. Something with the grease. It sounds like with his the speedo lights cut out.

 

I wanted to show you guys what the engine sounds like. And what a typical start-up looks like on the tachometer RPM wise. But this was an a-typical start-up and lower then usual RPM in park. I removed fuse #34 because my power antenna is broken and the electric motor going off aggravates me if it won't do anything. The radio stations still come through although not quite as good so I guess it did something but not worth it right now. Unless someone knows something. I thought I read somewhere that the fuse also controlled the warning lights but they all seem to come on. The manual says its just the power antenna fuse. I had to cut one of those zip ties holding my DRL system in place. It was put in so badly, as if wires were in short supply.



Hmmm... rewatching the video, I seem to remember my check engine light staying on a bit longer... It flashed briefly... maybe that's in ACC mode when the check engine light is on.

 

Pretty sure my gas mileage is maybe 300 Miles per tank. Not good. I ordered an ECT sensor, hopefully that helps. I should take it into Toyota for a tune up I will just mess it up myself.

 

It seems to run okay. Are you using good fuel? I run premium top tier fuel i.e. Shell, BP, Exxon, etc. How does it do on the highway/Interstate?

 

I apologize for not being clear—that’s what happens when you’ve got too many things going at once. Anyway, how many miles have you put on it since you got it? Have you changed the oil? I’d try to see how it’s going to do before putting too much $ in it. Toyota would probably charge you a fortune to tune it up. Do you know of a good independent garage?

 

I believe that I am using good fuel. I didn't realize there was a difference though in quality beyond the Octane rating. It has always done well on the highway. I have had intermittent shuddering around 50km/h, could be wheel balance related, but on the highway its always good. I have only put 300-400 miles on it, I have not changed the oil yet, I bought oil and jack stands but I have never changed the oil in a car and I have motivation issues so its taking me a while to attempt it. I know people say its easy so I just need to do it. I probably need an oil filter also....

Yea you are right about Toyota but I don't want to mess it up and be worse off. Like you said it does seem to run ok, so a tune up might not be needed. My ECT could be shot. I will take pictures once I have it up on jackstands. No I have no idea of a good independent garage. My buddy told me about his but how can you ever know.

 

Yes, you'll need to get a filter and a filter wrench to make removal easier. It's not that big a deal, but you want to make sure the car is secure. You don't have to raise it too far to remove the engine undercover and reach the filter and drain plug. Your engine undercover might not be intact. That's what I love about our RAV4s, I don't even have to jack them up to change the oil. You're correct about relying on shops to be knowledgeable, trustworthy and good at their craft all at the same time. I've had great luck with the Toyota dealership I use, but I'm always anxious when my car leaves my hands and/or eyesight. I did have one issue with them many moons ago, they asked me not to cuss at one point. It was really my fault for not following through on the details i.e. actual price for each service, item, etc. Oftentimes you can find good shops through word of mouth so to speak. Start listening to others talk about their cars and/or car repairs and inquire about the shop that they used and their experience.