Just picked up new DD. LS400 content.

[starbai]

soo hard to find with a good condition, black interior... i'd be flexible with exterior color, but i have to have a dark interior.

[gonzo08452]

I have a relative who traded a 94 LS in for a Sentra during Cash 4 Clunkers. Oh and he was the original owner. The car did have a ton of miles and had the typical climate control display issue. I would love to own one someday. Nice p'up OP

[starbai]

I have a relative who traded a 94 LS in for a Sentra during Cash 4 Clunkers. Oh and he was the original owner. The car did have a ton of miles and had the typical climate control display issue. I would love to own one someday. Nice p'up OP

so the car was crushed/destroyed... what a shame.

I hate that program with a passion. Sure there were a lot of cars that needed to be off the road, but there were a lotta good cars or at least good parts that were needlessly destroyed.

[HideYoKids]

I love the colour

I still love the colour

[starbai]

I still love the colour

hideYoKids, hideYoWife?

[HideYoKids]

hideYoKids, hideYoWife?

yeah, I got banned for being silly and immature, let it be a lesson.

[Cutandpaste]

GREAT pick up! The 1998 MMC has a lot of big changes (and little ones) over the 95-97 version.
1. Gained VVti, got better MPG and gained 30hp. 290hp instead of 260..
2. Revised front end. Looks more updated especially with the HIDs. Gained lower fog lamps and the headlights no longer connect with the grill for a sportier look. The rear was freshened as well.
3. New 16" wheel design taken from the 1997 "Coach" edition
4. Gained NAV option for the first time
5. More wood on the console and shifter

It is a very spacious car inside with a great trunk and its built like a tank. Here are some modded ons from Clublexus





And for those that like the 430
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...430-done-right

[Chapel]

I've found a bunch under $3000 in my area. Always liked these.

[gonzo08452]

I've found a bunch under $3000 in my area. Always liked these.

ok. You got my attention. So, what are the pitfalls of high mileage ones? Sorry, too lazy to research on my own

[anarchyx34]

Thanks for all the good words everyone. Car is still doing well for it's first week but I did have to put a little money into it. The battery, which I suspected as being a bit weak, left me for dead at a gas station 20 minutes from home earlier today. Fortunately someone gave me a jump start and I headed straight to Autozone for a new one. That and the A/C performance in 90+ weather has been a bit lackluster. I evacuated and recharged the system when I got home so we'll see how it works tomorrow. Seems like it was undercharged to me judging from the bubbles in the sight glass and that my machine (yes I have my own a/c machine, another lucky find that only cost me $30) removed .9lbs of the 1.65 it's supposed to take.

Also have been researching upgrading the audio. Apparently, replacing the head unit is a PITA in the wiring department since the factory amp uses really wacky wiring. There's a $250 adapter that will supposedly make everything plug & play but you end up losing the fader control and that makes for a very unhappy sound stage. So I'll probably end up hardwiring the speakers and upgrading the factory sub and running it off a separate amp. People have managed to run a 10" sub in the rear deck so I'll probably re-use the Infinity Perfect 10" I was using in a ported box before for this purpose.

Oh and I nailed it today for the first time (don't know what took me so long?). Wow it moves. Stong, unrelenting acceleration and it sounds like the aforementioned "ripping silk". Very smooth and with a gentlemanly aggression. Like getting slapped in the face with a pair of white gloves. Oh and It's quieter at 100mph than my E36 was at 60, a lot quieter actually. MPG so far has been about 19, which is about what I was expecting so I'm pleased so far.

[Cutandpaste]

Thanks for all the good words everyone. Car is still doing well for it's first week but I did have to put a little money into it. The battery, which I suspected as being a bit weak, left me for dead at a gas station 20 minutes from home earlier today. Fortunately someone gave me a jump start and I headed straight to Autozone for a new one. That and the A/C performance in 90+ weather has been a bit lackluster. I evacuated and recharged the system when I got home so we'll see how it works tomorrow. Seems like it was undercharged to me judging from the bubbles in the sight glass and that my machine (yes I have my own a/c machine, another lucky find that only cost me $30) removed .9lbs of the 1.65 it's supposed to take.

Also have been researching upgrading the audio. Apparently, replacing the head unit is a PITA in the wiring department since the factory amp uses really wacky wiring. There's a $250 adapter that will supposedly make everything plug & play but you end up losing the fader control and that makes for a very unhappy sound stage. So I'll probably end up hardwiring the speakers and upgrading the factory sub and running it off a separate amp. People have managed to run a 10" sub in the rear deck so I'll probably re-use the Infinity Perfect 10" I was using in a ported box before for this purpose.

Oh and I nailed it today for the first time (don't know what took me so long?). Wow it moves. Stong, unrelenting acceleration and it sounds like the aforementioned "ripping silk". Very smooth and with a gentlemanly aggression. Like getting slapped in the face with a pair of white gloves. Oh and It's quieter at 100mph than my E36 was at 60, a lot quieter actually. MPG so far has been about 19, which is about what I was expecting so I'm pleased so far.

Nice update. Did you join Clubluxus? Huge LS forum, very active.

[maskedSONY]

Also have been researching upgrading the audio. Apparently, replacing the head unit is a PITA in the wiring department since the factory amp uses really wacky wiring. There's a $250 adapter that will supposedly make everything plug & play but you end up losing the fader control and that makes for a very unhappy sound stage. So I'll probably end up hardwiring the speakers and upgrading the factory sub and running it off a separate amp. People have managed to run a 10" sub in the rear deck so I'll probably re-use the Infinity Perfect 10" I was using in a ported box before for this purpose.

Good luck with figuring out the Lexus audio system. Seriously. Get a bottle of Jack to help deal with it.

How on earth you got an A/C Evac system is beyond me, but that's pretty cool you have one.

[Cutandpaste]

Is it the stock system or the Nakamichi one?

[davedave]

Very smooth and with a gentlemanly aggression. Like getting slapped in the face with a pair of white gloves.

[starbai]

Thanks for all the good words everyone. Car is still doing well for it's first week but I did have to put a little money into it. The battery, which I suspected as being a bit weak, left me for dead at a gas station 20 minutes from home earlier today. Fortunately someone gave me a jump start and I headed straight to Autozone for a new one. That and the A/C performance in 90+ weather has been a bit lackluster. I evacuated and recharged the system when I got home so we'll see how it works tomorrow. Seems like it was undercharged to me judging from the bubbles in the sight glass and that my machine (yes I have my own a/c machine, another lucky find that only cost me $30) removed .9lbs of the 1.65 it's supposed to take.

Also have been researching upgrading the audio. Apparently, replacing the head unit is a PITA in the wiring department since the factory amp uses really wacky wiring. There's a $250 adapter that will supposedly make everything plug & play but you end up losing the fader control and that makes for a very unhappy sound stage. So I'll probably end up hardwiring the speakers and upgrading the factory sub and running it off a separate amp. People have managed to run a 10" sub in the rear deck so I'll probably re-use the Infinity Perfect 10" I was using in a ported box before for this purpose.

Oh and I nailed it today for the first time (don't know what took me so long?). Wow it moves. Stong, unrelenting acceleration and it sounds like the aforementioned "ripping silk". Very smooth and with a gentlemanly aggression. Like getting slapped in the face with a pair of white gloves. Oh and It's quieter at 100mph than my E36 was at 60, a lot quieter actually. MPG so far has been about 19, which is about what I was expecting so I'm pleased so far.

If all it needs is an AC recharge and a new battery I think u did a damn good job of picking up this car for this price.

Let us know how the AC charge works though... curious.

again, super jealous.

[starbai]

Good luck with figuring out the Lexus audio system. Seriously. Get a bottle of Jack to help deal with it.

How on earth you got an A/C Evac system is beyond me, but that's pretty cool you have one.

It really might just be easier to re-wire the whole system.

My parents had a GS400 with the nakimichi could use a bit more bass but was a greattt stock system for a 1999 car.

[Cutandpaste]

It really might just be easier to re-wire the whole system.

My parents had a GS400 with the nakimichi could use a bit more bass but was a greattt stock system for a 1999 car.

Nakamichi was THE system in cars in the 1990s

[anarchyx34]

If all it needs is an AC recharge and a new battery I think u did a damn good job of picking up this car for this price.

Let us know how the AC charge works though... curious.

again, super jealous.

Well the A/C works a hell of a lot better than it was, so I think I'm okay for now. Car probably still had the original charge in it.

Yes it's a standard Pioneer system, which sounds really effing good for being the base system. I'm going to end up re-wiring the whole thing though and just reusing the door speakers. It could use a touch more low end so upgrading the factory 8" to a beefy Infinity 10" and feeding it a good 200 watts should be plenty. I just cant decide on what head unit to get. I hate all of them.

[anarchyx34]

2 week status update. Car is still awesome. Still averaging 20-21mpg. Had a check engine light come on last weekend and found the code to be "P0505 Idle Control Malfunction". The car was running perfectly fine at the time but I have noticed a few occasions where the idle would lope a bit right after startup. Figuring a new IAC was needed, I priced one out and nearly had a heart attack. $700. Wow. Turns out the only thing that goes wrong with the IAC is 2 bearings that tend to seize up over time and it's actually quite easy to rebuild it yourself. They're just normal sealed bearings that you can get anywhere for like $1 each. I don't think I'll need to do it though. I found that the throttle body was really dirty so I gave it a good cleaning earlier today while doing an oil change and I noticed an immediate difference in the way it idled. Much more stable. Of course I managed to break something too. While removing the intake plumbing I failed to notice a hose connected to the resonator box and snapped off the plastic nipple. FFFFFFUUUUU!! Thank god for JB weld.

The throttle body itself is an interesting setup. I thought it was a standard cable-style throttle, but it turns out it's actually drive by wire. The difference is that there's no electronic accelerator pedal. It's all integrated into the throttle body as one unit. Being that it's DBW I have no idea why it needs an IAC, but whatever. I found out something neat though. If you step on the gas 3/4 of the way, the throttle body is opened 1/4 of the way mechanically, so if the DBW goes tits up you're not stuck. I was also going to change the fuel filter, but the lines look really scary and rusty. I tried to crack one of them loose (flare nuts fittings. WHY?!?) but they didn't budge with a good amount of pressure. I'll leave it for another time. I'm going to be prepared though, because what I know will happen is that the line is going to strip/break. So I'm going to cut the flare nut ends off the tubing and just run a universal (high pressure of course!) fuel filter and some hose. A filter is a filter. Also changed the cabin air filter. That thing was a mess. All the pleats were filled with garbage so I hope to see some improved climate control performance. Everything else under the car looks great. Front brakes are brand new. Wont have to worry about those for a while. 4 piston front calipers BTW.

Picture of the neato throttle body.

[starbai]

damn bro good thing your handy with that stuff.. i dabble a bit under the hood but wouldn't know how to rebuild that...

glad its treating you well.

My co-worker stopped by the office today with his wife's GS400, a car my family sold to him with a 135k miles on it... 1999 model.

Its currently got 215,599 mi on it... Still runs like a champ... he tells me the only thing hes done to it since hes gotten it from us is whatever maintenance the book has said, and its also needed 2 new wheel bearings... which he replaced. Other than that... still rides like new he says... (I didn't get to take it for a spin around the block, but next time he comes around I will)

U just gotta respect quality like that I'm sorry. I dont care what you guys have to say about Lexus, 215k with maintenance and 2 wheel bearings? Thats respectable as hell right there. And this thing hasn't always lived a sheltered life... hell it was the only car I had available to me to drive when i first got my license (it was my mom's car) -- I beat the hell outta it

[Sledge]

Very smooth and with a gentlemanly aggression. Like getting slapped in the face with a pair of white gloves.

You do not race someone in an LS. You challenge them to a duel

[anarchyx34]

I'm so tempted to put an exhaust on this car because I know it will sound awesome. I just know it would sound wrong too.

[Tommietank]

You do not race someone in an LS. You challenge them to a duel

[DasHammer]

yeah, I got banned for being silly and immature, let it be a lesson.

How many bans did it take for you to learn your lesson?
Triple digits?

[FujiTekniques]

How on earth you got an A/C Evac system is beyond me, but that's pretty cool you have one.

This is what I'm most jealous of. I could really use one of those right about now.

[anarchyx34]

Oh and I meant to upload this last week but forgot to. I was leaving the trip computer on "miles since tank fill" since I didn't want to watch the avg mpg display like a lunatic, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this after a week of commuting.

[starbai]

I'm sure someone makes a pretty mild exhaust for it that will open up the sound while not making it too obnoxious

[maskedSONY]

21MPG in on a V8? I gotta share this with you: That's what my 2007 Accord EX-L gets in a ton of stop and go driving in NY, with a somewhat heavy foot.

However I know I have you beat on the highways. 36MPG, take that.

[anarchyx34]

Yeah well that 21mpg was mostly highway and driving like my grandmother. It did go down to about 18mpg when I did a lot of driving all over brooklyn in the middle of the day, but got back up to 20 by the time I needed to refill.

Oh and as far as the story about how I managed to acquire an a/c machine. Several years back the shop I was working at at the time sent their a/c machine out for repair because it would no longer power on. The shop said it needed a ton of work including a new logic board and would cost about $900 to fix. In the interim, they ended up buying a brand new machine because GM wanted us to use a specific machine that could print out diagnostic data for warranty claims. A month goes by and I picked up a phone call from the repair shop.

"Hey, remember your a/c machine? It's still here. Do you want us to dispose of it for you or do you want to pay the diagnostic charge and pick it up?"

My eyes get as big as saucers at this point.

"How much is the diagnostic charge?"

"$30"

"What time do you guys open tomorrow?"

I took the morning off from work the next day, paid the $30 and loaded the monster in my Volvo wagon. On the way to work I stopped at a hardware store and bought a tarp to cover it with so they wouldn't see it through my windows in the employee parking lot. When i got home I unloaded it from the car and checked it out. I found the problem within 5 minutes. The power cord was bad. The same power cord that 90% of computers use. I have about 10 of them. With a new power cord it powered right up and worked awesome. Still had 5lbs of r134a in it as well (bonus!).

I did have a problem with it though eventually. It would no longer recover r134a. I know the compressor works because you can hear it running and vacuum works fine. My best guess is a solenoid somewhere went bad. I have no idea which one though and without good documentation I don't want to mess with it. So what I did was switch the input/output hose fittings from the 134a side to the R12 side, which I'm not using anyway, and I've been using the R12 side for 134a with no problem. This thing is actually 2 machines in one. One for R134a the other for R12. It has two of everything, so if something goes bad. I already have spares.

Here it is. My $30 a/c machine

[Cutandpaste]

Nice....I've cleaned the throttle body myself a couple of times on the GS 430...its a known forum issue to DIY and help performance....it gets dirty over time.

[Tommietank]

Hey OP, you got me searching eBay and ishh for similar models. Heres one, anyone in FL want to snatch it up?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999-...ht_1088wt_1165

[Chapel]

that's a great AC unit. I've seen it before

[Fantomasz]

Oh and I meant to upload this last week but forgot to. I was leaving the trip computer on "miles since tank fill" since I didn't want to watch the avg mpg display like a lunatic, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this after a week of commuting.

my old 2000 jetta vr6 auto was avg 20-21 max

[anarchyx34]

Hey OP, you got me searching eBay and ishh for similar models. Heres one, anyone in FL want to snatch it up?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999-...ht_1088wt_1165

Florida has some really clean LS400's. Unfortunately they all seem to be gold/beige.

[Quattro80]

Christopher Moltisanti's car of choice. Badass.