I've mentioned this before but part of the reason I bought this black 1995 Lexus LS400 is to become a decent mechanic. It had just been in a mild crash and needed some other things. Some time more than a year later, this is what I have replaced, both to get the car running and when the car had problems. I've also become much more proficient at working on cars. I find myself able to diagnose problems on my own now - something I will get to in a minute.
The list as far as I can remember:
-New radiator
-New alternator
-New power steering pump
-Plugged the ACV part of the power steering system (was leaking fluid)
-Changed the Coolant Temperature Sensor and the Engine Temperature Sender (a separate sensor only for the temp gauge on the dash)
-Oil change (recently I ran some Marvel Mystery Oil and changed the oil again)
-Changed rear brake pads and rotors
-Changed front brake pads; rotors had just been changed
-Replaced the damaged hood; I am holding on to a new hinge which I need to change out so the hood sits properly. I also have the radiator support. When I do this job, I am going to replace both hinges and the currently-bent radiator support so that the hood sits right
-Replaced headlights
-Restored interior; still have more plans but I changed out the chipped panels, got seat covers, generally made the interior nice and clean which it was not before. Did some of my own upholstery and used a wrap in certain areas as well as other products. It changed the whole feel of the interior.
-Changed spark plugs which were the original ones. I did this at about 220,000 miles. Which brings me to the state of the car now.
I was merrily driving a week ago when all of a sudden, I lost what seemed like 85% power as I was taking a turn. The motor was running like crap and the car was barely responding to the throttle. I initially thought I might have a clogged catalytic converter but after doing a back pressure test and having my mechanic look around, I eventually found the problem... Kind of.
The only thing he told me is that it seems like no one had ever even done a tune-up on this thing. He was right considering the original spark plugs. The timing belt and water pump have to be replaced as soon as possible but he was never able to find the actual problem that was causing my car to drive like this.
The first thing I did is change the spark plugs and that was enough to get a SIGNIFICANT amount of power back. The motor still ran like crap but I was able to accelerate into traffic without having my hazards on. Before this, the car wasn't even safe to drive on the road.
Next, even though you should buy them new, I found a new set of spark plug wires and distributor rotor cap at the junkyard. I tested the resistance and it was 1.1 ohms across the board while the ones I was running each had 5-11 ohms of resistance. Needless to say, this brought some more power back.
Now I was getting a check engine light that was saying my O2 sensor - bank 1, sensor 1 - was bad. I had it changed out but the code and problems persisted. The car will throw this code when it's running rich so I started trying to figure that out.
Because my throttle response was so bad and hit-or-miss, I replaced the Throttle Position Sensor which actually helped quite a bit. When I did this, the car actually threw a different code ONE time - p0150 or O2 sensor bank 1, sensor 2.
Being poor, I've been driving it like this, slowly restoring the thing, for almost three months now. I had a can of Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) sitting around and it says it increases compression among other things so I decided to try it after researching it.
What it is is a detergent. It breaks down the sludge and cleans your engine. When you put it in your gas, it will clean the fuel injectors. I've tried Lucas Fuel Injector Cleaner with no luck but a few ounces of MMO actually made an immediate difference. Now knowing it works, I put it in the oil. After putting it in the gas, I could actually hear what I think was noisy lifters at idle. This is something the product eliminates aswell and sure enough, not only did it get rid of the sound but it made my engine run SO much better. The throttle response is much better too. The car drives almost like it has no problems as long as you drive with traffic (trying to go fast is a no-go... The loss of power and throttle response is ridiculous right now).
If you put it in your oil, you have to change it within 500 miles.
So where is the car at now? The motor is clean and strong but something is throwing it off. At this point, I've replaced fuel lines and vacuum lines, replaced sensors, and done so much to try to fix this that I inadvertently did an amazing tune-up on the car and I'm down to only one thing I can think of: the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF). It's so simply that I overlooked it. There was two cars at the junkyard with this part that are no longer there now that I realized duh, it's probably the simplest thing: the MAF sensor.
I have one coming in the mail and I am praying it fixes the problem so I can go ahead and change the timing belt. I'm also extremely tired of having to play with the pedal to go anywhere fast. The symptoms of a bad MAF sensor read like my problems: engine may run rich (yep), loss of throttle response (yes sir), poor fuel economy (12mpg is not fun), and a confused ECU.
I've spent much more than this car is worth and each penny was worth it. This has happened before - where the car wasn't running right - and driving it after I fixed it was amazing. I love this vehicle completely. When it runs well, every minute of stress and every dollar is worth it to me.
When I replace the timing belt and water pump, I will have an extremely reliable, badass vehicle. That is why this is all worth it. It is one of my all-time favorite cars and always puts a smile on my face. It doesn't matter that this car is selling for dirt cheap right now - it's the car I would want anyway. If it was brand new or from the 80s, I would want it anyway. I don't ever plan on selling this vehicle and if you're shopping for a car or even looking for a project car, check out the LS400. Just ask the seller if the timing belt has been done.
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