New Member saving a LS 400

[Zimbahulachi]

Hi,

I have been given a 1991 LS400 which has developed some gremlins. It's an Australian delivered car, one owner, full Melbourne City Lexus service history with 480 000 kms. It's a original, clean car in excellent overall condition. The paint (pearl white) still looks amazing. My intention was to put it on club plates. I have replaced the brakes, rotors, shockers, repaired the seat recline (the original leather is still in excellent shape), recovered steering wheel and climate control panel and just given it a good overall detail. I was just about ready to get a RWC for it.

Anyway it has had occasional idle pulsing problems which went away and I put that down to its lack of use in the last 6 months. It also refused to start for a month after being pressure washed but then all was fine (No error codes shown). Anyway I gave it another wash (gentle hosing) recently, it started after the wash and I parked it out in the air for a few hours only to find it wouldn't start. Left it another month and it started but ran really rough, black fuel rich exhaust, slight misfire and wouldn't rev cleanly or above 3000rpm. OBD error code 31 so I replaced the MAF sensor and no change.......Replaced the ECU with a known working one and still the same error code and poor running. I have checked both coils by running the car on one and then alternating, disconnecting either of them made the engine run worse - so the coils seem OK. My next step was to replace the ECU capacitors and I already have the correct ones from Digikey USA.

Maybe someone else out there has some ideas. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jason

[Lexus Owners Club]

It is possible that water ingress has been responsible in the past for the non-starting but if it has sat around for a while since and with changing parts, it is therefore unlikely to be that.

Let us know how you get on with the capacitors