Some advice from the group please.

[Alex Devlin]

Hi all,

I've been reading this group on and off for several years and I was hoping
someone could help me out with a problem.

A couple of months ago I needed a car for work and came across a 1990 LS400
with 255K miles for $3K. It drove beautifully and because I've always
wanted to get an LS400 I snapped it up. Well it drove fine all the way up
until a couple of weeks ago when where we live got flooded. The car had
water running past it up to the middle of the headlights. When the water
level went down I moved the car to higher ground and let it dry out. I know
I should have taken it and had the fluids changed but because out of all of
our cars it was the only one that would drive, we used it to move ourselves
to a hotel and get everyone to work etc, over the next few days.

So things are still going ok with the car and then one night it starts to
hesitate and then the transmission starts to slip and eventually it will
not get out of first. I limp it to my mechanic and leave it there
overnight. The next morning my mechanic calls and said that the car is
driving fine and they can't find any problems. So we drive it again for
about a week and then I had to break hard to make a right turn into a
parking lot and since then the car runs a little rough and accelerates like
a glacier. It will not accelerate at all and takes forever to get any
speed. It will shift through the gears and eventually reach a decent speed
but you can't get there in less than a few minutes.

Now I am not driving it just now because I want to try and fix it if
possible and not risk wrecking it even more. I posted this to a forum and
was advised to get the oil and transmission fluid changed. Both were ok,
except the tranny fluid smelt a little burnt, not too much though. The car
still drives bad and sometimes it will not start. There is a "clunk" (but
electrical sounding like a big relay) from the passenger side when I try to
start the car. I think it's where the ECU(ECM?) is located and it might be
that. Sometimes when it doesn't want to start I lose all electrical power
to the car. No lights or anything works. Then a few minutes later I get
power back and it may or may not start.

I know the car is old but I love my car and I haven't had anything this
enjoyable to drive for years so I would like to keep her running but I have
no idea where to start. I am suspecting the ECU/ECM could be bad and maybe
that has activated some "limp home" feature which stops the car going
anywhere fast? So could it be something as simple as that? Maybe dry out
the ECU/ECM (assuming that there may be water or moisture inside) or
replace it from an old LS400 if I can find one? Or has anyone come across
this symptom before and can confirm that the car is dead or not financially
viable repairing?

Kind of miss the old gal and would love to keep her running for another
year at least. Can't believe that she could end her days like that, with a
whimper while sitting in a puddle. Just not a dignified ending IMHO...

Any and all advice welcome as I'm kind of out of ideas, and money...

[Larry]

Alex
Face it. The bitch drowned!!!! No matter how much you pound on her chest or
pump air into her lungs, the fact remains that SHE WAS UNDER WATER!!!!!!!

Larry
In the back yard, under the oak.

[Ray O]

Post by Alex Devlin
Hi all,
I've been reading this group on and off for several years and I was hoping
someone could help me out with a problem.
A couple of months ago I needed a car for work and came across a 1990 LS400
with 255K miles for $3K. It drove beautifully and because I've always
wanted to get an LS400 I snapped it up. Well it drove fine all the way up
until a couple of weeks ago when where we live got flooded. The car had
water running past it up to the middle of the headlights. When the water
level went down I moved the car to higher ground and let it dry out. I know
I should have taken it and had the fluids changed but because out of all of
our cars it was the only one that would drive, we used it to move ourselves
to a hotel and get everyone to work etc, over the next few days.
So things are still going ok with the car and then one night it starts to
hesitate and then the transmission starts to slip and eventually it will
not get out of first. I limp it to my mechanic and leave it there
overnight. The next morning my mechanic calls and said that the car is
driving fine and they can't find any problems. So we drive it again for
about a week and then I had to break hard to make a right turn into a
parking lot and since then the car runs a little rough and accelerates like
a glacier. It will not accelerate at all and takes forever to get any
speed. It will shift through the gears and eventually reach a decent speed
but you can't get there in less than a few minutes.
Now I am not driving it just now because I want to try and fix it if
possible and not risk wrecking it even more. I posted this to a forum and
was advised to get the oil and transmission fluid changed. Both were ok,
except the tranny fluid smelt a little burnt, not too much though. The car
still drives bad and sometimes it will not start. There is a "clunk" (but
electrical sounding like a big relay) from the passenger side when I try to
start the car. I think it's where the ECU(ECM?) is located and it might be
that. Sometimes when it doesn't want to start I lose all electrical power
to the car. No lights or anything works. Then a few minutes later I get
power back and it may or may not start.
I know the car is old but I love my car and I haven't had anything this
enjoyable to drive for years so I would like to keep her running but I have
no idea where to start. I am suspecting the ECU/ECM could be bad and maybe
that has activated some "limp home" feature which stops the car going
anywhere fast? So could it be something as simple as that? Maybe dry out
the ECU/ECM (assuming that there may be water or moisture inside) or
replace it from an old LS400 if I can find one? Or has anyone come across
this symptom before and can confirm that the car is dead or not financially
viable repairing?
Kind of miss the old gal and would love to keep her running for another
year at least. Can't believe that she could end her days like that, with a
whimper while sitting in a puddle. Just not a dignified ending IMHO...
Any and all advice welcome as I'm kind of out of ideas, and money...
--
Alex Devlin

You should always get the engine oil, transmission fluid, and differential
fluid changed when the vehicle is in water over the floorboards.

The ECU is located on the passenger side, either behind the glove box or in
the right kick panel. There are no moving parts in the ECU so it is not
directly making the clicking noise. I would carefully unplug the ECU, look
for signs of moisture in the connectors. If they are wet, carefully dry
them with a hair drier.

The clicking noise when trying to start may be the starter relay or
solenoid. First, check the connections to the battery to make sure they are
corrosion free. I believe that the starter is located in the valley between
the cylinder banks, under the intake manifold so it is not so easy to check
the starter itself. A competent technician can diagnose the clicking noise.