IS300 LS1/T56 Daily Driver Build by eng1nerd

3 minute(s) of a 118 minute read

Big milestone. Got all the sensors, issues, etc fixed with the tune last night and discovered I had a wrong wire on the fuel pump and wasn't getting any fuel pressure. I spend several hours and a bunch of trial and error (solder joints) later got the wires right. I committed to the shop that it would get dropped off tomorrow after work for the exhaust to be built...so it had to run tonight.

Here is what everyone has been waiting for, the first start up video. Open headers backed into the garage are loud and don't come up well on a cell phone video, but oh well, she runs!!

Just got back from dropping it off at the exhaust shop. If everything goes well tomorrow I should be driving it home after work.

8-9-2013

I did it with a manual IS. I haven't done this swap before so I am only guessing at auto but you would need the full clutch/brake pedal assembly, some massaging of the trans tunnel at the shifter hole, and a bit different wiring with the dash indicators and clutch switch. I know it has been done before, that was what Dedicated Matt used the first time and I believe a few others as well.

I just DROVE the car home from the exhaust shop and while it was awesome I have a few bugs to work out. My steering wheel is sideways (from pulling the knuckle to install the headers). I have an oil light, flashing seatbelt light, flashing ABS light, flashing Trac Off light, and flashing low fuel light. The biggest issue on the dash is that I have no Speedo and I have no idea why since I was under the impression that was driven by the rear end not the trans. I also REALLY need to replace the diff bushings.

Otherwise it was awesome.

8-12-2013

I was able to wrap up several loose ends this weekend. The power steering leak I knew about and already had a new reservoir on order so that was an easy fix. The coolant took a bit more work, it turned out I didn't have the steam vent hooked up right and it was bleeding though the overflow. It only took me four trips to The Home Depot to get that straight.

Of all the issues I had the lack of speedo (which I was the most concerned with) was the easiest to fix. As I came to learn every IS300 in 2001 used the wheel sensors through the ABS module to read speed. From 2002-2005 this only applied to the auto cars. Factory manual cars had a VSS on the trans. What makes things nice is that all the pins are there to make the manual read speed like an auto. I followed the instructions here to get it working.

http://my.is/forums/f221/diy-auto-ma...ometer-443995/

Next on the list is diff bushings. Mine are blown and get a really bad oscillation under part throttle. If I am off the gas or under heavy acceleration everything is fine.

I also took a quick video of the car idling in the drive with the new exhaust. Enjoy.

As it was over 90 today I need to start looking at A/C soon.