Underside Of My Engine

VBdenny · June 26, 2004

It looks to me like there is some slow seepage from the oil pan gasket. When my PS leaked a little, it didn't get on that spot like that. I agree that is is an old leak because it has all that road dust mixed in. It is not a leaking head gasket because the engine would have blown a long time ago, longer than it took all that dirt to accumulate. Once the anti-freeze and the oiul get mixed, the engine is all done. Very caustic fluid will destroy your bearings in short order.

I'd pressure wash it off and look to see what is really leaking. Either way, it's no big deal.

90LS400Lexus · June 26, 2004

Thanks. If I put degreaser on it and spray it off with the garden hoses, the water will not damage my alternator will it (if water spashes on it)? I have had other cars that I have sprayed the alternators without any problems, but these seem to be sensitive from what I have heard on here. Thanks again.

VBdenny · June 26, 2004

Maybe you should try to scape off what you can with a putty knife or something. I have used a pressure washer before and it worked well. Do you not have an underengine splash pan on your car or did you take it off for inspection?

90LS400Lexus · June 26, 2004

Maybe you should try to scape off what you can with a putty knife or something. I have used a pressure washer before and it worked well. Do you not have an underengine splash pan on your car or did you take it off for inspection?

I did not take anything off. I just happened to be outside that evening with the camera taking photos of the sunset and decided to see what the underside of my engine looked like- that is when I discovered this. I did not even know it was there. Is there supposed to be a cover there?

90LS400Lexus · June 27, 2004

Is there supposed to be a cover there? Anyway- I just got back in from cleaning it up a little. I did not feel like crawling under the car, so I just sprayed some degreaser on it and sprayed it with the hose. Then I sprayed more on it, then I happened to find an ice scraper, with a long handle laying down in the flower garden (not used since March I guess- forgot it was there) and used it to scrape away some of the grime. It has been there for a very long time, so I am now convinced that it is not a significant leak- which I assumed anyway, since there was no drips ever under the car. There is still a lot of grime there, but I guess I could spray it ever week or so and eventually get rid of all of it, or perhaps use the pressure washer (only down toward the pan and not the gasket area), or maybe even get under it and scape a little, but I have enough off of it not to bother me now. Here are the photos I took moments ago just after I cleaned it - somewhat anyway. :P

90LS400Lexus · June 27, 2004

Try again:

I just noticed it says "Toyota" on the exhaust. Either it is original, or the previous owner had a Toyota muffler installed in the past.

90LS400Lexus · June 27, 2004

Would not let my upload another of the pan, so.......... :rolleyes:

blake918 · June 27, 2004

I just noticed it says "Toyota" on the exhaust. Either it is original, or the previous owner had a Toyota muffler installed in the past.

Look at almost any componet on the LS, and it'll read Toyota! I'd bet it's origional. BTW, cool wagon! B)

:cheers:

90LS400Lexus · June 27, 2004

I just noticed it says "Toyota" on the exhaust. Either it is original, or the previous owner had a Toyota muffler installed in the past.

Look at almost any componet on the LS, and it'll read Toyota! I'd bet it's origional. BTW, cool wagon! B)

Yes, I have also noticed several "Toyota" labeled items on my LS400. Windows also say "Toyota", as well as "Lexus". I just thought it was interesting that the car would either still have the original exhaust, or suprising that the owner would go with another factory exhaust if it was needed. I would guess most people would go with a generic exhaust, if they are even available for these cars..... If it is the original- I am suprised it has lasted this long. They must really be grear exhaust systems on these cars.

Thanks for the compliment about the wagon. It is hard to believe that it has 165K miles and still runs great. Most 1980s GM cars would not last this long. It is also hard to believe it is a 1989 model- only one year older than my LS400, but I love to compare the two and notice how much more advanced the LS400 is. Even though the wagon is a 1989- the basic body style dates back to 1977, when GM did their first major downsizing from the 1971-1976 models. Hard to believe that body style lasted from 1977-1990. I guess since this style was a popular police car model (the 77-90 Caprice / 77-85 Impala was the same body style, as well as the 77-86 Pontiac Parisienne, 77-82 Bonneville (Parisienne sedan dropped for 1987, leaving only the Safari wagon until 1989), 77-85 Olds 88, 77-84 Olds 98, 77-85 Buick LeSabre and 77-84 Buick Electra). The 85-up Buick Electra, Olds 98 and 87-up Pontiac Bonneville were even more downsized FWD models. LeSabre and 88 did not downsize until 1986- and Caprice never really downsized again.

Sorry- did not mean to stray that far off-topic. :lol:

my ls430 · June 27, 2004

just let the car cool and give it a once over with a cloth drenched in degreaser

90LS400Lexus · June 28, 2004

just let the car cool and give it a once over with a cloth drenched in degreaser

Thanks. I will probably do that. It was actually not as bad as it looked. I looked at it again this evening and most of it is gone. It was just a suprise is all.... no big deal. Thanks again for all of the replies.

Also- no one seems to know- is there supposed to be a cover under the car that sets under the oil pan? My car does not have one.

1UZ-FE · June 28, 2004

yes, you should have a plastic cover under the whole engine compartment minus the oil pan.

90LS400Lexus · June 28, 2004

So from the photos I provided of the undercarriage of my car- am I missing a cover? Why would it be removed? I know my car has never been in a accident, unless the cover was busted somehow..... :unsure:

blake918 · June 28, 2004

Probably, when someone did an oil change(it covers the filter), they either forgot to put it back or got lazy and threw it out!

:cheers:

90LS400Lexus · June 28, 2004

Just fine. :rolleyes: What is the matter with people? :wacko:

jzz30 · June 29, 2004

i found soaking grease with simple green then just brushing off while rinsing works wonders. as for the exhaust all (newer) toyotas use stainless steel in the exhaust components. if you bought the car brand new you would have seen that it was polished like those high performance exhausts and thats part of the reason that these exhausts last a life time. you could go ahead and sand off the rust and it will last another life time.

90LS400Lexus · June 29, 2004

i found soaking grease with simple green then just brushing off while rinsing works wonders. as for the exhaust all (newer) toyotas use stainless steel in the exhaust components. if you bought the car brand new you would have seen that it was polished like those high performance exhausts and thats part of the reason that these exhausts last a life time. you could go ahead and sand off the rust and it will last another life time.

Great news about the exhaust. I have heard they can be very expensive to replace if they ever need it- but since my 90' is still super quiet- I imagine that all other LS400s are fine as well.

I wish I had of been wealthy enough to buy my 90' LS400 when it was brand new- but since I was only 14 when it was new, I was a little short on cash to pay the $39,000 for it. :P

mbpgawest · June 29, 2004

90LS400Lexus, the cover that you are missing is around $120 at the dealership, or much less at a wrecking yard. I have a '97 LS and plan on chaning mine out. Where it covers the oil filter has broken off and I would like to keep it in perfect shape.

90LS400Lexus · June 29, 2004

Thanks. Is it really necessary to have this cover? What will/can happen if I do not have one re-installed? Thanks.

mbpgawest · June 29, 2004

In my opinion, it would be a smart thing to have. It protects hoses, belts and other exposed items to possible foreign objects.

jzz30 · June 30, 2004

well i didnt have mine new either we bought our 90 in 94 but the exhaust was still polished shiny( it was really low miles) and in the advertisement of the car they showed the underside of the car and there was the blang blang polished exhaust. :D and yes from toyota the mufflers and stuff will cost as much as or more than ones from greddy or hks. because they are made out of the same stuff.

1UZ-FE · July 3, 2004

my under engine cover fell off b/c the plastic cracked around where the screws went in. since i used to work at the local lexus dealer and know a few tech, i asked one of them what would happen if i left this cover off and never replaced it.

reasons why the cover is there as explained by drew stancil:

1. to protect from road debris from coming up and hitting something. examples: chucks of rubber on the highway that bounce off the road and hit something that is newly exposed, a plastic bag that might be lingering on the road while driving in town that is sucked up by radiator fans or the metal fan that is in front of your engine. if a fan gets a hold of a plastic bag, it might rip out a bunch of your hoses as it is spun at a high rate of speed. this would generally mess up your day.

2. provide a little help aerodynamically. this cover keeps air from becoming turbulent as it hits odd shaped parts on the underside of your engine. he told me this really is not an issue unless you are going over 120 mph, and even then should cause that big of an issue.

3. protect from water that might splash up when hitting large puddles. drew said that the only things that might be affected by water getting in there are belts and the like. its possible for water to reach the power steering belt causing stiff steering and a squealing belt until the water dries. another possibility is that water might get into your drive belt and..... not quite sure what he said about that but i guess it'll seem like you're in neutral. i asked about the alternator and other electrical devices getting wet and he said not to worry about it.

either way, my cover has been off for about a month and i haven't had any issues yet. the cover is too damaged to be fixed and i'm too poor to buy another one so... its gonna stay off.

90LS400Lexus · July 4, 2004

Well, I may have mine replaced, but it looks to me like it has been gone for a while and nothing has been damaged, so I may not worry about it. Also too- I have never owned a car that has had one of these under engine covers. Most cars seem to do fine without them..... :unsure:

jzz30 · July 4, 2004

well if you compare under the hood with a car that doesnt have the cover and one that has had it its whole life you can definitely tell because everything inside stays so much cleaner

90LS400Lexus · July 4, 2004

well if you compare under the hood with a car that doesnt have the cover and one that has had it its whole life you can definitely tell because everything inside stays so much cleaner

I never thought of that before, but that is the reason why the engines on the LS400s always look so clean. My engine is still clean, so it may have not have been gone all that long. I may have it replaced after all since that is the case.