I Get To Play This Weekend

[LexusLooker]

Hey Guys,

I read this site at least once a day. Had my '98 LS for a little over a week now and all is well. I've washed it by hand twice - you all know what a bonding experience that is. I've put about a thousand miles on it, mulling over what I should do to it maintenance wise. I can't wait to tear into it and see how this car ticks. This is the car that had a little over 14K miles when I got it. While it had oil changes at the correct mileages, there was way too much time between changes. So from a time perspective, I think the car has been somewhat neglected. Also, the car is going from less than 2K a year, probably never driven faster than 40 MPH, to almost 1K a week at highway speeds. I'm kinda worried about what this change is doing to the car - flexing stuff that's never been flexed. A 15K service was done just before I got it, with an oil change, tranny fluid change (4 quarts?!? Odd amount) and air filters change. So I'm going to play this weekend, with close to 2000 miles since the 15K service. Let me know what you think:

Antifreeze change - never has been done. Still red and looks good, but it's 7 years old. Drain, refill with distilled water to flush, drain again, refill with Toyo/distilled mix? Or should I use some kind of chemical flush? Should I change the thermostat too? Temp gauge is always rock steady at the 2nd notch (below halfway) even in traffic.

Brake fluid flush when I can get a helper (never has been done)

Trans drain/refill, even though it was just done, to start the 2-quart-at-a-time semi-flush - or should I wait a few K miles?

Oil change - again, just done within 2K, but I'm sure I'm breaking stuff loose with such different driving practice. Should I do more frequent (than 5K) oil changes while the engine gets re-broken in?

P/S fluid flush - never done

Diff - someday

Check serpentine and timing belt (I guess I can see the t-belt if I take the plastic shroud off?) Should I think about replacing the t-belt & water pump at this low miles/high years/old antifreeze stage?

Anything else I should check? I'll pull at least one front, one rear wheel to check the brakes, hoses, rubber bits, etc. And if I'm not too worn out, I'll clean and wax it.

Thanks for all your input - I've really enjoyed this site.

James

[SRK]

You are on the right track James. Change the fluids, and drive it as you are. No need to break it in again - it is good to go.

The timing belt interval is time and mileage. You are well below the mileage, but approaching the time interval. That said, the chances of it failing are very low anyways. My GS is now 7 years old, but has on 60k on it, and the interval is 90 k on the Vvti engine. I may change it next year.

Antifreeze and brake fluid should be done ASAP. The brake fluid should be done with a pressure bleeder, and not by pumping the brake pedal if you can avoid it.

All of the hoses and rubber bits will be fine - Lexus used only top quality materials.

The car will be happiest with you driving it the way it should be driven. Have fun.

[LexusLooker]

Thanks for all the info SRK. That's good to know about pressure bleeding the brakes; I didn't know that was the preferred method. I was indeed going to pump the pedal. Not now. Thanks for the advice on the belts. And thanks for the advice on driving it as is. I'm not following a new car break in procedure at all, but I didn't want to go from 0-80 at full throttle first time out of the chute if it's never done that. The engine felt, and still somewhat feels, a little tight like it doesn't want to go. But I had fun doing a 50-80 squirt this morning :) But I'm not doing that often - I'm enjoying my gas mileage too much. I'm edging 26 MPG in part city/part highway (mostly highway) driving. It'll improve when I get synthetic oil in there - shhhh---don't tell anybody.

You have an LS and a GS? Sweet.

[flash213]

Why is it better to use the pressure bleeder than pumping?

[nc211]

LexusLooker.....don't forget the beer, when you're all done and can sit back with a bottle of the suds and admire the machine. 14k miles on a 98? Man, I'd have to say that's a real find! I'm jealous. I though my 95 with 84k miles was a steal last year. Yours blows mine out of the water! Wanna trade? ;)

Have fun this weekend. I too am doing some work on mine. Going to change all the control arms and shocks. She's ready for some new parts. I can't wait to drive her with the new bushings and such.

[LexusLooker]

Gosh NC, how could I forget the suds??? Maybe we need to do a poll - what kind of beer? Maybe a microbrew, maybe a dark malt, maybe a cool refreshing beer like Fat Tire. So many beers, so little time. I'll be so busy admiring my handiwork (or cussing whatever I broke in the process) to care which beer it is. I'm glad you made that suggestion. I have to get my priorities straight.

Yeah, this was a find, I hope. 90 year old woman traded it in on a new LS. The engine is spotless, but looks like it never was dirty in the first place. Underneath is nearly spotless; she rarely if ever drove it in the rain, I suppose. She lived in a high rise, so it lived in the parking garage. There is a "drunk bump" (minor scrape) on the right front and I replaced the broken side marker. There was a paint smudge on one of the doors, but I rubbed it out. Pretty sweet ride. Spare tire & jack have never been used. Hood struts are shot (oops...gotta add that to the maintenance list...) I'm having a lot of fun seeing how it all works.

Don't be jealous! I bet yours is great because you've spent time with it. 84K on a 95 IS great. How many miles do you have now? I'll have to go back and search your posts to see what you've done - I've seen your name around. Have fun changing your control arms and shocks. You've got more cojones than I do. That stuff is out of my league. You will really earn that beer. I'll drink one in your honor. Now I know who to call on when mine needs suspension work!

James

[Ribbler]

LexusLooker.....don't forget the beer, when you're all done and can sit back with a bottle of the suds and admire the machine. 14k miles on a 98? Man, I'd have to say that's a real find! I'm jealous. I though my 95 with 84k miles was a steal last year. Yours blows mine out of the water! Wanna trade? ;)

Have fun this weekend. I too am doing some work on mine. Going to change all the control arms and shocks. She's ready for some new parts. I can't wait to drive her with the new bushings and such.

←

What did you pay for such a deal? I'm currently (still) in the market. Haven't yet found "the deal."

[LexusLooker]

They were asking 24.9K at the dealer and I paid 23.5K. I didn't consult Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) or Edmunds.com beforehand; I just now looked and they both say around 22K. So I may not have gotten the lowest dollar deal, although I doubt I could have haggled lower. There was another guy at the dealer wanting the car, and another guy on the phone wanting to buy it sight unseen. So I just nabbed it and ran. I guess it's a fair price considering the 15K service that was done (marginally) and new tires they put on. Keep looking; you'll find the one that grabs you!

[nc211]

After the cost of the new parts.....the cheapest beer next to paps blue ribbon available! Hahaha. The only thing all LS models require are new suspension bushings around the 85-100k mark. You learn on this site where to go, and you'll get parts at 50% off. True OEM parts too, no knock offs. You dump $1,600 in the car, and it's fine for another 100k. I've got 98k on the clock, and she's a dream machine. I've had to replace the lower ball joints, motor mounts, tranny mount, rear differential mounts, front strut rods, shocks and had the dealer eat the ecu main computer due to a flaw in the 95 and 96 models. I got him with his 3,000 / 90 day waranty on that one. That was huge. Had them do the 90k service at tiem of purchase as well "timing belt, plugs, water pump etc.." that was huge as well. Basically, the parts that need to be replaced, are the parts you would expect to need replacing. The suspension components are all attached to the frame with soft, rubber bushings that wear out after 100k. Unfortunetly, our models don't allow for just the bushing replacement, but the whole control arm itself. The Generation 1 guys "89-94" have that option, but we don't.

I wouldn't worry one bit about the car sitting for as long as it did. I've got a 1973 full size caddy, 7 litre engine, straight pipes and all original, with only 14k original miles. She fires right up! Drives like a beast, sounds like a monster, and grabs the attention of everyone who sees her. It was my dads, and it reminds me of him. It's also the year I was born. Age v. mileage doesn't matter too much. If a chevy can last that long, a lexus can last 100x longer, no problems.