1998 Lexus 400ls

[jimmy1]

I just bought my car and took it to the lexus dealer to get a quote on the 90m service 1500.00. What is envolved in this service besides the timming belt and water pump. They said they change all the fluids. does this include the power steering fluid also. And do they change the spark plugs and wires. Just want to make sure they do everything that is needed. At first he said he would check the water pump and I told him I wanted it changed. Love this site. thanks jim

[monarch]

Yes, change the spark plugs and wires and power steering fluid and have the throttle plate cleaned. These measures will maximize fuel economy, engine power and minimize emissions

[LexusLooker]

Welcome to the site and congrats on buying a great car! Probably your first step is to look at the maintenance manual if you have it (part of the owners manual packet). It tells what Lexus recommends for the 90K service - timing belt, oil & filter, engine and interior air filters, tranny fluid, coolant, differential fluid as well as suspension, chassis and exhaust inspections and tire rotation. A power steering fluid change is never listed in the maintenance manual and therefore isn't done at 90K. If you have access to the maintenance records, the plugs should have been changed at 60K for a '98 and there are no wires to change in the traditional sense. The next step would be to do a search on here for timing belt replacement. Additional things to do are the water pump as you said, as well as cam seals possibly and some pulleys. Make yourself a list of what you want done. Then ask the dealer what they do for a 90K and see what they say and then compare lists. You may have to beg them to do a power steering flush, and I've seen where guys on here have had to stand on their heads to get the dealer to do the extra stuff like cam seals. Enjoy you ride!

[1990LS400]

By all means get a copy of the maintenance manual for your car. I would be surprised if the spark plug change interval is only 60K miles on a 1998 LS400 since the change interval is 120K miles on my nearly identical 2000 LS400.

The spark change interval was, however, only 60K miles on the 1990 LS400 I drove for 183K miles.

I question the advisability of doing odd things like power steering, transmission, and engine flushes. This is what I call "voodoo maintenance". Simply follow the normal (not the severe) maintenance schedule and your car will be just fine.

The later LS you bought requires substantially less costly maintenance than the early ones. Some repair shops and dealers suggest more maintenance than necessary simply to enhance their revenues and to offset the lost revenues that come with declining maintenance requirements.

Above all, trust the Toyota/Lexus maintenance recommendations -- Toyota knows how their cars should be maintained.

[LexusLooker]

That's interesting about the 60K plug change, 1990LS400. I double checked, and my book does say 60K for the plugs. I wouldn't think there would be any significant diff between your '00 and my '98, like you said. I did notice something interesting. I registered my VIN on the Lexus site and downloaded a PDF of a maintenance book. It's implied that it's the book for a '98. But it doesn't look like the book that came with my car, and footnotes refer to an LS430, not 400. So it's obviously a newer book. It agrees with you - first plug change at 120K. Maybe they're extending the interval over time.

I agree with following the Toyota recommended maintenance generally and not doing the "voodoo" stuff. But the tranny drain/fill is recommended at 60K (at least in my version of the book!!) - but never a flush. There are items in the gray area that have to be considered. For instance, Toyota doesn't recommended changing the water pump during the TB changed. It seems to make sense to do it anyway. I'm on the fence on the PS flush since apparently you can kill your pump if you do it wrong. I did do it at 7 years, but I don't know if I'll benefit from it.

[1990LS400]

That's interesting about the 60K plug change, 1990LS400. I double checked, and my book does say 60K for the plugs. I wouldn't think there would be any significant diff between your '00 and my '98, like you said. I did notice something interesting. I registered my VIN on the Lexus site and downloaded a PDF of a maintenance book. It's implied that it's the book for a '98. But it doesn't look like the book that came with my car, and footnotes refer to an LS430, not 400. So it's obviously a newer book. It agrees with you - first plug change at 120K. Maybe they're extending the interval over time.

I agree with following the Toyota recommended maintenance generally and not doing the "voodoo" stuff. But the tranny drain/fill is recommended at 60K (at least in my version of the book!!) - but never a flush. There are items in the gray area that have to be considered. For instance, Toyota doesn't recommended changing the water pump during the TB changed. It seems to make sense to do it anyway. I'm on the fence on the PS flush since apparently you can kill your pump if you do it wrong. I did do it at 7 years, but I don't know if I'll benefit from it.

That is odd that the recommended spark plug change interval changed from 60K to 120K somewhere between the 98 and 00 model years -- there was no mention of a change in spark plug design or change interval in the official Lexus "summary of changes" between the 98 and 99 or between the 99 and 00 model years. Maybe it was considered such a minor revision that it wasn't mentioned.

[SW03ES]

I remember something similar with my dad's 98, I think it changed in 99.