pondfisher Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I have a 97 LS400 purchased 3 weeks ago 138k. Last weekend I changed the oil myself and found I had been either a current or previous fluid leak on the right hand side. To make sure I cleaned the engine undercover in order to have a good reference point the next time the cover was removed. Today I removed the engine undercover I found about a thimble full of oily substance right underneath the alternator. There are also a couple of lines of some sort in that vicinity that had fluid on them. After a closer inspection on the back of the alternator there is a electrical connection that appears to have fluid on it too. I also removed the top plastic Lexus engine cover and could not visibly see any trace of a leak and checked the power steering fluid. The previous owner had the Lexus Dealer replace the timing belt and the "leaking" front crank case seal at 95k. Has anyone had a similar leak or know of an inherent problem to the 97's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBERT THOMASON Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I have a 97 LS400 purchased 3 weeks ago 138k. Last weekend I changed the oil myself and found I had been either a current or previous fluid leak on the right hand side. To make sure I cleaned the engine undercover in order to have a good reference point the next time the cover was removed. Today I removed the engine undercover I found about a thimble full of oily substance right underneath the alternator. There are also a couple of lines of some sort in that vicinity that had fluid on them. After a closer inspection on the back of the alternator there is a electrical connection that appears to have fluid on it too. I also removed the top plastic Lexus engine cover and could not visibly see any trace of a leak and checked the power steering fluid.The previous owner had the Lexus Dealer replace the timing belt and the "leaking" front crank case seal at 95k. Has anyone had a similar leak or know of an inherent problem to the 97's? Most likley I am going to say it is the power stering pump, hoses, or both. This is a very common problem with the LS400's. However I am not sure about your year model if it is a problem. Do some searching on here or maybe someone else can chime in on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pondfisher Posted October 8, 2007 Author Share Posted October 8, 2007 Robert, I think you could be right. My best bet might be to take it in to be looked at to make sure. I would much rather have a power steering problem than have something leaking from the engine. I will search the previous threads to see if that might produce a clue. By the way good luck with the new 2000 LS400. I am a Project Manager for AT&T Customer Owned Equipment and I bought mine for the same reason as yourself. Great reliable transportation. I have the itch to upgrade, but it has a number of good miles left in it for now. Thanks, Bill :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBERT THOMASON Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Robert,I think you could be right. My best bet might be to take it in to be looked at to make sure. I would much rather have a power steering problem than have something leaking from the engine. I will search the previous threads to see if that might produce a clue. By the way good luck with the new 2000 LS400. I am a Project Manager for AT&T Customer Owned Equipment and I bought mine for the same reason as yourself. Great reliable transportation. I have the itch to upgrade, but it has a number of good miles left in it for now. Thanks, Bill :D Bill, when I bought my 94 3 years ago it had almost the same exact miles as yours. After almost 3 years I had put over 218k on it. I had very few problems at all other than general service type stuff. I kept the oil changed, premium gas, tune up, brakes and tires. I did most all the work myself because I love to tinker with my cars. My PS pump was leaking from the first day I had it and I just kept topping it off with fluid and eventualy switched to Lucas. Over the last 6 months the steering had started to get a little spotty and stiff at times. So change it now or change it later, kind depends how anal you are. I will say if you dont change it you run the risk of shorting out your alt. I got lucky and that didnt happen. Good luck and you should love your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pondfisher Posted October 8, 2007 Author Share Posted October 8, 2007 I hadn't thought of the possible alternator damage as a result. I appreciate the tip and will make sure that I get it up on a rack so I can really see where it is coming from. This car is a 1 owner that purchased from a co-workers parents. His dad is a Lexus fanatic and has owned LS's from 1990, 1994, and my new "to me" 1997. He also stables a 2004 LS430 and just bought another 2007. I am not sure if the 07 is a 430 or 460. I didn't look in the garage at that one because I didn't want to be overwhelmed with envy. The 07 is the reason he sold the 97 to me. When he bought the 07 he drove it home and locked it in the garage for a month before he drove it again. I don't have that much self control!! All of his cars are only serviced at the dealer "including oil changes and tires" and performed all the scheduled maintenance. The car was never damaged in anyway but he did smoke. The smoke was the only downside but he didn't use the ash tray. I paid 9k for it with 138,000 miles "maybe a little high" but I knew where it had been for the last 10 years and it had the complete service records. I have fallen in love with the car and I wish I had bought one sooner. Maybe he will be ready to sell the 04 in a couple of years, who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBERT THOMASON Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I hadn't thought of the possible alternator damage as a result. I appreciate the tip and will make sure that I get it up on a rack so I can really see where it is coming from. This car is a 1 owner that purchased from a co-workers parents. His dad is a Lexus fanatic and has owned LS's from 1990, 1994, and my new "to me" 1997. He also stables a 2004 LS430 and just bought another 2007. I am not sure if the 07 is a 430 or 460. I didn't look in the garage at that one because I didn't want to be overwhelmed with envy. The 07 is the reason he sold the 97 to me. When he bought the 07 he drove it home and locked it in the garage for a month before he drove it again. I don't have that much self control!! All of his cars are only serviced at the dealer "including oil changes and tires" and performed all the scheduled maintenance. The car was never damaged in anyway but he did smoke. The smoke was the only downside but he didn't use the ash tray. I paid 9k for it with 138,000 miles "maybe a little high" but I knew where it had been for the last 10 years and it had the complete service records. I have fallen in love with the car and I wish I had bought one sooner. Maybe he will be ready to sell the 04 in a couple of years, who knows. Welcome to the world of Lexus. They are awesome cars and you will most likley be a Lexus owner for life. As far as what you paid for the car I would not worry to much about that. Even these cars seem close to bullet proof it is pay now or pay later. You were better of paying a little more for a car that was owned by a "Lexus owner" and not a Lexus driver. Sounds like you got a great car and it should bring you joy for many miles to come. With being on the road all the time you will love the comfort, power, and decent gas millage these cars get. The 2000 I just bough had spoty records and had been in a front end collision. However it was checked over by Lexus and an independent body shop and both said the car looked fine to them. I paid what equates to $16k OTD for it. I dont think I got a steal but think I got a decent deal. My father also owned a 94 LS that had been hit in the front and my sister still drives it today with close to 200k. Matter of fact my 94 had been hit in the front also. We seem to find all the wrecked ones, lol. Either way I love them but like I have said before only time will tell if myself or you got a good car. Good luck and congrats on the purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pondfisher Posted December 15, 2007 Author Share Posted December 15, 2007 I found the leak today after I got my 1997 LS on the rack, it is the passenger side valve cover. Is this a common problem and is there anything else that should be addressed when making this repair? Where is the best place online to buy the valve cover gaskets and do I need to get anything else other than just the cover gaskets. The PS did appear to be leaking a very small amount from the valve at the bottom of the reservoir. We were unable to reproduce any fluid after we cleaned off the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMF Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 95-97 LS do not really have a leaking PPS problem, there are VERY FEW cases that have been reported here for these years. 90-94 was plagued by the problem on a much bigger scale. the cheapest place to get OEM parts that i have found is www.newlexusparts.com. not sure what other parts you might need for this repair since i cant find my factory repair manual that would show the procedure. misplaced volume 1 somewhere:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.