Just Bought A 1998 Ls400...

[targa]

Hi guys,

I'm a newbie with this. Just got myself a 1998 LS400 from a dealer with 120k on it. Unfortunately, it did'nt come with the "Owners Manual Supplemental maintenance Schedule". Based on service records, I found the following;

1. Spark plugs were changed at 60k, so it is already due. I thought Iridium plugs can reach 120k?

2. Timing belts, water pump, tensioners, etc. were replaced at 90k per maintenance schedule. Do I follow the mileage to do the next timing belt, etc. at 180k or do it now (it was done in 2005), almost 6 years. I believe manual says 6years/90k.

3. Right front, right rear, left front strut/shocks leaking per dealer inspection. The ride is smooth at this time. Is it recommended to replace these now? i thought I'd defer it...

4. front strut rod bushings cracking, dealer recommends front strut rods -

The car was dealer maintained from day 1 and I do not see other issues. Other than those listed above, the ride is just great.

thank you.

[billydpowell]

I have 2 99 LS's, 129k & 166k.

your plugs will last 100k easy, probably 150k.

do your timing belt/water pump at 200k

change your oil at 5000 or 7500 intervals.

I doubt that you need struts, or bushings at this point, but have them checked by an independent dealer. get a second opinion.

[1990LS400]

The maintenance and owners manuals may be viewed online without registering at https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

Register to view the maintenance that was done at Lexus dealers.

I'm too lazy to look it up but I think Iridium spark plugs were first used on the 99 LS400 and that the spark plug change interval for the 98 LS400 was 90,000 miles. The spark plug change interval for the 99-00 LS400 is 120,000 miles. The original plugs in my 00 LS looked good as new when I had them changed at 120,000 miles but I'm sort of a "by the book" person.

Whether you follow the maintenance schedule is up to you. I went almost exactly 7 years before I had the timing belt (and water pump, idlers, tensioner) replaced at the 90,000 mile service and I would not have waited longer.

If your front strut rod bushings are original and they lasted 120,000, count that as a miracle. Mine were completely worn out when I had them changed at 80-85K and I should have had them changed much sooner. I plan to have the strut rod assemblies replaced for the second time early next year at the 150,000 mile service.

I know that there must be completely honest Lexus dealers out there somewhere, but I would get a second opinion on whether or not the shocks are worn out at 120,000 miles. After 21 years of Lexus LS ownership, it seems like Lexus dealer service writers have no shame. I am not going to intervene while at a Lexas dealership but last week while I had my car in for tire balancing I heard a service writer tell another customer in the waiting room that both his front and rear brakes were dangerously low. The customer told the service writer that he would check them himself and looked at me and laughed after the service writer left. Oddly, the same bimbo service writer told me over 25,000 miles ago that my front brakes were completely worn out and dangerous. Of course, they were not worn out and still are not - I check pad thickness regularly.

Beware of "upselling" when you are at a Lexus dealer!

[landar]

Congratulations and welcome! The 98 LS400 is a wonderful car. I love the body style of the early LS's.

The others have given you good advice on those questions asked. There are some other areas that you might consider: such as draining and refilling the transmission fluid if it has not yet been done. I am not talking about a complete drain, just pulling the bolt and letting approx. 2 qts of fluid drain. Then refill with a like amount of OEM fluid only. If the fluid looks really dirty, you can drive for a couple of days or week and do it all over again. The coolant should also be drained and refilled if it has not been done since the timing belt. It can and does wear out and can adversely affect the water pump seal. Brake fluid and rear differential are other fluids you might want to change out (again, if they have not already been done).

[targa]

Thank you guys for your quick response. I appreciate it. At this point and based on the service records, only the coolant needs to be replaced, it was last done when the timing belt was replaced at 90k. The other fluids; oil, diff., transmission, brake, were all changed per schedule. I plan to have the struts/shocks checked by an indie shop change by the weekend. I also wanted to add that I personally replaced the hood struts. The dealer quoted me $125 each so I went to our friend, amazon.com and got it for $25 a piece. Oh, another question, is it ok to use regular gas? Again, thanks to billydpowell, 1190ls400 and landar.

[landar]

Oh, another question, is it ok to use regular gas?

There are many threads devoted to the dreaded octane subject. Just do a search and you will see. The opinions are varied.

The short answer is 'no', do not use regular on a regular basis(arr, arr). Per the owners manual, it is ok to use regular once in a while but do try to use premium for most fill-ups.

[jaswood]

Thank you guys for your quick response. I appreciate it. At this point and based on the service records, only the coolant needs to be replaced, it was last done when the timing belt was replaced at 90k. The other fluids; oil, diff., transmission, brake, were all changed per schedule. I plan to have the struts/shocks checked by an indie shop change by the weekend. I also wanted to add that I personally replaced the hood struts. The dealer quoted me $125 each so I went to our friend, amazon.com and got it for $25 a piece. Oh, another question, is it ok to use regular gas? Again, thanks to billydpowell, 1190ls400 and landar.

With the advent of wideband knock/ping sensors and EFI the engine ECU is able to simply enrich the mixture slightly to alleviate any issue of knock/ping. Does your Lexus have the new sensors or the old "resonant" sensors...? My 2001 Porshe C4 does.

[targa]

Thank you guys for your quick response. I appreciate it. At this point and based on the service records, only the coolant needs to be replaced, it was last done when the timing belt was replaced at 90k. The other fluids; oil, diff., transmission, brake, were all changed per schedule. I plan to have the struts/shocks checked by an indie shop change by the weekend. I also wanted to add that I personally replaced the hood struts. The dealer quoted me $125 each so I went to our friend, amazon.com and got it for $25 a piece. Oh, another question, is it ok to use regular gas? Again, thanks to billydpowell, 1190ls400 and landar.

With the advent of wideband knock/ping sensors and EFI the engine ECU is able to simply enrich the mixture slightly to alleviate any issue of knock/ping. Does your Lexus have the new sensors or the old "resonant" sensors...? My 2001 Porshe C4 does.

actually, I don't know what kind of sensor I have so I will ask the mechanic next time I see him.....on another side, I changed the coolant earlier and had the mechanic check the struts and shocks and advised to replace the dreaded shocks. The OEM is ridiculously pricy so I opted for the conversion. Its coming in 2 days so we'll see what happens...stay tuned.

[jaswood]

Thank you guys for your quick response. I appreciate it. At this point and based on the service records, only the coolant needs to be replaced, it was last done when the timing belt was replaced at 90k. The other fluids; oil, diff., transmission, brake, were all changed per schedule. I plan to have the struts/shocks checked by an indie shop change by the weekend. I also wanted to add that I personally replaced the hood struts. The dealer quoted me $125 each so I went to our friend, amazon.com and got it for $25 a piece. Oh, another question, is it ok to use regular gas? Again, thanks to billydpowell, 1190ls400 and landar.

With the advent of wideband knock/ping sensors and EFI the engine ECU is able to simply enrich the mixture slightly to alleviate any issue of knock/ping. Does your Lexus have the new sensors or the old "resonant" sensors...? My 2001 Porshe C4 does.

actually, I don't know what kind of sensor I have so I will ask the mechanic next time I see him.....on another side, I changed the coolant earlier and had the mechanic check the struts and shocks and advised to replace the dreaded shocks. The OEM is ridiculously pricy so I opted for the conversion. Its coming in 2 days so we'll see what happens...stay tuned.

Are we by chance talking about replacing air suspension ("OEM is ridiculously pricy") with standard shocks...?

A fool and his money are soon parted.

It is not altogether unusual for the Lexus air "shocks" to leak down somewhat after a few days of non-use, even "slightly" overnight is okay provided the pump can take up the slack within a few minutes. My '91's rear end will sag a bit with a weeks non-use but pumps right back up again before I even get out of the driveway.

By the way, the air suspension ride and comfort level is really stellar in comparison to standard shocks.

[targa]

...three of the shocks/struts are wet while the RF one is making noises that every time i hit a bump, it makes strange noises. This is not a brand new car and I can

not convince myself to spend $4-5k...

[jaswood]

...three of the shocks/struts are wet while the RF one is making noises that every time i hit a bump, it makes strange noises. This is not a brand new car and I can

not convince myself to spend $4-5k...

Wipe the wet ones down and see how long it takes to see wetness repeat.

Lexus/Toyota has become somewhat famous for the poor design of the front strut top mount rubber cushion. After installing 4 new shocks (Sears) that didn't help I wrapped rubber washer hose around the top spring coils to quieten mine. Same problem, "thunk" noise when driving slowly over speed bumps, etc.

[targa]

I have 2 99 LS's, 129k & 166k.

your plugs will last 100k easy, probably 150k.

do your timing belt/water pump at 200k

change your oil at 5000 or 7500 intervals.

I doubt that you need struts, or bushings at this point, but have them checked by an independent dealer. get a second opinion.

On the timing belt replacement, do you go by the mileage and not the age? It was changed at 95k six years ago and is now at 120k..