Jacob

My Lexus has this noise coming from the front, and it becomes more pronounced as I hit the brakes. At first I thought the rotors needed to be resurfaced which I did a while ago, along with new pads. I don’t hear the noise when I rev the engine while the car is parked which makes me think that the engine is not the source of this noise. Could it be the wheel bearings? And is there a simple test that I can perform to find out? Also, would engine mounts cause such a problem, since mine need to be replaced? Any thoughts are appreciated. ’96 LS400, 123K Jacob

Thank you very much.

bicol-ini, Did you use a “real” gasket for the transmission pan or is it silicone? I’m planning to replace the transmission filter and would like to know if I can get a gasket instead of using Permatex. Thanks Jacob

My engine idles at about 400 rpm but it never dies. Switching the A/C on raises the rpm (not sure by how much). Not very smooth driving at very low speeds (e.g. at parking lots) ’96 LS400, 123K. Jacob

Are you talking about the LCD? I own a 96 LS400, the climate control and radio LCD’s have slightly different lights; one of them is yellowish while the other is more green.

Hello everyone, Some of you have been talking about the reliability of Japanese cars, and I agree that they’re very reliable. But, are Japanese cars more reliable in every aspect? I own a ’91 Saab with almost 200K and have driven it 3 times with the coolant boiling and nothing happened to the engine. Can you do this in a Japanese car? Also, my Saab has tougher suspension components than my LS400. Furthermore, I think it’s not enough to talk about reliability and neglect the cost of repair including parts.

Hi nc211, I bought the car used but I’d assume that they are the originals. I wanted them resurfaced because they had grooves on them; which could have been caused by the previous aftermarket pads. I took the rotors to a local machine shop because, as I mentioned before, one of them was still attached to other stuff. As for national chains, Checker does turn rotors but it seems that you don’t have them in NC. Good Luck Jacob

I have a '96 with 123k. I have just replaced the front strut rods and stabilizer bar bushings; as RCRFAN3 said, it made a big difference in the way the care handles and annoying noises are now gone.

Mission Accomplished— at last the rotors are resurfaced. This is what I did: I removed the steering knuckle and hub assembly with the rotor still attached to them and took the whole thing to a machine shop. The guy at the machine shop told me that they (rotors) sometimes freeze like this and that they heat them a little bit to break them loose. The total cost for both rotors was $32. I applied anti-seize lubricant to where the rotors sit and installed them.

Lexkid630, Why is the LS430 a better car than the S600? I thought the S600 has a powerful V-12, great handeling… etc.

Just to make sure I used the puller the right way Here’s what I did: 1. Removed the wheel and the brake caliper. 2. Installed the puller and tightened three lug nuts. 3. Tightened the stud that goes on the center of puller ( I didn’t use the nut that came with the puller) I kept tightening and tightening but nothing happened which really puzzles me. Please tell me that I did something wrong because the whole thing is driving me crazy.

Mission Failed Today, I tried to pull the rotor out using the puller that I borrowed from Auto Zone and believe it or not I almost stripped the puller’s bolt and still couldn’t convince the rotor to come out. Any ideas why a rotor would do such a bad thing? Is it welded? Or what? :cries:

I have a ’96 LS400 with the exact same problem. There is a post in the forum that describes, with pictures, how to fix a stuck steering wheel, but I don’t know if that applies to our problem or not.

Is it easy to take out the steering rack? And would you need a wheel alignment thereafter?

VBdenny, The passenger side rotor came off by itself as I removed the two screws but the driver’s side won’t come out; it seems as if it were welded. Today, I rented a flange axle puller at Auto Zone I’ll try it and post the results. thanks Jacob

lexus400 and nc211, Thanks to both of you. I’ve just read your posts after finishing the job; I removed everything manual told me to. And I still haven’t driven the car yet. Anyhow, I have another question concerning removal of the brake rotor: about two weeks ago, I replaced the front brake pads and wanted to have the rotors resurfaced but I couldn’t because the driver’s side rotor won’t come out. Here’s what I’ve done to try getting it out: 1. Pounded on it with a mallet. 2. Tried to get it out using a harmonic balancer puller but it didn’t fit 3. Stuck a screw driver thru the rotor and tried to pry it out. 4. Put a screw driver at the black thing at the center and hit it with a hammer. None of these methods worked. Any suggestions, please? Jacob

Hi everybody, I’m planning to replace my strut rods within a few days, and I have a question concerning the procedure. The Lexus manual calls for removal of so many things like the brake rotor, and the shock absorber. Do I really need to remove all of the stuff mentioned in the manual? And what would happen if I didn’t? '96 LS400, 123k Jacob

mehullica, Thank you. I'm going to redo the pads

I have just finished a brake job on my 96 LS400. When I installed the new pads, I used the arrows on the shims as a guide to determine what side goes up but I ended up with two different configurations for right and left sides. For the right wheel, the beveled side of the pads is up while it is down on the left wheel. Is this how it should be? Or did I do it wronged. I’ll wait for your comments before I drive the car… Thanks. Jacob

Thanks to both of you I bought a set of bolt extactors at Auto Zone, and got the screw out.

I was trying to replace my front brake pads and have the rotors resurfaced. Unfortunately, I stripped the head of one of the two screws that hold the rotor. Any ideas on how to fix the problem? And what size screw driver should I use for the remaining screws. 1996, LS400 Thank you,

That’s not bad at all. I once spent 10 days trying to replace the fuel pump on my 1991 Saab, and I ruined the sending unit. And guess what… It wasn’t the fuel pump :D

If the light is steady (not blinking), and it won’t go away even after pulling the release again then it’s probably low brake fluid. This happened to me even though my brake fluid was just above the min. mark. Good Luck Jacob

I bought two of these for about $119 (including shipping). Their wires were longer than the ones that came off my car; otherwise they looked exactly the same. I think the only difference is that they didn’t come in Toyota boxes.

Is the power button the same as sport button found in some other cars?