K9crew

VMF, Thanks. It seems to me that if you turn your wheels from lock to lock with the engine running you either need to have a helper pour ATF into the reservoir or you need to construct some form of hopper to refill the reservoir as the old fluid gets dumped into a waste container. How often do you plan on flushing the PS fluid in your car? I've put about 10K on my SC since flushing (fluid still looks red and clear) and it's cheap enough to change on a yearly basis but that's probably overkill. The fluid isn't exposed to the heat range that the ATF sees in the transmission and dirt shouldn't get into the system. :)

GOOD STUFF!!! I'm curious as to what AWJ makes of it all .... I know he's passionate and knowledgeable about these things! :)

VMF, Yep ... it started AND ran with the MAF sensor disconnected although I only ran the engine for a couple of seconds. :D Did you follow chubyball's recommendation of turning the steering wheel from lock to lock to get the old fluid out? The PS system only holds about 1 QT and I had more than a QT of dirty fluid in my waste container so I felt that I managed to get most of it out. However, if both you and chuby needed 6 QTS before the fluid ran clear maybe I'm missing something here. The other possibility is that your PS systems were very dirty compared to mine. My SC had about 50k on it when I flushed the PS and my LS had about 60k on it .... what do you think? :)

BlackSC4, Here's some interesting reading ... "What You Need To Know About Torque Converters - Content provided by Summit Racing Tech Support Nothing about torque converters is more misunderstood than stall speed. Stall speed is directly related to the amount of torque your engine produces--the more torque, the higher the stall speed. For example, a converter with a 2,800 to 3,200 rpm rating might provide approximately 2,800 rpm of stall speed behind a mild small block V8, but about 5,000 rpm behind a big block making 800-plus ft.-lbs. of torque. If you don't know your engine's torque rating, you cannot establish the converter's stall speed. That leads to perhaps the biggest problem people have when buying a converter: stall speed ratings. While most converter manufacturers list stall speed ranges, those numbers are very, very general guidelines; true stall speed is impossible to measure due to vehicle variables. The time-honored method of testing a converter's stall speed--holding the brake and revving the engine while in gear--doesn't work, primarily because the tires will spin before you reach the converter's stall rpm. The biggest complaint about converters centers on a stall speed that is too low. The problem is usually a lack of low-end torque, but there are other variables that can contribute to lower stall speeds, including the following: Low vehicle weight Small displacement engine Very low compression ratio Long duration camshafts Retarded cam timing Heat is the biggest enemy of your converter and transmission. Stepping up to a higher stall converter can impose higher loads and create more heat, so proper cooling is essential. We strongly recommend a high capacity transmission cooler to protect your converter and transmission from damage". :)

Wes, You're welcome ... I hope others find it useful as well. 99, The connections hold up fine ... there's no pressure in the reservoir and the path of least resistance works well for the return hose. I ran the engine for a couple of seconds which almost empties the reservoir if you have it filled to the top. I repeated the process four times. I don't see any problem having a longer hose on the return but if you remove the airbox you can put a container there and use a shorter hose. Yep, my car is the same color as yours ... here's my car at the Grand Canyon. I think chubyball used 6 QTS to flush the system but he mentions using SynPower PS fluid which is NOT Dexron II/III ATF. Valvoline makes ATF but it's not SynPower. I use Valvoline SynPower brake fluid ... good stuff!! chubyball, I'm not sure if turning the wheels to full lock helps the "pump work more effectively to get rid of the old fluid" but it does expel trapped air. I performed this same procedure on my SC about 10k miles ago and the PS fluid is still clean and red without any discoloration. How is the SynPower PS fluid working for you? I hope you don't have a problem since it's not Dexron II/III ATF. :)

Check out this link on eBay ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...B%3ASS%3AUS%3A1 Makes me wish I had an SC300 rather than a 400!!

BlackSC4, My "understanding" of torque converters and stall speeds is that you can rev the engine with the transmission in N to the given TC stall speed (RPM) then shift the transmission into gear without stalling the engine. This is important for cars at the drag strip since higher RPM launches can result in faster times. I'm not really clear on the benefit of higher TC stall speeds for "normal" driving. If this explanation is incorrect I'd appreciate a proper explanation as well. :)

I flushed the PS system yesterday and took some photos to help out anyone that hasn't done this before. This job is easy and takes about 30 minutes. I put together a very primitive but effective kit when I flushed the PS system on my SC. The hose is 3/8" ID and the fittings were lying around in my garage. PS flush "kit" ... crude but effective! First I removed the plastic engine cover, follewed by the battery cover, air inlet ducting, air filter/box, resonator and throttle body inlet hose (all in one piece). I did this to improve access to the PS reservoir inlet hose. PS reservoir exposed for easy access. The next step is to drain the reservoir. You can disconnect the inlet hose and catch the fluid as it pours out or use a pump to remove the fluid. Once the reservoir is empty, disconnect the inlet hose and plug the 3/8" metal inlet tube. Connect an extension hose to the reservoir inlet hose and route that hose into a suitable container. Ready to pump out the old PS fluid. Fill the reservoir to the top with fresh Dexron II ATF (I used Mobil1). You have a few choices here ... you can "bump" the starter many times to pump the old fluid out or you can run the engine for about two seconds which will pump the fluid out VERY quickly. The other option is to run the engine and have a friend pour ATF into the reservoir. Repeat the process of filling the reservoir and turning the engine over until clean, red ATF comes out of the return line. Clean ATF from return line. Finally, reconnect the inlet hose, refill the reservoir, start the engine and turn the steering wheel from lock to lock a few times (with the reservoir cap off) to expel trapped air. Check the PS level COLD and HOT (adjust if necessary). When I did this yesterday, I ran the engine for a few seconds with the MAF sensor disconnected. The "check engine" light came on in addition to the VSC light. When I was done I disconnected the battery for twenty minutes and both codes were cleared. :)

Changing the fuel filter on my SC was a HORRIBLE job. I am NEVER going to do that again. I haven't even looked to see if my LS has the same POS flared fitting set up ... but if it does I'm going to install Swagelok fittings and an aftermarket filter. I installed a 30 micron Racor filter on my F-350 that has a screw-in filter element. It's so easy to change the filter ... just unscrew it, screw on a new one and that's it, no fuel anywhere!! :)

Bill, You could purchase a cooling system leak detector kit. You add a special dye into the coolant and then use a black light to find the source of the leak. I have no idea how much those kits cost but you'd probably find the leak very quickly. I'm sure there are low and high end kits to suit most budgets. I know you mentioned replacing the radiator cap but have you considered having the cooling system pressure tested? Good luck! :)

I'm going to remove my head unit sometime during next week and send it to a place in San Francisco to be repaired (the display is messed up). My LS goes into the body shop on 02/07 so I wanted to send in the head unit while the car's being repaired. Where do I find the radio code? Would it have come with the owner's manual on a card or something? When I leave work today I'll look in the big Lexus wallet that came with the car ... it holds all the owner's manuals and such. Thanks :)

jzz30, Great photos!! Is the same bushing that you changed? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=42609 He also sells the upper control arm busings ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=42609 ... but I haven't checked with the dealer to see if his prices are good. :)

99, this may be the reason that our transmissions were over-filled or it could be that both of our cars came from Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX. :D Every vehicle that I've ever owned (with the exception of my F-350 PSD) came with an oil pan dipstick having a difference of approximately 1 QT between the LOW and HIGH marks. The LOW HOT and FULL HOT range is about an inch long on the ATF dipstick so it's counter-intuitive to think that the difference is only 4 ounces. As for my LS, it seems to be driving much better now, the shifts feel quicker and firmer ... I don't think it's the placebo effect but after a few more days of driving I'll know for sure. Thanks for everyone's input on this thread ... it's helped a lot. :)

denny, I think that's particularly true if the transmission is over-filled. It's quite easy to read the dipstick if the fluid is in the COLD or HOT regions, but if it's above the HOT region it's hard to read the thin wire part of the stick. I had no idea if my transmission was 1 QT or 5 QTS over-filled!! Anyway, I'm going to take a page out of 99's book and drain the pan at EVERY 5k mile oil change. 2 QTS of Toyota Type 4 ATF every 5k is cheap insurance. Thanks for the idea 99!! :)

SW03ES, Here's a picture of my Lexus phone. 1990LS400 has kindly offered to help me out with the procedure for removing the handset once his manuals arrive. Lexus phone in '99 LS400 :)

JPI, I bought my LS in Houston from an outfit called Expo Motorcars. The car had one previous owner (I think I unerved him when I called him to ask about the rims on the car ... his name was on the title! :) ). I flew to Houston in November and drove the car to San Francisco (via the Grand Canyon and Yosemite). I then shipped the car to Hawaii. I've been in contact with the service people at Park Place. A young woman called Rebecca faxed me the service records from 29K all the way to 58K when I bought the car. I've been trying to get the rest of the records without any luck. I don't know what's going on but I've called many times to speak to her. She keeps promising to mail or fax the records but nothing happens. Initially I was impressed with their service but now I'm beginning to wonder! :)

99, You should be writing maintenance procedures for Lexus! :D You were right on the money with 1.5 QTS bringing the HOT level to the midway mark on the HOT section of the dipstick. I drove about 15 miles and rechecked the level. I added just about 2.0 QTS. in all and now the fluid is at the top of the HOT region. I'm going to drain the pan again this weekend and install my new drain plug and gasket. This time around there should only be 2 QTS in the pan so I'll add 2 QTS of fresh fluid. So I can say with some confidence that I my transmission was over-filled by about 1 QT!! Again, this must have been done by the Lexus dealership in Plano .... Thanks for your help. :)

99, I drained my transmission pan this morning and like you I ended up with 3 FULL quarts in the pan!! I poured the old ATF into some empty Mobil1 oil containers and all three were filled to the top ... what's going on? My morning almost turned into a disaster. After changing the oil and filter I tried to remove the trans drain plug. It started to come out easy and then it STOPPED!! I had to make an "exutive decision" ... do I retighten the plug and take the car to my friend's shop to put it on the lift or do I try to remove it and run the risk of stripping the plug and/or the pan and be stuck at home with an empty transmission pan. Well, I removed it and the plug is in terrible shape. It looks like it's been stretched (over torqued) and since the original owner took the car to a Lexus dealership in Plano, TX every 5K miles I have to assume that a Lexus technician is responsible. It just confirmed my resolve to never let anyone work on my vehicles!! I managed to make a new temporary plug by cutting down a bolt in my "assorted metric bolts" box. I'm off to the dealer in a few minutes to pick up a new drain plug and gasket. I only added 1.75 QTS. since you added 2 QTS. and were just about at the high HOT mark. I'm going to check the level cold and then again when it's hot. I'm more concerned about the HOT level than the cold level so I want to adjust the fluid when it's hot. wwest, Thanks for your comments. I hope my transmission shifts better now that the fluid isn't so high ... I'll make a post once I've driven to and from work today. :)

The unit is fixed as far as I'm aware. I don't have any service for it but I played with some of the features ... it's a very nice set up. Too bad there isn't an easy way to use my T616 with all of those built in goodies! :(

I'm unhappy with the way that my LS shifts so I started looking through the original owner's service records. He had a similar complaint and the service description is "checked and adjusted ATF". I've had the car for a few months and I knew that Lexus "changed" the ATF at 45K miles (2 QTS. that is) so I didn't bother to check the level when I bought the car ... I did check the color/condition. Since I'm unhappy with the way the transmission is shifting I checked the ATF tonight when the car was cold. I checked it on level ground with the engine running and I moved the shift lever through the gears pausing in each gear for about 5 seconds. The COLD level was just below the HOT mark on the dipstick. I drove home (about 15 miles on the freeway) and stopped at a gas station near my house to check the ATF while hot. It was difficult to determine how much the fluid was over the HOT mark because it's hard to see the fluid on the thin wire part of the dipstick. My guess is that it's at least 1/2" above the HOT mark. So now to my question, will an overfilled transmission result in damage and is it reasonable to expect the shifting to be affected by overfilling? I plan to drain the trans pan (2 QTS.) first thing in the morning and only replace 1 QT of Type 4 ATF. I'll check the level COLD and take a quart of ATF to work with me and check the fluid once I get to work. Thanks for any help. :)

My '99 came with a big key with three buttons built into the plastic part of the key ... I don't like it at all!! I'd like to have a traditional three-button key fob. I see them on eBay all the time but was told by the parts guy at the dealership that you can only use the same style of remote that the car came with. Is this true? Thanks :)

1990LS400, Thanks for the tip. The OEM phone mounting system is slick and I couldn't see any easy way to remove it. There's no access from underneath which makes me think the base is held in with clips. I'll take a closer look at it tomorrow and let you know if I manage to get it out without breaking anything. :)

I'm not sure if this helps but you can buy a new Lexus coolant tank for about $150 from the dealer. I'm sure that an aluminum coolant tank would look cool though ... similar to the ones on the super charged Saleen Mustangs. :)

My '99 LS has the Lexus phone in the center console as well. I'd like to remove it so that I can use the upper part of the console for additional storage. I looked at it briefly the other day and couldn't immediately see how to remove the phone. Has anyone done this, and if so do you have any tips or suggestions? Thanks :)

You can call John at 1-888-428-7278 to order Powerstop rotors and 911 pads. If you talk to him he'll set you up with the best combination of pads and rotors. Your other option is to buy the Stillen rotors and metal matrix pads. I'd love to see some photos when you're done. :)