SRK

I just installed new rotors a few weeks ago on my '92. I checked with my parts supplier and he found two brands, one of them Raybestos, that listed for $105.00 and $150.00 wholesale. I then checked with the Lexus dealer and they charged $140.00 list, $122.00 wholesale to me. I went with the Lexus part obviously. The prices are in Canadian dollars. The Lexus (Toyota) part has a ground finish, not turned, and is a beautiful thing. Absolutely true and flat out of the box, and works perfectly. I have never seen an aftermarket rotor so carefully made, and I have sold and installed hundreds over the years. The dealer Lexus mechanic whom I have got to know quite well says that all brake components on these cars should be factory only and I am inclined to believe him. The rear brakes are a separate issue, and the rotors should be fine if you are getting a vibration through the steering wheel while braking. Replace the fronts only, and test drive the car. If the symptoms disappear, then you fixed it. If not, diagnose further.

Not a bad article, but probably not intended for the type of person that owns a Lexus, more than likely it is intended for Cavalier and Lumina owners. At the same time, the Toyota red coolant is a long life type, and if you are using it, ( I wouldn't use the green regular coolant at all) a one year change interval is a bit short. It can easily provide protection for three years. Of course you aren't causing a problem changing it early, and if it gives you peace of mind, then its worth it.

Excellent job, well done. Your perseverance and attention to detail are great. I now feel better about the day I have to dig into my engine to replace the starter. Thanks.

Don't worry about "flushing" the system. Mostly that too is a bit of a gimmick. The engine should not have any appreciable build-up in it. The rad has a very convenient drain on the bottom, with a hose on it even. Use that. Top up with the red stuff, and away you go. I am sure you can do it yourself. Dispose of the old coolant correctly, you should have a recylcing facility nearby. Some folks use distilled water in the mix if your local water is known to be hard and have minerals in it.

I would not advise anyone to use Dex-Cool. Toyota has their own long-life coolant, which is red in colour and behaves like the regular green glycol, only it lasts longer. It is also suitable for the dissimilar metals in our engines. Dex-cool is a product used by GM, and marketed I think through Texaco to others, which is a long-life coolant. Used correctly it works well, but it is not to be used in any application that incorporates soldered brass or copper tanks. It must also be protected from contact with air, so earlier non-sealed systems can't use it. Given all the restrictions on its use, stick with the Toyota product. Keep the tank topped up - use clean water. When you have the time, drain the rad at least, if not the block as well and top up with a 50/50 mix of Toyota coolant. That will ensure the engine has a proper mix of coolant and water.

Toyota Type IV trans fluid is synthetic, and I would recommend staying with it rather than changing to another brand. These transmissions last a long time on the dealer supplied products, so there is less incentive to switch. The synthetic gear oil may be a good idea though.

Using gasoline of a higher octane rating than required will NOT cause any problems - at all. Higher octance fuels burn more slowly than those of lower octance, and with greater resistance to pre-ignition under high pressures. The only harm will be to your pocketbook - spending more money than is needed. Most modern engines have PCM's that will advance ignition timing until they detect knock (pre-ignition) and then stabilize timing at that level. Many PCM's record the knock count as they continue to probe for the most timing advance possible. This is a normal attribute of many PCM programs. The lower the octane, the later the ignition timing will occur, and that will cause a reduction in power. The power ratings advertised for our engines are determined at particular octane and air temperatures (standardized tests) and if you use a lower octane fuel the power output will be lower, just like if the air temp is higher, or the altitude is higher (Denver CO). Using any leaded fuel (avgas or racing blends) will contaminate the O2 sensors, leaving them quite useless. This will produce a code from the PCM and cost you big time replacing them. Also the catalytic convertors will be irreversibly damaged, costing more money. Use the octane recommended by the manufacturer. I use nothing lower than 91.

My 92 had been in underground parking for 11 years with the previous owner. The leather was in good shape, with little sun damage, but it was quite stiff and obviously had never been treated with anything. I have used Lexol three times in five months, and the leather is supple and soft. Amazing results. Great stuff.

Sorry Steve - I usually avoid the slag-fests that some threads turn into. And of course I like women too much.... :D

Thanks for the info Elaine. By the way, I have been driving for longer than most of the guys on this board have been alive, and the near misses that have nearly killed me over the years have all been caused by males, with one exception. Interesting too that mining companies and others running huge machines prefer female drivers because they tend not to abuse the equipment ( watch what some guys do when they miss a shift - curse the trans and mash the gears anyways) and cost them less in maintenance as a result. And road rage, one of the worst driving offences possible, is committed almost entirely by males.

That is a great looking wheel Elaine! What is the brand and or model number?

Toe is neither positive nor negative - it is toe-in or toe-out. The machines commonly indicate one or the other with plus and minus symbols, which is where some folks get this idea. ANY car with independant rear suspension MUST have a four wheel alignment. Waste of time to do otherwise. ANY good tech will put the heads on the rear axle of ANY car even if it doesn't have independant rear suspension to check what is called "set-back" which is the angle, or perpendicularity, of the rear axle. The change of angles as the alignment procedes is normal, and accounts for the sequence which is followed in setting them. Any "tech" confused by this is no professional. All alignments are preceded by a check of weights, pressures, linkages, etc. to ensure that the alignment will be possible. If a ball joint is worn, or a tie rod end, all the aligning in the world goes to waste. As cars are driven the angles change with normal and acceptable wear, and of course we hit bumps and thump the car around a lot. So after some miles are racked up, an alignment is a good thing even if the car feels fine. Four to five year interval is a good one to follow. The pre-alignment check will go a long way to ensuring safety. And as the car wears slowly, most drivers never notice the change, and when asked always say everything is fine. Some of the stuff I see is incredible. Tie rods about to drop out, ball joints about to separate, and the owners (otherwise intelligent and sensitive people) never complain about "looseness". Go figure.

In my shop I don't have the equipment to do alignments, at least more than a simple toe setting. I had to replace the inner and outer left tie rod ends shortly after buying my LS. So I install the parts and take the car to my pal who does all the alignments on my own and customers cars. He lets me at least watch, if not help a bit. The LS alignment is very straight forward. As is typical with these well designed cars, the control arms are moved in and out with large eccentric washers on the mounting bolts, very similar to Mercedes Benz - probably a copy. Both front and rear are done this way. The alignment specs are all available, and there is nothing strange about them. Toe-in front and rear, camber nearly zero, caster positive. Big Deal. Don't go to any shop that claims "these are tough cars to align". That would indicate they are the village idiots having found a new day job. So for my $50.00 I got an excellent alignment with a print out of the angles before and after. It was done by my pal's newest employee, all of twenty-two years old. The car is dead straight, tracks perfectly, steering wheel centered so well it surprises even me. The new tires are wearing perfectly. (run your hand across the tread, left to right, with your eyes closed, and you will feel any feathering or toe problems easily) There is no magic or rocket science involved in this - just find a true professional who cares about his work, and wants repeat business.

I use Mobil 5W-30 in both of my cars, the Lexus of course, and a '94 Camaro Z28. Neither burns any oil, and neither has any leaks. In most cases I have found, and certainly with some customer cars, that oil burning is the result of piston rings which get sticky from infrequent oil changes. What can correct that condition, over time, is regular oil changes with a quality oil. The fresh oil will tend to clean varnish and deposits out of the ring grooves and allow the rings to conform better to the cylinder walls. My advice would be to shorten up the drain interval - maybe 2000 miles or so - for a few changes and then monitor the oil consumption. In most cases the engine will begin to burn less oil. Also be sure the crankcase breather (PCV valve) is in good condition, as when it plugs the internal crankcase pressure goes up and that can push oil past the rings. In some cases I have flushed very dirty engines with good conventional oil, on very short changes, like 100 miles or so, and then gradually increased the interval as the engine cleaned itself internally. At the end of it all, if the engine does continue to burn oil, but doesn't foul any one sparkplug (all cylinders are burning a bit) and the catalytic convertors continue to function efficiently, then simply add a bit of oil between changes and don't worry about it. If one cylinder seems to burn the oil, that would indicate a mechanical problem, if all do it evenly, then it is just normal wear.

At normal operating temperatures, 5W-30 and 10W-30 are the same. At low temps, the 5W will be thinner and allow for faster starts, better start lubrication, and fuel savings during warm-up. 10W will be a bit thicker at cold starts. That's the difference. Synthetics are rated on the same scale exactly. So a 5W-30 synth will be the same as a 5W-30 conventional at the two test temperatures of -18F and 210F. Outside those temperatures, the synthetic will perform better, thinning less with higher temps, and thickening less at lower temps. Don't use ANY additives. At best they are a patch job, and at worst degrade the oil you put in the sump. No manufacturer recommends them, including Lexus. That is good enough for me. The API, ILSAC, and SAE do not rate additives for a reason. They do no good. Synthetics are better at maintaining the pliability of seals. If the engine leaks oil now, it will continue to with synthetics, although it may not leak any more. At any point in an engine's service life it will benefit from synthetic. In fact, as clearances increase, synthetics will protect the engine more effectively.

Lexusing is correct. The max pressure listed on the sidewall is that which is used to achieve the maximum load rating of the tire, which is far above the loading the tire sees one the car. The correct pressure is that listed by the car manufacturer, and in this case 32 PSI should be fine. I installed a 215/70-15 on my '92, one of the optional sizes Lexus suggests to replace the stock 205/75-15. I run them at 32-33 and the car rides and handles very well. Lexus advises 36 in the rear tires for continuous high speed duty, and 30 in the fronts, 30 all round for city driving, at least that's what the tag claims in the glovebox.

The two screws are not important once the wheel is torqued on. They retain the rotor to the hub while assembling the caliper. However, it would be best to remove the rotor at some point and carefully remove the broken drill bit and the screw. If one was really industrious, there would be nothing wrong with using the rotor to locate new holes on the hub, drill them at the tap size, and tap the holes to accept new screws. Bottom line is, as long as the wheel is tight, the rotor will be too.

I just got back from a quick vacation with the wife and two kids. I did over 3000 kms in four driving days, about 2000 miles. I left with 2k on the oil, and when I got back, it had not dropped a bit. I travelled lots of roads in the Canadian Rockies, with lots of altitude driving, and they are rough roads too. Car never missed a beat, and got 30 mpg average (imperial gallon so about 25 mpg US gallon), loaded with four people and all the baggage, AC on all the time, and cruising at 130 kilometres (about 80 mph). Unbelievable. As tough as some of the roads were, the suspension never bottomed out, although I am sure it came close. I can't think of any car that I have ever driven that would have performed as well. Mind you the car picked up a few war wounds on the way. Couple on the front valence, and a few on the lower door panels. Rocks and the lack of mudflaps - not that I am recommending mudflaps.... I intend to repaint the lower body color soon, but I am thinking of taking off the lower door panels to paint them separately. So I was wondering if there are any factory drawings showing how they installed? VMF, I know you seem to have lots of factory drawings, and you have generously posted some for others. Have you got any showing these body panels? Thanks in advance. SRK

I would agree that the seats offer little side support. They are comfortable to a point, but I too find that it is difficult to get the right adjustment of seat and steering wheel. Kind of like Lexus provided the adjustment range, but not the actual ergonomics that make some cars fit really well. In a Benz I can get comfortable very quickly. Actually the LS is the only Japanese car I can get anyway near close to comfortable in - and is the first Japanese car I have ever owned.

The idea that changing the oil may endanger the trans (or engine or whatever) is a huge myth that has been around for years. It simply isn't true. If the trans does die after changing the oil, it is because the oil was changed too late, and the trans was going to die anyways. Change it now. Lexus has a very reasonable service interval for the trans which should be followed.

I'm glad you didn't generalize to all mechanics Todd. I use the viscosity Toyota recommends, and that is 5W-30 year round, regardless of weather. The whole point of multi-grades was to eliminate seasonal oil changes for viscosity. 5W-30 works all the time. But I use Mobil 1 5W-30 in all of my cars, and convert them to it regardless of mileage on the engine. I have used synthetic at 500 miles on several engines I have rebuilt, and I have never seen any excess oil consumption.

There are many myths about synthetics that are dying hard. One of them is that it is not suitable for engine break-in. In the old days that was true, but as you correctly suspect, modern engine machining techniques allow synthetics to be used from day one without excess oil consumption. When you consider how critical oil control is to modern emission systems (O2 sensors, catalytic converters) that is really saying something. All GM Corvettes, all Porsches, all high performance Jaguars, all AMG Mercedes come with Mobil 1 as a factory fill, and BMW M-cars come with a German made synthetic from the factory. There are probably other cars now using synthetics from the factory, and my prediction is there will come a time when all cars will.

Many Japanese cars use an alternator field disconnect switch at idle, which eliminates charging drag and improves idle quality. This may accound for the jump in output voltage as you rev the engine. I do not know if the Lexus line does this though.

Most synthetic manufacturers do not promote their oils as extending drain intervals. I know that Amsoil does. Mobil does not. I use Mobil synthetic, and have never considered any other brand. For non-synthetic types I use Esso (Exxon) oils here in Canada. Mobil 1 5W-30 is about $6.50 a litre on sale, so about $4.50 US. That's about 2-3 times the price of a conventional, and well worth it even at the same drain interval. I would not exceed 5k miles as a an interval. Most people change the oil too frequently when a car is new, and then extend the intervals as the engine ages. It should be the other way around. As the engine ages, blow-by increases, and the rate of deposit goes up. Therefore, the oil should be changed more frequently as the engine gets older.

A sticking caliper is a common problem on older cars, and a Lexus would be no exception. Other than a flexible hose, or who knows, maybe the traction control, the most likely explanation is that the dust boot has become perforated and allowed water to enter and rust the piston in its bore. That prevents it from retracting as it should and the brake pads remain partially clamped against the rotor, causing the excess heat you have found. Jack up the rear of the car and feel the difference in drag on the two wheels. In most cases a rebuild of the caliper is all that is needed, and at worst an exchange unit can be installed. Fix it before the rotor is warped or damaged.