Lexuses71

Yes, they have and it is much appreciated.

OK, thanks. Will give it a try.

Billy: Which hose? Bigger diameter hose on left or smaller on right (in your pic) ? And am I supposed to feel a lump or knot? Or what?

Landar, can u elaborate on that some? What position should it be in to allow heat?

Thank you, Sha4000. That makes perfect sense. I will certainly check the coolant level before going any further. And the Thermostat is likely overdue to be changed anyway. Fingers are crossed. Appreciate the feedback!

What would cause my climate control to not generate any heat after setting temperature to 73 degrees and vent closed on recirculate? Just started this 2 days ago. MY car is a 1998 LS400, 84K miles. Very well maintained. Car is not overheating. Just looking for ideas and comments, thanks.

Thanks Jim. I will just hope that the unit holds up as long as I have the car. Not looking forward to replacing anything.

Anyone who has a Gen 2.5 LS400 like me have or had any problems with their Navi system? Not that I have so far, but my car is now 14 yrs old and I shudder to think what I would do if it went south all of a sudden. It contols so much stuff (GPS, Climate & sound). How long do these units last on average? And what do u do if yours dies? Junkyard seems the only option...

Beautiful car, Billy. Also nice to finally have a face to go with the name!

LOL! Yeah, I just crank up the stereo. Will take a goood look with a flashlight this coming week. Route 66....indeed!

...what the hell could be loose? I've got no stuffed geranimals, tools or CD cases, etc back there. Do I need to go up under from inside the trunk? Drivin me batty.

Agree with Turbomini-if it is what you like, that's all that matters. It's YOUR car!

You have a similar problem as I did. You have to consider the age of your car, not the milage at this point. At a minimum, you need a Timing Belt/Water Pump replacement, all critical fluids (brake, transmission, differential & radiator) flushed and replaced, Strut Rods and Motor Mounts checked and possibly replaced if worn. Also get a 4 wheel alignment. Find a well recommended Lexus independent mechanic in your area, have him go thru your car and compare his assessment to the dealer's list. You don't have to do everything at once, but I assure you, most of the above will need to be done at a minimum,as you are way overdue. I have less miles then you (49K), but my car is a 1998 & hadn't had any major work done either in the 5 yrs I've had it. Struts & Mounts rubber were shot, TB was getting tattered & stringy and Water Pump was starting to leak a bit. So I'm glad I did all that when I did-now good for another 100K miles. There may be other things folks here may recommend you also do, but I do think these are the main heavy duty items that tend to wear out over time. By finding a good independent Lexus mechanic, you will save 25-30% of the overall cost. Don't take such a nice car to Midas or Pep Boys. You'll get what you pay for. And make sure they use only OEM Lexus parts. Just one owner's take on it.

My 1998 LS400 has the Nav, HID self leveling headlights. wood, CD, Analog (non useable) phone in console & Pioneer stereo. Fully decked out @ $58K new, I have the original window sticker. But thank God it does NOT have the air suspension, so as the above poster says, if those two rocker swiches are not on the console, you have conventional coil suspension. Which is a lot better. Sounds like a great buy. Go for it.

Totally agree with this prognosis on the Strut Rods. Had mine done a few weeks ago (posted elsewhere here) and brother! did that make a HUGE difference. My car was pulling to the left, and sure as hell, while both bushings were shot, the left one was even worse. Mechanic showed them to me after removal. Rubber had cracked when he inserted a screwdriver and wiggled it around. Best money you could spend to correct this vibration thing, and this item is often overlooked. Now when I let go of the wheel, the car stays straight as an arrow with zero vibration.

Glad I could help! The ebay says used this means you will have to clean off the adhesive and put on new double sided tape. the RC car guys have a thin double side tape that works good. If the used emblem has the !Removed! on it I would not drill holes just cut them off just be careful to put it on straight, those holes are just for alignment. the LS 460's do not have holes. I just replaced my factory Gold emblem package yesterday with a new chrome one (my mags are chrome and the gold no longer looked good with my burgandy body color), and yup, it took about a half hour of labor with a rotary buffing wheel (for removal of the glue without stripping paint). The center "L" badge took the longest. The gold pieces did have the alignment pins, the chrome kit did not. The adhesive backing tape made it easy to install. Looks MUCH better now.

Call my mechanic, Mike at Lexology in Hermosa Beach, CA. (310) 579-0543. Tell him Barry with maroon LS400 sent you. I know he can surely do this work, but if South Bay is too far for you, he may be able to recommend an independent Lexus counterpart in your neck of the woods. I asssure you Mike is straight up, honest and will not jerk you around. Good luck!

Wow, this is interesting. I JUST posted a reply (under "Timing Belt Question") regarding this very thing that was discovered on my 1998 LS400. I too was having a bit of steering wheel shake, had had the mags rebalanced several tims, rotors replaced, yada, yada. All the obvious stuff. Then, while making arrangements to have my TB/WP work scheduled, my mechanic brought this very issue to my attention-the rubber bushings on my Strut Rods was breaking up. Falling out in chunks. When he replaced them, he showed me the old ones. Sho nuff, they were date stamped 1998-and the orignals. Now, my car only has 49K miles on it, but the TIME factor wore the Rods down. And snce I had them replaced, boy, what a huge difference in ride quality, sureness and straight line (tracking) acceleration, and no more shimmy. No more pulling to the left (in my case). No "thunk" noises. So, yes, if you haven't already, do have your Rods closely looked at. That part of my bill was ~$490.00 inlcuding new OEM Rods. Worth every penny. Once done, you won't have to worry about that for a very long time.

Hard to believe some one paying 1900 for that.... but it is their $$$$ not for me.. Maybe you didn't really read the OTHER work I mentioned was included for the $1900 total. The TB/WP tensioner replacement work with OEM factory parts and labor was actualy $890.00. More than fair IMHO. The rest of the work was new strut rods & new moto mounts, alignment, coolant replacement. Now, those of you that have the time, the expertise to "do it yourself", mo' power to ya. Do your thing. I don't have time or inclination to do all that work myself, nor do I have the tools or space. And, as I said, for 5 yrs, I have spent squat on this car in heavy maintenence, so to shell this amount out now, and have it all done right didn't even make me flich. Equals $400.00 per yr of owndership. Maybe some of you assumed I paid $1900 for a TB/WP job only. I ain't THAT crazy! And I didn't go thru a stealership, I used a highly recommended indepenent Lexus repair shop in my area. I'm quite satisfied with the outcome. YEP, $35 a month is a good deal.... you done good.. I didn't consider all of it, sorry. AND I am a do it yourselfer, with a young tallented nephew (also a mechanic).. Billy- Having some mechanical back up sure helps a lot! You are very lucky. In the old days, I used to work on all my cars, and I've had plenty over the years. They were then a lot simpler to access and work on. I then had the space and the tools. These newer cars are much more complicated, a lot more things in your way and you really do have to know what you're doing. I truly salute those individuals that can tackle a major job like a TB/WP swap out. There are a lot of us (for various reasons) who have to defer to a good, reasonable mechanic and build a trust relationship. I have found such a place. I did find out that the local Lexus dealer would have charged me ~$2600.00 for all that work. Plus, my shop washed the car, eliminated 2 nagging interior rattles, adjusted my idle and replaced my battery. So(and I am sure you would agree),"value" is a truly subjective thing to the individual.

Hard to believe some one paying 1900 for that.... but it is their $$$$ not for me.. Maybe you didn't really read the OTHER work I mentioned was included for the $1900 total. The TB/WP tensioner replacement work with OEM factory parts and labor was actualy $890.00. More than fair IMHO. The rest of the work was new strut rods & 2 new front Motor Mounts (both were shot), alignment, coolant replacement. Now, those of you that have the time, the expertise to "do it yourself", mo' power to ya. Do your thing. I don't have time or inclination to do all that work myself, nor do I have the tools or space. And, as I said, for 5 yrs, I have spent squat on this car in heavy maintenence, so to shell this amount out now, and have it all done right didn't even make me flich. Equals $400.00 per yr of owndership. Maybe some of you assumed I paid $1900 for a TB/WP job only. I ain't THAT crazy! And I didn't go thru a stealership, I used a highly recommended indepenent Lexus repair shop in my area. I'm quite satisfied with the outcome.

Funny to stumble across this particular topic. My 1988 LS 400 was WAAAY over due for a TB/WP change, as I suspected I was still riding on the original parts. I was right.... And, it turned out that the Water Pump was JUST starting to leak a bit! As for the Belt, it was beginning to fray. So while I was at it, I also had my front Strut Rods and front Motor Mounts replaced, got a 4 way alignment (it was off due to bad left Rod) and am good to go and have peace of mind. The whole job, with Lexus replacement parts (only way to go), ran me $1900. Worth every penny, because in the 5+ yrs I've owned this car, besides brakes and oil changes, I've never had to put any serious money in to it. So I didn't even flinch at the cost. My mechanic showed me every part removed, all were date stamped 1998. The Strut Rod rubber bushings were cracking, and the Motor Mounts had seperated. Now the car is tight, ride is smoother, steering is more sure footed, steers straight as an arrow. Goes to show you how well made these cars really are. But don't wait as long as I did. I just lucked out. If your belt snaps on a non-interference engine, you are effed.

Hey Dust, thank you very much for the kind words. The total figure I quoted was including tax, liscense, LoJak, etc. The care itself was $22,800.00. I had to go sit in the garage and look at that odometer again. I still cannot believe I lucked out and found such a clean car. I was prepared to spend around $30K, however I couldn't come to terms with the dealers for a 2001 LS430 as they wouldn't budge off $34-35K out the door, and some newer cars I saw had much more wear and tear. I have the original wondow sticker-$58K new. I now know the dealer wasn't making much profit on this car, they wanted to move it quickly. Several people today were swarming around it. I can tell you tghis morning I went a benz dealership that had a 2001 LS430 for $29K+, but ir had 86K miles on it. If the car I bought hadn't ben in such stellar shape and such low miles, I'd still be looking! Will put up some pics soon.... Update 5 yrs later (as of 3/04/10): Still rolling, smooth as a baby's !Removed!. Now @ 49K miles. Nothing has broke, only item I did replace was the 6 CD factory changer. otherwise, this has been an excellent car to drive and own. I keep it clean, and get a lot of compliments on it's look & condition. And I feel safe driving it.

Yes, it was those lights. Seems to be Ok now, haven;t had happen, just that day I installed the new battery. Never occurred before then.

Man, that's good info to know, thanks!