daffy

I have been reading the posts for about a month and a half.  I’m getting smarter on and about my car.  I think all you kind folks.  And to show my thanks, I’m going to pick your minds some more.

It seems like every post I have read about replacing a timing belt, be it the school of fix it before it goes out, or those that say, let her brake, then fix it.  Everyone seems to do the water pump at the same time.  Why?

Is it simply because most of the work to replace the pump is done at that time, so for the cost of a water pump do it??? Or is there more of a reason.

And how much time on average should it take an experienced mechanic with all the needed tools to do the job, if this is their first time on a Lexus and their using the tutorials.

Thanks

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Hi,

There is a lot of work to replace the timing belt and for the price of the water pump, might as well replace it and know that your reliablity will be there. Water pump is not expensive for this car. Even though some of these water pumps can go for a long time, reliablity should be high on your list too? IF water pump quits, so does your car. If fan belt goes- car will still go until your battery dies (it happened to me once). Daffy

How much time on average should it take an experienced mechanic with all the needed tools to do the tune up (wires and plugs), if this is their first time on a Lexus and their using the tutorials.

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Hi,

My guess is about 2 hours the first time and probably about 1 hr the second time around. Don't forget to change caps and rotors as well as they are sometimes overlooked. No special tools needed for this job.

This is just a guess as some people are slower or faster than others. I did it myself and I am a backyard mechanic and it took me 3+ hours the first time. Now I can replace plugs and wires in about 1 1/2hrs. Hope this helps, Daffy

I have read, read some more, and read again. I know it's been covered in detail, but I still can't find the answers. I can't seem to be persuaded by either side regarding whether I should use synthetic oil or not in my '98 LS400. Until now, at 98k miles, it has used conventional only by the last owner every 5k miles at the Dealer. I live in the Chicago area. I bought from a private party so the engine area was never steam cleaned for looks. I don't see any leaks from what I can see (will removing the plastic engine cover let me see more?). I plan on keeping the car for a long, long time. I am accustomed to changing the oil on my other cars every 3k with conventional. Yesterday I stopped at Pep Boys and saw that Mobil1 was on sale for $3.99 a quart so I bought 12 quarts. I already have my genuine Toyota oil filters. Can I make the switch cold turkey, what is the possibility of a leak, if it leaks can I switch right back? Should I make the switch guys?

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Hi Gumart1,

I bought my Lexus at 115,000 and switched to synthetic and now have over 250,000 miles. When the car became 10 years old, I had Lexus dealer replace the seals on the engine because they do get old and hard and will start to leak. I still use 5w-30 synthetic oil in my car (i've heard some switch to 10w-30 to slow the amount of oil used) and it still uses about the same amount of oil it has always used. If you want to make your engine last, this is a good way to go. I would replace the oil filter every 6 months and change out the oil every year regardless of how many miles you put on the engine. I say this because synthetic oil doesn't break down like ordinary oil. The biggest thing is to keep the oil as clean as you can. I went one step further on my car and added a by-pass filter(cleans oil down to .5 microns) and I change that one once a year. I just finished checking the compression(with two different mac testers) and all cylinders are 190psi or better. The book says 178psi or better is what theywould like to see and 142psi min. Sounds like I am doing something right. I drive this car 75 mph everyday to work and back (about 20 miles one way) and absolutely love this car. I even use synthetic in the transmission and power steering and rear end. I plan to drive this car a long time yet. Hope this helps, Daffy

ps- A well engineered car deserves a well engineered oil.

I had the exact same problem with my 91 ls. I read somewhere about a valve that would go bad on the power steering pump, which would then cause power steering fluid to be sucked into the engine. At startup smoke would roll out of the exhaust and then clear up. The pump would whine and I was constantly adding fluid. I could never find any signs of leaking. I went to the parts department at the Toyota dealer and ordered the valve ($90). You can get it off without removing the alternator. I used what is called a crowsfoot (17mm). It is basically the open end of a box-end wrench with a place to insert a socket wrench. I used a 3 inch extension and got the valve off in no time. Leo is right about covering your alternator, I didn't do it before removing the valve and fluid leaked all over it. 1 week now and still no leaks, smoke or whine.   THIS FORUM RULES!!!

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how the hell can you suck fluid into the engoine? the hoses dont connect to the engine anywhere. there isnt any way for it to get in.

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Let me take a stab at it.

From what I understand the valve is simply a pressure activated vacuum switch that speeds up the engine idle when it encounters high PSI as when the wheel is turned at low engine speeds. It acts just like a bad transmission vacuum modulator will when it goes bad, tranny fluid (in this case PS fluid) will get sucked into the engine if the diaphragm within is ruptured.

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what im getting at, is the power steering system is a closed sytem. or at least it is in every car i have ever worked on.

this includes my current one.

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Hi ArmyofOne,

When I rebuilt my pump, I was using air to blow dry some of the parts including this "valve" and without knowing what happened, I blew something out of this housing and didn't find out until I installed the pump. I was adding oil to the pump and it would never fill because it was going directly into the intake of the engine. I knew right away where the problem was and proceeded to take the "valve" out. There is supposed to be a piston inside with an "o-ring" on this piston to prevent oil by-pass. Well I could not find this piston anywhere (looked for two days, I must have blew it into outer space) so I made my own in a machine shop. It now has over 200,000 klms so far and works just fine, lucky me! A new valve is $269.00cdn!! It cost me nothing to fix it myself. So now I understand how it works and how the oil can get into the intake when the "o-ring" goes. If anyone has to repair one of these valves, just blow a little air in one end and catch that piston, then replace the "o-ring" from any place that sells seals, bearings etc. Make sure that the o-ring can take high pressure and can stand-up to oil. re-install and problem solved!

Just in case you don't know what this valve does, it increases the engine speed when turning your wheels at idle so the engine doesn't stall, much like the air-conditioning does when it's on. So it is a useful and needed valve. Hope this helps. Daffy :)

Hi, Mr_Fantasic_Plastic

If you are a do it yourself type of guy, then the repairs won't be so much and you will for sure have repairs. Mostly little things. I bought mine at 115,000 miles and now have 250,000+ miles and I am very happy with it. I started to do my own work on it and it's proven to save a lot of money. For example I rebuilt the power steering pump for $100 cdn (new bearing and seals) and now after over 120,000 miles, it is still working fine. Dealer wanted $700 cdn to replace and install a new one. Be sure to do a compression test and have it gone over with a good mechanic before making your final decision. I would think you should be able to get at least 350,000+ miles out these cars. My 2 cents worth Daffy

Hi 70 140,

I am curious, before the car quit, were there any noises coming from the back seat area? I was told that this would be warning that fuel pump is about to go. If you didn't hear anything, then I'd best change my pump soon to prevent being stranded somewhere and having to tow it somewhere. It would be cheaper (I think) to replace pump here at home. I have over 250,000 miles so far, so maybe at 300.000 miles I will change the pump unless you find something else wrong. Thanks, Daffy

Hi Wilfred,

You basically have only two choices to fix the rust spot. That is, get it repainted or if not too noticable, you can buy a can of rust check and apply it to the area and do that every year. Rust check will stop the rust from spreading. These cars are galvanized and that in itself will slow the rusting. I have two rust spots on mine and being a 14 year old car with over 400,000 kilometers, it's not really worth it to repaint it now. My engine is still very strong and I think it will go another 200,000 easy. Good luck with yours, Daffy

Hi,

I went to Lexus and tried to get the right warning light bulb, but couldn't locate it on their computer. So after thinking about it for a while, I figured I would just swap bulbs with my seat belt warning light (which isn't near as important as a door slightly open warning light). I managed to get at these bulbs and did my swap. I kept the burned one out. This spare bulb will be for reference if I have to replace another bulb in the future. I will have a spare to show Lexus or any other parts supplier. I'd hate to take my dash apart again to replace the seat belt warning light, because I am always scared to break something when taken a Lexus apart, with all these clips holding things together.

There isn't any number that I can see on the burned bulb.

daffy

I have 398,000 klms so far and car is running very good. I even use it in the rear end and engine with bypass filter. (I am not an amsoil dealer, just very happy with the results so far...) I just had the compression checked and it's at 190psi on 6 cylinders and 200psi on one and 210psi on the other.

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398,000 km is only 248,000 miles which is nothing special compared to what Toyotas can do

http://www.saber.net/~monarch/cole2.JPG My 452,000 mile Toyota still has perfect compression too and passes Californias tough smog test with ease even though it still has the factory original catalytic converter http://www.saber.net/~monarch/smog.jpg

A large majority of the 500,000+ mile Toyota owners I know did not use synthetic oils or other specialty filters or products. Consumer Reports tested synthetic oil against conventional oil and found no engine wear benefit from synthetic. For all these reasons the real world benefits of synthetic are controversial, not clear cut, and have been controversial for 30 years because in all that time the synthetic oil companies have failed to provide the public with real world evidence synthetic substantially extend the life of engines, transmissions, axles or power steering pumps.

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Hi monarch,

I didn't know that many toyotas get such high mileage. If I can get 500,000 miles out of my Lexus-that would be awesome! The other reason I use synthetics is for the cold winters we have in Canada and synthetics are suppose to flow at a much lower temperature. Thanks for your input, a real confidence boost for me. This is my first toyota product. Love this car so far! Daffy

Since I have a lifetime warranty on the pump from a year and a half ago I will replace it rather than the seals. The problem is leakage and serious to the life of my alternator. At the time I was a new member and was not aware of the lower screen. When it started leaking a little bit about a month ago I started looking at the forums and became aware of the flush and cleaning of the lower filter. It made a drastic change in ease of steering and I made a post about it then. I didn't know at the time if the leaking would stop from release of back pressure because of the maintenance or that I had actually blown my seals. Well I guess my seals did not make it and I will change the pump, which is free, and flush again and clean the lower screen again. Daffy, the amsol synthetic oil sounds interesting...........is it a high temperature oil and what is its normal application?

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Hi RFeldes,

Its the same oil I use in my transmission. I used to change oil in the transmission every 80,000 klms, but with amsoil, I go up to 2-3 times longer before changing it out. I have 398,000 klms so far and car is running very good. I even use it in the rear end and engine with bypass filter. (I am not an amsoil dealer, just very happy with the results so far...) I just had the compression checked and it's at 190psi on 6 cylinders and 200psi on one and 210psi on the other. The manual says over 178psi is good and minimum is 142psi. Sounds like my engine is going to last a long time yet! :D I bought the car at 186,000 klms. before changing to synthetic. Love the car. I will from time to time post how it performs in the next few years. Daffy

I knew somebody would ask me that!!! :cries:  I will do my best, as I know it is a major undertaking for some of us. I did not pull the radiator last time and don't plan to this time as it was not a problem. I won't plan on documenting the flush and lower screen cleaning since those are topics that have been well documented and covered here at LOC, and those are the tutorials that I will use.

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Hi RFeldes,

I rebuilt my power steering pump at 190,000kms and now have 398,000kms and the only thing I did different was use amsoil synthetic oil. The Lexus dealer wanted to replace the pump and said if you rebuild it, it may only last 3 years. Good thing I didn't listen, now 6 years later it is still working great. I am thinking about changing out the oil this summer. I didn't know about the solenoid filter or the filter in the reservoir. I should probably clean these as well. Daffy

Are you sure that the bulb is bad.  Have you tried any of the other doors to see if the warning light comes on.  Bad door courtesy switches are a common problem.  You might try wiggling the drivers side courtesy light switch located on the door jamb to see if the light comes on intermittently.

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Hi obergc,

On my Lexus the light never comes on now with any door. I will try to wiggle the switches to be sure... Thanks, daffy

Hi

A warning light just went out on my 1991 Ls400. It doesn't look to hard to change, but I need to know what the bulb number is. Anybody tackle this yet?

Thanks, daffy

Hi,

When I decided to go for a used luxury car, I almost bought a Mercedes, but after trying out a Lexus ls400, it felt to me, a better quality car- I was impressed! Even with 186,000 kilometers on it, I bought it (when it was 8 years old) and now have 397,000kms on it and I plan to keep it for a long time yet. I just had the compression test done on it and it is well above what it is suppose to be. This engine I feel will go a long time yet. The exhaust hasn't been touched yet, Shocks are still good, starter is original. Power steering pump, I installed new seals and front bearing. From the power steering pump leakage the alternator went. The power steering pump has close to 200,000kms since the rebuild and shows no sign of leaking. Replaced the alternator and did the brakes. Did one major tune-up (spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor) and I do the timing belt every 100,000kms. Now I am set for many more kms. I drove it across Canada from Edmonton to PEI and back, no trouble! Reliability is there with a little maintenance now and then.

The ride is nice and the cabin is quiet and the Nak stereo is awsome! I had people ask me if that is the original paint (I still wax it once a year). Nice compliment for a 14 year old car.

Hope this helps somewhat. Daffy

For some reason I can't find it.... help?

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Hi,

You have to remove some of the bolts holding the belly pan on the driver side. Bend the belly pan down a little(don't kink the belly pan) and you will find the filter. I change my own oil most of the time and it is a bit of a pain in the butt to have to move the belly pan everytime. They should have put a door there instead.

Daffy

Hi daffy!! :)

I'll admit - I never thought that I'd ever get some great advice from a 'daffy'!! lol What I'd like to know is why did you bother to check your throttle cable? What was happening to your car? Did you only discover it's condition by chance?

Hi CanadaCraig,

When I went to clean throttle body valve out, I noticed the frayed cable and said to myself " this can't be good". so I replaced it. It was an easy job, just didn't like the price of the part. It was underneath the "traction control panel" in the engine compartment.

If you have traction control and want the quickest time, you have to shut it off and turn your electronic transmission control (on beside the gearshift) and remove anything heavy in the car!

And daffy is short for the cartoon character daffy duck, I am a flier as well. I fly a Lazair. (www.lazair.com) Merry Christmas!

daffy

Hi,

The heated seats are OK after a long drive in the winter time, but for short hops they take too long to warm up. Has anyone done any mods like adding a high setting switch and done it safely so it doesn't burn up the seat?

Daffy

Hi 90LS400Lexus!! :)

Thanks for the input!!

12 seconds to 60 is quite slow. When it comes to performance - 'seconds' are a long time. SRK's LS [like most 1st generation LS's] can reach 60 MPH [from ZERO] in just over 8 seconds. [let's say 8.5 seconds for the sake of this message] To put that into perspective. - my NSX takes about 5.5 seconds to reach 60 MPH. That's only 3 seconds quicker than a 1st generation LS. MY LS takes 12.5 seconds. [again - a rounded out figure for the sake of this message] The difference between SRK's LS and my NSX is 3 seconds. The difference between SRK's LS and MY LS is 4 seconds. See what I mean? That's a LONG 4 seconds - and impossible to ignore.

Hi SRK!! :)

Thanks again. AND thanks for doing me a favour by breaking the law!! lol [is racing against time illegal?!] I'm sure you can imagine how taking an additional 4 seconds to reach 100 kph would feel. Like I said to 90LS400Lexus - impossible to ignore.

Just double checking - are your absolutely SURE that our LS's have a throttle CABLE and that that CABLE controls a bellcrank [or 'lever'] which rotates a  TROTTLE PLATE? I just don't want to be told by the Lexus guys the my car doesn't have a 'cable', etc.  And IF that cable/bellcrank/throttle plate is NOT adjusted properly - would the ECM recognize that? [or ignore it?] Sorry if I'm repeating myself. I just want to be fully 'armed' before I go BACK to the dealer. I hate not knowing more about these things. Instead of collecting car brochures all these years - I should have picked up [and read through] a repair manual or two!! lol

Also... did WE see each other Sunday afternoon? I was in my NSX coming up from the Victoria General Hospital road as you were heading towards the freeway. ['we' passed each other near those new 'luxury townhomes'!!] Not sure about the time - but 'we' acknowledged each other and 'you' [!!] were in a Cinnabar Red 1998 GS400. If that wasn't you - someone just stole your car!! lol :P

Thanks to both of you.

Craig!! :)

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Hi CanadaCraig,

I know it has a cable for the throttle to the gas pedal. I just replaced mine(1991 Ls400), as it was frayed. It cost me $138.00 Cnd. There is adjustment for this, and should be set with gas pedal to the floor and butterfly wide open. It's easy to do. Just back off the jam nut and make your adjustment(if needed) then tighen the jam nut. Daffy

OK, so my 94 LS400 is at 95k and this is what im going to replace:

-Power steering pump (leeking)

-Timing belt, water pump, tensioner, idler

-Rear carrier bushings

-Brakes all around

-Spark plugs and wires.

-Transmission flush

Now here the Q's:

1. Are these good spark plugs? Link

2. Are these good spark plug wires? Link

3. Am I missing anything?

Thanks guys

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Hi JaguarS4R,

Good choice on the spark plugs and wires, but don't overlook the distributor cap and rotors (not an expensive item either). This is what made my car run better, even though I changed spark plugs and wires earlier. It would miss once in a while, then got worse and worse over time.

Are you doing the work youself? If so, I would add the following things as well.

Rebuild the power steering pump youself, just put new seals in and a bearing on the pulley side. I found it easy to work on (I am not a mechanic by trade) and you don't need any special tools. I have 242,000 miles on my 1991 Ls400 and the pump is still working perfectly and does not leak at all so far. These pumps seem to last really well. Most mechanics prefer to replace, rather than rebuild because of the extra time that is needed to work on them.

Check your fan support bearing, idler and tensioner bearings, they may be ready to go. Sounds like you are changing the timing belt idlers- good! The timing belt tensioner may be ok, just check to see if it is leaking or just sweating. If just sweating a little, it's probably ok. If it is leaking- no good. Mine is still original.

Clean your throttle body valve. If you shine a light into the intake with the throttle wide open, you will see gunk on the back of the second butterfly valve, this may effect your idling if it gets too dirty.

For what the thermostat cost, I replaced mine but that's up to you.

And don't forget the rear end, it needs fresh oil too.

I believe it's worth doing all this extra work, because it is really a fine car and it will make it more reliable for many miles to come. Good luck and let me know how you made out. Daffy

Hello All,

          I am excited about being able to exchange valuable info with longtime Lexus owners. I have a few questions about my just purchased preowned 2002 LS 430.

          The car has 16,000 miles and drives great. I can see myself holding on to the car for 6-8 years.  I dont want to compromise the car's performance and life by trying to skimp out on its maintenance etc. 

So my first question is:

  Does the car absolutely require premium gasoline?

  Is there a big difference in performance and life of the engine if I continue to use synthetic oil over the conventional.  Reason I ask, because i normally pay $18 for a conv. oil change, today I tried Jiffy lube because of time issues and wanted to get out right away. Anyways they charge $30 but I was upselled to the super duper synthetic Mobil Oil. (you know the guy really sold the upgrade) So I paid $60 and went with the synthetic. My thought was if after researching if it's better great. I made a good choice if not that will be my last time using the synthetic. So what are your opinions.

      How often would you change your oil for conv. and synthetic? ( I was told synthetic can go for 5k while conv. is good for 3k.

                                      Thanks in advance. 

BTW The Lexus dealer wanted $105 and I bet that's for a conv. oil change.

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Hi fitforlifechris,

Here you have one of the nicest car around and one of the longest lasting as well, if maintained. I just wanted to say, I have a 1991 Ls400 with close to 400,000kms and just had a compression done on it. My minimum compression reading was 190lbs. The manual says 178psi or better and 142psi minimum. I've use synthetic oil since I got the car at 186,000 kms. I even went a little extreme on the oil changes. I installed a Amsoil by-pass filter and change it once a year and the engine oil filter twice a year and change the oil (Amsoil only) every 20,000 miles. Pretty good results so far! (by the way I am not a Amsoil dealer) I will keep doing this to see how long this car is going to last. I figure at least 400,000 to 500,000 miles. Just wanted to put in my 2-cents worth. :D And always use premium gas, it's not a cheap car!!

Daffy (my car is still running great!)

Hi, everyone

Thanks for your input! I will from now on do my own brakes. I looked at the tutorials and it looks very easy. I have done a few drum brakes, but these disk brakes look so much easier to work with. I may try a little of this stop brake squeal stuff, as I really don't have much to lose. I am basically done with taking my car back to Lexus. Too bad there's only one dealer here. They aren't as good as I thought they'd be. I had a few other things happen that I wasn't happy with, so I have decided that they will never see my car again. But I am happy to have found this forum and really appreciate everyone's opinion, know how's and tips. Makes owning a Lexus more enjoyable. :D

Thanks, Daffy

Hi

I had my brakes done professionally, new rotors and pads and are now squeeling when I come to a slow stop. I could take it back, but I feel I can maybe use a little brake lube stuff, that would cure the problem. Anyone have the same problem? Am I on the right track? Thanks, Daffy

I'm sure the Amsoil products have helped out  lot daffy considering how cold in get's out west.  I wonder if I should consider using the Amsoil synthetic ATF in my 01 ES next time (since it's apparently compatable with the Toyota type IV ATF) I need to do a tranny flush?      Only problem is I like doing a complete 100% fluid change as opposed to just a 'drain & fill'     The Amsoil synthetic will probably run me $10+ per litre!!      :o   & you need a couple bottles to 'flush out the old stuff' which comes to about 18 or so litres!!   :( :cries:

 

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Hi Lexusfreak,

Just remember, you can leave it in longer between oil changes, 2-3 times longer. As you said, you like to clean out all the old stuff, I would agree to this as well. After that you never have to clean it out so thorough next time.

Daffy

Oh yeah, I do have a block heater and use it.

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I'm sure the Amsoil products have helped out  lot daffy considering how cold in get's out west.  I wonder if I should consider using the Amsoil synthetic ATF in my 01 ES next time (since it's apparently compatable with the Toyota type IV ATF) I need to do a tranny flush?    Only problem is I like doing a complete 100% fluid change as opposed to just a 'drain & fill'    The Amsoil synthetic will probably run me $10+ per litre!!    :o  & you need a couple bottles to 'flush out the old stuff' which comes to about 18 or so litres!!  :(  :cries:

 

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Hi Lexusfreak,

Just remember, you can leave it in longer between oil changes, 2-3 times longer. As you said, you like to clean out all the old stuff, I would agree to this as well. After that you never have to clean it out so thorough next time.

Daffy

You might want to consider getting 4 snows for your neck of the woods my friend.  ;)  Just a suggestion.....the back will have better traction, but if all seasons are still on the front, you won't be able to steer properly should you need to quick.  All 4 tires should be the same for the best possible traction & safety.

 

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Hi Lexusfreak,

I said "set" of winter tires, I meant all four. I have them mounted on rims so I can switch them myself instead of depending on tire stores which are too busy that time of year. I would never recommend only two! So you are correct, 4 winter tires or four all season tires- never mixed! Thanks, for clearing that up.

Daffy