Jollyczar

I recently changed my valve cover gaskets and had never done them before. I don't know what a shop or the dealership would charge but it is VERY doable if you have some basic mechanic skills. My old gaskets were rock hard and almost useless as seals which led to the same leaks you describe. I say tighten them down and check them regularly while you read up on the posted write ups and change them out when you are ready. I will help out with any questions as will many others here I'm sure. I took a bunch of pics on my 2000 ls400 and have the FSM to share also.

I've heard a lot of rave reviews for Daizen and Addco upgrades but can't find any applications for the 2.5 gen. I tried emailing Daizen (their distributor) 3 weeks ago and haven't heard back yet. Any good reviews on products to reduce body roll on the later ls400's?

I don't know what the cost would be but you may want to consider taking the seats out and having them reupholstered. That cost compared to the time and effort of the cleanup may be worth considering.

Each of those extra things to do in addition to your timing belt project will domino into additional extra things to do. For example, if you remove the valve covers you will probably want to replace the gaskets, spark plug seals, bolt grommets. Then come replacing various hoses that may crack/ break from age during the removal process... And so on. Not that that may all need to be done anyway but I usually find that I have to restrict myself to one project at a time ( time/ money reasons). I just did my valve cover gaskets and found that my PS pump is leaking. I'm sure that once I pull my PS pump I'll need to pull the alternator also for cleaning.... And so on. My advice is to just do the t belt kit and h2o pump, see if it runs, then maintain the rest as needed.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

This post is just me being proud of myself... With the help of the tutorial from this forum, I just finished replacing my 2000 ls400 valve cover gaskets, bolt grommets, spark plug tube gaskets, and spark plugs. I took a bunch of photos and notes so if anyone has any questions or needs help let me know! I am a Jeep owner and know the benefit of these owner forums. I am new here but am grateful for the help already. God knows how much money I saved by doing it myself.

I'll open it up to anybody else who wants to claim victory over a repair.

Any new updates?

The Lexus hose is around $350 with no warrantee. The Plews-Edelmann from AutoZone is $125 with a lifetime warrantee. I usually won't go aftermarket but for a piece as relatively easy to change as this hose I think I may go with AZ. That way if it does fail, even every few years, I'll have free replacements. If there is a pitfall I'm missing, I'm always open for advice.....

http://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.com

These guys seem to be decent price wise. I appreciate their parts diagrams. I've saved quite a few of those to print off for my collection.

I'll be changing my high pressure line soon too (on my 2000 ls400). I'm interested to see how yours goes. Are you using salvaged/new Lexus parts or did you go aftermarket?