mikaelse

On 12/7/2023 at 9:19 PM, Sando said:

Hi, I am new to this forum.  My intuition is telling me to question my mechanic.  I own a 1999 LS400 with 68k original miles.  The car is like brand new inside and out but I haven't driven it in about a year.   It's sort of been sitting.  My husband replaced the battery recently but when we tried driving it, we had to pull over as it was missing and backfiring on the fwy!  I had it towed after that.  Mechanic said it needs new spark plugs and new ignition coil.  Can this happen with only 68k miles?   Thank you kindly in advance for any help!   

Your 1999 is a very fine low mileage vehicle. Here in Sweden they are highly sought after and now sell for up to 15.000US$. Doubled at least in value last 10 years. Hard to find a more reliable and long life vehicle.
I would have guessed more likely a fuel related issue than anything else. Fuel does not like being kept over long time in the car tank. Depends on fuel quality, type of fuel, Climate, type of car  etc but more than six months is not a good idea at all.  There are additives you can add to make it last longer that absorbs moisture etc. Most sediment and varnish when you started driving was reasonably caught by the fuel filter but there is risk for some dirt after the filter etc clogging fuel injection nozzles.  With some luck they can be professionally cleaned if that happens. 

It seems very common that when you take these car to a "normal mechanic" you get proposals to change stuff that later is shown to have nothing to do with the actual problem.
It is not easy for the inexperienced to know that these cars parts often last twice as long as "normal" car parts. CAT converter dying after 68 k miles is not normal. 
Not seldom you remove a OEM japanese part made by AISIN, NIPPODENSO or SUMITOMO designed extremely long life expectancy and put in a new third party thing with less life left in it. 

I have also not driven my LS400 cars for more than a year but I let it varm up for 30 minutes and move around the block about every month. Stil works fine on the old gas but I live in a cold climate. When you run the engine the fuel is circulated and passes through the fuel filter and most of it goes back to tank again and it repeats. Hence it filters out most dirt if you do it regularly is my theory.

On 9/22/2023 at 4:17 PM, NIGHTLIGHT said:

I have just been on inspection it just passed on the co test, it jumped very much up and down so he was a little nice and passed it, don't really have issues with parking overhear quite big spaces

Cool.  I have worked a bit with engine fuel system tweaking and to pass the fuel/air mix criteria normally applied now 1,00 +- 0,03 for cat equipped car hence minimum pollution setting within +- 3%  is not reasonable.  
perhaps you do not have any Cat either and more lax requirments. 
I am a bit surprised that a non cat car exists in sweden from 1998 . Could be that DUBAI did not have unleaded gasoline available yet that you must use for the Cat. And the car came over as a diplomats import or simmilar to Sweden. 
There is a reason for the very very accurate O2 sensors.  Could it be that your car from 1998 is exempt from the newer emission requirement completely?. 
I Seem to rememeber that I had a SAAB 9000 from the 1980 ies for a while that was from middle east originally that also did not have a lambda sensor nor Cat. 
If you get it to run as intended it is probably set to 10% lean running when going steady speed and a bit rich when acclerating say more than 50% throttle or so. 
For your wallet this setup is nice since this way of engine setup running about 10% lean at steady speed uses ballpark 5% less fuel than if you run with the now compulsory 1,00  fuel air ratio minimizing emissions .

This was the economic sweet spot setting for pre CAT era cars that had good fuel amount control. Emitted more Nitrous oxide at lean and extra unburned fuel and CO when you press the foot down though. 

My LS400 was hard shifting when the fluid was probably 20 years old 95 kmiles.  It smoothed to normal after I did a complete oil change. The 2 Quarts out 2 Quarts in , drive for a day and repeat 6 times is recommended. 
Then most all old fluid is gone and it is back to red again.  I normally weigh what I got out and what I put in. The stick is finnicky and takes a while to be sure of level.  Easier to get right amount then. 

They say that you take a real risk changing the fluid after 100Kmiles on same fluid . You may have dirt deposits that may come loose with the new oils cleaning additives. 
If you have not changed the fluid for very long . Hmmm. Tough choise.

I would definitely go for one from a salvage yard with reasonable miles on it. Say 120k or less would be nice. Rule of thumb is that good quality Lexus parts that salvage yards can easily put on a shelf tend be good and sell at reasonable prices since demand is limited. Check fluid for colour and metall glitter and check that play is normal.i Should be silent when used.  Typically noise with load or certain speed is what happens if worne.

On 3/16/2007 at 6:12 AM, sheab said:

why should you change water pump .. with the change of timeing belt .. while the water pump is not gone bad ? seem like u guys got alot of money .. lol .. if it was me then i would wait until its gone bad !!

Well. In this case dont fix it if it is not broken is a bad idea in my opinion. 

The design is such that when the 1995 to 2000 LS400 waterpump goes bad the engine is at risk to be destroyed since it is driven by the cambelt and a timing error from a seized pump may destroy the engine.  
Very sad and very expensive.  
AND also the added work to change the pump when changing the cambelt is not much and what you need to do to just change the water pump later is A LOT.
Many kits sold like the AISIN kit also include the water pump and they charge a guesstimated 60$ extra or so for that part.
I Have done two DIY cambelt changes and it would not be a fun projekt to do most of the job over again to change the waterpump later. I would absolutely do all the recommended parts when doing the cambelt.
The typical contents of the kits is a good indication of what to change. 
 

On 6/20/2015 at 4:47 PM, Clunkfish said:

It needs more than a shake - best to blast it (carefully!) with an air line to get all the dust out (there will be LOADS). As I say, if removing the filter makes a noticeable difference to air flow and temperature (it did in my Mk IV), then replacing it is indicated.

I would absolutely not remove the filter even for a short while. The increased airflow may first seconds move lodged dirt into where it should not be into the cooling elements etc.
Definitely replace the filter with a new one without delay.  It can be clogged with dust etc . I  change it yearly.
Take it to an AC shop if problems continue. They take out what gas is in there and measure the weight of it and put back exactly the right amount.
I doubt it would cost much more than 100$.  
My LS400 with very weak AC needed almost 1 pund of gas 18 months ago. Is icecold ever since.
They also  put in a trace chemical so you can see where it leaks with a IR lamp if needed in future.  

These sit in awkward places on the block. Not easy to see or reach on my driveway. 
Mine was really hard to get loose.  I succeded with one of the and it seems most coolant came out. I had to arrange  a crow foot tool to hold the part screwed into the block firmly while loosening the small valve screw. Some long extensions were needed. 

It seems people typically have reported <6.5 Seconds for 0 to 60 for the 1998 to 2000 LS400 . I checked this on my 1998 LS400 several years ago and as far as I remember that is what mine did too. 

It seems yours is seriously down on power or shifts to early or something else ? .  Mine (Europe spec if that matters)  shifts at 6000 rpm consistently if I floor it .

You may be down 25% on power which is a lot. 
It could be due to several reasons. Not a small thing. A ODB2 scan might reveal something. Does it run lumpy or give you worse than normal gas mileage?.
Could be some seriously off sensor giving a bad signal?.  Some problems like a lot of misfires may give collateral damage to CAT:s and other parts due to overheating etc if not fixed. 
Sometimes problem is easy to fix. I once had a sluggish car that had a worne throttle linkage and barely max half opened. 
 

A new one can be found here.... 
I have used this supplier from their Japan located warehouse.
worked well. 

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/8174050080

On 5/30/2021 at 4:57 PM, sha4000 said:

Your car had a lot of potential high dollar issues that need attention. If you can diy those issues I might say stick with it but for the money you might have to spend I say get rid of it and find another reliable car that you don't have to constantly worry about.

AC might be your biggest issue. Definitely don't drive with fuel leaking. Shops will have a field day after diagnosing all the problems. It's ok to stick with the devil you know as long as the repair is reasonable. There comes a time when you just have to move on though.

AC problem may not need to be expensive. My now 27 years old LS400 only needed a top up with R134A fluid to come back to life completely. It had slowly gotten weaker over several years and of no practical use anymore when I serviced it. The AC service guys found no other issues . Amazing longevity in my opinion and a very inexpensive fix. All AC-systems with rubber hoses leak a little over long time.       

2 minutes ago, 1990LS400 said:

It sounds like the OP has only a valet key which cannot be used to unlock the trunk at the keyhole by the taillight.  The OP needs to get a master key which can be fairly expensive.  I think a master key can be obtained without replacing an expensive ECU as long as the owner has a valet key that can operate the ignition and allow the car to be driven.  The master key will have a button that can remotely lock and unlock the vehicle.  Unlike the master keys/fobs for second generation LS400, the master key for the first generation (90-94) has only one button. 

While getting a master key may be fairly expensive - up to several hundred dollars - it's critical to have at least one.  If you have only one valet key and lose it, you are SOL and may have to spend far more.  I was so protective of my LS400 master keys for the 1990 and 2000 LS400's I owned that I had extra ones that I kept in a fireproof safe. 

Hi.  I own a 1995. This was before the immobilizer era 1998 onwards that made things more expensive here ?  I had one master key but wanted two. Our keys here in Sweden do not have any buttons 1995. I have instead a separate little fob for the remote  lock stuff. 

I was told by my local key shop that there is one locksmith company in the area that has a machine that can make the  TOYOTA/ LEXUS keys for the older cars. When I got there they said that they could make a copy for me from the old key but IF I could produce the four digit Key code ( was in the papers I got with the car ) They could make a key that was OEM quality (on a TOYOTA blank).  It took a few minutes . Cost was 30$ . Could be that the dealer still can provide a key also.    

On 2/9/2010 at 10:28 PM, curiousB said:

Great stuff. It’s really pretty remarkable what electronics have done for engines in the past few years. Modern coil over plug and ECU controlled firing leads to a very accurately timed spark and a particularly hot one (less impedance from coil to gap without a rotor, distributor, and long wires and the faster switching edge on the coil primary). Long gone are the days of the once a year plug set, breaker points, and rotor "tune up".

Perhaps I am dating myself a bit….

YES! Things were often not better in the old days... In German made cars of the seventies I found that actually exchaning ALL spark related stuff shy off the ignition coil yearly was the best way to go to avoid problems and trouble shooting. To be fair the parts were not expensive and exchanged quickly on a 4 banger. 
A huge contrast to my 1995 LS400 where I changed same stuff after 20 Years! ( Probably never done more than sparkplugs before based on car history) and the stuff looked like it could have done service for many more years, Even the IRIDIUM spark plugs. I actually have the old parts saved in a cardboard box as a backup. Impressive longevity . Again to be fair exchanging the LS400 parts took me most of a working day ( never done it before). Unexpectedly much work.

To be fair a SAAB 9000T from 1986 had also decade+ longevity of ignition parts but by then the points and capacitor etc was not used anymore. 
 

My LS400 1995 I have last 6 years in fairness been very reliable compared to more modern European cars we own/owned, wifes car and the "spare cars".

The LS400 Always started and took us to destination. The number of problems has been much fewer than the europeans even though those were driven much less AND "only" about half the age.  One electric thing after the other failing...

However as mentioned if fixing and repairing the few things that needs doing on the LS400 is a bit of a project that also may take time it quickly becomes less tempting. 
  

I understand that decision.  Some parts are getting really hard to find or fix and it may soon become too much of a hassle on a daily driver to be honest. 
 Perhaps a sunny day hobby car only soon. I have managed so far but I do have a spare car I can use if fixing takes time.
Often does if you DIY exclusively like me and are in no real hurry. Driving the spare car kind of sucks... 
 

Not much help so far Isabella... 
It seems they are mostly out of stock at the normal suppliers as they told you  
6904050070 seems to be the part you might need ? . Check that number?
I have not needed to work on mine, a 1995 and a 1998 but typically the actuators I have worked on ( european vehicles ) these things is a sizeable lump of mechanics where the small motor opening and closing may have given up. 
If you google it you find new ones for 500 Candian $ . You seem to be able to find a used working one for about 100$ on EBAY. I would dare buy a used one. These seem to be long lived normally..
IF the Driver door is now impossible to open it can be tricky to take the door apart for the job. May be some trick for it I do not know. 
The inside of the door needs to be taken off to exchange this part typically.  

We DIY people ( with a spare car) would probably inspect the old actuator and see if it needs some creative service to come back to life. Probably not smart if you pay someone by the hour though. 

Mikael 

Excellent choise of car...

The experience of the person doing the job is what counts most.  I have DIY done my cambelts on my two LS400. It is important that you know what you are doing OR read instructions carefully. It is quite a large job. Undoing connectors and a lot of stuff on 20+ years old cars can mean that you risk breaking stuff if you are not careful or experienced. 

I would try to find a named mech experienced in this procedure for the job. 

It is a very good idea to also inspect the serpentine belt wheels and idlers for "dry and fishy sounding bearings" . I needed to change a few on each occasion that made noise  when rotated. A little cost but No extra effort when you are working on the cambelt
 

Reason for the question is that I am contemplating taking a roadtrip to look at a LS430  that the owner says that he has not serviced much last 10 years. Filter a few times and motoroil once.  He has probably driven 80k miles over ten years. Now at 130k total. He says motor sounds ok and does not use any oil really. 
He has kept paint and interior in good shape . 

What happens to a sevice neglected LS430 that may have done 40k miles and 5 years on same oil twice?. Cool climate and driven year round.
The car is priced reasonably low and buyers seem to hesitate as you may expect. 
Is this engine bound for the scrapyard soon or could it be ok? 
Are there any LS430 specific tell tale signs too look for.  Valve tick, blue smoke ? 

Is it worth the trip?

On 1/24/2014 at 6:12 PM, sanstoetter said:

I have a 99' LS400 that I love, but since purchase the "VSC Light" has come on with every start-up. I purchased the car with a deep discount knowing it had a VVT code that I fixed (Cleaned OCV's), and I assumed the VSC light was on due to the CEL.

The VSC light goes off after I start the car, and wait 30 seconds before putting the car in gear. If I put the car into reverse/drive while the light is on... it'll stay on the remainder of the trip. The CEL stays off, and I cannot pull any codes. Is there a way to diagnose the what's tripping the VSC light, or is this a known issue?

Hi. It was a few years back now but when I had just bought my 1998 the VSC ligth came on now and then after start. The battery was weak. I got the impression that the VSC light  reacted to short dipps in voltage. Never seen it since I changed to a new AGM battery with good performance three years ago. 

On 3/27/2021 at 12:41 AM, THEOOOGIE said:

I am , 2000 Lexus ls400 same as OP alternator is 3 days old , I did one 100mph pull then this happened 

A bit late but a good suggestion is to buy a mobile charger that doubles as a voltage meter for the 12 V socket. I paid 15$ or so.  Then you can see what the battery is doing. 

It should charge up most of what start took in minutes and show a bit above 13 V at least if it is in normal state. If depleted it could show less.  Batteries charged to <70% age fast. Use a charger if that should happen. 

Showing door not closed is probably the door sensor.
Will leave light on in door permanently. 
A full good battery should be able to handle that for several days.
 

They say that the AISIN warner speced oil is different and to use the right one is important. Mixing different ATF where one is wrong is also a bad idea. 

I would be very unhappy I f I expereinced what you did.  If you are expereincing problems stil you may need to do 5 time 2 quarts once more .  IF he got 3 quarts in there of the wrong stuff ca 1 quart is still in there now of the bad stuff.  

I have never had that problem so I do not know what problems to expect really but I would guess harder shifting could happen due to different additives.     

My 22 year old never serviced  or repaired Air suspension on my LS400 1998 never looses height.  works like new. 
Not even noticeably drooping during winter when it is garaged. Reasonably this must mean that the air springs are not leaking at all. As it should be. 
Concerning life etc. My winter LS  on the other hand has the rear coilsprings replaced at 22 years old due to one spring breaking due to corrosion probably.  

There are height sensors fitted that I suppose could be adjusted or modified to give a lower ride . I have never tried any such adjustment. 

I have not checked how the air valves etc on these cars are arranged. However if it drops unattended in a day or two there is a significant leak somewhere and the compressor will need to work a bit to keep it up.  It will  typically get worse. if you wait too long you will also need a new compressor. May become expensive. 

Some say . Convert to conventional springs.  Puts a cap on expenditure.  You can sell working struts to cover some of the cost.  

They say that new oil after no changes in the transmission for a very long time can be a bad thing. How many miles on your car? The reason being that detergent additives in the new oil  loosens up old deposits of dirt from friction material etc that travel around and end up in places where it causes problems.  Recommended as safer then other methods is often suggested to be doing the drain and refill ca 2 quarts and then drive for a while until next drain and refill.  
Also make sure to use the correct ATF. These transmission really need the correct fluid.   Here in sweden/europe Mobil ATF 3309 is available at lower cost than the original Toyota IV ATF .  I have used MOBIL 3309 to change the oil on two LS400 with about 100k miles.  No problems. Luck perhaps. After 6 drain and refill most fluid is new.    

What you should do now I can not guess unfortunately.  Perhaps some of the forum guys know where the gunk typically ends up. 

Change thermostat is a good guess will fix it.  Those can start to only open halv way. They often do fail over time

In this thread this is discussed

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-3rd-gen-2001-2006/713614-oil-pan-gasket-and-removal.html

Seems to be possible without lifting the engine a bit out of the way but very fiddly because of a tight fit.

Seems excessive with 2000$ . Surely can not take a good mechanic that long...