Jump to content


Mike Hobbs

Regular Member
  • Posts

    14
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Contact Methods

  • First Name
    Mike

Profile Information

  • Lexus Model
    LS400
  • Lexus Year
    1998
  • Location
    Florida (FL)

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Mike Hobbs's Achievements

Explorer

Explorer (4/14)

  • First Post
  • Collaborator Rare
  • Week One Done
  • One Month Later
  • One Year In

Recent Badges

0

Reputation

  1. I realize that this is an old thread but the issues are frequently raised among owners. My '98 LS400 came from the factory with iridium plugs and this was also indicated in the owner's manual. At 150,000 miles, the engine starts quickly and runs well. Two plugs were removed and inspected by my mechanic last year. He pronounced them in very good condition with gaps still within factory specs. I did not replace them. I did change the differential fluid and used GL-5 w90 from Miller's Oil. A call to Lexus gave a response that no substitute was authorized. The old fluid appeared to show only modest deterioration and there were no fragments on the magnet. So, I probably didn't have to do the change. Every other engine oil change (@5K..usually conventional oil) I do a transmission drain and fill replacing the 2 qts. that come out when the plug is removed. Toyota T-IV, of course. Replaced tires this year (Sumitomos and like them). The car continues to be a joy to own and to drive. Clearly superior to the M-Bs provided by my company.
  2. The reason I posted my comments was to let others know that differential oil meeting the exact specifications indicated for our cars was still available. It took an email from Lexus of North America to motivate me to continue the search. I though I might be able to help someone else who was also experiencing difficulty obtaining it.
  3. Thanks, you're probably right. But I decided to go with the product I mentioned for 2 reasons: 1) Lexus said that there are no "approved" substitutes for my car. 2) When I checked the Mobil web site for their hypoid gear oil, I also noted their instructions for changing the oil. They flatly stated that, if your car requires GL-5 90w, that's what you should use, nothing else. https://mobiloil.com/en/article/car-maintenance/car-maintenance-archive/six-steps-to-changing-rear-differential-fluid
  4. I'm well passed the point when the maintenance book recommends that my '98 LS400's differential oil be changed and since I don't know whether the dealer actually did change it at 90K (yes, I don't trust them), I thought I'd do it myself (non-limited slip model). Then my search for the required GL-5 90w began. Our cars share that requirement with several other makes. I contacted Lexus of North America to see whether there was an approved substitute. They said "no". That left me with the successor product from Lubrication Engineers, LE 1605. Searching more, however, I found that Miller's in England still makes 90w GL-5. It is carried by an Amazon merchant. The price is about 1/2 of that of the LE product.
  5. What abnormality did you notice to prompt the replacement recommendation? There are no "rear mounts". There is a single mount on each side of the engine and one under the transmission. The transmission mount is very easy to replace, probably within the capability of almost anyone with a wrench. The right engine mount isn't hard to do. The left one (driver's side) is difficult to access but can be done without removing or moving any major components. The parts themselves can be bought inexpensively on line. Bad mounts are usually evidenced by vibration when in gear at idle. Vibration is lessened by increasing engine speed slightly. The mounts aren't very robust and can be expected to cause problems over 100K-120K miles or so. You should find a good, independent shop for your car. I have heard Lexus "service" reps. (not the techs themselves) say things to customers about their cars that simply weren't true. It is a business in which dishonesty is rampant and VERY profitable.
  6. At 137,244 miles, my LS400 is still using its original Denso iridium plugs. When I replaced a defective VVT solenoid valve, the tech removed several plugs for examination and measurement. All met appropriate specs and exhibited no abnormal appearance. There was no difficulty in removing or reinstalling them. I'll continue to use them until they are out of spec., otherwise become abnormal or malfunction. As for the car itself, I've owned a variety of vehicles, including the famous German makes. Elaboration is unnecessary. Suffice it to say, I hope to keep this car for the rest of my (hopefully long) life.
  7. Please let us know whether your problem has been solved. If not, a few things come to mind. Of course, there is a screen filter for the oil control valve that supplied the VVT. I'm sure that was checked when the OCV was replaced. The variation in idle speed after the throttle body was "cleaned" suggests that the idle air control might have been damaged or debris flushed into it or that it wasn't either cleaned or cleaned correctly. The air mass sensor can be damaged during "cleaning", too. If the vibration you notice is much worse when in gear at idle and much less when in neutral or park at idle, your engine mounts are probably bad. The transmission mount should be replaced at the same time. The mounts are relatively easy to replace. Only the driver's side engine mount is difficult to access but any garage should be able to do it in perhaps 1.5 hrs. total for all three. I would avoid dealers for virtually all repairs.
  8. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course, but the detonation, detergent, and many other characteristics of gasoline are regulated for the various regions of the Country by Federal Law. Gasoline for each region is essentially the same within an octane group (e.g.91-93) regardless of the price paid. Why do I say "essentially"? Because specific brands may add coloring dyes or minute quantities of "special additives" that one would be hard-pressed to demonstrate as effective in achieving any specific utility. It's about marketing. They may not violate the law and change the essential qualities of the fuel. Your fuel is supplied by the nearest refinery, of course. It's very expensive to truck the stuff around. As to the octane rating for a high-compression engine: Obviously, resistance to detonation is required...therefore the higher octane rating. Compression naturally decreases as the engine wears, so the sensor that changes the spark timing may not need to function when low octane fuel is used. Personally, I use 91 and the cheapest I can find. Those stations usually sell higher volumes, have fresher fuel and probably more frequently-changed filters.
  9. If this is not the most appropriate venue for a report to fellow LS400 owners, I apologize in advance, but thought that my experiences with front brakes might be useful for others. My local dealer did the usual 90K mi. work, including tire rotation. When I subsequently noticed that my front rotors were warping (the usual symptoms), I checked the lug nut torque and found that I had to stand on a 3 foot breaker bar added to a lug wrench to loosen them! I weigh 172 lbs. Draw your own conclusions and I won't elaborate on other observations that lead me to believe that they are, in my opinion, corrupt. Anyhow, after some study of the subject, I replaced my front pads with Wagner Thermo-Quiet ceramics (about $22 after rebate and, yes, I checked the specific characteristics of the product carefully before selecting) and the rotors with Bendix (about $23 and, yes, I compared weight, thickness, composition, surface, cooling vanes, etc.). The job was very easy to do myself and the results have been excellent...easily equivalent of the original performance. I have not tried other "aftermarket" brake components but thought I'd just report my experience with these particular ones since they are readily available and by major manufacturers. I have since met a knowledgeable Lexus owner who uses NAPA brake pads and has been happy with them as well.
  10. Recent minor work included a tire rotation and, fool that I am, I didn't retorque the lug nuts myself afterward. Result: Warped front rotors. So I replaced the pads with Wagner ceramics and the rotors with Bendix. Total cost about $68. It took me approx. 2 hrs. to do the work (I'm older now and a little slower than I used to be!). Getting to the point: I would urge anyone who is so inclined to tackle this sort of job and avoid being victimized by dealers, or others. My '98 LS400 has Brembo brakes making the task even easier. You should use a torque wrench. My 1/2" clicker-type cost all of $9.99 at Harbor Freight. My new front brakes function perfectly and bring a small sense of self-satisfaction each time I apply them.
  11. Well Explained. I put mine in snow mode too when i take off on a rainy day Seems very strange to me. I have a '98 and it has been my daily driver for 9 years. It has VSC, of course and that includes traction control with selective application of a rear brake to the spinning wheel. It works almost instantly and I have never experienced any of the slipping described. Positraction (originally Chevrolet) is a type of limited-slip differential and that is quite different, of course, than what we are talking about here. Anyhow, glad my car doesn't seem to do it. I do remember driving a M-B 500SEL in 1981 when I was shopping for a new car. It was very easy to make those rear wheels spin even in normal city driving situations. I didn't buy it.
  12. Hopefully you already know it's not as simple as just topping up you system with a can of R134 from Walmart. You will have to do a conversion to R134 which may be more trouble than going to a registered guy and have him top up the R12. I thought there was more to it. I thought a different drier was needed for R134. Also that the system had to be flushed with some type of solvent to remove the old oil (R12 compatible) as that oil isn't compatible with R134. Furthermore I thought you had to run system on a vacuum pump to draw out any air and humidity before recharging it. I'm not an AC guy maybe someone more knowledgeable in these areas can chime in. If its just changing a couple of fitting and filling it with R134 charge then that sounds pretty straight forward. There are many reasons why your A/C system may not be cooling the car well. Low (or too much) refrigerant is just one. No, you absolutely can not add R-134a to R-12. The conversion to a reliable, durable R-134a system is not simple. But you can add R-406a to an R-12 (Freon) system as a drop-in replacement. It isn't really hard to do but you will require a license even to do your own car's work. They aren't difficult to obtain. But you should really get an accurate diagnosis first...several opinions...from A/C specialty shops. I would advise you to read about A/C systems and learn as much as you can so that the questions you ask your tech. are sensible. You're less likely to be cheated that way. Guess that's a general truth in life, for better or worse. Oh, Freon isn't always as expensive as it used to be because there is relatively little demand for it any more. Would always avoid the stuff from Mexico, which I'm told is often not R-12.
  13. Thank you for the info - I was equally surprised to have this experience but at least now I understand why. The tires are ok and I thought the VSC should have dealt with it - am still waiting for the owner's manual. Thanks, everyone. I didn't lose the control of the car but just a little "delay" when taking off. Just like when you drive on a snowy road you have to pedal harder to make it move. So I guess this is normal for a Lexus. I'm not sure what you mean by "skid" either. If you mean that one drive wheel spins so much that you lose significant traction, you have a problem. Traction control should prevent that. It is part of and inseparable from your VSC. Both are activated whenever the engine is started. Perhaps your VSC has been turned off and the warning lights are malfunctioning. Have you disconnected the battery and failed to recalibrate the VSC afterward? That seems unlikely unless, again, the warning lights are malfunctioning. Your comment about having to press (?) the "pedal harder to make it move" is perplexing, too. I have never noticed anything like that unless the ECT is set on "snow". Hopefully you have your owner's manual by now and can decide whether you need to recalibrate your VSC.
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership