ToucheAway

Getting close with mine also! I have over 226,xxx miles now! Give me another year!

I also have a dash rattle sound on a 92 LS400. I was told by Belle Lexus that they would need to change the steering counsel that would be $500!!! to replace to get rid of the sound! From what the guy said, there are teflon ballbearings or something like that that wear out and that they need to be changed. He said that they typically go out at about 150K. Is this a fix that I can do myself? It sounds like a card that has been put in the spokes in a bike. Soft, but I do hear the sound and it gets faster, the faster I go. It starts when I get up at about 5 mph and then gets to a constant "click" sound.

Thanks for all of your help! I am trying to find a mechanic who can do the repairs now. Anyone have any recs for Seattle Area?

Hmm... Well I do have some oil leaks from the front area is what it looks like, but I'm not sure if it is the seal problem or the oil pan prob. I'm not sure what the diff fluids are or what they should feel like. I hear that you can tell by looking at the color and feel of the fluid. Would that give me insight to the other challenges that I have?

Not a problem! You had some great insights so I just figured you had to be in the automotive industry!

Is the EGR valve something that has to have the tranny taken off to replace? I know that wwest was able to bend that section and that stopped the problem also.

It was the oil dipstick.

I'll check around other shops around here to see what a RMS would cost. Can I assume that a competent Toyota mechanic would have enough experience how to change a RMS or are the Toyota and Lexus RMSes that different?

First off, sorry - I didn't even think to review the title of your thread.

Wow - I'll have to take back what I said about the EGR pipe, then.  I had never heard of one having a problem prior to this.

Your EGR valve may go bad at some point, but it's easier to replace than the EGR pipe.  I've owned a couple of cars (2 used, 1 new) that haven't needed any EGR system work at all.

There are two dipsticks in your 92 LS400 (I believe) - one for the transmission fluid and one for the oil.  I'm fairly sure that your dipstick for the oil is what they're talking about, but not absolutely. 

In regards to the CV boot, you probably won't notice any improvement or change - it's basically just a protective cover.  If they pack it really well with grease, you might notice the absence of a very slight sound or vibration coming from the rear that you may not have really paid all that much attention to before.  Little things might happen - but it's better if you don't notice any difference at all!

The oil pan gasket is a tricky one sometimes.  Bad installation of a gasket can cause oil leaks around the seal, which is moreso frustrating than dangerous.  I would have a garage replace the gasket provided that they're not a Grease Monkey or Quick Lube type of place (though I'm not even sure they would do something like that).  Have them take a quick look and see if they think it needs replacing.

And wwest has a good point - It's so rare that the service departments see a Lexus for any real problems that they're probably dying for the work.  I know the two dealerships in town both have beautiful, spotlesss, endless bays that are completely absent of any cars whenever I stop in.  I almost feel bad for the techs there.

Finally, no, I'm not a mechanic by trade - though at one point in time my dad owned a shop.  I'm just a financial analyst.  Cars are kind of a fun hobby, though, so I like to really dig into it.  Thanks for the compliment, though!

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Were I you I would stay the hell away from Lexus of Bellevue, good sales staff, excellent parts department, but service is PURE ripoff.

I have 5 LS400s, 3 92s, a 95, and a 98, within my company, close friends, and family.

Had ONE RMS inexplicable failure immediately, discovered the day after, on its return from Lexus of Bellevue. Don't want to implicate Lexus of Bellevue but I later learned that overfilling the crankcase and then running the car that way for awhile will result in a blown RMS.

As pure happenstance I stopped having them service my own new 92 because a "gofer" added the Mobil 1 I provided without first draining the old oil. Luckily I have always done a followup check and discovered the overfill the next morning.

The 95's EGR tube did fail and I was quoted $1200 for repair but I simply removed the part still attached to the exhaust and sealed it by bending it over tightly. Still passes emissions with flying colors.

And we really can't, shouldn't, blame Lexus of Bellevue, or any Lexus dealer, for these tactics. All Lexus cars are extremely reliable and therefore absent scheduled maintenance work (accelerated whenever you can be conned into it)and misc. unneeded addons, the service depart wouldn't have enough work to keep the staff on board that they would need when REAL work comes their way.

Needless to say other than the above oil and filter at 7500 miles is all the "feeding" my LSes get.

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Where do you typically get your work done then? I know that I need to get the RMS done. Are there other mechanics locally around here that you trust? Is this something that any mechanic can do or are there many special Lexus tools and such that are necessary?

I have a 92 LS 400. They didn't say what dipstick O-ring needed to be changed. They just noted that it was something minor that should be done at some point in time. There is more then one.... ?

Great to know about the EGR Pipe. Does the valve ever go out? Could this be something that he was talking about that should come out and if so, is this an expensive fix?

Oil pan gasket. Is this something that I could just pay extra for for a garage who would change my oil anyway? I am due for an oil change and if this is something that just makes my life easier and cleaner for my garage floor....

I'll see what happens with the just changing the boot and hopefully things will be OK after that. Is there any sort of improvement that will happen that I will notice after the boot is on?

Thanks for your insight! This is VERY helpful! Are you a mechanic by trade?

Thanks for the info! I wasn't sure about all of the stuff and your responses are helpful!

Main seal looks like something I will be doing soon and it sounds like something very quickly. Is the EGR pipe a major component? I have no idea what it does. What would prompt me to change something like that?

Dipstick O-ring is something that I can do? Great! Is there a place where I can find the DIY?

Oil pan gasket. Is this something that a shop should do then? I don't know how involved this is.

Upper control arms. I can hear noises when I take a very sharp turn and when I go over large bumps. I kind of hear a thump when it is over large things. The small ones are a no to that. The steering feels about the same, though I have always felt that my alignment is just a touch off to the right from what I should be steering from (based on my steering wheel).

Rear brakes. Yep, I know that I need them done!

CV Joint. Is there a way to tell if just the boot needs to be replaced or the whole axle? I realize that most of time, mechanics will prob want to sell me the whole job.

Thanks for your input! Does anyone have a Lexus mechanic in the Seattle area that you recommend also?

Help! I just took my car into Bellevue Lexus (WA) where I had some electrical problems taken care of (wiring in trunk had severed wires it turns out that was causing weird things). When they looked over my car to see what other things may have challenges, they came up with a few things that I am getting mixed information on. They have said that my Rear Main has a seal that is ripped or something like that (forgive me if I am not saying this correctly) and oil is leaking onto my Cat Converter and is in prime danger for a fire from what they say. They also mentioned that while the tranny is out it is usually a good idea to replace the EGR Pipe while they are there. They are saying that this is about a $1200 fix that needs to happen since I am on "borrow time." I have talked with other friends talk to me and say that this tends to be there default answer so they can just replace everything and not have to worry. My friend had thoughts that it might not be a bad idea since it could be another fluid or something like that. Important but not necessarily in danger of burning up. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is Lexus just trying to make up a story to get an upsell? If anyone has experience with this that would be great!

In addition, Lexus also talked about needing some other non critical things, Dipstick O-Ring, Oil Pan Reseal, Tranny Mount, Upper Control Arm, Rear Brakes and Rear CV Boot. He mentioned that these aren't absolutely necessary, but would be good. I am trying to get a gauge what is critical and what can wait; what should be done at the dealership and what can be done from another mechanic (anyone have a good one in the Seattle area?). Right now they are giving an estimate of about $2700 to get this all done.

emreese: Can you confirm that the fix works for you since my door handle needs to be fixed also? Thanks!

I have an alarm that needs to be installed and the person needs the wiring guide so they connect the correct things instead of deploying my airbag or something like that....

I did a search and I didn't see anything that seemed to pop up immediately, so sorry if this is a repeat...

Does anyone know of a source for a wiring guide? There isn't a Chilton's or Haynes book as far as I can tell.

You may want to talk with Jim Walker who is in the forum. From what I understand, this is a common problem with the instrument cluster where there is too much voltage coming into the dash and over time it wears out the PS and it may need to be replaced. This is just a guess, but I would at least chat with him about it.