glenmore

Thanks for the tip. I searched ebay turns out there is a specific Mobil #3309 ATF that can be used in Type IV applications. Check out this Mobil link: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorO...l_ATF_3309.aspx Now the trick is to find it cheap. Thanks, glenmore

Anyone found a place where you can get this at a better price? Toyota dealer has it at list for $8.12/qt discounted to $7.15/qt.. Can any of the newer Dextron IVs be used? Thanks, glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

This is on a completely different car, but I have the same problem with my wife's 2000 Mercedes C280. The switch is under the dash above the brake pedal. I removed the trim under the steering wheel to get to it. On this car, it looks straight forward, just a switch with a plunger that is activated by brake pedal movement. It may be that your car has a manual override to unlock the shift lever. You might check the owners manual or maybe someone can chime in. On my wife's car, there is a tiny trap door under the "D" letter in the shift panel. You stick a pen/pencil down there and it releases the shift lever so you are not stranded. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

I don't know what a type R is, but it is a standard LS400, nothing particular about it besides the same ext/int color. My daughter has the car up north so I can't give you any pictures to laugh at. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

How many miles? Some people change the water pump at the same time as a timing belt change, around 90m. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

Hey! I resemble that remark! I have an early first gen in burgundy with the matching red interior. Even my kids comment "What the hell were they thinking?" glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

A very soft scrub called Bon-Ami works great and cheap too!. Available in just about any grocery store. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

Mine failed suddenly at the tail end of a trip from Los Angeles to Berkeley. All was calm for the first 340 of 350 highway miles then all hell broke loose. Like marbles in a can. Nosiest at low RPMs and less so at highway speeds. Stopping at a gas station, I could not see anything visually but on start up what a racket. At the garage, the guy pointed out a pile of aluminum shavings by the pulley. Yes, remove belt and check all your pulleys, but the sound should change with engine RPMs. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

You got a deal! Mine failed when I was far from home and a local garage nailed me for over $600! glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

Slowly but surely you will accumulate the tools you need. I am only half kidding when I say that any savings you realize by DIY is usually burned up by buying more tools. This condition thankfully stabilizes after you acquire all the basics. The quality/cost ratio of tools is better than ever. Sears lower line Gear Wrench are quite nice and relatively cheap. Craftsman tools are solid but not cheap and Snap-On is out of the question unless you really want to treat yourself. Craftsman are competitively priced on ebay. I treated myself to a Snap-On torque wrench figuring that as long as I take care of it, I could get most of the cost back if I sold it so the real cost of ownership is quite low. Try buying any Snap-On tool for cheap on ebay. Never happen! A good assortment of 3/8" sockets. Extensions of all different lengths comes in real handy. I love my SK ratchets. Regular wrenches and line wrenches are needed. Stubby wrenches are important too. I have 3 torque wrenches, lo, medium and hi range. The lo and hi range get used the most. You need the lo for stuff like tranny pans. The high for your lug nuts and around your suspension. I have both ramps and stands and use both. Get a solid, hi capacity jack. I got mine at COSTCO. Shop COSTCO, play looky-loo at Sears and then buy on ebay. Good luck, glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

To see what a strut rod looks like go to the trademotion link above. Enter your year and model, 1997 LS400. Click "Front suspension", then the first "Suspension components", then "strut rod", then "View illustration". Part #12 is the strut rod. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 MBZ 300CE 2000 MBZ C280

This may or may not be technically correct but I think of it this way. The shock absorber is the hydraulic damping piston that sits pretty much vertical (in this case, inside the spring). Sometimes the term strut refers to the entire unit of the shock absorber and spring (and in this case the bumper and insulator). When you change shocks in this car you pull the whole thing out as a unit. This is different in my older Mercedes, where the front shocks sit along side the spring. The strut rods are a different part and lay sort of horizontal from the front wheel to the front cross member. Some year models, you can just change the bushing in the strut rod, making it less expensive. In my 1990, you have to buy 2 whole new units. 1990 LS400 1991 300E 2000 C280

Sorry. http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...m?siteid=213808

You can go to trademotion.com and see the exploded parts diagram for your year and model. Looks similar to my 1990 with shocks inside the coil springs and a strut bar. There are all sorts of parts to renew here, bumper, insulator, maybe even shock mount when changing shocks. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

P/S may or may not be leaking to knock out your alternator. Could just be a worn out alternator if you are 125k+ miles. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

Judging from the price of your parts, they don't sound like OEM. These three parts with a little discount from Lexus run about $250. I would stick with OEM. You should only have to do this repair once. Don't expect to be welcomed with open arms at a shop when you bring your own parts. Making profit on parts is part of a shops income. Some shops won't install non-OEM parts because there is no parts warranty...at least an enforceable one. I did these mounts myself and they are a chore but of course saved money since the labor was free. When I asked my indie what he would have charged me, I was astonished when he quoted around $250 (IIRC) but this was awhile ago. I have used this indie since the early 70's. He has serviced my Mazdas, Toyotas, Mercury Villager and now occasionally my Lexus. Give him a call and ask for a quote. Haines Car Service 2233 W. Valley (off of Fremont from 10 FRWY) Alhambra, CA 626-300-9269 Ask for Haines.

Always work carefully around your battery. When they warn about potentially explosive gases in batteries, they mean it! The PO of my car never checked his battery because he faithfully had the car serviced at Lexus and just assumed that they did it. Dealers may say they check all fluids but they rarely do. The PO had trouble starting the car and took it to the dealer. They tried starting it and BOOM! The battery caps blew off and what little water/acid left in the battery came flying out. The hood pad shows all the gory acid scars. Thank goodness no one was standing anywhere near the battery. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

Here is at least one instance where the Mercedes system is far simpler and far cheaper. Brake sensors for my 1991 300CE and 2000 C280 are $1.45 each. They are as simple and fooproof as can be. Just a plastic coated wire that wears thru and is shorted when touched by the brake rotor. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

The changing of the HCV is pretty straight forward. But if your HCV was as worn out as mine, you need to be careful. When I removed the old HCV, the plastic had disintergrated thru and part of it was left in the vertical hose. I should have approached this very carefully but I rushed and some of the black plastic bits fell down in the hose. I got most of it out by sticking some hose down in there and siphoning up coolant. After reading all this about the coolant reservoir above, the condition of mine makes more sense. Mine does not leak but there is sticky residue all around the sensor. In trying to clean it up, I noticed that the wiring underneath the cap was cut. The sensor was probably faulty and the entire reservoir/sensor part so expensive, that the PO probably just decided to cut the wires to turn off the idiot light. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

The rears are SUPER easy IF you know the trick. The trick is after you remove all the nuts and bolts, you twist the shock about 90 degrees to let it drop down. Sometimes you can lever the suspension with your foot to ease it out. There should be almost no effort in pulling out the old shocks. If you are expending much effort, then you haven't twisted them the right way. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

go to lexls.com > tutorials >timing belt. you can check out the photos for the other repairs also. this should get you into the approximate area glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

I don't think there is any question as to whether Mobil and Amsoil synthetics are better than regular motor oil. All the specs show that synthetics are better. The key question is, as you point out, "Are they worth it?" I think of it as a treat for the car and nothing more. I do the fluid changes myself and only buy Mobil 1 on sale plus I joined the Mobil rebate club to help narrow the cost difference. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

My notes show the engine mount number as 12361-50100, purchased 11/2005 for 91.67 each. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

The seller should know which is the correct part number. Most likely only the specific part will fit our cars. I can check my records on what part # I bought but can't get to it till later today. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280

I try and do all the maintenance myself because 1) I am cheap, 2) I can't stand paying dealer prices when I know they don't do all that they say they do and 3) I do get some satisfaction out of doing the repairs myself. With some dealers you build up goodwill by overpaying for routine services. Then when something $$$ unexpected comes up, sometimes the dealer will cut you a break if they check your record and they see that they've gouged you plenty in the past. There may be some guilty conscience here because if the services were routine and thorough then the sudden $$$ repair should have been avoided or caught sooner. As an aside, a friend of mine just got his Sony digicam fixed that was way out of warranty. He has bought a lot of Sony product over the past (recent 46" LCD TV) and he dutifully registers each one. When he called to complain about his camera, they pulled up his record and then fixed his camera for free. Of course your dealer may gouge you for service everytime and STILL gouge you when a big $$$ repair hits. As with any service you are looking for, try to find and cultivate a good provider. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280