LexLuthor400

I am looking for a F Sport factory exhaust for my 2015 IS350 F sport. The part number is PTR03-53140. If anybody knows where I could find one for a good price or if someone is looking to sell I would love to know!

After 2 years of having no Lexus in my life, I could not take it anymore. Previously, I owned a 1998 LS400 for roughly a decade, and I always loved it, even with its quirks. About two years ago I was forced to buy something more economical for commuting. I bought a 2016 Hyundai Accent brand new and while it was good on gas and cheap to maintain, it was not a Lexus. So last month, I decided it was time. Time to buy a 2015 IS 350 F Sport in Ultra White! I was having a hard time debating between the Rioja Red interior or the Black, but in the end I figured the black would stay cleaner longer. I found a great example of one locally with 40k on the clock and it had the Mark Levinson to boot! So, I bought it! Also, I wasn't aware of any black badging option from Lexus, so I am not sure how they ended up black, but who ever did it, did a great job. I didn't realize just how much I missed the Lexus, the smooth ride, the refinement, and not to mention the power! This new Lexus though was something I had never experienced in a Lexus before, it had a split personality. I just remember my LS400, quiet, refined, strong, but not one for carving up back roads. The first time I put the new Lexus into Sport+ mode, and took the scenic route, I fell in love all over again. I figured I would share here seeing as how I had always found this forum to be a great resource!

I haven't been on this forum in awhile, but I figured that I had to post what I consider to be an awesome testament to just how good these cars are! I own a 1998 LS400 and have owned it for over 6 years now, and have put over 80,000 miles on it since taking ownership. The car has 196,000 miles on it and still runs like a top! The only things I have HAD to replace: alternator, starter, timing belt, water pump, pulleys, and that is ALL!!! I am still impressed with just how good of gas mileage this car can still get after 16 years and 196,000 miles. As of my last tank the display read out is reading a tank avg. of 23.3mpg and I have traveled 410.6 miles on this tank, but the best part is i still have an estimated 38 miles left on the tank!! So if the computer is right, that would mean I will get almost 450 miles from a single tank. More incredible is the fact that my driving is almost mixed 50/50 between city and highway. I am not just a highway cruiser. I am just impressed at how an old V8 can still get better gas mileage than some brand new cars. For example, a friend of mine owns a 2008 Subaru Impreza and it has a 2.5 4cyl engine but he can only manage to avg 24 mpg in mixed driving! So basically a 290hp 4.0 V8 is only beat by <1mpg compared to a newer, smaller 4cyl. I just think that is amazing! I am also wondering just how accurate the gas gauge really is on the LS400, because some simple math would show that I really have a good distance to go until empty. Follow me here: 1998 LS400 gas tank capacity is 22.5 gallons- I am averaging 23.3mpg- 23.3 mpg x 22.5 gallons = 524.25 miles to the tank. 524.25 miles - 410.60 miles traveled = 113.6 miles left 113 miles divided by 23.3 mpg = 4.87 gallons left in the tank. However, according to the dash display I only have 38 miles left, or 1.63 gallons left. SO? Does the gauge give you roughly a 3 gallon grace period? Or if I push it to find out, will i be pushing my car to a gas station? PS I am sorry about the pictures, I have no idea why the always kept coming out upside down or rotated, i tried several times to retake them but to no avail!

I am glad you replied Billy. I was just reading about your 10th LS, so I know you might know few things about them. You were right too. The four bolts that hold the belt guide to the cam gear were the culprit. The timing belt was damaged slightly, and the guide for the cam gear was busted. So I found an Aisin timing belt kit that included a water pump, pulleys, and tensioner. So now I just have to find a new housing, and the guide with new bolts. Oh and some thread lock!

Ok gang, I have a problem that occurred and I have no idea how it happened. First let me give you a little background: I bought the car (1998 LS400 Fully Loaded) four years ago and it has been great. I bought with about 110,000 miles on it and it had just had all of its services done i.e timing belt, water pump etc. Fast forward four years and 59,000 miles and still no problems with the car at all, other than the stupid PS pump. THEN last Saturday I was arriving at work and had noticed that it was making what seemed to be like lifter tick just slightly louder. The tick was also intermittent and NOT rpm dependent, meaning I only heard it from idle to about 1500rpms. At that point I just figured it was time for another oil change since it was due for one. After leaving work I started my car and again that ticking noise, it almost made the car sound like a diesel. But since the car was running just fine, smooth and strong, I decided to take it home that night and thought it might just be a bad pulley or something. The next day I had no choice but to drive a few miles to run an important errand so I did that, however upon returning home it made some other weird noises. Remember the WHOLE time the engine is running flawlessly and strong, no vibration, no hesitating, NOTHING. Then I decided to take another look inside the engine to bay to try and pinpoint the noise, and to my BIG surprise the is a hole in the RH No2 VVTi controller housing (see pics). Inside the housing is a 1" long 10mm bolt just sitting in there loose. So my guess is that the bolt backed itself out and fell into the void of the housing where it was tossed around and chewed up by the end of the camshaft timing tube. Funny thing is with the bolt gone it fires right up no problem and is quiet?????? I am so confused as to how this happened. The only thing I could think of is that if the mechanic who did the timing belt replacement did not do it right it might have been the case, HOWEVER the timing belt was done 59,000 miles ago. I would think that if he did something wrong, it would not have lasted four years or 59,000 extra miles with no problems, right? ANY help would be greatly appreciated thank you, A frustrated LS lover!

Yeah those bolts were extremely hard for me to remove also. I ended up soaking the bolts in penetrating oil for few days then taking a breaker bar that was about 3' long and beat it with a hammer, even then it was hard, but eventually they will budge, good luck.

YES ITS FINALLY OFF! Thank God thats over with, I ended up having to beat it with a hammer for like 15 minutes and then pulled as hard as I could (think I tore a muscle in my arm) and viola it came off! Everything else went back in smoothly and the car is running great, however now I am trying to bleed the brakes (since I had to take the brake actuator out) and I am getting brake fluid that is very aerated. It almost looks like milk, do you think that would be normal or what. My pedal is getting firmer and firmer, but the fluid is still coming out very aerated. Also when I go to bleed the brake actuator, at first it was spitting bubbles and fluid, but now it seems like its sucks fluid back in when the pedal is to the floor and I open the bleeder screw. What might that mean? Thanks guys for the insight! Now I can get back to enjoying driving my Lexus. Thank God they are reliable, I don't think I could work on this thing much more than a few times without losing my mind or limbs lol! P.S Tell SRK the penetrating oil was the determining factor in getting it off, because it didn't budge before, and after it came right off!

Yeah good idea I ll have to try that, thanks

Apparently you failed to read any of my previous posts. I have already used a 6 point 14mm Craftsman socket that fits perfect on the nut with no play whatsoever, then I attached a 3' long arm to my ratchet and hammered and pulled as hard as possible with no results, other than the nut wanting to round. SO NO, "yanking" it is not going to do anything. I have always used penetrating oil with great results, so why not try it again, right? That is what its for! I am not worrying about their philosophy, I was simply asking a reasonable question as to why it is necessary to have five huge bolts holding such a relatively small pump. As far as reducing vibration, that doesn't make sense because vibration (what little it has) comes from the V8 engine's 90 degree setup, so attaching something so firmly to the engine is not going to reduce vibration, because it is held against something which produces the vibration. Your explanation doesn't hold either when you consider that the alternator has much more rotational mass which may cause vibration, yet it only has two bolts holding it in place. I know I am not a "real" mechanic, however I have always been very good at repairing engines and cars. I did my first engine rebuild on a 50cc quad when I was 7, by myself. I am not a newbie to fixing cars, I posted on here because I have a valid and serious problem removing this nut, it is the tightest, most stuck nut I have EVER encountered. I Intended to hear some other ideas as to how to remove this nut from other Lexus owners who may have had the same problem with this exact nut, but I guess that was too much for you to handle. Thanks for your help though!

Unfortunately I already tried soaking it in penetrating oil for two days and then using a 6 point 14mm socket with a ratchet arm that is 3' long, I tapped it with a hammer and then tried to pull, but to no avail. In all my years of taking apart cars and misc. engines, THIS bolt has to be thee tightest/most stuck one I have ever encountered. I swear its ALWAYS one bolt that gives me a headache, everytime! This is my only gripe about my Lexus: Why are there 5 huge bolts holding the power-steering pump to the engine? Why? And why can't you remove an alternator without removing the intake, the brake assembly, the power steering pump, and the oil cooler lines? On every other Toyota I have owned, an alternator job would take about 10 minutes. Other than that I absolutely love my Lexus, it has been great and after 12 years this the FIRST repair I am making, so I guess I can't complain TOO much.

"Going 'nuts' part II" is so true! I am going to wait and try a tool called a "nutcracker" later this weekend when my uncle comes over this weekend. He said that works well for him. I am going to replace the nut anyways so might as well cut if off. Thank you guys for all your quick replies its good to know there are others out there willing to lend a few brain cells to my problem.

I would try a torch, however the nut itself is impossible to reach with anything but a socket. In the diagram below it is the nut that is on the front of the pump on the top right (43(440,32)). It is almost impossible to reach with anything other than a socket, because you have to go trough the holes in the PS pump pulley to reach it. This is just crazy, I really don't know how a nut could freeze itself this tight. I am pretty sure I applied close to 150Ft/lbs of torque to it after tapping with a hammer and it won't budge, even with penetrating oil having been soaking in there for the past 48 hours now! Anymore pressure and I am sure the bolt would snap, this has to be the tightest nut I have ever encountered EVER! sr-25.pdf

I am currently in the process of replacing my alternator due to my power steering pump leaking on it and ruining it. So everything has been going somewhat smooth until today. I am trying to remove the nut that is on top, and in front of the PS pump so that it will slide forward. HOWEVER, for some reason this nut is on WAY too tight. According to the service manual its should only be 32ft/lbs, but today I tried soaking it in penetrating oil and then hitting it with a torque wrench that is close to 3' long, yet I get nothing. I have tried tapping it loose but nothing. I am afraid that if I twist any harder that the bolt will snap, it seriously is VERY tight. Almost as though Godzilla himself tightened the bolt on my car. It is so tight that when the entire socket (craftsman, so it fits perfect) was over the nut, and torque was being applied, it slightly started to strip the nut! I don't know what to do! I have never had this problem before. Have you guys experienced these problems, and if so, how were you able to get it off. This has been extremely frustrating as I need a car, and this bolt has been holding me up now for two days. Thank you in advance,

You know what I find interesting? Why all-of-the-sudden is the GX being targeted? Is there not some kind of safety test that the Government does before a car is even deemed salable, or am I mistaken? I always thought that there were many tests that the Government does to insure safer cars before they are sold. So if Lexus initially passed all the tests and were allowed to sell the GX, then how is this Lexus' fault and why is this specific issue not being addressed? This whole Toyota/Lexus hysteria I feel is nothing more than a fabricated crisis that has intentions to smear Toyota and to try and help the domestic brands sell more cars. It really is a sad attempt, but stays true to recent American business practices: If you can't keep up with the competition, smear them! The only thing is in this case Toyota has to deal with GM, NHTSA, The Media, Obama, and Congress trying to smear their name. Its funny though that Toyota's sales really have not been affected by much from all this. Just goes to show you how strong the Toyota name really is.

You know what I find interesting? Why all-of-the-sudden is the GX being targeted? Is there not some kind of safety test that the Government does before a car is even deemed salable, or am I mistaken? I always thought that there were many tests that the Government does to insure safer cars before they are sold. So if Lexus initially passed all the tests and were allowed to sell the GX, then how is this Lexus' fault and why is this specific issue not being addressed? This whole Toyota/Lexus hysteria I feel is nothing more than a fabricated crisis that has intentions to smear Toyota and to try and help the domestic brands sell more cars. It really is a sad attempt, but stays true to recent American business practices: If you can't keep up with the competition, smear them! The only thing is in this case Toyota has to deal with GM, NHTSA, The Media, Obama, and Congress trying to smear their name. Its funny though that Toyota's sales really have not been affected by much from all this. Just goes to show you how strong the Toyota name really is.

Thats a good idea thank you. However after looking at it further this morning I am beginning to think it is the stereo, because it is a 10 year old system and its starting fail at random i.e. won't play DVDs anymore and static is getting worse at times, plus the 'whine' is not really in the engine bay, just sounds that way. The stereo is a Kenwood Excelon DVD player from 2000 and the installation job was done before I bought the car. The whole system has 2 Amps, 1 for stock sub, 1 for speakers, and the DVD player. could it be that running two amps is just draining the battery to fast? Ever since I bought the car, every now and then the stereo has had some weird glitches. A few times it drained my battery, as though it was still drawing current with the car off, but I did nothing to it and it seemed to have 'fixed' itself and hasn't done that since, no dead batteries. Last night though when coming up my street I noticed that my battery light came on and was somewhat flickering, so I think its the stereo, but have NO clue what it could be. I don't think its the alternator either because the car was driven over 20 miles round trip last night and it never died once, then this morning it started up fine but with a slightly slower crank to it.

Hey i am just looking for some insight on a wierd noise my 1998 LS400 (w/ 150,000 miles) has just developed. The "whine" seems to be coming from behind the engine, but in front of the firewall. It almost sounds like a supercharger whine but goes away at about 2000rpm. Now, my aftermarket stereo has been known to sometimes wiggle loose and when it does there is a sort of interference which plays over the speakers. When the stereo does that I can readjust it and tighten the messed up mounts (not my installation job) and this usually fixes it. However, now when I readjust the stereo I am still getting a slight whine and I am not sure whether or not it's the stereo or somoething else with the car, yet the car is running fine. The powersteering is fine. The trans is fine. The engine power is fine too. Is there anything else that might cause that noise?

I think "dannymcenrow" is one of those new people hired by GM to try and spread GM's new line propaganda around . I wouldn't put it past GM, seeing as how they did those whole "May the best car win" ads. "May the best car win"? Seriously? GM, the sales figures are clearly showing which cars are winning, so please stop with the BS. As for the "mole" aka "dannymcenrow" I think he is just grossly misinformed or he maybe really is ignorant enough to say that Cadillac is more reliable than Lexus, without considering that Lexus won the JD Power reliability awards for 15 CONSECUTIVE years and Cadillac not once! I say yes, go with the SC400 you won't regret it! Personally I am now in love with the 1UZFE engine. Mine is a 1998 version (w/ VVTi) and it has been nothing less than great. I have put 149,000 miles on it and I make sure to give it a flogging every now and then (actually more often than not); and not once has it ever complained. In 12 years it has just needed a timing belt, water pump, and plugs as regular maintenance and THATS IT. From what I hear and read, a non-VVTi 1uzfe is even more reliable too, so if you plan on modding (i.e. Turbo/Suprecharger etc), I say go with the 2nd gen 1uzfe. From what I have read the 2nd gen 1UZ is nothing more than lighter internals and a slight rise in compression over the 1st gen 1UZ. If you want to keep it naturally aspirated check out what this guy has done to a 1UZFE with VVTi: He says he gets 407hp at 9300rpm out of a naturally aspirated 1UZFE which is awesome, oh and the SOUND is intoxicating to say the least :D .

Got my tranny mount put in yesterday! Wow what a difference, I did not know it could get even smoother. I was going to do a step by step tutorial but my camera was giving me a bad time so I couldn't, but like everyone else has said, it is very easy to do. Took me abut 20 mins from start to finish and I was in no hurry.

LOL that smiley face is too funny! :snoooorrrtttt:

Thats the thing about Obama that bugs me. He always says the right things, but then somehow details start surfacing that no one likes. Then once one detail leaks, its like a broken levy, everything really just starts pouring out and all hell breaks loose. I have learned to watch his hands, rather than watch his mouth. The man is a very gifted speaker, i will give him that. But as far as building and executing plans, he is a rookie.

However, National security is a higher priority than 10% of our nation's population not having healthcare. I don't mind them spending whatever it takes to protect my family members who are fighting for our security and the security of those under a dictatorship. I just don't want to see even more people taking advantage of another system of handouts. Plus were not talking about $50 billion for healthcare. THEY estimate it at around a $1,000,000,000,000 and thats THEIR ESTIMATE. When was the last time our government's estimate actually came under the actual cost? Don't worry I'll wait! BTW just because its a submarine does not mean it can't provide support to those in Iraq. Don't get me wrong, I am not some callous right winger. I want to see tort reform not government run programs, because we all know how well those have worked. Our country has been plagued by frivolous lawsuits, and it is because of the way torts are being used to tear businesses apart. I want people to be able to afford their own healthcare, because earning it is the American way. As for those who are born with illnesses or denied coverage, we already subsidize their care anyways, so what are they really trying push here?

So true!

So it will fit a 98 LS? If so I am very interested!

lol... thats what I was thinking, but today when in a drive-thru, I noticed a puff of smoke blow out from under the hood. :( So maybe its not healed itself. Strange, because when most cars have leaky valve covers, its more of a steady smoke, but on this car its occasional heavier puffs of smoke that come and go every so often. Maybe its where its coming off as a drip from somewhere and onto the manifold or muffler. Damn that sucks, hope I did not jinks you? :whistles: