AZ Mike

When I did the Timing Belt/Water Pump/Pulleys/etc. job in January, I found while in the process that the serpentine belt tensioner pulley was making a little noise. I didn't want to wait for another part to come in to finish the job, and while the local Toyota dealer would have sold it for $70, they didn't have it in stock. Of the 2 Lexus dealers in the area, one wanted $96 and the other wanted $126. Instead, I found the bearing at AutoZone for $5, and a machine shop charged me $2 to press the old bearing out and the new bearing in.

You do realize that the appearance of the oil means nothing, right? The only way to know for certain how your oil is wearing is to get a used oil analysis. If you are a maintenance nut, check out Blackstone Labs. If you are changing your oil more frequently than recommended in your owner's manual, you are most likely just wasting oil. Also, the only thing I am aware of where synthetic oil is superior to dino oil is that it will last longer. I don't think there is any magic in the bottle that will make your car last longer. Just my $0.02

All I can say is................bewildering replies. FWIW, my LS400 came stock with iridium tipped spark plugs, unless my owners manual is lying to me. Earlier in this thread it was mentioned that NGK and Denso are better plugs for this application than others. Based on my experience in other applications, I tend to agree. I looked up what is offered on sparkplugs.com in iridium tipped for the LS400 in NGK and Denso, and the above is what I found. I was surprised to see more than one iridium application by the same manufacturer for my vehicle. I am perfectly happy running my LS400 stock. I am not looking to do anything other than what the Lexus engineers intended. Perhaps the better question would be, "what are the stock iridium plugs in my car?" Randy & 1990 - Are you suggesting that I should not run the iridium tipped plugs that came stock in my car? I am not seeking a "performance upgrade" or "magic elixir"........just trying to replace what I've got. Sure, I can go spend some time to get the engine cover off in order to pull a plug and check it....but thought maybe I could save that time if someone knows what comes stock on the '99....... Also, those plugs are in pretty deep. Does anyone ever have the problem of after installing the new plug, and pulling the socket off, that instead the socket comes off the extension and stays on the plug? That happens on my Jeep sometimes, but I can easily reach the socket with needle nose pliers. but the openings for the plugs on my Jeep are not nearly as deep as they are on the Lexus. I have heard of people duct taping the socket to the extension "just in case". Thoughts?

OK.....too many similar options here. Looking at sparkplugs.com, it lists the following iridium plugs by NGK and Denso: Denso Iridium (IK20) $11.99 each Denso Iridium Long Life (SK20R11) $9.35 each NGK IX Iridium (BKR6EIX-11) $7.83 each NGK Laser Iridium Long Life (IFR6T-11) $8.31 each What are the differences? Is any better than the other for an LS400?

You are probably right, but I am not willing to risk it. I just replaced the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, pulleys, serp belt, etc. on my '99 LS400 with only 63k miles. The belts didn't look too bad, but some of the pulley bearings were on their way out. Now I have the peace of mind to not have to worry about it for another 6 years. Besides....I needed a reason to throw tools and swear in the garage.

Synthetic oil = longer oil change intervals. It holds up longer than dino oil. As far as other benefits like less wear, better mileage, etc, I don't believe there are any statistically significant benefits. If your engine has incredibly tight tolerances and is driven at extremes, there MAY be some benefit to the greater lubricity of synthetic. If you have any leaks, they will be worse if you switch from dino to synthetic. If you don't have any leaks with dino, you MAY develop leaks with synthetic as the sludge buildup preventing them from leaking now cleans off. If your seals are in good shape, there should be zero problem switching from dino to synthetic

A rocket launcher for annoying drivers would be nice.....then again, let's just go back to thinking about IS400's puppies......

Try a breaker bar.....it is just spring loaded.....even if there is corrosion, it should move with enough force.

I drained and replaced 2 quarts of tranny fluid when I did my 60K service last May. I replaced the timing belt, water pump, etc. last month, and did another drain and fill. Except this time, I let it drain overnight while the front wheels were up on ramps.......instead of a 2 quart drain, I drained 5-6! All that nice fresh tranny fluid.......it shifts "like butta". It wasn't necessarily shifting hard before, but there is a slight improvement. The old fluid was pretty dark, so in addition to a slight shifting improvement, it makes me feel better, too. :)

Hi AZ Mike, Just curious... how often did you remove, clean, re-oil, and re-install your K&Ns?? As I mentioned before, I ran K&Ns on three sandrails for about 8 years (perfect application). I cleaned them and installed fresh after every trip to the dunes. I also ran "Outer-Wears" (panty-hose) over the top of the K&Ns... this was a big help to reduce sand/dust build up. What I noticed after two seasons (18 trips to the dunes per season or about 9 actual clean, air dry, re-oil procedures) was the gauze fibers started to break down and the spaces in the mesh started to get larger. The oil globules after re-oiling started to get bigger because they did not soak into the gauze as well. These larger "holes" allowed more air flow, but also allowed more dust and sand to enter the carb. After a week end of fun and frolic, I noticed when I took the filter off the carb, I could see little patches of very fine dust that had collected in some areas on the inside top the carb. This was my first indication of a break down in the filtering capability. These filters were subjected to some very harsh and very bumpy, and very exposed conditions to the environment, BUT it did tell me something about the filters. I experimented with the amount of K&N oil I sprayed on the cleaned and dried filters, but obviously, as you must know, the amount of "control" is very limited. I usually allowed the filters to air dry about one week before spraying them, and another week before actually using them. Since sand railing for me was WOT as much as possible, gas mileage wasn't even a consideration. My engines were no where near the cost of my close friends running $4,000 and $6,000 engines (back in 1980 that was a junk a change for an engine!!), but I still tried to keep them running trouble free. I was one of very few guys I ran with that didn't have the common blubbering "dirty carb" problems. I think that was mainly due to my diligence about maintenance on my buggy. I threw the K&Ns away and bought a new set after two seasons. If I still had a sand rail, would I use them again?.. Absolutely. I wish I had photographed the filters with a macro lens as time went on. I think it would have revealed how the fibers broke down. In no way am I saying what I experienced was "scientific", but it was just my limited experience with K&N filters in an off-road application. Anyway, if they work for you... like they say -- If it ain't broke... don't fix it! :D I only have one K&N; the conical on the FIPK to my Grand Cherokee (well, excluding K&N filters on my personal watercraft). At most, I have cleaned it annually, and less frequently now that it doesn't see as many annual miles. When I do clean it, I allow it to dry for a couple hours so that it will take the oil, oil it, let it soak in for maybe another hour, then fire it up. I have never had filter oil in the tube, have never had a fouled sensor, etc. I have not encountered any degradation of the filter material. However, I will give kudos to K&N customer service....the rubber boot on my first filter started tearing where the hose clamp secures it, and they sent me a new one. A couple years later, the top of the air bonnet where it mounts to the top of the throttle body started developing a tear, and they sent out a new airtube. I have long since lost the receipt; they merely take your word or at most ask for a digital photo of it on your vehicle as evidence that you have purchased one.

man777: This definitely depends upon the application. In my case where I use a K&N FIPK on my Grand Cherokee, I have a large conical K&N filter vs. a much smaller flat air filter that came stock. So, in my case, I have a MUCH GREATER filter surface area with the K&N than with stock. jcrome: The airtube on my FIPK is clean as a whistle after 10 years and over 100K miles. You may have different experience than I do.

What.....all the same arguments from the other thread just copied and pasted over here?? ;) FWIW, I do not think there is any benefit to using a K&N drop in replacement in the LS400. That being said, I have been using a FIPK for well over 100K miles on a Grand Cherokee with tremendous results and zero trouble. I hear lots of people making claims about dirt, sensors, etc; I have NEVER had a single problem with mine. The filter is very simple to clean and to oil, and I have never had any problems with the filter oil getting on anything downstream. Any advantage from an aftermarket air filter/intake system will depend entirely on the vehicle. I have no problem with people not liking the concept of a K&N. However, when the unsubstantiated claims about sensor damage, engine damage, etc start flying, I have to call bunk. I have proof in my garage of a long-life beneficial application. Yet, I have never seen any evidence of all these claims of horrible calamities from the use of K&N.

The "increase" in power that you speak of......and don't forget much improved throttle response......will vary greatly depending upon the vehicle. My '94 Grand Cherokee with a 5.0 V-8 came stock with a highly restrictive air box. Replacing it with a K&N FIPK and putting a more free flowing muffler on make a substantial amount of power and a tremendous improvement in throttle response as compared to stock (i.e., measurable hp improvement that can be seen on a dyno......no placebo effect). As I mentioned before, the rig has 175K miles, 100K of that with the K&N, and no engine damage, no sensor damage, or any of the other things that the anti k&n people tell you will absolutely happen if you use a k&n air filter on your vehicle. Of course, any benefit depends upon how the vehicle comes from the factory. As I said, my Grand Cherokee had a very restrictive air box and muffler on a 5 liter V-8.......so substantial gains can be had from bolt-ons for that vehicle. I also have a Honda S-2000 that was hand built in Japan and so well tuned out of the factory that anything short of the addition of forced induction gives essentially no improvement. I would assume that the Lexus is much closer to the S2000 out of the factory than it is to the Jeep. Besides, I am perfectly happy with the power and throttle response in the Lexus, so see no need to look at making any changes. I stick with the Lexus OEM air filter on the LS400. If you don't like k&n, that's fine; don't use them. You may or may not see any measurable improvement in hp and throttle response with the use of a k&N depending upon the vehicle. I do have to raise the "BS" flag when people claim that the use of a k&n air filter will lead to the destruction of your engine, greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, higher cholesterol, the federal deficit and whatever else people are blaming k&n for. ;)

I agree with lexfourcam; I have changed the brake pads on my LS......one of the easiest and least time consuming maintenance jobs I have done on this car. Jacking it up and taking the wheels off took much longer than replacing the pads. I have not changed the rotors on my Lexus yet, but based on experience with my other cars, once the wheels are off, that is generally a pretty easy replacement as well.

Can you remove the pulley and replace the bearing? When I replaced the timing belt on my '99, I discovered that the serpentine belt tensioner pulley made a little bit of noise, so I wanted to fix that while I was doing the other work. I had ordered and already receivedall my other parts via a discount Lexus parts place on the net, but didn't want to have to wait for another part. I called around.....the local Toyota dealer wanted $72, which is list, but did not have it in stock. One dealer wanted $92 and another wanted $122. I think to myself, "the pulley is fine; the bearing is a little worn.....". Found a bearing at Auto Zone for $5, and found a shop to press out the old one and press in the new one......they charged me $2. lol I find $7 far superior to $122...at least when I am on the giving, not the receiving end. Lexus probably would have liked it, though......

Relativity is key here. Perhaps a K&N filter does let a LITTLE more particulate through than a paper filter......but as yet I have never seen it proven that it is enough to do any damage to an engine. I have 11 years with a K&N FIPK on my Grand Cherokee......over 100K miles......and no trouble with the engine, sensors, or anything else (FIPK went on in 4th year when it had 70K miles) . I understand the arguments against K&N filters......just haven't seen any science to support them (arguments), and my personal experience refutes them. My own two cents say that the warnings against the use of K&N filters are much ado about nothing. That being said, I don't find any reason to use a filter other than OEM on my Lexus. I don't know if there is much to be gained in an LS400 that is not particularly restrictive.........but in my Jeep, which has a V-8 fed by a pretty restrictive stock airbox, the FIPK makes a world of difference in throttle response.

I concur. At least now I know exactly what comes apart where. It should be a much quicker job on Saturday than it was the first time around!! By the way, I found a new way to tighten the crank nut. It works for loosening it, as well, but not nearly as easily as an impact wrench. After getting the crank pulley on, I wrapped the old serpentine belt around the pulley, cinched it on with locking pliers, then taking the loose end of the belt, wrapping around the driver side control arm and back underneath the vehicle. Using this method, a friend was able to hold onto the belt while I torqed the nut to spec.

After I finished with the timing belt, etc. replacement, I have one piece of hardware leftover. Due to well labeled containers, I know that it is the washer that goes under the bolt that holds the timing belt tensioner pulley in place. Of course I didn't find this until it was all put back together. Logic tells me that I get to go through this exercise all over again in order to install the washer under the bolt. Does anyone think the lack of the washer would NOT be a problem? Crap.

Thanks, tackered....I will have to give that a try this weekend. Does the cable for the crank position sensor (from crank pulley to left camshaft cover) go behind or in front of fan bracket? I have it in front, and it doesn't look right.....looks like it could get hung up with serpentine belt.

I borrowed a friend's compresser and impact wrench tonight. It did snug up the nut, but I have no idea to what extent. It still seems like I have to have some way of securing the pulley to put a torque wrench on to accurately torque it.

Other than initial confusion on how/in what order/etc. to remove fan bracket, alternator, and a/c compressor, it hasn't been that bad. Of course, this has been "a little bit at a time" project. The mating surface (and here I always thought my car's mating surface was the back seat....) of where the water pump meets the block is very clean. The original gasket held perfectly for 9.5 years. With the agreement of the shop foremen from two local Lexus dealers, I installed the water pump with the gasket only. I am installing the timing belt tonight. The belt is on (install marks lined up perfectly when installed), and I just turned the crank clockwise two full turns. The timing marks on the pulleys match up perfectly with the opposing marks. The install marks on the timing belt no longer match, but I think that is normal, right? Even though the sketch in the factory manual shows the pulley marks AND the belt install marks lining up. Now, I just need to figure out how I am going to tighten up the crank bolt. I think that I read that some have jammed something thru the crank pulley that lodges on the opposite side for resistance.....is this the best method? Is there any risk of breaking off a flange on the aluminum block behind the pulley?

Here is the word from the service foreman at the local dealership: If Lexus sends a gasket with the water pump, use the gasket. If they don't, use FIPG. He said that they used the hard gaskets until shortly after my model year, and then switched to FIPG in lieu of a hard gasket. He told me there is no reason to use FIPG in addition to the gasket. So, gasket it is.

Actually, the gasket came off very easily after 9.5 years. The only part that adhered at all was the rubber edge, and it quickly and easily pulled off in one piece (didn't break, tear, etc.)

So is there a right answer? Since my original water pump had nothing more than the gasket, I am temped to go that route.

I have been swamped, sick, etc., so my timing belt replacement project has been a little bit at a time over a couple of weekends. I am ready to replace the water pump. When I removed the original water pump, there was no FIPG; only the water pump gasket between the water pump and the block. The service manual says to use FIPG but says nothing of the gasket. Therefore, I am confused; do I replace the new water pump with: 1) gasket only (as my original water pump had been installed) 2) FIPG only, no gasket 3) gasket AND FIPG