AZ Mike

The newer S2000s are 2.2 liter; those are the 8000 rpm redline.....think those started in '06. The first engine (which I have) is a 2.0 liter with 9000 rpm redline. Not a ton of torque, but it's like driving a high powered go kart.....and is the most fun on twisty mountain roads.

No worries....more miscommunication than anything, I believe. The Jeep has substantial room for improvement with a small block 5.2 V-8 with a restrictive airbox and exhaust. Installing a K&N FIPK and a hi-flow cat and muffler with slightly larger exhaust tubing yielded dramatic improvement. I never dyno'd it, cuz the actual numbers just don't make that much difference to me; the improved performance is all I really care about. I also own a Honda S2000 that is very difficult to get any gains on outside of adding a turbo. It is a little 2.0 liter 4 cylinder that puts out 240 hp, and is very well tuned out of the factory. My untested supposition is that the Lexus is much more like the S2000 than the Jeep as far as benefit derived from bolt-ons. As for the Gen 2 coolant flush, I just recently did this. The only major difference from Gen 1 is that the throttle body is on the front rather than side of the engine, and the coolant fill hole is above and slightly to the left of the throttle body, and requires a torx head bit. I could get to the passenger side engine block drain with extensions, but I couldn't quite get to the driver side engine block drain. I flushed and drained several times to get out as much of the old water/coolant as I could before refilling with Toyota Long Life and distilled water. I had to add small amounts to the overflow tank over the next few days as the system worked the trapped air out. It is definitely less messy to utilize some 3/8" inner diameter vinyl tubing to guide the coolant being drained into your catch basin.

No, I don't believe in global warming, but thanks for playing. Please feel free to read my first post in which I indicated that I have an FIPK on my Jeep. And yes, you are reiterating exactly the point I made.......the Jeep is not well tuned coming out of the factory whereas the Lexus is. (sometimes it is beneficial to actually read what people write before responding.....) I would be interested to see the dyno runs from independent testers of the same Jeep, same day, same temp with stock airbox/filter vs. FIPK that shows no hp increase. Have any links?

Yeah, I'm sure K&N just made up this dyno run (http://www.kandn.com/dynocharts/57-1506_dyno.pdf), as certainly there would be no legal liability in doing so. And of course peak increase will be near full throttle; have you ever seen a dyno improvement where the peak difference is at the lowest RPM? Sure, there are variables, and every vehicle may not have the same exact dyno run. But, I'll accept an actual dyno run by a successful well known company than merely the opinion of a board blogger any day.

I lost a gold "L" off of a center cap a couple years ago. Asked the dealer who said they only had silver.....wanted a bunch for the center cap plus $100 to send out the logo for gold plating. Did a little digging around and found this site: http://www.capitalwheels.com/store/custome...cat=&page=1 I never did order it, because I keep forgetting about it. But, it looks like the right center cap and logo for mine. Defintely worth the $35 in my opinion.

That is the air filter's job is to catch all that stuff. :P On a K&N, the red in the oil is just to let you know where you have and haven't oiled after cleaning so that you can thoroughly oil. It won't stay that red over the interim between cleanings. Oil as directed. Too much, and you may have excess that gets sucked into your airtube. Not enough, and it won't filter as effectively as it should. I don't see how a more free flowing air filter can lead to lower mileage UNLESS the throttle response and sound differences (if any) cause you to step a little harder on the "go" pedal. The engine is only going to suck in as much air as it needs. More available air should not affect mileage in a negative manner. If the previous filter was at all restrictive, you could possibly see modest improvement in mileage, but I think this would be minimal on the LS400 (don't know this; just an assumption).

I have a gently used '99 LS400 with just over 60K miles. Everything is stock. I just did the 60K service myself and replaced all necessary items with OEM parts. I consistently get 18-19 in town and 28 on the interstate. I actually achieve a little better if I am gentle on the "go" pedal as mentioned. With regard to the K&N......I have seen these "dirt" arguments for years. I have had the K&N FIPK on my '94 Grand Cherokee for nearly 10 years. This is an american made 4X4 with 170K miles; engine is clean as a whistle and it runs perfectly. So, from my experience, I have to cry "BS" at the dirt argument. Maybe it does or does not pass along slightly more dirt than the OEM filter, but if it does, it is negligible and in no way negatively impacts the vehicle. And on an air restrictive stock setup like on the Grand Cherokee, it provides demonstrably better throttle response and a big increase in hp (25 according to K&N dynos). That being said, you get much more bang for the buck with aftermarket mods on vehicles that do not leave the assembly line optimized. I have a Honda S2000 that is so well tuned out of the factory that mods give negligible benefit. I haven't really investigaged mods on the Lexus, but my assumption is that it is much more like the S2000 than the Grand Cherokee with respect to mods. The air intake does not appear restrictive, so I think minimal benefit would be obtained by using the K&N. Just my 2 cents.

I recently purchased all the parts I needed to do the 60K service plust rear brake pads from irontoad.com. For the various parts I needed, they were the overall least expensive. OEM rear brake pads were $45.

I believe Toyota Type IV ATF has replaced Type II and is backwards compatible. Power steering calls for Dexron II or III. I do not know if Type IV is Dexron II or III compatible. I used Mobil 1 synthetic that says Mercon on front label. On back label, says is compatible with all power steering systems requiring Dexron. Lexls says to tighten transmission drain plug to 15 ft-lb.

Lexus Owner's Manual Supplement gives recommended maintenance at various mileage milestones. If you don't have it, you can download it from Lexus.com (or if that doesn't work, email them and they will mail you one).

OK....it was quite simple. Disconnect 3 hoses and 2 bolts on the rectangular portion of airtube, and it all comes out easily. Shockingly, there was very little carbon buildup on the throttle body; even the backside of the butterfly valve. A few sprays of throttle body cleaner, a toothbrush, wipe with a rag, and it was done. It was so clean, I saw no need to remove the throttle body.

The local dealer here in Mesa wants $340 for a rear brake job. Instead, I bought the OEM pads from irontoad.com for $45, some brake fluid from Checker, and I'll just do it myself.

Any tips/tricks to getting the airtube out other than "be careful"? I.e., bolts, vacuum tubes, sensors, etc. that are difficult to see?

The drain bolt is on the rear driver side of transmission pan. If memory serves, it takes a 14 mm socket. It is best to use a new crush washer when replacing. The transmission pan is the rectangular pan in the center of the vehicle rearward of the front axle. You will need to jack up the front end or drive up on ramps to get to it. For what it's worth, it took 2.3 quarts of ATF to get my fluid to 3/4 the way to the upper "H" mark with the car idling at operating temperature.

Are you talking about simply draining the 2 quarts in the pan, or attempting to do a complete drain? I have not attempted a complete drain, so I can't help there. If you are at 95K on the original ATF, you are definitely due. I would assume you would have significantly improved shifting with new fluid. If you don't want to try to drain the entire contents, you could do a 2 quart drain 'n fill at each oil change for 3-4 oil changes. It doesn't replace ALL of the old fluid, but certainly better than what you've got, and very easy. I just did a tranny pan drain today on my '99. Remove the drain bolt, drain 2 quarts, replace drain bolt with new crush washer, refill 2 quarts through tranny dipstick opening. When I say 2 quarts, it is approximate; measure what you empty, put the same amount back in, check the dipstick.

Radiator drain at bottom of radiator, and engine block drains on both sides of engine block.

I would like to clean the throttle body on my '99 LS400. After looking at the lexls "how to", I realize that my airtube and location of the throttle body are completely different than the 1st generation LS. There is a large "rectangular-ish" attachment to the airtube that extends out parallel to the passenger side valve cover. Is it all one piece and all come out, or does that piece separate from the primary airtube? Anyone with any tips or photos? Thanks in advance. One other question: the radiator fill is just above and to the passenger side of the throttle body, right? Torx head 10 mm?

How do you remove the air intake on a '99 LS400? There is a somewhat rectangular box off the airtube; don't know if that is part of airtube or if it detaches. The Lexls website description for throttle body cleaning does not appear to be the same setup as the generation 1 LS. If anyone has any guidance/photos, it would be appreciated!

I found the engine block coolant draincock on the passenger side, but I don't see the draincock on the driver's side. Can anyone with a 2nd generation LS tell me where it is located? Also, on the passenger side, it appears that there is a large bolt that threads into the engine block and has the hose nipple attached to it, and what appears to be a smaller nut threaded into the larger nut. Is it the smaller nut that is loosened to allow coolant to flow through the nipple? Thanks.

Never mind.....figured it out.

I have a low mileage '99 LS400; just passed 60K miles. I will be doing the 60K mile maintenance this weekend, including cooling flush and fill. I couldn't find anything in the Lexus recommended maintenance regarding the thermostat. Is there a recommended mileage/age interval to do so?

Is this due to the expectation that seals may be deteriorated, or that there may be wear, or strictly due to a warmer environment? I just moved to Phoenix and need to change the oil. My LS is a '99, but only has 60K miles, so certainly not the typical wear you would expect for a '99. I was planning to use 5-30 as I have in the past, especially since it should be good for slightly better mileage. But, if there is good reason to go with 10-30, I already have that around for another car.

I don't know anything about this. I have used the full K&N FIPK intake system (with conical filter) in my Grand Cherokee for 10 years, perfectly happy, with no adverse effects. I don't have any oil buildup in the air tube for particulates to adhere to. I just changed the oil and cleaned the throttle body last night. After 30K miles, the throttle body was quite clean. I figure if I can make an american made 4X4 run perfect at 170K miles with a K&N, I am much less concerned about experiencing any negative ramifications from using a K&N drop-in on a much better made vehicle. I know there are a lot of opinions both ways on this one; but I trust my personal experience over opinions.

I have used a K&N FIPK on my Jeep Grand Cherokee (V-8) for about 10 years. It made throttle response noticeably quicker as well as added a nice kick in hp in tandem with high flow exhaust. However, the Jeep has LOTS of room for improvement out of the factory, and isn't known for being quiet. I am perfectly comfortable with the K&N filter based on 10 years of use. My concern would be what the benefit is in an LS400.....I wouldn't expect any noticeable hp gain. Is there any benefit in throttle response? Does it change the sound of the vehicle? (loud is OK in my Jeep, but I quite like the quiet of the LS400). Just curious as I am do to swap air filter. Otherwise, I was planning on an OEM filter for $22 from www.irontoad.com. Are there any filters in that price range that are better than OEM?

The local dealers in the Phoenix area want between $650 and $850 for the 60K service (I just hit 60K miles on my LS400). Here is my understaning of what they actually do (excluding inspections): 1) Oil change 2) Replace engine air filter 3) Replace cabin air filter 4) Tranny drain and refill (included in $850, not with $650) 5) Diff drain and refill 6) Coolant drain and refill 7) Brake fluid replacement None of this is that difficult to do, and probably runs $150 or so in parts/fluids. While I'm at it, I am going to change the rear brake pads ($45 for me to do vs. $300 or so for dealer to do). By doing this, I will save almost enough to pay someone to replace the timing belt/water pump/seals.