Micah.Berry

Thanks, Billy. I will make sure to print out the PDF you were so kind to attach and take it with me when I have the machine shop press out the old and press in the new. They said it'd cost $7.50 each, including prepping the new bushing. So that I understand correctly, when you installed the new bushing, you brought the lower (control) arm up slightly, though not to a level where the wheels would normally sit. Thanks again, Micah

Of course, now that I made sure to park it in an area that's flat, the front sure looks level. I haven't taken my ruler to it, but I probably will chalk it up to a soft suspension and my driveway, which is inclined and not level. Still have the question on the installation of the control arms when someone has a chance. Thanks again, Micah

I searched the forum on "ride height" and nearly all the responses I saw had to do with air suspensions and converting to conventional suspensions. My suspension is a stock, non-air suspension. On my 99, the left side is just a bit lower than the right side at the front of the car. The rear appears level. This ride height issue was really brought to my attention when I put the car on my ramps. The lower front air dam on the right side clears the top of the ramp, but I have to place wood blocks under the left side to raise the car so that it clears the top of the ramp. Otherwise, I'm running the left lower plastic air dam into the top of the ramp, which obviously is not good for it. Now, my driveway has just a slight downhill lean. Thus, some of the lean may be explained by the driveway, but even on a flat parking lot, the car is *just slightly* lower on the left side (at the front). Almost makes me think the car was owned by someone very heavy... :whistles: I am going to replace the strut bar bushings in the next few weeks on both sides, and I'm wondering if doing so would affect ride height. I wouldn't think so, but I thought I would ask. Again, my car does not have an air suspension, and I'm pretty certain everything is stock (with 124k miles). Based on some other posts, I wouldn't think that the shocks themselves are gone. The ride is quite nice and bumps are controlled without excess movement. I do get a "clonk" when on the brakes going over a bump. When I'm off the brakes, there's no "clonk." The clonking and some wheel vibration at speed are the reasons I'm changing out the strut bar bushing. I also believe that I need to replace a tie rod on the right side as there is just the slightest play when trying to pull/push the wheel at the 9 / 3 o'clock positions. Would this have anything to do with how the car normally sits? Lastly, is there anything of which I need to be aware in removing and reinstalling the lower strut bars? The only thing I know of is that they should be attached when the car is at normal ride height, otherwise, tearing of the rubber bushing may occur. But I may be getting the strut bar installation confused with the upper / lower control arm installation. I found a couple nice videos on YouTube for the upper control arms (for a GS, not an LS). Thanks all for your advice and help. There's a lot of questions in this thread (for which I do apologize). I have learned so much from this group already! Best regards, Micah

Dang typos. Writing posts on my phone can be a chore... Micah

Seems to be good news! The car hasn't leaked in the garage over theist few days. I wanted to do two things - 1. Say a "heartfelt thank you" to every one that wrote and helped with advice. 2. I want to confirm that the LS fluid level should be checked at operating temperature while running. I'm reading a bit low, which makes sense based on what came out and what I have put in thus far. Also, because the two dip stick tubes aren't completely seated, the dip stick may not quite reach as far. Shifting is very smooth. Thanks again. I was ready to quit several times and haul the thing somewhere. I also would like to give some thanks to my wife, who got royally dirty trying to help me get the pan on and the top dip stick attached. It was a team effort.

Well, Because the shops were closed on Friday, I took some time to lift the car up and see if the pan bolts were snug. Lo and behold, a couple of them were not! I don't have a torque wrench that measures inch pounds, so I just guessed by tightening them up as much as I dared. I KNOW that I can twist most of them a 1/4 turn more, but I don't want to strip the bolts. I also took the advice of lightly tapping the lip of the pan to edge it up. Another problem was the dip stick tube, which was not mated together well. I ended up taking the top part of the tube out (thanks for the advice, Landar) and trying to jam it in. The O-ring kept getting stretched and causing the tube to bind. I tried it without the O-ring, and it went in smoothly. So I had another O-ring (new) that I put on. I don't think that it's quite as thick as the original, but it's close. Putting the tube back together took some effort, shall I say to get the bracket lined up with the bolt hole. The tubes are mated, but they don't slide all the way to together. There's about 1/2" gap to the base, but it appears to not leak when I top off the fluid, and the pan stayed oil tight all night after a couple test drives. Total time investment: 19 hours!!!!! I can't believe that it took that long, but it did. I'm not totally convinced yet that everything is leakproof, but I'm going to watch it closely over the near term. Thanks for everyone's help and encouragement. I truly appreciate it! Micah

Well, !Removed!. Underneath the car stayed dry when I went to bed, but when I got up this morning, there was a small puddle at the front of the pan's location. Rats. That's the portion of the pan that I had the hardest time with. I guess I didn't seal it properly. I think this time, I'm going to take it somewhere. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Micah (I'm thankful that I have another car to drive right now! LOL!)

Holy cow! I hope never to do that again... What an absolute nightmare. It's back together, but I'm going to watch the seal for the next few days just to make sure that it stays leak proof. I just about threw in the proverbial towel on this one... With exaust bolts frozen tight with rust, there wasn't much to remove. Getting it off and back on took so much manipulation-literally all day. I will simply take it to a mechanic... Nightmare...

I've taken the pan to a machine shop to have the bolt removed. Advance and O'Reilly's were both unhelpful. Pan will be ready at 2:30. Then I'll continue scraping the old seal off before reattaching the pan with the new gasket. In the interim, here are a few pictures: The stuff that drained out of the pan. This looks FAR dirtier than when I pulled the dipstick out to check the color. The pan is out!!! Hallelujah! Just for fun. Here is a comparison picture of the old transmission mount and the new transmission mount. 123k miles.

Hot Dog! It's out!! Now, I'll scrap off what Lexus' seal. There is a little metal on the magnets, but not much, thankfully! Tranny oil is dirtier than I expected...

Update: I've got the dipstick tube free (finally). Now I have got to figure out how to drop the pan down. I don't want to crunch something expensive in there! It doesn't seem to want to drop straight down because there is an exhaust bracket in th way. Do you guys remove the exhaust bracket? Mine seems to be stuck on there pretty good where it connects to the exhaust. Thus, moving the two bolts as shown in the picture won't do very much. Thanks for all help. Micah

Landar, what's a CCW twist? Thanks (again), Micah

I "slept on it" and this morning, got the pan seal to give by using a screwdriver behind the transmission mount cross brace and tapping it into the seal. Now I need to wiggle the dipstick tube free, and then the pan will be free. Billy, can I get an oversized plug from Autozone or O'Reilly's? They're very close. The Toyota dealer is a bit further away if I need to grab OEM. Thanks, Micah

By the way, the transmission mount went on without a hitch. Very simple. At least I had that going for me! :)

Another question, if the bolt is stripped and can be rethread, can I remove it by pulling on the bolt while twisting? Would the bolt "rethread" that way or do I risk damaging the threads on the pan? Thanks, Micah

Thanks Billy. I was in the process of pulling the pan. I couldn't break the seal. I tried lightly tapping the pan with a hammer and towel (to cushion the blow). I also tried using a series of flat head screwdrivers to pry it. I was unsuccessful. I did start to get weepage (if that's a word) at the seal, which was after much groaning. Not knowing what I was up against, I put the 19 pan bolts back in and then put a bit of silicone around the drain bolt. My hope is that I can limp to a repair shop where I can get it fixed / repaired. The bolt won't come out, so I'm not afraid of a "gusher" but I know I can't drive but a few miles. Interestingly, the while I checked the color of the fluid when I bought the car, I finally got around to checking the level. It is overfilled. And I'm not sure what fluid is in it, thus my desire to change the fluid to Toyota T-IV. Is the seal supposed to be that difficult to break??? Now that I have gotten drips through the seal, I'm going to need a new one. I actually have a seal, so I'm a bit discouraged that I wasn't able to break it. We're supposed to take a 200 mile trip in the car tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get it repaired by the time we need to leave tomorrow evening. Micah

I am trying to remove the transmission bolt, and it turns, but it doesn't come out. Ack! I'm stuck! So it's starting to weep around the bolt, but it won't unscrew... Just turns. It also won't tighten anymore. Help! Micah

Yep. I had to make a quick run to the auto parts store for a 10 mm allen wrench. Of course, I had to buy the set, because the one that I needed wasn't sold individually. Anyway, tonight's project is to change the transmission fluid and mount. Thanks again for everyone's help. Micah

Thanks, 1990LS and Billy. I ran it up to operatig temperature, adding additional amounts during that time as fluid was drawn in. After I let it cool, I needed to add additional fluid, which I did. I'm going to keep a close eye on it over the next several days. Next little project is the tranny flush and the tranny mount. My drive belt looks to be in excellent shape, so I'm going to let it be for now.

Found it!! It's under the plastic cover shroud. To remove it, I needed a 10 mm Allen wrench. It is at the top of the engine, above the thermostat. Micah

I need some quick help. I'm changing the coolant on my 1999 LS, which states to fill from the filler hole at the front of the engine. There's no filler hole similar to the one on the Lexls website. Where the devil is it??? Thanks, Micah

I think the black LS does not have a clear coat. I learned the a few BMW blacks are the same way. I can't speak to the LS430 though, I'm referring to the 400. Micah

Unfortunately, I'm the only one that I know *with a Lexus*. There are many ES, RX, and GX vehicles that I have seen in my area. I have seen a few 95 - 97 LS's, but very few 98 - 00 LS's. I'd love to drive another one, just to feel the difference. As an aside, every time I hop out of my daughter's Mazda, and back into the LS, I am dumbfounded at how smooth the Lexus is. Even with the vibrations, it's worlds nicer than the Mazda (which needs a little attention in its own right-thus my repairs budget is being spread over 3 cars and a motorcycle). I will change the strut rod bushings, though I haven't determined if they will be next or third after motor mounts. I suspect I will do them next though. I continue to read and study videos on how to change them, and I may be making it more difficult than it truly is. Once I get to it, I'll probably be posting a new thread for your help! LOL! As a note, I did have the tires rotated / balanced several weeks ago. Vibration didn't change. Also, the car now pulls to the right. It used to track beautifully straight. I've verified that the pressures are correct, so the shop either knocked it out of alignment or (more probable) there's something worn that should be replaced. I'll have an alignment done after new bushings are pressed in. Just more to read about... But I do like the education I'm getting. I'm a firm believer in "no one takes better care of their stuff than the owner." I'll read up on "dynamically balanced" versus a straight spin balance. Thanks again for all the insight and help, and my apologies for the thread jack! Micah

CuriousB, I thought the following was very informative: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/10419-heavy-scratch-repair-exterior-detail-very-long-post-not-56k-friendly.html Good luck! Micah

Hi there, 1990LS400: You are correct about the mileage. I purchased it in April with close to 113k on the clock. I have just crested 122k miles and am making my Christmas list of fluids and parts to order based on my manual and gleaned knowledge from informative forum members, such as yourself and Billy. I have priced them from Sewell, and with the Club Lexus discount, most of it is fairly reasonably priced. I recall your post about your lower strut rod bushings. I did some poking around underneath the car while I changed the oil, and didn't see anything torn; however, I realize that as rubber ages it becomes harder and subject to cracking. Such cracking may not be very visible. My car has several services at Lexus of Lansing, so it's got some very cold weather that it's lived through. Cold, age, and now hot - can't be very good for rubber longevity. I haven't located a machine shop to press out the old bearings and cram the new ones in. I do have one in mind though. I would like to avoid purchasing the entire control arms if possible. Long story short, I intend to replace those bushings too. The tranny mount first because of the ease of replacement. I've learned that vibrations can come in two ways - through the seat/floorboard and through the steering column. I have both vibrations. The vibrations are usually quite small. When my family rides in the car, I'm the only one who is annoyed by them, and they are only an annoyance, nothing obtrusive. As noted, the vibrations come and go and don't seem to be dependent on each other. The steering wheel vibrates around 65 mph and the floorboard or seat doesn't. If I accelerate briskly from 65 to 80, stronger vibration comes through the floorboard. "Normal" acceleration doesn't have the stronger vibration. Strong acceleration from a stop is smooth up until higher speeds. Very strange... In both cases, the vibration will sometimes completely go away while speed is constant. My water bottle in the drink holder will have no waves in the fluid. Then, the vibration comes back (causing little waves in the water bottle). I mostly notice this while cruise control is on, and I'm traveling on the interstate through hilly areas. My hypothesis is that pressure from engine torque applied to the (possibly worn) transmission mount causes additional movement above the design threshold. I *think* the reason that I don't feel this at lower speeds, even with stronger acceleration is due to the drive shaft not spinning fast enough to overcome the damping aspects of the rubber mount. Just my thoughts... And I could be way off base. Anyway, the transmission mount seems like such an easy replacement, and at $33 and change (from Sewell before shipping, but with applicable discounts) isn't expensive. I can change it while I change my oil. The strut rods appear to be a bit more involved, and I will do more research to understand whether it's the lower ball joints, strut rod bushings, or some other component. Also of interest are tires. As I've noted before, the dealership installed very cheap tires, but I'm inclined to wear them out before purchasing a set of Michelins. I had them balanced a few weeks ago by a local shop that did a good job balancing my Miata's wheels, which were also very difficult to balance properly. I haven't noticed any bubbles on the sidewalls; however, I don't understand what "dynamically" balanced means. My observations are that the mechanic places the wheel within a machine that spins the wheel at high speed. The machine tells the weight that's needed and where to put the weight. What is dynamically balanced? Billy, thanks for your post and information. I don't have near the mechanical aptitude of 1990LS400 or Billy. I'm 36 and sit behind a desk most of the day as an internal auditor for my company. Most of what I've learned, my Dad taught me or I've learned from forums like this or YouTube. I'm not afraid to tackle things automotive though. My last project was replacing the dash lights in my daughter's car. I simply need to have plenty of time to accomplish the task. Thanks again, 1990LS400 for your insight and the time to post. Micah