K '92 Ls400 - P/s Leak News...

Manc · November 18, 2008

:winky:

Alright all?

You know the old p/s leak problems with the ls400.... well ages ago i got on here and saw its usually the o-ring under the resovoir, so for the 1st time in years and the 1st time with the lexus i got the spanners out and did it myself.

Proud as punch when i finished - only to find 2 days later it still leaked, but under the resovoir was still clean.

So eventually after i'd bought the 3rd tub of fluid, i decided to find where it was - i took it to lexus wolverhampton as i was passing and the mechanic told me to sit in the posh bit and he took my car for ten mins or so.......after reading the books on the new LS series ( Wow!!! ) he returned to me and said it was my transmission fluid.

Dumb idiot i thought, then why was i filling the p/s up every couple of days???

So i looked myself, and after taking the headlight out too, i found the guilty pipes and saw that they were ok really and it was the clips that were guilty.

Just bought 2 jubilee clips for each end of the two pipes and hey presto - i fixed it.

The pipes come as one at £165

Thanks to all that gave me the knowledge and bottle to look myself.............................

ffcary1 · November 18, 2008

Well done that man, i was one of the people that said it was prob the o ring and i am pleased to hear that i was wrong. Well done for the cheap repair that you made and hope it holds up. I still have the o ring to do and if you could post up any pics or advise on the procedure than that would be great.

regards Gary.

chunkz · November 19, 2008

hi, how i changed the o ring was to put lots and lots of rags around the bottom of the resovoir tank and removed the 3? i think bolts using a spanner and a socket.

i then lifted it quickly off the bracket and put my finger over the hole at the bottom.

i drained the tank and cleaned it up then replaced the o ring.

then replaced the tank and refilled, making sure there was no fluid lying about.

very simple and easy job.

you could always use a turkey baster or such to drain tank first before you remove it.

worked for me

Manc · November 19, 2008

Well done that man, i was one of the people that said it was prob the o ring and i am pleased to hear that i was wrong. Well done for the cheap repair that you made and hope it holds up. I still have the o ring to do and if you could post up any pics or advise on the procedure than that would be great.
regards Gary.

Alright gary? its not as bad as it sounds (you need to take air flow meter out etc) and takes less than an hour unless you have a brew.......

One of the 3 nuts holding the resovoir is a pain to get off/on - not even a 1/4 turn with the spanner each time.....tick tock..

There is a full d.i.y. website at lexls.com

Its some american bloke who has kindly done step by step photo instructions for any job just for us amateurs. I keep meaning to send him a donation but dont have paypal so i always feel guilty when i finish there.

Check it out

simontaylor · November 20, 2008

Well done that man, i was one of the people that said it was prob the o ring and i am pleased to hear that i was wrong. Well done for the cheap repair that you made and hope it holds up. I still have the o ring to do and if you could post up any pics or advise on the procedure than that would be great.
regards Gary.

I tried the "turkey baster" trick when I did mine, but there was a mesh filter in the resivoir and so it was still holding half the fluid. I had to resort to the "lots of rags" trick as a plan-B.

Manc · November 20, 2008

Ha, so did i - it was a fat turkey baster tho' and it would only go in so far so i had half left too

Gary,

Here's the job - All the front air intake (3 pieces) on top of the fan need to be removed, then unpug the wire from the air-flow meter (dont pull on the wires!), then undo 3 bolts to take off the air filter, together with the air-flow meter, oh and the 2 jubilee clips need to be loosened to remove the hose, to get the units out.

You can then access the p/s resovoir properly (well, sort of)..... and do what chunks says above.

Before putting it back, its wise to clean all around there with a rag, just to make it easy to see if it leaks again!!!

Remember the wire before replacing the air filter or you trap it underneath and cant plug it in.... :tsktsk:

After replacing all the air intake you have to get the air out of the steering too - dead easy....when you fill the reservoir (to cold level), leave the res cap off and if your car is still on axle stands then turn wheel side to side full lock a few times (without engine on 1st) and you will hear the bubbles as you hit full lock - do this till they quieten, put the cap back on the reservoir, then do the same full lock thing with engine on. Tighten cap, Done!

As with my car, if its not that o-ring thats leaking look under the fan as you open the bonnet - a thin metal looped pipe joins a rubber one and the clips can get weak with old age.

But for 1.50 im happy i did the o-ring aswell.

Good luck :luck: