ambermarine

I have seen the 400 being raced as a drift car in Florida and it was well ahead of the opposition which were mainly coupes .

Malc I don't agree with your synopsis on low mileage cars with regard to the LS400 .Having owned a mark1 that I took to 180k from 50k and now have a 29k mark 4 that I bought 3 years ago with 18k on it I have to point out the difference . First of all the whole of the car loosens up over the mileage the suspension and running gear the fit of everything, the feel of the car in driving mode does change.The wear on parts we never see is there and all of it culminates in a less tight new sensation that comes with a brand new car .I agree that the parts last longer and are of better quality but everything wears out over time and use .

There are Lexus dealers giving out a good deal on the cambelt change incorporated with a full service make sure you get the water pump changed if it is a second belt change .

John I concur with the other members who contributed comments on this topic.I owned a mark1 for 16 years and it was 22 when it left me it never had any transmission problems I now own a mark 4 and that to is clean of any issues with the transmission .The issues surrounding the 430 are much to do with the internal seals and metals used in the combined intercooler which were not present on the 400 although the principle is the same.There were other issues with the 430 that in my opinion stemmed from a rushed project that was in fact a stop gap until the new generation of LS Lexus was ready.

John I did exactly the same thing a month ago left the rear door ajar and flat battery following morning there are three lights on and two with front door. so yes is the answer to your question. I think your fade the light scenario is if the door as been shut ,why would it turn itself off if the cycle of events as not been completed.

I had a MOT fail on the Mark 1 I owned and that was because at twenty years old the cills rusted from the inside out just before the start of the rear wheel arch (considered as a suspension point in MOT parlance).My local garage welded pieces of tin plate beaten to form a patch for £20 and the car passed its MOT. The subframe at the back was identified as an advisory as being heavily corroded and to be honest that is why I got rid . The rust within the skins of the rear wheel arches had been there and treated since the car was 6 years old . I lived with that but as someone as already said if the car gets rust inside the structure it is virtually impossible to fix ,it is possible by waxoyl injection to slow the process down and prevent it in the first place if done at first purchase. I am pleased to say that there is no rust on my Mark 4 and that as a lot to do with the process of paint application at manufacture coupled with better paints. I also did the whole of the metal underside (where there is no underseal applied) with Dinitrol when I first purchased the car three years ago at that time the factory barcode notices were still on some of those parts as the car had only done 18k. The underside of the car is a bit more road dirt covered now but there is no rust.

Steve As you say its your car do as you like .The proposed colour scheme will be different in the UK but in Japan & and the rest of Asia nothing out of the ordinary there are some superb examples of exciting imaginative 400s over there and they spend a fortune on their cars. Can't wait to see your finished goal good luck with it.

Malc The UCAs went on mine at 95k ,I take your point on the age and mileage but the bush wear comes from different use scenarios .if the car as been used mainly in a urban /city environment it will have had a lot more wear than travelling long trips up and down motorways.

The steering wheel problem of leather erosion was particularly bad on the mark 1 ,I ended up filling a hole with epoxy at the 2' o' clock position on my 1990 mark 1 . There is a definite improvement in the quality on my Mark 4 but that as only done 30k the problem on the mark 1 showed after 80k ,I don't see me getting to 80k in the Mark 4,so it will never be a problem.

I cannot see the anti roll bushes being the problem on a 80k 2000 it is more likely to be the upper control arms as the symptom of knocking as you apply the brakes is the red flag for worn upper control arm hub bushes. The quickest way to check is jack up the front of the car so the wheels are just clear of the ground ,place a large pry bar at the bottom of the wheel and apply upward pressure at the same time clasp the hub bush .If it is worn you will feel it knocking on pressure application and release,this simulates the exact scenario of brake application.

The bits you need are out there it is just a case of finding them,keep in mind that the player in the boot is a CD player and cannot be revised much after 03 but whatever you get will be the good enough for the UK main routes. If the centre console as been coded I have the sequential dance required to recode it.

Rudy There are or have been a couple of central console units for sale off the mark 4 breaking sales on ebay . I would bet the whole thing is interchangeable with the celsior and if someone as the console for sale they might as well sell you the dvd player from the boot which should have the cd in .It might be a good idea to ask for the satnav unit also ,then you are sure of a UK system

Thank you for your summary so far and as you say it is a learning curve, the issues do not require major surgery with the right equipment and knowledge. A Lexus trained independant should be able to clear it up in no time,the episode for yourselves as done you no harm as you discovered what a masterpiece of engineering the Lexus ls400 engine is. The removal of power by whatever means from the system as the same effect,to answer your ps.

The fault codes for O2 sensors are critical to the fuel mix as they will as you have discovered by your research alter through the engine ecu the fuel mixture. The troubleshooting on any engine as to be logical or otherwise you just end up with no end or beginning .The original problem was slow running and the suggestion that the ECT sensor could be the cause ,is a possible cause ,now you have a O2 sensor that may be the cause and to all intents and purposes that is the one you need to resolve before any other. They do fail and if so would be the cause of wrong fuel mixture being directed by the ECU. There are tutorials scattered on the internet regarding O2sensors and also I think there is a tutorial on how to test them as working properly on the US Lexusclub owners site as well as removing and replacing these sensors. I know how frustrated you will feel at the moment and an end to the problems may look difficult but the car was designed with a troubleshooting system built in and if you follow its Logic you will succeed.

The sell came about because a member asked if anyone had this particular item and I offered it on the terms that any proceeds went to charity it was not put up for sale as you seem to be implying and as for the rules as you put it I don't go out of my way to break them and neither do I like being talked to like some errant schoolboy, you are starting to sound like a dictator not a moderator.If this is a wake up call for you than so be it. Again in this statement you have questioned my integrity when your refer to the charity issue I think you have said enough do not dig the hole any deeper.

Well if you can read back that info you can also see that the reason for selling was for a charitable donation and you were insinuating I am a liar without any clarification, which we now have .I suggest you be a little careful in your statements in the future.

Mike Please don't insinuate I am a liar .If you go back through the files if the forum keeps them that is exactly the reason I was given the warning. And just to clarify the situation I tried to do it once.

I got mine years ago for trying to sell some indicator lenses to a member with the proceeds going to charity ,but because I am not a gold member I got the points. What's that saying? "No good deed ever goes unpunished ". Never mind, it reminds me of my school days which are now a fading memory.

There used to be a guy in the states sold them on US ebay and I did get a request from a member on the forum to get some whilst over there a few years ago but I think the market for them as dissappeared along with the models they fitted. PS. Just been on the US site and found a seller in Japan who wants $199 for them ,good luck with that. Type "Lexus LS400 indicator lenses (clear)", in the search box.

Norman Oem stands for "original equipment manufacturer" ,that in itself is a misnomer because Toyota or Lexus do not manufacture brake parts ,they buy them from automotive brake manufacturers. The difference is that when you buy their parts they are built or made to their specific requirements and to that end meet their criteria for that model. You will sometimes see parts suppliers quoting, built to oem specification this might mean dimensions and such like but is very likely a cheap copy. The nearest any aftermarket supplier gets to true oem on Lexus is Blueprint and they are about 10% off the original spec overall.

I take your point Pete but the outcome is still the same and weather it is a myth or not it as through the years been a referral to disc problems .

40k is not a lot for discs that are OEM but it depends on the replacements that were fitted. Check the depth of the wear against the recommended wear .Also keep in mind that heavy braking can warp the disc and it may have been this that is causing your judder. Make sure before you change the discs that they are the problem and not the suspension.

The pipe junction you have broken is critical to the running of the engine as it is part of the fuel management system and includes both the vacuum (small one) and the bigger one is part of the re-circulation of the exhaust gases feeding into the engine air intake, They are critical because without them the wrong information is being picked up in the fuel/air mixture sensor (Maf) and that is why your engine light is going on and off and slow running is bad. Replace the whole induction unit casing from a breaker and fix the vacuum pipe connection airtight or you will never get the engine to run properly.

Graham Do under the car as well as the body I did my Mark 4 with Dinitrol aerosols (6) and covered all of the non painted subframe at the rear and the edges of the rear wings were they meet the plastic spray shields.There are some rubber bungs in the area of the bottom of the wheel arch and rear door on the chassis ,remove them and spray inside with the tool Brian mentions push it up towards the rear window and it will cover the inside of the wheel arch,push it towards the front of the car and it will cover the cill area. When you are doing the job try to think of were moisture might penetrate and spray it.

Yes they are bolted on but removal of the inner liner is required as there are supports forward of the engine firewall that need unfastening.