ambermarine

A few years ago I used to take notice of the motoring journalists, and I remembered Autocar saying the S Class Merc was the 'best car in the real world'. Well I finally bought one and yes it was a great car, when it was working, but it broke down so much and it was rusting away so fast I traded it for an LS430 after 2 years.

The Lexus is in a totally different league for reliability and build quality. Read the independent reviews, such as the JD Power customer satisfaction survey, which Lexus have won for years. Don't take any notice of the journalists who have tried a car for a couple of days and been plied with 'hospitality'.

John N

Hi Fellow Lexuns

I have toyed with the idea of getting a SC430 but the Roads up here in this part of Scotland would not make for a good driving experience as they are worse than farm tracks due to two very bad winters and the lack of public funds to repair them.

In support of the quality of build and reliabilty, My Ls400 is 21 years old and now reputedly the oldest legally on the road.

Unfortunatley it failed for the first time its MOT last week(corroded cill, £40 fix )mainly because the first LS400s had a water trap forward of the rear wheel arch.

Having owned the Car for 16 years and still do 600 mile journeys in a day I can vouch for these cars having more experience than any motoring journalist.

I cannot understand why your local garage cannot diagnose the problem as most OBDII readers can read most codes on any make or model. Some just give you the code which you then look up but better ones actually come up with both the code and what it relates to.

Perhaps you could take the car to a good diagnostic centre to have the codes read and diagnose the problem more accurately, it is certainly cheaper than buying and replacing parts on a hunch especially when we are talking 4 O2 sensors on this engine and the universal ones are generally not up to the job.

Steve

It is possible to read the diagnostic codes on your car by using the box terminals on the engine and the one in the drivers footwell .The method used is simply connecting the terminals within the respective boxes and reading the output either on the engine warning light or in the case of the transmission on the overdrive on off light. The information is transmitted in a series of intermitent flashes or blinks of the respective light,the signal is then matched up to whatever code it designates.

But unless you have access to the workshop manual were all the methods of terminal connections and codes are stored it is unlikely it will be of use .

It is also possible to check a heap of other components in the engine including the operation of the oxygen sensors and how good or bad they are.The Manuals there are two, are about £300 from Lexus but they do come up on eBay apparently from the USA and to all intents and purposes will cover UK and Jap imported Lexus cars.

Hi,

Looking for some advice with a 1997 LS400.

Everything works as it should, no warning lights, no problems below 4000 RPM.

If you floor the throttle whilst either in N or D the car won't rev beyond 4000. The emissions have been checked and are perfect.

Also the recovery guy was certain it was the left CAT.

I'm looking for ideas.

Thanks in advance.

Hi

It as the symptoms of one of the oxygen sensors failing on the left or right bank these determine via information given by them to the Engine ECU how much fuel to give the engine for the right mixture under driving conditions demanded by the throttle.

If say the oxygen sensor is giving a signal of unburnt fuel when there is'nt any unburnt fuel then the fuel supply will be restricted when it gets to a certain preset rev range in the computer.The Oxygen sensor fails gradually allowing the engine to function but giving a timely warning to get the fault rectified .If you continue to run the car until it as completly failed the engine will not start or if it does it will run awfully and you will get a engine warning light.

There are sites in the USA that supply oxygen sensors relativly cheaply and they are not difficult to fit.The immediate task is to determine which of the oxygen sensors is failing.

There are two one to each side if you are unable to test them for electrical resistance as per the workshop manual instructions ,then a quick solution would be to replace them both, at a rough estimate of say $100 dollars its a lot cheaper than Lexus.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, the lastest is that both CATs are in good shape and the garage found one fault code indicating a faulty oxy sensor, but no indication of which one...

Hopefully the guys will be able to narrow this down.

Hi

According to the LS400 workshop Manual ;troubleshooting diagnostic codes .

code 21 Main oxygen sensor signal on left bank. code 27 sub-oxygen sensor left bank code 28 main oxygen sensor right bank code 29 sub oxygen sensor right bank.hope this helps.

Hi,

The sleeve is longer than the flanges and so when tightening the bolt it cannot compress the flanges as the sleeve restricts any contact with the flange. Does that make sense?

Cheers,

Jim

Hi

I think there is some misunderstanding here of what are the flanges and what is the bush housing.

The original bushes were fitted flush to the edge of the bush housing and the flanges of the arm (Sides) fitted flush to the edge of the bushe housing.These adus bushes have a leading edge that butts up against the sides of the housing and the internal sleeve protrudes approx 1.5mm each side of the housing. When the bolt is tightened up it compresses the bushes into the sides of the housing at the same time it tightens up on the sleeve and grips it, the compression centralises the bolt within the sleeve.

This does the same job as the original bush but uses side compression as against the original bush which held all the compression within the housing.There is no need to wrap the bolt in anything as it is not supposed to touch the sides. These Bushes have been fitted as they are to loads of Lexus LS400s all across the USA and if you go on the Lexls the Lexus owners club US site there is a tutorial on fitting them as well as plenty of posts of people who have fitted them.

OK, had a go at tackling the rear trailing arm (strut rods/rear axle carrier arm) bushes at work today. Got the Adus 505 snd 5056TA from the states and the packaging says they are for LS400 '89 - '00 models snd so should be ok for my 1995 Mk3.

Got the arm off without too much bother but hadn't supported the hub with jack/axle stand and so this caused a bit of head scratching later in the day as it twists out of position once the strut is removed. Jacking up the hub under the brake disk did the trick to bring it bsck into line with the strut.

Also got the old rubber out with a 3-jaw, as shown on the LexLS.com site, without too much bother on the non-hub end of the strut first. However, while the Adus 505 fits very nicely, the metal sleeve is about 3mm longer than the one I removed and has a wider internal diameter and so the original bolt to attach it back to the frame would rattle around inside it !

I cleaned up the old sleeve thinking I could re-use that part, but this has a much narrower external diameter than the Adus and so wasn't a snug fit either.

I thought that maybe I had the 505 and 5056 the wrong way round but there was no way the 5056 was going to fit that end and the sleeve on that is exactly the same size. Although I hadn't started looking at the bush on the hub end at this stage, I thought I would have a quick look and realised that neither 505 or 5056 would ever fit that end and so decided to leave the orginal rubber where it was at that end.

Back to the other end I have a nicely cleaned up strut rod but no bushing that will fit! Was beginning to panic about how I would get home and be ready for camping tomorrow...... Made a couple of 'Help!' calls to mates who kindly came over to offer their advice/laugh. Ended up cutting up a Fosters can into strips the same length as the orignal sleeve and tightly wrapping the strip around the sleeve before threading through the new Adus bush. Nice fit! Bolted it all back together and although I am only expecting to use my Fosters beer can fix as a temporary one, the strut felt nice a secure and doesn't seem to need the hub end bushing being replaced.

However, I still have the other side to tackle and did wonder whether I would notice any difference on the drive home. The Foster-fix side did feel more solid but that may just be my imagination!

In short it would appear that the Adus 505 is not an exact replacement bushing for the Mk3 as the sleeve is not the right size. My next plan is to have a couple of sleeves made up to the right dimension at a local Engineering workshop for both sides (although I'm also keen to see how long my Fosters-fix will last!) The 5056 is definately not a replacement option for the hub end of the strut rod.

Happy days!

Jim

The replacement bushing for the trailing arm as been designed as a compression fit so that as you tighten up the bolt the bushing spreads and compesses within the housing the fact that the bolt is not a tight fit when initially assembled is to aid the reassembly of the components.Because the sleeve is slightly longer the flanges of the arm compress against the ends of the sleeve and at the same time force the ends of the bushes against the ends of the housing this locks the whole thing up so that there cannot be any movement of the bolt within the sleeve.

The important consideration is that you torque up the bolt to 130lbs per sq inch to achieve this result.

Hi,

Looking for some advice with a 1997 LS400.

Everything works as it should, no warning lights, no problems below 4000 RPM.

If you floor the throttle whilst either in N or D the car won't rev beyond 4000. The emissions have been checked and are perfect.

Also the recovery guy was certain it was the left CAT.

I'm looking for ideas.

Thanks in advance.

Hi

It as the symptoms of one of the oxygen sensors failing on the left or right bank these determine via information given by them to the Engine ECU how much fuel to give the engine for the right mixture under driving conditions demanded by the throttle.

If say the oxygen sensor is giving a signal of unburnt fuel when there is'nt any unburnt fuel then the fuel supply will be restricted when it gets to a certain preset rev range in the computer.The Oxygen sensor fails gradually allowing the engine to function but giving a timely warning to get the fault rectified .If you continue to run the car until it as completly failed the engine will not start or if it does it will run awfully and you will get a engine warning light.

There are sites in the USA that supply oxygen sensors relativly cheaply and they are not difficult to fit.The immediate task is to determine which of the oxygen sensors is failing.

There are two one to each side if you are unable to test them for electrical resistance as per the workshop manual instructions ,then a quick solution would be to replace them both, at a rough estimate of say $100 dollars its a lot cheaper than Lexus.

Chupsters,

Got my Mk4 LPG through it's first MOT today for £280, new parking brake cable needed, no other advisories, pleasantly surprised given that I'd bought it against all recommendations from a dodgy dealer in Slough 2 months ago, good price though. Pleased to note that 'headlamp leveling' fault is not part of an MOT, ha ha! Apparantly, LPG forms part of the MOT test from next Spring so all garages have got to buy leak testing kits etc.

Ect Pwr light flashes on occasionally. Switching between Ect, Pwr and Snow mode doesn't seem to alter performance in any way. Runs like a tractor on petrol when cold, better on LPG all the time but LPG consumption is quite low, 16-18 round town and only 25 on a long run. Is there any obvious way of telling if it's in Pwr mode all the time? I suspect it's just a dodgy switch but the mpg is a bit daunting, a service is perhaps needed. Your thoughts, as always....

Thanks,

Nic

There is I think some misunderstanding here of what the ect power switch actually does.As far as the Mark 1 goes and I have no reason to believe that it is any different on the later marks is hold the gear that the car kicks down to when you gun the throttle, say in a overtaking manouvere .This is a safety feature that makes sure the car does not lose any forward acceleration by changing up into the next gear as would normally happen without the ect power enabled, that way the passing distance speed you have estimated to do the overtaking is maintained and not dibilatated by the lapse of acceleration caused by a gear change.

So to check wether it is on or off is simple, just gun the pedal and if it stays in the kick down gear whilst still accelerating it is on ,if the car changes up a gear then it is off.

As for the snow well that feature was not on the Mark 1 which means my car as never seen snow since the first time I tried to drive it on snow ,the experience terrified me that much I still have nightmares over it sixteen years later.

For what it's worth Floggit, and I am certainly no expert here, this is the way I would be viewing this situation if I were in the same position as yourself;

The only oil that has come recommended to use, and so far without any negative feedback, seems to be Toyota's own Type IV transmission fluid. I would go ahead and INSIST on this, full stop.

As for the method of replacement, the only one so far recommended on this particular thread without any fore-seeable(spelling?) problems seems to be to replace it at 2/3 litres at a time with a sort of 'run in' period of your own discretion. This has worked very well for others in the past without causing any problems.

As I have previously said, this is the method I shall use if/when the need should arise. By doing it in this way I cannot see how any complications should arise. The process may take a little longer to complete which is the only drawback I can see.

I know there is no definite answer here but I hope it may help, slightly.

HI

As I was the the thread that reccommended the 3 litre package let me reiterate the method and time scale.I used a marine engine 12volt electric oil extraction pump that I used to distribute in Europe for an American manufacturer.Its about the size of a tin of beans and connects to the Battery for power,originally designed to connect permanantly to the sump plug and left in situ on marine engines.

It also operates perfectly well by inserting a plastic tube down the dipstick access tube.

It moves transmission fluid at a gallon a minute so taking it out is a relativly quick exercise .When I mentioned a run round the block I meant just that not a trip to Penzance,

alternativly you could just sit on the drive and move the gearstick through the range this will pump the oil through the box sufficient for the exercise.To sum up it took me about an hour to do the 15 litre gradual exchange of the transmission oil.

Before anybody asks the pumps are no longer available but the marine engine oil extraction vaccum pump supplied at chandlers and Marinas will also do the job.

Hi

Try checking the voltage in your keyfob Battery ,ascertain what it is then put a new Battery in .

The transmitter needs a certain voltage to transmit a signal to the reciever in the car and this can become erratic when the voltage drops below a certain level.You are correct that hot and cold do have a effect on the voltage as a rise in temprature will had a little more life to any Battery for a short time.

I've had to replace a brake light bulb!!. This mindless expense can't carry on,the wife says. This has happened after only six months of ownership of my £500 200,000 miles LS400. If another bulb goes that'll be it - it'll be the crusher for her. I LOVE MY LEXUS.

I Sympathise with you on this one ,but I can honestly say that My 1990 Ls400 as never had a light bulb replaced.

But before we get carried away my car as only done 180000 miles.

The point is that its not how good the light bulbs are it is the superb electrical wiring and balance that is the key to low frequency of electrical system faults on the LS400.

I Have a 1976 Mini kit car that I use for runabout and something goes wrong with the electrics every week mainly the wiring but when I start work on it compared to the Lexus its like an archelogical dig.The plus point is that parts are pennies so I count my blessings that Lexus got it right again.

I am sorry about this, but just to throw a bit of a spanner in the works here.

When on the Toyota Supra forums the guys there always stressed that a full auto gearbox flush should only ever be performed after the gearbox had major surgery carried out on it. This had something to do with a mineral build up inside the gearbox if it was subject to a batch of clean fresh transmission fluid all of a sudden.

What they all recommended for the Supra ( and surely the lexus autobox is very similar, if not the same? ) is that the lower sump/pan be drained, approx 1.5 to 2 litres, and the gearbox be topped up by this amount. This procedure was then repeated over the next few thousand miles until you have ended up replacing approx 10 litres or so of transmission oil, or until you are satisfied that the oil is now a consistent cherry red.

They also insisted that ONLY Toyota type IV transmission fluid be used.

I really hope this doesn't confuse things here. This is the procedure I will follow if and when I need to do a transmission fluid change on my future 400. It seems to have served all of the auto Supra's very well in the past.

Hi

I changed the transmission fluid on my Mark 1 Lexus when she had done 150k I used a marine engine Pump to suck the oil from the gearbox using the dipstick tube. Advised at the time to do this in three litre stages .ie take out 3 litres put in new 3 litres go for a trip round the block repeat process until the oil is back to red. Using about 15 litres of new doing it this way it enables the process of not shocking the system ,which to all intents and purposes is the seals, the transmission fluid as a ingredient which services the seals and over time the fluid reaches a happy medium with the seals any severe shock to the system will inevitably show up in the seals by way of leaks.

With regards to the filter I did not change that as I had no reason to believe there had been any foreign bodies or contaminents in the Gearbox.

I have put a further 30k on since then and everything is running smoothly ,I also used this method to change the fluid in the power steering but with obviously less fluid but with shorter periods between service changes.As for the Fluid used I followed the Workshop Manual specs ATF T-11 or equivelant.

Well guys just a quick up-date. The genius that was selling the affore mentioned ls400 has ended up writing it off. Apparently. I got the feeling however that I was asking too many informed questions for his liking. When it came to e-mailing detailed pictures of the car..... well you know the rest...

Anyhow,

in my travels i have come across a few others, but have also come across 1 or 2 very cheap Ls 430's. In fact i drove one today that had been standing for the past twelve months or so. With the help of a booster pack she silently burst into life, and quickly settled down to a very un-dramatic dead calm idle. Perfect. A little 'restricted' at initial pull off, but on a nice gentle ease in spin she performed just superbly.

Aside from the drivers wing mirror not functioning, everything else electrical on the car seemed to operate just fine. A slight concern though, was the engine management light which kicked in after approx 20 min. The dealer/gangster that was selling it, informed me that when run through a diagnostic test a faulty lambda sensor was the cause of this light. However after replacing one of the lambda sensors( apparently there are four in total ), this management light still remained on. Are these a common/ expensive problem on the 430's?

Luckily enough, because of our import duties over here, very few of the 430's have the sat nav, height adjustable suspension, or the massaging rear seats. So I am just curious, without these extra toys is there much else that goes wrong with these big ole' girls? I had initially dis-counted them on my quest for Lexus luxury because of problems with some of the above, but maybe I should re-consider?

Any and all of your opinions would be greatly received, Thanks guys.

Hi

The learning curve for me on the ls400 as been 16 years and I have the no 97 car supplied back in 1990 It was mint when I bought it for 19k when it was six years old with 50k on the clock.The one previous owner only sold it because the farm he bought was a awful lane access and he could'nt bear to take the car along it.Now considering the car was 37k new back in 1990 half the retail price after six years seems a lot but bearing in mind there was'nt a lot of second hand stock about then it was par for the course.

It as been the best money I have ever spent on a car and the day I bought it I said to my wife do you like it? Yes she said, Good I replied and tounge in cheek I said it's the last car I will ever buy.

And sixteen years later I still believe that apart from the obvious, write off ,etc I have no reason to think that this car will fail me in the long term.

I look at the later models and the ls430 and apart from more gizmos and a bit more power it is the same car although having driven a friends 430 the ls400 as a softer less road feel experience.

A mechanic friend who helps with the big maintainence jobs summed it up.You know this car as well as yourself and to that end you only worry when it goes wrong not when is it going to go wrong .

Remember what the President of Toyota said to his engineers on the initail brief of the birth of the LS400. "Go and build the best car in the world" Nuff said.

Hello everybody....Im looking to replace the Rear Wishbones complete with the ball joints on my 1995 Lexus LS 400...Can anybody tell me where I can get them at a reasonable price...Would be grateful...Thank you.

Hi

The upper control arm for your car is available on two USA sites for about $180 per side plus shipping you will then have VAT and P O handling charge to pay when postie calls That works out at about £150 per side,the toydiy site quotes the upper control arm at 210 euros which will then attract vat and shipping just short of £500 for the two.

The parts from the states are a lot cheaper because there are more suppliers and you don't have to buy from Lexus although the parts are quoted as oem.

www.dealersdirectparts.com

www.oemlexusparts.com

Hope you find your parts and remember to replace those wishbones the back boxes have to come off.

I had my automatic gearbox serviced in August last year at an Automatic Transmission Specialist and have done about 2000 miles since.They changed all the filters and used a mobil fluid which they assured me was the equivalent to Type IV Toyota fluid. The reason I had it serviced was because as far as Im aware it hasnt been serviced before and being a 1993 was long overdue.

Recently on occasions when accelerating I can hear a whining type noise coming from the gearbox whilst it is changing gears.It is not doing it all the time,only occasionally.Infact I had the car serviced a few weeks ago and asked the mechanic to listen for any noises and he drove about 10 miles and it behaved perfectly. The noise is very intermittent and some days behaves perfectly and another it will make a noise while accelerating but not all the time.When driving at speed it always drives perfectly.

I have read on here and the USA lexus forum that you MUST ONLY USE TOYOTA IV FLUID but my question is WHY???

Today I phoned 5 different Automatic Transmission Specialists who are all members of Fedauto(Federation of Automatic Transmission Engineers) and asked for details of price/fluids used to service a lexus transmission and every person said it was not necessary to use genuine toyota fluid as their alternative fluids are to the same specifications as toyota fluids( fluids used were Petrochemica/Total/Mobil). I was also told that the lexus type gearbox is used in other cars and they have been using alternative fluids when servicing/rebuilding them with no problems at all.

Do you think using non toyota fluid could have damaged my gearbox and if so how could I complain to the specialist garage who serviced it when all of the experts I have spoken to say that genuine toyota fluid is not necessary??

I hope this doesnt come across as rude to the forum members who insist you MUST use genuine toyota fluid but I have read all the comments on here about it and yet transmission specialists tell me something different-am I missing something and who is right??

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Andy

HI

When the various mechanical parts of the any vehicle are developed and tested before they go into production the engineers resolve the best oils ,fluids etc to best aid these components during their working life and it is those engineers based on the results of their tests on the aids used who dictate the specification.

Now it may be that various oils and fluids come from the same source before being badged with the car makers name but should anything go amiss with a engine or gearbox and a non specified oil or fluid as been used then if the car is in warranty that will be void and if it is'nt in warranty repairs carried out by Lexus on a vehicle that subsequently fail and it found that the specs for fluids and oils have not been adhered to after the repair Lexus will not take reponsibility for the repair failure.

Now one might think that this is a way of making sure that Toyota sell more of their badged fluids and oils but it is,nt it is a way of guaranteeing that they know exactly what they are dealing with when a mechanical part fails and all the testing in pre-production and the information gathered from that testing makes it far easier than scratching their heads and wondering whats caused the problem.When you have a car as well engineered as the Lexus then it is only fair to you and the car that you treat it with the respect it deserves and follow the specifications for all the life of the car .With regard to atm workshops saying this or that its not their car and as professionals I would expect them to follow manufacturers specs .

Hi

Just an update

With regards to the Mark 3 LS according to the following link the bushes fit the 90 -00 models.

www.armstrongdistributors.com

The source I am using for the bushes is

USA ebay Auto wearhouse.

Hi,

I too have been researching these bushes. My car is judderings when braking and castoring at the back. The car has been in my workshop for a week, jacked up, Wheels off, and ive been lubricating all the suspension nuts and bolts with WD40.

I got the bolts off the rear bushes on saturday.

I have found Prirace.com in the UK that will supply the rear trailing arm/axle carrier arm bushes for under £40 delivered.

Im about to order a set today.

Looks like the rear axle carrier/trailing arm/strut rod has the same bushes for all 89 - 00 models. That's my first project! The rear suspension arms (No 1 and 2 in my manual but also called Upper and Lower Arms) appear to be different. There are aftermarket bushes for 89-94 models but can't find anything yet for 95-00 models for these two arms. Anyone with a Mk3 done anything other than replace the whole rear arms? There seems to be more 'choice' for front suspension parts. Is that because they wear out quicker?

Got the first MOT tomorrow since buying the car so fingers crossed.....

Hi

You are correct and the lower arm configurations were changed on the Lexus LS400 after 94 when the suspension was updated ,I think that the lower arm was redesigned to incorporate the bushing on the hubside within the arm rather than the knuckle on the hub and as there are no bushings shown anywhere for that after 94 period I am assuming it nessacary to purchase a arm and that will be from Lexus I am afraid to say.

With regard to the upper arm I have not seen any reference to wear problems on this arm probably because the hubside fastening is a balljoint and could not be replaced anyway and to that end it is probably a new arm .

I should as you say concentrate on the struts first get them done and see how the suspension feels then before you embark on any further effort and expense.

Hi

Need to make a correction to my last post ,the part I reffered to as the upper suspension arm is in fact the lower suspension arm no 1 and it is also called the toe in arm.The upper suspension arm is in fact the dished wishbone and as a bush to each end,These were replaced on my lexus 10 years ago and according to the tech who did it a ballache

as the exhaust as to come off.

At the time I got a deal from the service manager as they had cocked up a previous job on the car so he underestimated the time it took by four hrs he had it in for 2 and the job took six and that was replacing the arms not putting new bushes in because at that time bushes were not available anyway so it was not a diy job.

I would seriously check out the need for replacing these componenents before starting the job because the cost of the bushes alone from prirace is nearly £200.

Ordered the bushings for the rear struts from Auto Warehouse and will tackle that job first and see how she feels. Jerry from Auto Warehouse says he has bushings for the lower suspension arm for a 1995 model too. He has sent me his rear suspension diagram and it is the same as mine and the same as the one I got from my local Lexus dealership today. They are the Adus 536 bushings. Gonna get him to include those as looks accessible for a DIYer. Removing the lower arm does affect the rear wheel allignment but if I mark it up before removal I should be ok!?

BTW car failed MOT today because one of my tyres was on the wrong way round!! Got a tyre changing machine at work so will get it turned round tomorrow and then another years motoring!

Jim

Hi

Glad to hear you got the stuff needed ,I did not need to speak to Jerry as I have the workshop Manuals for the LS400 1990. With regard to the Arm removal the diffside fastening of the arm is a cam adjuster and as you have already eluded this is were you put in the matchmark before you unfasten and remove it. failure to do so will result in the wheels being mis-aligned when you put everything back together and as these settings are factory settings you will have a hell of a job finding out what they were.

It will mean a Lexus workshop and they will insist on renewing all the cam adjusters before attempting to re jig the teletremy of the car.

I am pointing this out so all of the readers of this subject appreciate the serious nature of this procedure.

Good luck with your project and remember those bolts are on at 136lbs so you will need a breaker bar and a swear box.

If it happens again, turn the cabin heater up to full temperature, on full blast. That'll remove some heat from the equation.

Unfortunate advice I think ,we have been informed outside tempratures were 34 so the solution to the problem is make it really hot in the cabin and apart from the driver and passengers collapsing from heat exhaustion the engine will be fine.

The advice given dates back to cars that did'nt have air con and ran rudimentary heating systems and by turning the heat up in the cabin you would take water from the engine to the heater matrix therefore widening the dissapation of the water temprature.

We are getting away from the fact that Lexus have built a very highly engineered climate control system and a finely tuned and engineered gearbox and engine which as been built to perform in far more hotter climates than we have in the UK including the middle east which gets desert hot.

So if you are to have peace of mind on what caused this phenomenom I would get the relevant systems checked out before it turns into a big bill.

Hi

Just an update

With regards to the Mark 3 LS according to the following link the bushes fit the 90 -00 models.

www.armstrongdistributors.com

The source I am using for the bushes is

USA ebay Auto wearhouse.

Hi,

I too have been researching these bushes. My car is judderings when braking and castoring at the back. The car has been in my workshop for a week, jacked up, Wheels off, and ive been lubricating all the suspension nuts and bolts with WD40.

I got the bolts off the rear bushes on saturday.

I have found Prirace.com in the UK that will supply the rear trailing arm/axle carrier arm bushes for under £40 delivered.

Im about to order a set today.

Looks like the rear axle carrier/trailing arm/strut rod has the same bushes for all 89 - 00 models. That's my first project! The rear suspension arms (No 1 and 2 in my manual but also called Upper and Lower Arms) appear to be different. There are aftermarket bushes for 89-94 models but can't find anything yet for 95-00 models for these two arms. Anyone with a Mk3 done anything other than replace the whole rear arms? There seems to be more 'choice' for front suspension parts. Is that because they wear out quicker?

Got the first MOT tomorrow since buying the car so fingers crossed.....

Hi

You are correct and the lower arm configurations were changed on the Lexus LS400 after 94 when the suspension was updated ,I think that the lower arm was redesigned to incorporate the bushing on the hubside within the arm rather than the knuckle on the hub and as there are no bushings shown anywhere for that after 94 period I am assuming it nessacary to purchase a arm and that will be from Lexus I am afraid to say.

With regard to the upper arm I have not seen any reference to wear problems on this arm probably because the hubside fastening is a balljoint and could not be replaced anyway and to that end it is probably a new arm .

I should as you say concentrate on the struts first get them done and see how the suspension feels then before you embark on any further effort and expense.

Hi

Need to make a correction to my last post ,the part I reffered to as the upper suspension arm is in fact the lower suspension arm no 1 and it is also called the toe in arm.The upper suspension arm is in fact the dished wishbone and as a bush to each end,These were replaced on my lexus 10 years ago and according to the tech who did it a ballache

as the exhaust as to come off.

At the time I got a deal from the service manager as they had cocked up a previous job on the car so he underestimated the time it took by four hrs he had it in for 2 and the job took six and that was replacing the arms not putting new bushes in because at that time bushes were not available anyway so it was not a diy job.

I would seriously check out the need for replacing these componenents before starting the job because the cost of the bushes alone from prirace is nearly £200.

OK thanks thats all helpfull, I wish I could remember if I glanced at the gauge during the 30 mile run prior to hitting that jam, I vaguely 'think' I remember looking at it at some point but noticed nothing unusual, mine normaly runs on the one mark down from the half way mark, so did my others, pity I did take more notice that day that would give me an idea what would be normal in a no jam situation at 34c, i checked quite a bit the day after but nothing abnormal but the weather never repeated that temp

Hi

Scenario could be a failing water pump as this happened to me about seven years ago on my 1990 ls It did exactly what yours as done ran normally for a few weeks and then failed ,fortunately there was no damage to the engine but it cost nearly a grand and a towin to fix at Lexus .Buggers up the cambelt the tensioners and they along with the water pump needed replacing.I noticed a slight change in the frequency noise coming from the front of the engine prior to this event but put it down to normal wear and tear, but it was'nt a screaming sound so it is hard to determine the cause.

It might be worth checking out this possibility.

Hi

Just an update

With regards to the Mark 3 LS according to the following link the bushes fit the 90 -00 models.

www.armstrongdistributors.com

The source I am using for the bushes is

USA ebay Auto wearhouse.

Hi,

I too have been researching these bushes. My car is judderings when braking and castoring at the back. The car has been in my workshop for a week, jacked up, Wheels off, and ive been lubricating all the suspension nuts and bolts with WD40.

I got the bolts off the rear bushes on saturday.

I have found Prirace.com in the UK that will supply the rear trailing arm/axle carrier arm bushes for under £40 delivered.

Im about to order a set today.

Looks like the rear axle carrier/trailing arm/strut rod has the same bushes for all 89 - 00 models. That's my first project! The rear suspension arms (No 1 and 2 in my manual but also called Upper and Lower Arms) appear to be different. There are aftermarket bushes for 89-94 models but can't find anything yet for 95-00 models for these two arms. Anyone with a Mk3 done anything other than replace the whole rear arms? There seems to be more 'choice' for front suspension parts. Is that because they wear out quicker?

Got the first MOT tomorrow since buying the car so fingers crossed.....

Hi

You are correct and the lower arm configurations were changed on the Lexus LS400 after 94 when the suspension was updated ,I think that the lower arm was redesigned to incorporate the bushing on the hubside within the arm rather than the knuckle on the hub and as there are no bushings shown anywhere for that after 94 period I am assuming it nessacary to purchase a arm and that will be from Lexus I am afraid to say.

With regard to the upper arm I have not seen any reference to wear problems on this arm probably because the hubside fastening is a balljoint and could not be replaced anyway and to that end it is probably a new arm .

I should as you say concentrate on the struts first get them done and see how the suspension feels then before you embark on any further effort and expense.

Hi

Just an update

With regards to the Mark 3 LS according to the following link the bushes fit the 90 -00 models.

www.armstrongdistributors.com

The source I am using for the bushes is

USA ebay Auto wearhouse.

I presume that 'wearhouse' is an unconscious mis-spell? Wearing bushes from a Wear-house?

Warehouse?

Please read and understand the post as written I only type the information as I read it.

Hi

Interesting survey and after submitting my details it seems my ls400 is now officialy the oldest lexus ls400 legally on the road.

and with regards the referral to mobsters the first episode of the Sopranos featured a detailed appraisal of a lexus ls400 that Tony Soprano had just bought.

I think it was Christopher Moltisanti rather than Tony

I stand corrected but a point made and whoa what a series.

Also, my tame mechanic has been involved in sourcing used " big " cars, such as Jags and Lexii for export to Eastern European countries ....... where maybe fuel costs aren't such a problem and maybe these could now become niche mobster cars ! hehehehehe

Malc

Hi

Interesting survey and after submitting my details it seems my ls400 is now officialy the oldest lexus ls400 legally on the road.

and with regards the referral to mobsters the first episode of the Sopranos featured a detailed appraisal of a lexus ls400 that Tony Soprano had just bought.

i have transmission fluid in my coolant and my transmission has started misbehaving. i have been told that i need to change my radiator and replace my transmission fluid . i have found a radiator on ebay for £99 but have never replaced transmission fluid . has anyone had experience with such a task or has anyone had the same problem as i have had . do you know of a more affordable alternative to t - IV transmission fluid ?

Having read this sorry tale It is a new phenonemum as far as the forums go and sounds horrendus

Personally I would not bother getting this box taken out to service at a Auto transmission shop

It is probably better to put another box in. Apart from the present situation as your box stands these boxes are usually bombproof.

They are available on eBay and there are Mechs who can fit them without going to Lexus.

But depending on how much money you want to spend and bearing in mind how much your car is worth it might be less stressful to say goodbye and invest the money in a another Ls.

Hi

Just an update

With regards to the Mark 3 LS according to the following link the bushes fit the 90 -00 models.

www.armstrongdistributors.com

The source I am using for the bushes is

USA eBay Auto wearhouse.

Hello,

I was underneath my 1995 Mk3 yesterday for a 'look round' and found that the rear strut rods (are they also the rear trailing arms and rear axle carrier arms??) had a fair bit of play in them when I wiggled them by hand. I don't notice any problem when driving but suspect the bushes are pretty warn. I can find loads of threads and web info for 1990-1994 models but not 1995 models. Some sites appear to show that I can use that same bushes for Mk1 - 3 models. Can I?

Has anyone replaced theirs recently? Where did you source the bushes? Any advice? I've read that Lexus dealerships only supply the whole arm. Is that the case?

Cheers,

Jim

Hi

I have spent the last three weeks researching this very subject after experiencing progressive vibration at high speeds in my 1990 ls400.

The USA lexus owners club and lextreme which covers oz have loads of info on this problem as they especially in the states have more Ls 400s than anywhere.

My car as done 170k and it is not uncommon for the trailing arm bushes to fail at 100k .

The other bush that goes is the lower arm (hubside),this when it as deteroirated enough gives a sidewards movement in the wheel often mistaken for a failing wheel bearing.

The problem with the bushes is that you really have no Idea that they are failing until the car as the problems mentioned .

I have decided to replace the bushes on the trailing arm and the lower arm and have bought them from the States the full set for both sides cost £107 shipped I expect I will get hit for vat and handling which will add another £30 but I can assure you that is cheap.They are ADUS bushes and from all accounts the same as Lexus use anyway but badged as Toyota.

If you go to Lexus for these Bushes you wont get them first of all they will try to sell you the whole lower Arm as they do not replace bushes last shout on a arm was £160 plus vat.

As for the fitting of the bushes there are several links on the web for this and it is not beyond the individual to fit them or you could take them to your own preferred mech to do it for you.

Mine or going on next couple of weeks and I am assured by the research I have done that the ride on the car will be a new experience.