Tinonline

LS400 mk4 manual says 95 or higher but ok for temp use of down to 91.

In my youth when running an MG Midget my local mechanic said "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Yes and in the general scheme of things whilst the amount might be a little eye watering...you are buying a very high spec luxury car, future classic and a "reliable whip" as my sons would say. Good all round value that won't depreciate anymore. Better off than in a new or second hand 2ltr + car I'm sure. Now we need to get a set of spanners and a socket set in your hands...some of the maintenance is very do-able.

I believe the nearest to standard is probably the cambelt plus waterpump. Lexus will just replace the cambelt but will advise that they will inspect the waterpump and advise if it should be replaced. This seems to lead to a pattern of both being replaced and its not unfair of Lexus taking the cautious approach and replacing the w/pump as it worth doing and likely to fail before the other pulleys. (?) I'm not convinced that the pulleys are good for circa 200k miles either. One of mine in particular had bearing wear at 75k but I realise that might not be representative. But, 100k miles is a lot of miles and probably a lot of years - it was easy for me to replace everything as I did it myself. I really do appreciate the angst of choosing suppliers, what best to replace with what: as any hundreds of pounds is a cost and quickly adds up. If I was better organised I'd have a monthly car fund to cover running costs and scheduled repairs...

Jon Traditional remedies include silicon spray, glue or talcum powder. I suspect on the affected area and not to your good-self. You may need a helper listening out whilst you take care of the road.

Hi Shirish That could be annoying if you wanted them to do the work. Perhaps they would like to offer you the same discount...they don't have to participate in the scheme to do that...

Hi Absolutely leave it for a couple of weeks...as long as it's operational state and not at end of life!

This is the correct size given the spec is right, It packs plenty of reliable punch. I replaced mine a few years ago and after shopping around, ended up going to local Lexus garage. If the battery is ok, it won't be an area of concern.

My parts came to £245 including VAT & carriage from the US. I used a Gates kit. (there was a substantial offer on with Rock Auto that I took advantage of). The main pulleys were same marque as Lexus although rest were replacement parts. All pulleys (aux belt too) were replaced apart from cooling fan bracket. I didn't need/do an oil change at this stage but coolant cost me £17.00 Distilled water only cost me £1.00 for 5ltrs as Halfords were dumping stock at the time. Labour was mine...I did have to add to my tool set though and this added £60 ish. Still all adds up and it's not a zero spend exercise!

Ooh nice - same colour as mine and without dents and peeling paint on the bumper. Wish my wheels were as good as yours...

Price looks fair and I'd agree other pulleys are best replaced along with the tensioner pulley and tensioner bolt type tensioner. That will be more £'s but not much on the labour if anything. Give you a long-term gain though. At 70-90k some pulleys are very tired with definite bearing noise and movement whilst others are tired but good for longer. I would also do it as you know it's done.

Good luck Alex

Yep definitely not recommending swapping components out without diagnosing the root cause. That would be a last resort. i don't believe Lexus suffers from the appalling and often invisible electrical issues that plague the S Type Jag....

As you face the engine from front open bonnet. left front, round silver tank with a black screw cap. Sits on top of power steering pump/pulley. Picture is without engine cover but you can see here. This is a side on view from driver's side.

Glad you are ok. That should not have happened, a slight release on separation like removing an air hose for example is fine. if that happened to my diving gear I'd be looking at a faulty valve or more likely a sticking valve. Sticking from contamination or age related degradation. im sure you will be getting a pro to look at that.

Might be worth sorting your current carriage then taking stock. You'll be moved to either stick or move forward again. when I grow up I'm moving to the 460.

Ooofff 36k used to belong to a nice old lady... 236k more like... too good to be true? I respect the earlier cars but spoilt by owning a mk4. No, if it's for sale it's not right. Better to be on a waiting list from someone that is not ready to sell?

This is an infuriating problem and one that I suffered on my Jag S type. I had all manner of diagnostics and it was put down to an intermittent fault and one that needed more investigation. Mine drained down over a period of two weeks. The battery held charge and cold cranked with all the right readings. The issue? The battery...an auto elecy noted I had a Lion battery (a replacement for one that failed in a couple of months) and he had multiple instances with this issue with all looking fine. I swapped it out for a premium brand and voila - issue resolved. Luckily the whole incident cost me the battery upgrade amount alone thanks to warranty. ...just in case all looks well and you are left wondering what to do next...

I think your 400 is saying: "what the hell...?"

Yes I checked again and it's at the top mark and that makes it 6 ltrs for a full fill including Lexus filter. That'll do for a while. Now for the lower suspension bars - that'll be another post!

Hi Alex Sounds like a bearing in one of the pulleys? Be a bit unusual for a big end in one of these engines surely...? Here's a recording from a cold start this morning with the temp gauge nailed to well under cold! Apologies for accompanying noises and for occasionally getting too close to the engine with the phone so that it drowns the sound. Whilst, there is a clear and distinctive whine and more. Done with bonnet up and then from inside the car. History: Verified mileage 79k; cambelt, w/pump, all pulleys except cooling bracket one about 7k miles ago, new aux belt, spark plugs, engine oil change days ago. Fluid levels ok. Everything quietens down when warm. Simon Lexus400 Cold Start (1).m4a

Thanks my friends. checked this morning having had 6ltrs in and it's a bit below the max. Same as last oil change...I put 5.6 in last time and thought I'd burnt oil...but hadn't as when I get it to max, there it stays. I'm getting another ltr. my drain tank is 6 ltrs and it filled that with a soggy filter with a little left in the filter. i reckon I'll be at 6.4 filter is Lexus. oh well...

Well, well. Any difference between early 400s and the later ones? I'll see where it gets to.

Hi I spent too long on an oil change today. One of those days where I couldn't get organised and should have jacked the car up from the get-go to benefit from more clearance. Again, like last year, 6ltrs does not take the oil level to the max on the dip stick. I'm on even ground etc. The manual says 5.6ltrs with filter but that's well short. It's just not right. I've put 6 in and will check it cold tomorrow. I wondered if 5.6 was to a fill 1/2 way between min/max? Most V8's are in the 6.5ltr region and I reckon it's around that.

Having said that I get a whine when cold. Notice it when particularly cold. It goes as the car warms up. Of course it depends upon loud it is...enough...but I'm not thinking there's a problem. I'll see if I can record it tomorrow morning after a cold night.