ManicMark

Hi Pete, sorry you had to let it go, as you know I have only had mine a short time ( I dont really get attatched to cars ) But I dont think I could part with mine now, Mind you if you can work your way behind the wheel of a Soarer, It might somewhat relive the pain. They are blinding value for money at the moment ( and surely a future classic ) be easier to clean the center of the roof also. thanks for all your advice in the past Mark

CB1300 Im afraid I have to agree with Pete on the belt & pump, its all well and good using cheaper after market parts, but for me personally I wouldn't risk it on a water pump & cam belt, things like pads, discs, air filters ( parts that if they fail are not going to cause major greif) I would buy good after market. My ls is also a 98 so has also lost its resale value, ( thats how I can aford to have it) I also do all my own work on it ( if I get stuck my best budy is a time served master mechanic). i have a tight budget, I also intend to keep my LS for years so for me an original belt & pump would be the wise option, its once in 60,000 miles & peace of mind. just my pennys worth & not ganging up on you. Mark

Hi, it is driven by the cambelt at least on the mk2 & 3 models I can see no reason why it would differ on a mk4, I also Know that my water pump was changed when the belt & pulleys were changed, 1500 miles before I bought my mark 4. It would be better if it was driven off the serpentine belt.

Hi I belive its all seperate, cam belt 2 idelers, water pump does not have to be removed but is accessable with the belt removed, it is 100% worth replacing the lot & with genuine parts. It is done for 63000 miles then.

Hi £250 sounds like a bargain, make sure it includes the idlers, while its off change the water pump also, a friend of mine didn't and a couple of thousand miles later the pump seized & striped the belt, not a problem on his as its a mark 2 & is a non contact motor, the mark 3 & 4 isn't so its a disaster if this happens.

If you are thinking of it sooner is better than later, as the price of kits will go up due to the weak pound against the euro, also you will start saving money sooner. I have a brc plug and drive kit on my ls400 vvti as this model is full sequential, unlike the pre 98 models, I am very happy with it, its working out at 11p a mile mostly town driving, I cant say how reliable the brc system will be , but I have been informed that it is one of the best systems & most suited to the ls400 vvti lump. There is a lpg discusion forum ( google it ) a lot of usefull info on that. ta & good luck Mark

Hi I think theres some on Ebay, ta Mark

Hi , If its good, single point gas it(lpg) & keep it, be as cheap to run as a corolla. they are going for buttons at the moment & when you sell it with a gas conversion you are much more likley to sell it for a reasonable price. A 1990 with 150k is only going to make £500 max if you want to sell it in todays market. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

Hi I paid 31 cents last week in Belguim just by the border with Aachen, wish I had a bigger tank. its 47.9p here in essex at the moment. cost me £42 from south Germany to London 625 miles, & that was sitting between 85 to 100 mph.( filled twice in Belguim) Does your LS run smoother on gas. I have only just had mine done & seems to be getting smoother on gas as the miles clock up.

Pete Went for a BRC plug & drive sequential gas conversion in the end, Had a bit of tidying up to do on the conversion ( nothing too much ) going back on Monday for re callibration & check over, Off to Germany on Tuesday, So will see how she does. Thanks Mark

Thanks , thats just gone in the bin, got it in an automotive wearhouse trade so only lost a fiver ( glad this topic came up) I change my oil and filters more often than need be anyway.

I looked into this, aparently burns out exhaust valves & ruins cats,thats what ive been told by a firm that installs them, lpg is a better way to go if you do enough miles.

Hi whats the problem with slick 50 i have a bottle I was going to use on my next service ta Mark

Hello all does anyone know any where breaking a MK1V ls vvti, as I need a plastic induction pipe from the maf sensor to the front of the motor , thanks in advance Mark

Hi does anyone know anywhere breaking a mk 1V, I need a plastic inlet manifold pipe. thanks Mark

Hi Nick, as I said earlier the lip on the boot is a bad design as it is too small, so water can get over it, water can travel upwards between 2 touching surfaces & will find the easiest path to escape (unfortunately into the boot on the LS) with the silicone it should be OK for a couple of years. I used a specialist lead sealent that doesn't fully dry As my misses works in the metal roofing game. glad it worked Mark

HI all I am looking for a plastic inlet manifold pipe for a 1998 mk4 vvti the pipe that runs from the maf sensor to the front of the motor, a big ask I know. thanks Mark

I get my miises to stand behind the car, when she screams in pain I stop, works every time & the NHS is free,

Hi if you do end up needing a seal, I read an earlier thread where someone replaced a seal with an aftermarket one from seals direct at £3.80 a meter seal number ETS59

Hi it was 100% water geting under the seal on mine & not between the top of seal & boot lid , it was possable to see where the water was comming in and trace it back, for me I would try the cheap fix first as seals are dear, ta mark

Hi just to make clear its the boot seal you have to re seal not the lights , it comes in around the light area & runs down the rear of the boot. I siliconed my seal all the way around, I cleaned out the muck around the lights aswell ta Mark

Ive just gone through this on my 98 ls 400, if the water is in the sare wheel well it is more than likely water getting in under the seal by the rear lights. unbolt the lights remove and clean the seal, apply silicone sealent to both sides of the metal lip, put the seal back on & hopefully its OK, worked a treat for me, even took it to a jet wash to give it a good blast (leak free) & a couple of quid to fix. The water sits next to the seal & gets sucked over the lip due to the upstand of the lip not being big enough, My misses is a hard metal roofer so deals with these sorts of problems on a daily bassis, hope this helps Mark

Hi Pete sorry about your situation, you could always get some pimp my ride flash hydraulic suspension to make it easier to get in & out of. If not sorry to see you go & thanks for all your invaluable advice. ( asked my mate in Liverpool about buying your car unfortunately he's just been laid off work ) Mark

Hi an optimax charger should do the trick, as long as you can run a lead to the car that is, outherwise you are looking at a fairly large solar panel, my panels i used on my motor caravan were about 4 by 2.5 foot and only produced 3.7 amps max (direct sunlight in Greece) hope this is of help Mark

Hi might sound obvious but there is a plug connector on the rear of the seat (apparently) can be disconnected by rear passengers feet, might be worth a look. Mark