MickAtHome

check the power steering cooler pipe just below the horns in front of the radiator,

its very exposed to the weather so tends to rust badly mine had pin holes in it so I cut a small section out and solved the leak but next time im going to change it to copper micro-bore pipe same stuff the use on household central heating,

easy way to get to it is remove the under shield on the front below the bumper

I have just carried out this replacement - thanks for the suggestion. Lexus main dealer wanted £129+VAT for 1.5 metres of bent steel tube :o so I bought 10 metres of copper microbore from Wickes DIY for £15 and a couple of end connector sleves (to cut down and solder on to give the rubber pipe some grip).

The whole job took about 2 hours including buying, bending, soldering and fitting the copper replacement.

Attached find some pictures:

Headlamp removed to gain access to the upper pipes - these were easier to remove than the ends connected to the cooler.

Remove spring clips and slide off rubber hoses from these:

This was the piece of tubing, bent to a similar shape to the original (large curve at end was to prevent tube kinking)

Small sleeve of copper soldered near end to provide grip for rubber hose:

Fitted back into the clamps:

And installed in the car:

No leaks and appears to work fine

Mick

Anyone else had this issue with front calipers?

I checked round all four corners of my Mk2 and found the bottom pin on each caliper was corroded - replacements from Lexus dealer came to about £25. So far I have fitted the fronts which reduced the clunking and 'pulsing' I get when braking. Still got the rears to do.

Mick

I'm chuffed - my 93 LS400 passed it's MOT yesterday without any work required. :) so another year of motoring in comfort is ahead.

Thanks to those on this site that have provided advice and the maintenance site at: LS400 Maintenance Site for helping me keep it in a roadworthy state.

I was expecting something to be mentioned about the suspension which seems to clonk and creak a lot - but now I can investigate these noises in slow time.

Mick

Yes. Use the key to lock the car! (No plip!)

Mine is a MkII 1993 but when I use the key it arms the alarm as well. I checked this by locking the door with the key with the window open and then reaching inside to open the door. Beep, Beep, Beep.

Mick

i need to know the gas type used on ls400 1996

needs topping up

Thanks Syd

It should state the fluid type under the bonnet. Mine (1993 LS400) has a label near the sight glass on the left side of the gap left by the grill when you open the bonnet stating R134a (the newer your car the more likely it is to be R134a rather than the older R12 type). If you put the a/c to 'max cold' with the engine running you should see small bubbles rushing through the sight glass. No movement or a foamy appearance means you need re-gassing (or have a mechanical problem).

You can get a refill kit from Halfords - it works - I used one recently. Later found I have a slow leak so it stopped again after a few weeks.

Mick

I changed the transmission fluid last weekend and it has cured the problem. I did a complete pan-off clean of of filter and sump magnets + a flush through as recommended on the Lexus maintenance site. It took about 10 litres to flush the old (dirty brown) fluid out and replace it with nice bright red stuff (Toyota Type IV).

Makes a big difference to the smoothness of the changes too.

Mick

Ordered mine from Lexus in Reading - about £8 each. Simple to change - about 30 mins total. Makes a huge difference without the creaking noise from the front end.

Mick

I've just seen bottles of aircon gas for sale in Halfords.

Is replacing/recharging the gas really a DIY job?

Has anyone done this with success? It would be nice to have a bit more chill in this current weather!

Cheers, Keith

I have just re-gassed my LS400 aircon - took about 15 minutes of pressing the button on the top of the Halfords can (currently £39.99) - and I now have a chill breeze from my vents. :) Just the job for this unseasonally warm Easter.

Thanks to the guys on the forum for suggesting this method - and elsewhere for the info about how to access the aircon diagnostic codes.

Mick

Hi Folks,

After reading a few things about the creaking I was getting being linked to the anti rolbar bushed, invested in Lexus OEM replacements, didn't want harsher (or possibly creaky) aftermarket polly ones.

I fitted them today before my drive from Leicester to Warington...

They are fab! make such a difference, all my creaks and groans are gone.

No greasing needed and they seem to have some sort of fabric braid in the bearing area, super smooth.

If you have creaks over speed bumps or clunks on potholed roads, change em, it's bound to help.

:D

I have just noticed mine is creaking since the weather got dry. Do you have part number and how much were they?

Thanks

Mick

Please don't be put off using the forum because of the lack of response

Thanks Steve - not put off at all.

So far, through direct advice or links from the pages of the forum I have: Fixed my dasboard lights for £1.56, Fixed the CD Multichanger - for nothing, Fixed the rear window - for nothing, cured the damp boot - for nothing and been able to service the front and rear brakes. All without needing to visit a Lexus dealer. Based on the dealer prices some of the members have mentioned I have 'saved' myself over £1000 already - and have a damn nice car to drive :) .

Mick

Hello Folks,

I think I have an answer to the Instrument Cluster Light and fuel gauge problem on older LS400's.

Best of luck to anyone with the problem .....

Cole

Thanks to Cole's post I now have a fully functioning dashboard at startup on cold mornings - rather than waiting till I'm half way to work to find I still have the parking brake half on and am nearly out of fuel.

I bought the three capacitors from Maplin for the grand total of £1.56 :) and the whole job took less than 1 hour - most of that time was removing and refitting the dash assembly.

Thanks

Mick

When you find one, the Uk government will do all it can to stop you driving it!

High fuel cost

High insurance cost

Congestion charges

Difficult and expensive parking

Made to feel you are polluting the planet while they fly and drive regardless

Best tip you'll ever get........stay where you are!

Sadly, your not wrong Roy......................just waiting for another kicking from this afternoons budget

I'm doing all I can to to help the global warming issue. I have planted four trees in my front garden - to offset my 'Carbon footprint' - whatever that is and now own a 'gas guzzling' LS400 4 litre V8 (22mpg which I think is not bad). If more people were like me we could soon get rid of that ozone layer, increase the greenhouse effect and have weather like Australia in the UK. That would also melt the polar ice caps so that the coast could move inland and I could live on a beach without moving house. I'm sorry for all you people who live in lowlands and valleys - you'll probably have to move house or buy boats. When Lexus build a comfortable electric car that can transport me around at 155mph (not that I've tried that officer - yet) maybe I'll join the clean/green brigade - 'till then I like my LS too much.

Mick

On the Mk4 its 22" driver and 16" passenger side. As far as I know the series 1 and 2 cars are 22" driver and 15" or 16" passenger side. 20" and 18" does not sound right to me.

I just replaced mine on a 1993 model and they were 22" & 16" although I bought two 22" refills and cut one down to size. They fit fine, work well and only cost £6.99.

Mick

Hi all, hope someone can help.

When I take one of the rear electric windows all of the way down it won't go back up. I took the door card off and found that there is a small giude wheel on a metal pin fixed to the front bottom of the glass. This nomally rides inside a channel as the window goes up and down. When my window is all the way down the wheel pops out of the guide channel and then stops the window from going back up. Anyone know if there is supposed to be a stop on the channel to prevent this happening or is it possible to adjust the motor drive somehow so that the window doesn't go down so far.

Thanks

Mick

I solved this problem myself - the car must have had some work done to the rear door or glass at sometime and someone :tsktsk: had put the bracket that connects the glass to the motor-arm on upside down. This causes the window to go down about 1/2 inch too far and come out of the runner. Two 10mm nuts hold the bracket in place and fixing it only took about 5 minutes - but it took about an hour to figure out how to get the door trim panel off.

Mick

Hi all, hope someone can help.

When I take one of the rear electric windows all of the way down it won't go back up. I took the door card off and found that there is a small giude wheel on a metal pin fixed to the front bottom of the glass. This nomally rides inside a channel as the window goes up and down. When my window is all the way down the wheel pops out of the guide channel and then stops the window from going back up. Anyone know if there is supposed to be a stop on the channel to prevent this happening or is it possible to adjust the motor drive somehow so that the window doesn't go down so far.

Thanks

Mick

Hi,

It might be worth checking the gearbox mount that could be causing the vibration.

Chips.

Thanks for suggestion but I would expect worn gearbox mounts to show up during all box changes. This only occurs when the box drops out of O/D. It is a 1 second 'burp' that could be a selector solenoid 'chattering' or something similar.

Mick

Hi

Had my '93 LS400 for a couple of weeks now and other than the 'common' faults (flickering dash, blacked out clock and temp guage) I have also noticed an odd vibration from the auto box. If I'm cruising at say 50mph and put my foot down lightly to overtake someone the transmission makes a short burp, a bit like driving over a rumble strip, as it changes out of overdrive. If you put your foot down harder so that it kicks down a full gear, no burp. If you turn off overdrive, no burp.

Anybody come across this before - should I be worried? The car has (only) done 110,000 miles and for the last 2 years before I got it it did less than 2000 miles per year. Other than this it drives really well.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mick

Hi all

Great site, very usefull source of knowledge that helped me make up my mind to get an LS400.

1993 model with the usual problems, :( but low miles and very clean. Driven it about 1000 miles so far with no problems.

Mick