soundchaser100

Name Paul Proudfoot Username soundchaser100 Model 1996 LS400 L7 LEX

Well, the misfire didn't go away. ( See previous post) I pumped some fuel out of the tank and could see small globules of water at the bottom. I put some Wynn's petrol dry in the tank, but it didn't make any difference. I've bitten the bullet and taken it (her) to Lexus Chester to have the timing belt changed and the misfire fixed. I got an 03 IS200 courtesy car, not as nice as an LS but still wheels. It's being operated on Friday, feel like I'm waiting for news from the hospital. The 15% discount from LOC Gold will make a nice difference to the bill. Paul

The early engines wre non-interference, but the later (1UZ -FE) will be seriously damaged by a cambelt failure. My 96 LS had it changed at 48000 and now I'm on 92000 and 7 years so it's time mine was done. I'll take it to Lexus Chester where I can get 15% discount on the £450 or so that they charge. Worth it in my opinion. Paul

You dont seem to have anyone in an LS400 so I'll come along to fly the flag. Paul

The leads are brand new, Steve, and in any case , it was running fine until I put the fuel in. The more I think about it, the more it looks like water in the fuel. What do you think would be easier, drain the tank or connect a pipe to the fuel rail under the bonnet. If it is water, it will be sitting at the bottom of the tank, so I should see it in any fuel I remove.

I had a Chevette once, company car, brand new. Fell to pieces around me. Swore I would never even get into a Vauxhall again.

Thanks for your reply. No, the EML is not on. I find this a little odd as there is definately a misfire. Yes the UCF20 does have rotors and distibutors. I have checked these, all looks OK. After a short run yesterday, I could hear the exhaust system ticking much more than usual as the car stood outside the house. This would confirm that the cats are getting much hotter than usual. I think I need to drain some fuel either from the tank or from the fuel line on engine to check for water. Paul

Up until Tuesday of last week my 96 Ls400 was running perfectly. I have recently replaced the spark plugs and leads with the correct types bought from Rock Auto. On Tuesday I drove down to Ironbridge , all going very well until I stopped to fill up with Esso near Whitchurch. Set off again, but after about 10 miles the engine developed a bad misfire. On tickover the engine is very lumpy, it has to be revved to over 2500 rpm to get it to run evenly. Under drive conditions, it will accelerate fairly well on near full throttle but around 30 - 40 mph it misfires terribly and can be felt to surge as the number of cylinders firing goes up and down. It feels very short of power but hasn't stalled yet. Could this be a case of bad petrol or just a coincidence ? I have had the top cover off the engine and checked all vaccuum pipes and leads etc. Anybody got any ideas? Paul

Thanks for the tip, I'll do a nice neat job, promise. Paul

This sounds very much like fuel pressure or fuel starvation problems. Is the fuel pump working OK? Paul

The US cars have this problem because they have a different ECU fitted to cover the emission laws over there. The cure for your problem is to clean the throttle body, changing the plugs and plug leads while you are at it is never a bad move . My LS had all these problems but now runs likea dream and NEVER stalls. Paul

I want to fit reversing sensors to my 1996 LS400. Has anyone else done this and if so, how much of a job is it to drill , fit the sensors and feed the wires to the unit. Do I have to remove the rear bumper? Paul

As regards the colour, my 96 LS400 is 2 tone black. The black is code 202, the other colour is described by Lexus as "complimentary" i.e. it does not have a code or colour description. The best I can suggest is that you go to a speed shop and look for the nearest colour to it. I found Rover Tempest Grey, its not exact but can't be spotted by a man on a galloping horse. Your grey might be a different shade. Paul

wax is just that a wax - it wont do anything to the paint to remove scratches..... if you are doing it all by hand then go for autoglym super resin polish -it contains lots of "fillers" which help hide the swirl marks. then apply a good quality wax such as collinite 476s ( about £15 on fleabay) If you want to do a good job on the "cheap" then go to Aldi, buy their Car Polishing Machine (about £10 ) and use AutoGlym super resin to get rid of the worst scratches. You probably wont get rid of all of them, depends how bad they are. Then apply a layer of Sealer and Glaze from Meguirs to deepen the shine. This is optional, you MUST ,however, finish off with a good wax. The best I've ever used is Carnauba from Mothers ( available from the USA). My Black 96 LS400 turns heads when it passes, but if you get up close the scratches are still pretty bad. The effect of a really deep shine at distance is something to behold.

Yes but built by Ford....

Thank you, I will heed your wise words. Paul As an update, the new plugs and HT leads fixed the problems, it ticks over like a swiss watch now. Paul

Blimey talk about bad luck.... I had a pigeon hit a windscreen a few years ago and it smashed the screen (laminated) and the mess spread from there to the boot.... good luck cleaning it up.... Mind you a mate of mine hit a sheep at about 30mph in a nearly new Mk111 Cortina years ago and it wrote the car off!!!!! Pete Ah yes... the Mk 3 Cortina. The LS400 of its day.

Just a thought, you have to stop the car to get the revs to drop? Is it possible that the transmission is pushing the engine along ( dragging in the torque convertor or something). Paul

Thanks for that guys, looks like I'm going to be busy....

Hi, I'm new to LOC but have had my LS400 (Black) for 20 months. I usually clean it with car wax and polish it Turtle Wax and thought it looked pretty good as a result.I've been looking at the pics of other members cars and realise that my car looks shabby compared to them so, I've been reading a bit about clay bars but don't know how to use the stuff or wether it would worth doing it on my car. My bonnet has swirls and scratches on it, would clay make any difference? A tutorial from one of you experts would be really appreciated. Paul

I fitted Bosch wipers to my 1996 Mk3 LS400, after about 6 months they squeaked so badly I preferred to drive in light rain with them switched off. Went to Halfords to buy replacements and discovered that they didn't make them for LS anymore. Bought Lexus ones (took out mortgage) but oh! its so lovely to have wipers that dont sound like fingernails down a blackboard. Paul

No sign of it having been in a shunt of any sort. Its a very tidy car, only 90k. As regards the door, I removed the catch plate ( on the door pillar) to try to move it further in but it is not mounted on slots but fixed holes so no way to move it . The lock assy mounted in the door doesn't seem to be adjustable either. The door just doesn't close snug enough, the door seal is not being compressed enough so noise is coming in. BTW Ive ordered the correct spark plugs from Spark plugs .com.

1996 Ls400 Mk3. I noticed that i can hear traffic passing even with the windows up & the door fully shut. Having looked down the offside of the car, I can see that the drivers door is not flush with the line of the bodywork. Its not sticking out much,a few mms only but the door seal doesn't seem to be compressed as much as it is on the other doors. The door lockplate does not appear to be adjustable, so can anyone help me to get the door to close fully and reduce the road noise. Thanks

Thank you, I will heed your wise words. Paul

Very weird feeling looking at the photos of your centre comsoles. My 1996 LS 400 is identical except completely the wrong (right) way round! Like looking in a mirror, does this mean mine is a nakamichi?