chrali

My car hasnt had any ATF, or diff fluid changes since 2004 when the cambelt was done. I'm getting a quote for a full fluid flush using correct fluid from a specialist in Norwich, as if its not to dear say under £200 ill get them to do it, I dont want to risk cocking the job up as its my daily driver. I will change the diff oil and flush the engine oil, and put in good quality oil, as I have a sneaking feeling the garage just sucked out the old oil and filled up with new. I wondered if it was actually worth checking and changing the plugs, distributor caps, rotors, fuel filter etc, as the car drives and runs fine and I'm getting an average MPG of 26.

Real men dont need traction and stability control ;) I prefer the Mk3 as it has chiselled good looks. I've always though the Mk4 front end with its gloopy lights didnt make sense when the back end hadnt changed. Id like the Vtec engine and 5 speed box from the LS430 on, but the looks went definitely went even more frog faced and dumpy upto 2004. I expect to have the rebuild the suspension at some point, but that could be the case with a car costing 1000's more. Just my pennies worth. Absolutely love the 2007 model though :)

My fill up today was about 10-15 miles after the low fuel light came on at 400 miles. It cost £69.85 for 70liters @ 96.9 I thought that odd, as I thoght they had 22 gallon tanks. Guess not . I'll drive this tank with power mode off and see what that does for consumption. Even better I hope :)

" I bought the car with the self justification that it would be ok as long as I dont go looning around travelling fast, overtaking, power mode always on etc. " Thing is the last tank of fuel has been used do all the things I said I wouldnt , thats why Im amazed at the 26MPG !

Well just filled up the Lex after my previous max fill to gt an idea of MPG. I wasnt expected miracles its a 4 litre v8 in a heavy car. I bought the car with the self justification that it would be ok as long as I dont go looning around travelling fast, overtaking, power mode always on etc. Each day I travel 40 miles mostly on dual carriageways approx 85-85 mph, so frankly expected a fuel consumption figure to match. My 3.2 V6 Vauxhall Monterey 16mpg My 5.0 BMW v50il 15mpg My 5.0 Mercedes S500L 17mpg My 1.6 Scenic (drive approx 10mpg slower) 36mpg My fast driven Lexus 26 MPG ! ! I think thats outstanding !!!! Particularly as its not been serviced other than an oil change for years (prior to me)!!!! Scenic will now be handed back next year when half way through HP :)

Glad you got it sorted mate :D

And theres me thinking Id overpaid ...... :D There ARE serious faults with it though .... I had to adjust the drivers door check strap pin back up, as it had nearly dropped out The auto dimming rear view mirror doesnt seem to work Heating element starting to show through one of the mirrors. How do I cope with the stress ;)

Cheers, I guess I cant complain I paid £1300 for it and Ive already clocked up 600 miles of trouble free motoring.

There is no such thing as a victimless crime. Stealing from someone who is rich is still stealing, no matter how you dress it up. Banks know all there is about stealing. I had a £30 overdraft charge an INTERNAL transfer from one of my accounts to another failed at the bank, despite having 3k across my accounts at that bank !!!!!!!! Currently taking this up with the banking ombusman. I have no issue about legally being able to do away with debt, its not like weve all done it for a golden lifestyle. If its legal, its legal.

No worries .... also found this on seaching for 'coils'. As well as the coils there are the 'igniters' 1 and 2 . Also number 1 and 2 cam position sensors send signals to the ECU, which calculates the ignition timing and sends a signal to the igniter. Whew! The crank position sensor detects the crank angle, and the number ! cam position [ for left bank] and no 2 cam position [for right bank] sensors detect the CAM angle. Have you got that?....[ Wish I had] At a wild guess I would suggest the sensor for your 'dead' side may be faulty and not supplying the signal needed to trigger the igniter on that side... Might all be Bull..it but worth a look if your stuck.... Bit more info Turn on ignition and check for battery voltage at the coil + terminal Resistance of coil [cold] Primary 0.41 - 0.50 ohms---Secondary10.2 - 13.8 ohms Sensors 950- 1250 ohms Keep us all updated!!

Grommet a good idea, but the hole is to irregular once the rust is cut out.

Exactly my thought, the last thing I need is some garage melting bumpers, or wiring. Its not the boot floor iself but the 'wall'. I will cut it out to ensure all rust is removed, rust proof, seal and plate it. Then I will look for some thick rubber sheeting to bolt over the area to protect where the rear wheels throw up debris to stop it happending again.

Cheers guys, I was on a downer having got some rust perforation in the mud trap at the rear of the wheel well, but to be honest it looks like an easy repair. I paid £1300 with a new MOT for it and its 20k away from the next belt change. Aircons been regassed, but doesnt get cold. Its a nice drive though, and I only wanted a beige or black interior.

Here a pics of the Mk3 Lexus I bought, with a some rust performation between the boot and wheel arch...

Do these cars have ignition coils that cover more than 1 plug per coil? If youve got unburnt fuel, then perhaps the place to start is seeing if sparks are getting to each cylinder. Perhaps your HT leads are broken down, distributor caps, or rotor worn or broken. Time for a little dismantling to check the condition of these. Just my tuppence from 'ole rusty'

Let see if i can get pics of 'ole rusty' up ..

So i see , its not been a good weekend has it! Ive had a lot of cheap gas guzzlers over the years and the only one to rust through like this was a 1981 Jag Xj6 I owned 10-15 years ago. Yes the prev owners neglect has its part to play, but this seems to be a poorly protected area anyway. i.e. no wheel arch liners. I've check its MOT history and it didnt have an MOT for 2 years prior to me getting it. My advice, is to for anyone with a high mileage LS400 with a damp/wet boot, is to check the further most corners for corrosion. This may just show as a brown discoloration, but give it a prod and see if its sound. This will not be easily visible, as its obstucted by pipes on both sides and wiring loom on one side and in shadow. It seems apparent that my damp boot was at least in part from water being kicked up by the rear wheels, hitting this area of corrosion and leaking through.

Ok i take of my hat to you ...... your problems are far more scarey. Cannot offer anything but my sympathy, a sick car is no fun at all!

I will send a recorded letter, as they said they would do a PDI and I hightlighted the u/s aircon and the water in the boot. I dont think 'fit for purpose' applies as its been reliable enough for the 300 miles ive done in it in a week. I think 'not of merchantable quality'is probably the one, as its not reasonable to expect water in the boot due to holes caused by build up of mud.

Yeah Im calmer, but i have holes ... so sealing on their own isnt going to do it. It will need new metal,just not sure whether sealing and riveting new metal, or weldin is required. The problem is exacerbated by the car being on SORN by the previous owner for 6 months, as he had several cars, and ran out of money and obviously lived somewhere muddy. I always said if a car was rusty then off it goes ..... now I'll have to see how fixible it is with regards to cost effectiveness. I thought I'd checked the car out enough, but its only with all of the boot trim stripped out that I found this. I bought the car from a garage not on a trade sale basis, so should I have any recourse back to them for this and the non-working air con. I doubt the new MOT on the car, as a brake light was out before the MOT and still out after and was a struggle for me to change, also the number platwas cracked visibly, which i thought was a fail.

I thought id have a go at the wet boot. I'd remofrom insideved the drain plugs and the boot was dry. Pouring water onto the car showed water got in via the lamp clusters and not the rear window seal. I removed the light clusers and could see that they only way theyd leak into the car is via the attaching screws. Havent sealed these yet as they needed a bit of WD40. There are two black trim pieces above the clusters which unbolt from inside ( I found this out after id pulled one off first ), they were full of mud, so cleaned them off. They also hide 2 spare holes in the bodywork per side, that I filled those with sealant. The attaching bolt and also put sealant around the base and bolt them on. Putting sealant on the rim of the boot aperture was tricky, so i put a line of sealant on the boot seal instead, and pressed that on. THEN ... my day went downhill I pressed am now left with 2 2inch a beige mark inside the boot left hand channel at the back and my finger went through!!!!!!!!!!! With a bit of a shove, the same feat was possible on the other side. The culprit seemed to be mud that had build up in the wheel arches,I was shocked as I went for a 95-97 due to the rust protection. Im now left with 2 x 2 inch additional air vents. How much trouble am I in ... will it be structural, or will some careful dremelling, and rivet patching do the trick. Sooooooo depressed, if there is one thing i didnt expected it was rust holes in my Lexus. I am also amazed that unlike most cars ive had, that there is no arch liners in the rear, yet there do seem to be there in the front. Suggestions welcome, including 5litres of fuel a lit match and an empty field :( :tsktsk:

Well Ive done it but I wish I hadnt...... One side was glued, and I had to use a socket and wrench to get the screw out, but bulb replaced ok thanks. When removing the cluster from the other side, its was so stuck on, that even with the screw removed, the plastic recess that house the upper screw tore off the cluster and stayed fixedly on the bodywork. I'll try an glue it with some waterproof adhesive later.

This car is making me look bad, I cannot figuew how to get to the stop light to replace it....even with the help of the manual. And halfords had 2 bulks listed for the car as well. Can anyone shed any light. Head hung in shame ...... never had this problem before

Bet its a bulb :-) Oops didnt think of that, Ill check tonight. :duh: I dont think its low pads I think thats a different icon.

My 1997 Mk3 has the brake warning light on, but the levels are correct and the car brakes absolutely fine. Is there a sensor that is known to fail? Cheers for any advise chaps.