Mike Floutier

Also, I noticed that the level is about 1/2" above the max so I'm going to have to do something so if it's easy enough to change the fluid maybe I should?? Mike

Hi all, This is a very interesting thread! I just bought an LS430 with 145,000 miles on the clock and I'm wondering about the ATF. I intend to get it to over 500,000 miles over the next few years and although there is no suggestion that the fluid should be changed regularly, I can't help feeling that, with the mileage I intend doing, it could be a good idea. The fluid certainly isn't red anymore but, on the other hand, it doesn't smell burnt and there are no issues with regard to gear-changing. What do folk advise me to do? Thanks Mike

Thanks Mark, I just ordered a couple.

Thanks guys that's brilliant, I'll get some tomorrow!

Hi all, I have just bought this car which is lovely BUT has one or two issues that I'm slowly working through. One issue is this nasty smell from heater vents, it's sweet but nasty, like a stale dish-cloth and comes and goes. I thought it was related to switching OFF the air-con but now, with a little more experience, it just seems to come and go at will. I've had the both the regular cabin filters out and shaken out the insects etc. and sniffed them but they seem ok. Anyone got any experience/ideas about this? THanks Mike

Thanks for this guys - this certainly is the definitive guide to LS430 Struts! It's just a pity you can't use a bicycle pump or the air line at the garage, I guess the pressure is too high. SGS certainly are the business.

Thanks Pete & Steve, it certainly is a big manual, but then it's a big car!

Hi all, I just bought a 2002 LS 430 and was very happy to find the workshop manual available on e-bay for £1.45. However, having searched it thoroughly (I'm very willing to be corrected here), along with the owner's manual, I can find no reference to the location and purpose of the fuses. I see the fuse box positions but no details of individual fuses. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks Mike

Thanks Matrix, but I like your idea best Pete; I ordered some special polishing cloths today - hehe!

Gotcha, thanks!

Thanks Mac but I have to show my ignorance - what is a chassis rail? Mike

Thanks Guys, much appreciated!

In the workshop manual it shows what looks like rubber things that sit on top of the axle stand to go under the sills. These rubber things seem to have a slit in the top to accommodate what must be a fin sticking down from the sill. Does any of this make sense? What I really want to know is the best way to put axle stands under the car to support it when removing wheels for brake work etc. Thanks Mike

Hi, Sorry for all the questions but it's a bit of a steep learning curve. I'm interested in being able to talk to my car - ie. Is there a lead and some software out there for reading the OBD2 codes etc. (nb. I've never touched OBD before!) Thanks Mike

Thanks Guys, I think I'm going to try doing it at 20k and see how easy it is. The workshop manual shows a drain plug so I guess it can't be too bad. I'll probably find that it takes 10 minutes, costs next to nothing (as you said Goldfinger) so I'll be more than happy to do it - hehe! I suppose the reason I'm trying to avoid it is because the one time I ever did it on my Scorpio I had to syphon it out and it took about 8 hours and still didn't get it all out. Then, when I changed the diff. itself, cos I thought the noise I was getting was coming from it, the new one sounded exactly the same, proving that 300k with no oil change didn't bother it in the least. Oh well! Thanks! Mike

Check this 4 down on the right. It's pretty clear, I'm just wondering why it's recommended. I'll do it if I have to but every 20k? Mike

THanks!

Hi all, I've just bought a lovely 2002 LS 430 with 143,000 miles on the clock and I'm just drawing up a maintainance schedule as I would like to do most of the work myself. One thing I find a little surprising is that they recommend changing the Differential oil every 20,000 miles. Now in my job this means at least 3 times a year and I'm wondering if such a frequency is really necessary and WHY? I'm running an 11 year old Ford Scorpio at the moment with 313,000 miles on the clock. The diff oil has never been changed until recently and there have been no problems. Can anyone throw any light on this? Also, in the workshop manual I can't see any details of how to drain and refill the oil - it simply says to do it. Thanks Mike

Hi, I just bought a 2002 LS430 and I'm about to get it converted to LPG as I do around 60/70k miles per year. I did a search to try to find some topics but with no results. I can't believe that no-one else has LPG, hence this post. I'm particularly interested in talking about sparkplugs as ignition is more difficult with gas and there can be more of a strain on the ignition coil packs; I had to change both my coil packs twice on my old Ford Scorpio during it's 250,000 miles on gas. Since the LS430 has 8 coils and they cost over twice the Scorpio's, I'm keen to avoid overloading them as much as possible within the bounds of acceptable engine management. So, any experiences/ideas would be welcome. Also I'm curious to know whether there are any LPG topics out there and I'm just a clutz at using the search facility. Thanks Mike

Hi, Just found your site (looks good!) I'm a private hire driver who's always had Ford Scorpios. My present car is 11 years old, done 311,000 miles and is starting to show it's age. Today I'm going to look at a 6 year old LS 430 (special pack) which has done 140,000 miles with the cam belt changed at 115k. It's got a full Lexus SH but I'm just wondering what I should be looking out for. Also, I'm interested to hear your veiws about my ambition to maintain it myself (as I've done with my Scorpios). Is there help available on the site in the form of workshop manual type info. or other stuff that would be useful. Thanks Mike