7149capricorn

But, Matthew, you don't mention heat, it 'cures' itself after a couple of miles so the chance of it being bearings or sticking calipers is slim. And why not go for the cheapest option first?

Sounds to me like dry cv joints on the half shafts. Undo clip, insert cv grease and do up clip/replace with cable tie. Worked for me with identical symptoms.

If your mechanic takes 10 hours to replace your starter motor.................get a new mechanic!

Glad to have engendered so much comment. Bluesman, you really should attribute your quotes, especially if you are going to copy out so much material from the internet. And other readers may be interested to learn about the credentials of Steven P Sparrow - try this link: http://www.lpginfo.co.uk/whoisgolpg.html Information I have got from a number of LPG fitters suggests that up to the Mk4 LS400 valve seats were sufficiently hardened; with the 430, emission controls meant that modifications to the seats were made resulting in them being more prone to wear. I don't know how much truth there is in this, but it fits with my experience. The bottom line is, if you are thinking of going the LPG route, find out as many facts as you can and don't be swayed by anecdotal evidence.

To the best of my knowledge what I have said is true. And, yes, all 430 owners should be using flashlube - or preparing for a possible big bill after 80,000 miles or so. But up to you.........................

On the question of flashlube, I know of an SC430 owner on LPG who is facing a huge bill after two exhaust valve seats were damaged. A reputable LPG fitter tells me that the LS400 engine has hardened seats and does not need flashlube but the 430 engine has a different head and does. And just because you've run without flashlube for 60,000 miles so far doesn't mean the next 60,000 are gong to be trouble free - the damage is progressive. But if you like Russian Roulette..........................!

For what it's worth ....... it is my understanding that there are two Constant Velocity joints at the outer ends of each of the half-shafts. They do not tend to wear out as they do on front wheel drive cars as they are only moving a few inches up and down with the suspension. However, they do dry out in time (because they don't get replaced) and one or more of the balls in them gets stuck in its groove and causes the wheel to turn unevenly. Re-greasing seems to solve the problem - although I guess cleaning all the old hard grease out is advisable. As far as I know the boot is held onto the half shaft with a circlip - undo that, regrease, do up the circlip and that's that. My garage did both sides in well under an hour - £40 well spent. You will have to do both sides as there is no way of knowing which side is at fault - and if one side has dried out it's a safe bet the other will not be far behind.

Exactly the same thing happened to me - also Mk4 - like Mark, cv joint seized. Simple job to loosen the gaiter and relube - but do use the right gease!

Hmmmm................. maybe I'd better head North! Thanks for the info, Mike.

Fired with enthusiasm I took my 1998 LS400 to Milton Keynes for them to have a look at the rust spots at the top of both rear wheeel arches. They agreed that the car was covered by a 12 year perforation warranty - and then a bloke came out with a gadget which could read paint thickness in microns. His diagnosis was that both rear wings had been resprayed at some time, and the off side had had a new panel welded in - so the warranty was invalidated! I found this a tad difficult to believe, but, hey, you can't argue with technology! I'd be interested to hear how Coventry dealt with the door issues - maybe I'd have more luck there!

Just a quick update - it's been two weeks now since the regreasing of the cv joints and ......... no vibration! So if you are suffering from an intermittent 'cattle grid' effect, which is not coming from the front of the car but which vibrates the whole thing, maybe it's your cv joints as well! Thanks again for all suggestions. Regards John

Well, it went in to the garage yesterday and they 'stripped and regreased the rear cv joints'. How much stripping went on I don't know - I think they probably took a circlip off one end of the boot and squeezed some cv grease under the lip. So we wait and see - no vibration yet but it's early days. I'll let you know! What 'Wally' didn't understand was that the vibration was 'intermittent' and only happens '1% of the time' - however, as instructed, I have driven it at 30 and then at 70 (no vibration), I have gone at 50 and then braked hard (no vibration or shaking - the steering wheel has never shaken anyway), and the gearbox is as smooth as the proverbial, whatever you do with it. So, touch wood, (or wood effect plastic in the Lexus' case) we may have found a cure. Thanks to all those who have given advice. Regards John

Hi James - thanks for the info. Though my vibration is most noticeable between 40-45 mph it is there at all speeds - when it happens, which is only about 1% of the time. I'm taking it to my local garage tomorrow and they are going to try to pump more CV grease under the rubber boot - I suspect that after 12 years and 213,000 miles the CV joints have dried out. By the way, I rang Lexus Milton Keynes for advice and spoke to 'Wally' (whether a nickname or his real name I don't know!) - having explained the exact symptoms to him he suggested perhaps it was a tyre delaminating or a wheel needing balancing! So much for expert advice. I make no further comment, but ask yourself - 'would I take my Lexus to this garage?' Regards John

Ive put in a search & come to here. I have just started to have the same problem, Im thinking partly siezed driveshaft joint or a delaminating tyre. My vibration comes on after leaving the car parked overnight, drive 2 or 3 miles & get a vibration through the car for about 30 secs & then it dissapears completely, at any speed. If you find it first let me know I will likewise. Mark Hi Mark You have a PM from me - rather inconclusive I'm afraid. John

Interesting idea, ROYT, but I don't think it is - once when it was doing it I stopped and gave the engine a rev or two and all cylinders seemed to be OK. But next time (?) it does it I'll check more thoroughly for misfiring. I don't know why or how it clears itself though - yesterday and today not a hint of rough running or vibration. Anyway, thanks for the idea - I'll let you know. Regards John

Hello everyone Being a Lexus nothing much seems to go wrong with it, but......... Just occasionally in the last couple of weeks there has been a vibration which seems to affect the whole car - ie not specifically from the steering or brakes. It is reminiscent of the old Scorpio 'cattle grid' effect which some may have experienced, but I don't think it's anything to do with the gearbox - it has happened, so far, at about 40mph; accelerating or decelerating has no effect and it still does it at 20-30mph in neutral. ATF is pink and up to the mark. The irritating thing is, it is so intermittent that it won't do it when my local mechanic is driving, and he is at a loss as to the cause. My gut feeling is that it is to do with the half shafts - maybe something is occasionally slipping out of true and causing this vibration, which, incidentally, usually only lasts for about a quarter of a mile, although the other day it was nearer two miles. If anyone can throw any light on this I would be extremely grateful - my biggest fear is that it will decide to do it at 70mph, when it will undoubtedly shake the car into tiny pieces! Thanks in anticipation - it's a great forum by the way! Regards John

Thanks, Ruud - I'll give them a call tomorrow. Regards John

Hi Me too - I have a 1998 Mkiv LS400 with exactly the same problem - and, yes, most help on the topic is for Mksi-iii. I'm probably being incredibly thick, but I can't find anything on the link to help. It's a real shame as apart from this niggle the car is stunning - anyone point me more specifically in the right direction? Regards John

Barney I have a wiring diagram from one of those ebay CDs! - it won't copy but I can print and send via snail mail if that's any good? John

Hi Lexus 2D and Pete Thanks for the welcome and quick responses - I like the leaky injector theory and will try the injector cleaner next time I fill up. That is, next time I can afford half a tank of petrol. They guy who had the car before me said he thought it was to do with the ecu (?) being in the 'cold start' programme and if you didn't let it warm up it kinda went into cold start x 2 next time! Sounded a bit dodgy to me. I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers John

Hi all - as a new convert to the LS400 I've been browsing the excellent forum for a few weeks before asking my first question - I can't find an answer anywhere else on the forum. I bought my 1998 LS400 about five weeks ago from a garage who gave me the prevous owners phone number so I could ask him about the car's history. One of the things he warned me about was not to start the car when cold, run it out of the garage, for instance, and then switch off without it warming up. This would lead to difficulties next time it was started and it would sound like a "bag of spanners" for the first few miles. I was sceptical but yesterday I had to do just that - I moved it a few feet then switched off. Next time I had to start it, it took about 10 seconds of turning over with lots of sputters and pops till it eventually fired up properly with clouds of black smoke - and a sound like a bag of spanners! After a few miles it was fine again. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it just a feature of the LS400, or should I be anticipating trouble? Everything else about the car (apart from some suspension bushes, obviously!) is perfect. Thanks in anticipation.