sir john

Thanks guys and nice to see some familiar names on the forum there.

In that case I will probably put the old girl on eBay as she is. I just hope she goes to a good home.

She is still the best car we have ever had.....by miles.

Just looked at the price of Gold membership. £39.95...ouch.

When I was a regular visitor to the forum there seemed to be quite a few owners of older LS400s. Recently though most owners seem to have much newer LSs.

I'm thinking of becoming a full member so that I can sell a few bits but its all pre 96 stuff and I am not sure if it is worth it if all the old ones have few and far between.

PS; please dont PM for bits. Until and unless I subscribe I wont reply. Rules are rules after all.

When I was a regular visitor to the forum there seemed to be quite a few owners of older LS400s. Recently though most owners seem to have much newer LSs.

I'm thinking of becoming a full member so that I can sell a few bits but its all pre 96 stuff and I am not sure if it is worth it if all the old ones have few and far between.

PS; please dont PM for bits. Until and unless I subcribe I wont reply. Rules are rules after all.

Related question on the side: are the original Lexus phones fitted under the arm rests of Mkis and 2s capable of receiving calls?

I have one that I removed from my LS when I bought it in 2008.

I’d say you have a leak where the reservoir and the PAS pump
meet (an easy fit) or a leak at the rack (fecking nightmare to fix).

Feel round the bottom of the PAS pump for fluid. If it’s wet you have a leak there. A 5p O ring will fix it I’m told, but I
played safe and bought a repair kit from Lexus for about £12 and I still have
95% of the kit left. If it is the seal
between reservoir and pump, you need to get it fixed PDQ otherwise it will
wreck your alternator. That’s another £180.

Sounds like the pump to me. They make a groaning/yowling noise when things are not right. Mine does it when the fluid level drops.

If the fluid is dicoloured, maybe one of the seals is starting to disintegrate. Could be in the PAS pump or the rake.

Genuinely great to hear it Mike. I'm glad you have a good relationship with your man. I'm not saying that all the work i have had done has been bad. Just enough for me not to trust them anymore.

My dad has a mechanic that looks after his 190E Merc. Last year he diagnosed a failed head gasket after my dad had broken down. I looked at it and within 2 minutes found the dissi cap was loose and the rota needed changing. £30/done!

Mechanics HG removal, strip, skim, rebuild and refit diagnosis; £700+. He was either too stupid to spot the true cause or too lazy.

If I hadn't picked up the true fault my dad would have had the work done and thought his mechanic was a grand bloke.

Sorry, I just don't trust them.

Having done a lot of research on this subject through various forums here and overseas it would seem a competent technichan could do this job .I do not think it is a job for an amatuer mechanic as the replacement of the O-rings requires the removal of the rack to access the required areas.That task is quite involved and best done on a lift, also the comments made by Steve regarding serious consequences are very relevant and outweigh any desire to save cost.

The replacement of the O-rings might not solve the problem as the bores could be worn and that is a job beyond any mechanic.

The best solution would be a replacement reconditioned unit fitted by a competent technichan, even if it is a stretch of the wallet at least you will have the confidence that the car is safe to drive.

Thanks for you response Ambermarine,

The best solution would be a replacement reconditioned unit fitted by a competent technichan, even if it is a stretch of the wallet at least you will have the confidence that the car is safe to drive.

I lost all confidence in these COMPETENT technicians a long, long time ago; parts not fitted correctly, service items missed, engine oil not changed at services, nuts and bolts missing, wheel nuts not tightened up properly, brake back plates left loose, heat shields not refitted after repair, welding not fused properly, sills damaged and tie rods bent by trolley jacks, timing belt changed only to snap thus trashing the engine 10 yds from the garage and a complete wheel, brake, hub assembly falling off while my wife was driving the car because the COMPETENT technician forgot to put the retaining nut on a new ball joint.

There is not a COMPETENT technician in the country that I trust to do a job as thoughally as I will do a job.

Sorry if this sounds like I'm having a go, I'm not, I just don't trust these people any more.

If you are a trained mechanic or technician and dont like what I have to say, dont wait for an apology from me, you need to ask that of others in your industry. They are the reason for my complete and utter distrust of so called trained technicians and mechanics.

Ill let you know how I get on.

Sir John, you could try adding some 'Stop Leak' type stuff to your power steering fluid. It makes the rubber 'O' rings swell a bit and thereby sorts the problem. I don't know how effective they are but it's worth a try in my book, before you go the mechanical route. You would have to remove some fluid from the P/S resovoir with a syringe first before adding. Put some in, wipe off the leaking oil and drive around for a while. Then have another look. It might just save your bacon.

Tried that Steve. It didnt work. It just ran straight through like he PAS fluid.

Thanks anyway.

Cheers.

Looking at the factory manual (PM your email if you want a copy of the rack section) some special tools are required to do the job, personally I would rather entrust the work to a professional outfit like the company that supplies the seals you mention.

One mistake with an O ring, seal or incorrect torque on a nut and the outcome could be serious.

Fare comment Steve but its a matter if financial necessity rather than a desire to fiddle about with a complicated piece of kit.

I found this that might be of interest to you http://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/442710-boots-leaking-steering-rack-rack-and-pinion-replacement-diy.html

And i found this that makes it sound like a straight forward job to replace the seals http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/steer-03.htm

He recons on 1 to 2 hours to replace the seals. Doesnt sound all that complicated to me. I even found the seal kit for about £40 here http://steeringseals.com/kits.html

I might have a go.

Hope this if interest and help to you mate.

Im struggling to find a replacement rack. Mine is leaking from the top of the body and im sure it will be a 5p O ring or a simple seal, so im thinking of stripping it and repairing the rack i have.

Anyone done this?

Am I being a bit mad here?

Is it something that can be done my a competent amateur mechanic without specialist knowledge and tools?

Hi Steve2006,

Just spoken to Lexus Carlisle and it looks like a different rack.

Pity that, I would rather give you the money that an ebayer I dont know.

Cheers anyway mate.

I might buy the bits to repair the one i have.

Cheers Roy.

I also got an email from the club with this link http://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/442710-boots-leaking-steering-rack-rack-and-pinion-replacement-diy.html

Steve, I know the part number for mine is 44250-50070. Does yours have the same part number?

Are wishbones the same as suspension arms? If so, then my two rear top suspension arms were £172.35 each on 04.05.2012.

The ones i am referring to are the upper wishbones/ball joints. They have a balljoint that carries the rear hub and 2 rubber bushes that bolt to the chassis.

The shock absorber passes through the whole in the centre.

On reflection, mine were £250 for the pair. I haggled a bit with Lexus Coventry after ringing round a few dealers.

Its been leaking for about 6 months now and i cannot put it off any longer. Not least because its costing a small fortune in fluid.

I wondering if the rack can be removed without dismantling anything else?

And are the 89-92 racks the same as the 93-96 racks?

Im not looking forward to this job so, if you have done it yourself, what was involved and were there any issues i should be aware of?

i paid about £300 for a pair about 18 months ago. Direct from dealer in Coventry. I posted a detailed "how to" on here at the same time.

That amazing. I calculate that to be a cost £0.1381 per mile.

At 47 mpg my Rover 75 CDTi is costing me £0.1394 per mile.

I have broken an LS400, and I am breaking another, getting the rack off is not the end of the world. Not easy, but very do-able. Just takes a bit of time and effort...... which is probably why a stealer would charge a lot of labour to do it.

Mine is a MK-3, so I dont know if it would fit your year.

Have a look on LEXLS, there could be some good information there.

Simon, the dealer price is supply only, it doesnt include fitting. There are a couple eBay for about £50 so ill go with one of those.

That is, if the stuff i put in at the weekend doesnt work. Ive put some of that leak sealer in it. Which is probably dribbling out as i type this.

it says a replacement clock fitted by the dealer. this could be a SH unit. just a thought.

I might stick a bid on myself. I like the early cars.

POLICE, it has to be mate. Down right criminal it is and no mistake. And dont get me started on the exhaust blowing at under 20 years old. Disgraceful! simple disgraceful.

jack up the rear of the car. With your hands at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock, try rocking the wheel. Do the same at 3 and 9 o'clock. this will show up any wear in the ball joints.

Whiles it up in the air you can test the bushes on the tie bars. There should be no movement at all. Its a pig to change the bushes but you can do it without removing the tie bar from the car and they are only about £30.

Failing that, ask Lexus UK about the terms of their guarantee. Its a disgrace that things go wrong with so few miles.

Mines only 20 years old with only 192k on her and already things are starting to go wrong.

No. I replaced that a couple of years back. Its leaking at the rack, just where the steering shaft enters it. just above those 2 pipes in the picture there is a rubber boot where the shaft goes in; its running out of there.