danbobnix

Purely personal taste for the MK4 Malc, that's the only reason. Although I do have a soft spot for the MK3 in certain colours. There's one on gumtree at the moment, in Devon I think, looks gorgeous.

I think you're right re: the money, probably will end up spending a bit more, but yes I shall tread very carefully when buying.

So I'm bringing my two year old thread back to life... Sorry mods, please do let me know if I need to start a fresh?

Hello again all, although I didn't meet anyone from the club I felt very welcome and was glad and very appreciative for all the help received with the LS400 I owned. Thanks again! I do wonder if it has cropped up on here since I parted with it? R298 0EE.

Since the day I parted with the Lexus I've not shaken the itch for them, since then I've managed to buy a house (with the Mrs!), and currently running a little 500 Abarth as a daily driver.

So two years wiser, selling some expensive aftermarket parts for the Abarth, I'm thinking of putting the money into getting an LS400 as a second car/toy. As such I'm not overly fussy about it being immaculate or needing to be reliable for the commute to work, which means the amount to pay doesn't become a huge premium, one hopes. I'm thinking between £1000-£1500 at the top end of my budget, MK4 of course.

The hunt is on.

Found an owner near me and noticed the car barely moves so may pop a polite note through the door enquiring about it - you never know. This being said if anyone is considering selling, I'm over here!

Although I'm not not a mechanic, I've dug out the workshop manual I bought last time and willing to get my hands dirty with the usual stuff if any work needs doing. As there won't be pressure to get anything done over a weekend! (Leaving complicated and safety stuff to the pros of course)

Looking forward to stepping into ownership again!

Sorry for the waffle!

So, not much to update on the gearbox front, but to share my experience for any other members needing advice in the future -long story short, the guys I've been taking the car too can't see where the leak is coming from, they've had it a couple of times but need to take the box out fully find it.

I then mentioned after his quotation, finding a second hand box with proven history to just drop in to save labour, but got thinking- could be a 'better the devil you know' sort of scenario.

They have now quoted for having te gearbox fully refurbished for a little more than the original quote of remove-reseal-replace, which is what I think I'll do.

Once this is sorted I'll be waiting for MOT & tax time just after Christmas. If all goes well I'll be looking at LPG by profess :) that's the plan anyway!

Absolutely loving her, still can't get over the quality.

Right, bit of an update.

Was about to leave Blackpool to take the girlfriend out for a meal. Started the car and set to put the car in gear. Nothing. Waited for a few minutes- nothing. Waited for the car to get upto temperature - nothing. Checked ATF fluid level and couldn't see anything on the dipstick.

Got myself a funnel and poured in about a litre of fluid and noticed it spilling out on the floor- guessing I overfilled it a bit? and it was running down onto the ground, as this subsided after a few seconds.

Jumped back in started her up and engaged first time... What a difference, gear changes are so smooth, can barely tell it's changing gear.

Next on the shopping list, a filter and gasket for the transmission pan to get that done and hopefully solve the 'problem'.

Will also keep an eye on any fluids that may be escaping any pipes or joints on the transmission fluid lines?

Fingers crossed that it only needed more fluid.

Welcome, looks like a very clean example! Enjoy :)

I've let them know at the garage and they're going to check with who did the work.

Said it was removed when the pump was done and may have bled itself with the new coolant. I'll top her up in the morning.

Now for this damn gearbox!

Google and forum reading commences!

Thanks again guys, will have to get down to some meets and thank you all in person sometime :)

Thanks for that eBay link, I'll be sure to get some ordered.

Well on the way home tonight the car stalled at some traffic lights after coming to a stop, which kind of made me panic a little, ha. But she started up again and got me home.

Getting home and immediately checking the transmission fluid showed me this :

Halfway down the hot part, what is recommended level? Does the colour look ok?

The coolant is also near the bottom of the reservoir. What coolant is recommended for these engines? Or is my mechanical knowledge just that awful that when got the reservoir will drop it's level, naturally.

Sorry for all the basic questions. Thanks for all your help again!

I'm a little confused here ................ you do have a Ls400 and not a 430 ?

The 400 gearboxes are bullet proof ( ah but don't tell Shelldrake that ! ........ he's the guy with the disaster ? are you ? have I got that right ? ) and the 430's might be a little susceptible to freaking out on a bad day.

Summat ain't right if it's a 400; and your garage doesn't seem to have bitten the bullet and done the core activity, sorting out the kangaroo effect.

Ok, everything else is done and you're probably the best part of a grand spent ...... maybe, if the gearbox is a real issue you should seek a specialist auto box guy to advise ! Does seem really odd that this is it's 2nd auto box tho' .......... maybe it's nothing to do with the auto box at all but some electrical or cabling gremlin that no one's yet bottomed.

Malc

sorry, my thoughts are probably of no damn use at all .............apologies.

Thanks Malc, responses always welcome - an idea is a potential problem solver.

I'm an LS400 driver, yes.

Potentially - i've read bits and pieces on the capacitor issues (can't remember if it's the uk forum or american one) but may look into that if todays fluid check doesn't give much.

Hopefully i'll know more when i check the fluid, like i say, it's just a delayed change and a bit of a shunt when it changes. It also has a bit of a delay from me selecting the gear and it engaging in the gear.

If i find anything i'll be sure to report back. Where do people buy the toyota type 4 fluid from? or is it as simple as - toyota only?

Thanks all

Ok so, had the belt and water pump changed, new spark plugs, aux belt, air filter, cabin filter, fuel filter. Brakes stripped, checked and cleaned/re-greased, along with a 'health check' which pointed out i need a couple of new tires come mot time.

Noticed a definite improvement already.

I did ask them to look at the transmission but it appears they haven't or completely forgot, i needed the car for a few days so took it from them and parted with quite a bit of cash.

I'm going to check the transmission fluid when it is light tomorrow and see where that is and what colour it is, hoping it's low and in a horrible state to explain the poor gear changes and erratic behaviour of the gearbox, thats only been in the car for <10,000 miles.

Any other things i can check that would affect the gear changes?

They are quite jumpy from 1st upto 3rd and the revs will fluctuate when cruising, almost like it's kicking down when I'm cruising at about 50, and then changes up again (with no extra pressure on the accelerator). Usually starts behaving when the engine is warm but the gear changes are still very noticeable. It's the only thing that I'm a little concerned about upto now.

Any info from people who have had similar problems would be appreciated :)

Thanks all

Hmm something ain't quite right then

This is going to sound odd, noticed a teething problem- either that or I really need to get used to driving an auto more.

Noticed when the transmission shifts when pulling away from a stop in (maybe) 1st 2nd and 3rd, it tends to hesitate and shunt into gear. It's fine shifting down and picking up to overtake... Which by the way is brilliantly effortless :D

Checked through service history tonight and it had a second hand gearbox fitted in 2011, 10,000 miles ago.

I'm only wary as I'm due to drive it to Manchester on Thursday morning early doors to get us to the airport for our jolly's! Just hoping it gets us there ok- which I'm sure it will. I know it's hard from a poor description as above but but wondering if any of this has been experienced before?

Cheers folks :)

Edit: reason for failure was leaky pipes therefore lack of fluid in the system!

Looks very good Barry! I also have noticed the need to adapt to the throttle response of driving an automatic!

The VSC indication light should go off after 3 seconds according to the manual but as that is when the car is brand new any extention to that is probably ok if the light goes out and stays out.

No problem thats the way they are meant to work. Mike

I think there may be some confusion here.

If the display says "Check VSC" when starting, that is not normal - as this message is going away almost straight away, i'd suggest that it's probably not anything that serious. Get it checked if you can.

What *is* normal is the VSC light (ie, the yellow lamp of the car skidding) - this will display when starting as most of the other warning lamps do, in order for you to check that the lamps are operating correctly.

Where abouts are you in Lancashire? If it's not too far from me in Manchester I could probably pop up and stick the car on the computer to check for any lingering codes or pointers.. :)

Regards

I turn the key, not turning the engine on, and the message 'CHECK VSC' is on the display, and the VSC OFF symbol showing with it. After that period which feels like a while, they both go off and i don't see them again. Will get it checked when I can. Thanks for clearing the two up.

I'm in Hambleton, 8 miles from Blackpool. Might be a bit far from you depending on which side of Manchetser you are. However i wouldn't bother about me making the trip down and meeting a fellow member and having a starting point like you say :) Thanks for the offer and I'll see what the health check brings from the service at the garage!

On my 6060 mile trip around Spain and Portugal earlier this year you may remember I had to open the bonnet three times ( I think ) .............. to top up the wash bottle ............ one rarely, if ever, has to check anything else under the bonnet in normal motoring activity ......... these are amazing cars you know..... and even the dash light tells you when the wash bottle is nearing empty too .

I suppose the bonnet struts are a bit of a luxury really ................ you don't need them unless you're doing the engine checks and mechanics yourself

All oil levels etc. usually last right thru' till the next service.

Malc

I need water in the bottle, thanks for reminding me, ended up smearing bug innards all over the windscreen before the heavens opened, whilst on the motorway.

I have them ready to fit so i'll be able to get my hands dirty doing them.

Just purchased a 'bomb' and new pollen filter for the air con cleanup to try and shift the smell of an unused air conditioning system.

Big thanks to everyone for the input and suggestions with all of the previous and above, what a top bunch you all are :)

Feeling very welcomed into the club and looking forward to a lengthy stay here!

Hope you enjoyed Scotland :)

May I ask what towns you have gone through in Scotland? Or more to the point - in which towns/villages have you stopped?

I pretty much went to Stirling straight away (picking up the better two thirds from a friends house that she's visiting from university) down the M9(or 8, can't recall) and she lives in Alva, nice little village. Saw the huge steel horses en route too. Just very wet and misty!

the light-ups, then permanently off, sound quite normal to me

Malc

Thanks Malc, I do wait for it to go off before I start the engine, hope it's nothing major but will try more searching.

Tempted to just start it while it's on to see if it goes away but don't want to provoke anything disastrous!

I've seen a few posts here and elsewhere that suggest the VSC warning lamp can light up due to a battery that's not in good condition.

(I'm an LS400 newbie, so I'm still rounding up useful info.)

Likewise, seems to be a few things that can cause it, when I take it for the belt/pump to be done I'll mention it before the garage give it a once over.

First job is to replace the bonnet struts, or rather, find a suitably sized piece of 2x2 timber, to let me change the struts!

Well, not much to report, effortless drive from Edinburgh over to Stirling and then back down to Blackpool on Saturday afternoon. Using all but half a tank of fuel, also added in a bit of pottering about today.

Trying to track down some details of past services from stamps in the book, and still reading bits of the manual for all the extra functions I didn't know about- I bloody love it already, just need to give it a good clean inside, smells a bit 'musty'.

Going to see how much money I spend on fuel for a bit and may potentially get it gassed- can see me driving it for a very very long time, and I'd enjoy paying 70p a litre!

Just a quick question- when I insert the key and turn it (not to start the engine-just when the dash lights up) 'check vsc' appears and stays there for maybe 10(?) seconds, probably less actually, with that red light and then goes off with no extra trace or appearance when driving, can't find anywhere if this is a fault or normal or what?

A very happy owner over here :)

Oh har-har.

Actually was pretty funny, and I didn't know that was another name for a Bull (technicalities). Everyday is a lesson.

Picking the car up on the 2nd... Very much looking forward to it

It was on Gumtree, Baroque red(?) with beige leather. Can't wait to get her.

Been quoted £275 and 4-5 hours labour at £55/hour for a cambelt + water pump change as well as a health check at a local specialist garage. Quite tempted to just go for it as they know the cars, but will hunt around for a few more quotes, in case I can't find any information out from Lexus. :)

It was in Edinburgh, felt like it took an age!

Well, seen a few cars since I last surfaced. And missed a fair few good ones whilst only being able to view at weekend, bit of a PITA.

Just got back from a 380 mile round trip to Scotland to look at and arrange the purchase of my LS400 :) Good price, good service history, both exterior and interior in great condition. Couple of things to sort out, namely bonnet struts (pair already ordered) and doing some digging into service history and the cambelt change or possible lack thereof. Seller was a top bloke too!

Hopefully should be picking her up either this next weekend or the one after, depending on work. Very excited, can't wait to not hate my commute so much any more!

Hi Scott,

Sounds like you're all over it getting the necessary work done, very good to see. Were you aware of anything before buying or did you kind of account for it?

Malc et al, what would you expect to see the car on car and classic be going for in a private sale? I'm heading there on Thursday for a butchers but don't want to be 'bent over'! Pardon the filth.

Cheers for that Malc, i don't doubt your estimations either!

I'm going to have a look at it this week, I've only really looked at '00 models thus far, were there any changes in features from 98-00 with the mk4?

Done a few searches and lots of google-ing, can't seem to see much. I take it there were no further revisions within the mk4 age bracket?

No I haven't, looks good! Is this anyone on here by any chance?

Well, I didn't go to Liverpool, something just wasn't feeling right with it.

I'm writing sat outside a car dealership, who I tried to contact several times during the week and only got one reply, already not feeling great about it- it's up for a rather premium price based on mileage and I anticipated maybe getting the price down by using the service history or any lack of (anticipating a cambelt change very soon) - so thought id make the trip.

Got here after an hours drive and just walking round the car on my own I saw niggles that would bug me, front number plate wasn't on the bumper, looked like something had possibly broken maybe? Centre armrest was cracking in places and looked more worn than I thought it did on the photos.

Passenger wing mirror was in bits/ glass hanging out of the wing mirror housing.

So I've not even test driven, just walked away to make the 60 mile trip back home.

Frustrating this car buying thing! I'll keep looking!

Well, Saturday night I got an email saying he sold it to someone who offered the cash without wanting to look at it, which he couldn't have refused which is totally fair enough. Just gutted it wasn't 24 hours later!

The hunt continues!

Going to look at one in Liverpool that is on eBay this week, however I'm a little skeptical. Will check the checks that have been posted here and in other threads and see what comes of it, and if it's good, offer what I feel is correct based on all of the above :) watch this space!

Haha yes, he has mentioned to me it's on the SOTW part of the site as of this morning.

Thanks for the items to check, I'm just wary, usually I don't mind buying a car with mileage on the clock- hell, I bought my current car with no service history and 80k.

The LS400 is a different beast, and I'm wary of anything expensive going pop. A risk I think I'm willing to take, but yes, service history and photos suggest it's been well maintained!

Regards