munday

As an alternative to buying parts from Lexus dealers, you could buy parts from Amayama Trading in Japan.

They supply OEM parts for the LS400. See www.amayama.co.jp/help for details. If the screen comes up in Japanese, click English version at the top of the page.

The prices can sometimes be significantly cheaper that Lexus dealers, even allowing for postage costs. I have just bought a rear suspension trailing arm strut bar for just under £28 plus £20 delivery. I may have to add a few quid on for import duty, taking it into £50 plus territory, but this is probably a third of the price I would pay if buying at a Lexus dealer in the UK.

Another vouch for Amayama here, ordered stuff from them before and had great service, much cheaper than UK and US prices, even with shipping and import duty!

I will be attempting this on my MK4 very soon (failing at 225k miles)

I'm hoping to be able to remove the manifold and TB as one unit, I'm also hoping that I'll be able to use my double bendy ratchet spanners to remove the starter without taking off the rear water bypass. This should mean that the only gaskets I disturb are the 2 intake to cylinder head gaskets...which I will attempt to re-use!

Wish me luck

....do sc430 wheels fit....nice set on gumtree just need tyres

You'll need 15mm spacers up front. They will have to be the hubcentric type (around £115 per pair)

Along with this, the sc430 wheels do not have much clearance on the back of the wheel to allow the stock studs to poke through the spacer, so they will need cutting down. They fit straight on the back but will look sunken into the arch compared with the fronts and 15mm spacers, so 20-25mm spacers will bring the rear up to scratch.

I know this because I run sc430 wheels on mine

15mm spacers up front, standard on the rear:

The 10" rear may cause you a problem. 98> have slightly more room to play with.

I'm running 18s from an SC430. Didnt ruin the ride at all, don't know what people are talking about there.

Tyre selection is so much better, I'm running 2 Pirelli P zeros and 2 Conti SportContact 3 tyres, so much grip! The standard tyres are dangerous in the wet, these give you so much more control

Keep us updated, I may follow your lead :)

I have removed the bit of trim that seals against the vent when the centre console is closed. You can then close the rear vents and viola, a 30 second DIY coolbox with no tools required. Done it on mine ;)

this I believe is the remote central locking beep volume control

It switches the warning beep on/off for when you try and lock the car with a door open.

Buy genuine parts direct from Japan via amayama.com

Thats what i've done ;)

Best bet is to browse the ClubLexus forums and VIP-style-cars forums. Hard to get the pieces in the UK but I'm sure its possible with some translation.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/lexus-audio-video-security-and-electronics/269156-how-to-build-and-hardwire-an-auxillary-input-to-oem-stereo.html

I followed the link above ^^

This is easily the best method because you get line-out quality from the iPod (not the low quality from headphone jack) and also you can hook up a power supply so that it is also charging at all times it is plugged in. Its definitely worth the extra effort to do it properly. I ran my cable from the amp under the drivers seat to the centre console

I use Amayama and get all my bits sent from Japan and UAE. Obviously factor in import fees and VAT but it still works out a lot cheaper than Lexus UK prices.

Just ordered pretty much every suspension component that could be worn out and they arrived quickly with no hassle

Those are nicely staged pictures.

Thank you :)

I have literally no idea what im doing and pictures were taken on an Iphone 5

Hi guys

Will 18 inch sc430 alloys fit on a mk4 ls400?

You will need 15mm spacers on the front, these bolt onto the hub and have their own studs. Unfortunately the stock studs still come through and will foul on the mating face of the new wheels. This is easily solved with an angle grinder and 15 minutes of your time. The rears fit without issue but will look sunken into the arches without 25mm spacers, which are on my list to buy next.

98 cars will only dip the passenger mirror when the adjuster is set to NS, 99> dip both

I would only go with genuine tbh mate, I don't trust the copies. Your local lexus/toyota dealer (once you get through to them) should be able to sort it out. If you have access to toyodiy.com you can find the part number there (if you weren't a member before 2009 you need a special invite from an existing member before you can view the diagrams, give me your email address via PM and I can do that)

Most likely sensor to be at fault is the ECT sensor (engine coolant temperature). It is one of the main inputs for the ecu to decide fuelling along with lambda and airmass.

You can even check the current one as the workshop manual lists the resistance for a range of temperatures. TBH its a cheap sensor anyway to replace so its probably worth doing

We can all agree on that :D

'It's totally relevant. Oil is a lubricant, designed to work in a particular environment. Transmission oil does more than just lubricate. Just because gearboxes see less stress than engines doesn't negate the requirement to change the oil when it degrades - which it always will.

I think your specialist is spreading old wives tales. If a change of gearbox oil results in a knackered gearbox, then the gearbox was already knackered. Changing fluid does not break gearboxes - rather, not changing gearbox fluid breaks gearboxes. Perhaps your specialist friend understands that some customers will be cynical when told that their gearbox was already buggered before the fluid was changed.'

I totally agree with you that all oil will degrade over time. And in an ideal world, we would all have fresh gearbox oil.

There are no old wives tales here, simply years of experience over thousands of gearboxes. The point is that if you don't KNOW when the gbox oil was last changed, it can be risky. This is due (as mentioned by someone else) to stirring up contaminants etc. There are some very small oil-ways in the box, easily blocked.

Maybe Lexus' don't suffer this problem, consider it a cautionary tale. A quick google gives plenty of examples and experiences

If you aren't experiencing any problems LEAVE IT ALONE!

A very experienced automatic transmission specialist i know recommends you change the fluid ONLY if you know there is a problem or you have DOCUMENTED PROOF that it has been done regularly in the past.

It is COMMON to see an auto gearbox fail only a few miles after having some nice new fluid in.

Your experienced specialist would no doubt hold a different opinion if anyone gave the same advice when it came to engine oil.

I simply do not understand why on every other aspect of a vehicle, people recommend periodic fluid changes, but when it comes to transmission fluid, apparently there's witchcraft involved and it should never be touched. Transmission oil is subjected to extremes of temperature and degrades over time. And I do not believe that failures are common because fluid is replaced. I suggest it's more likely that the fluid was replaced in an attempt to cure a fault, or that the wrong fluid was used, or incorrect amounts of said fluid.

Comparing engine oil to gearbox oil is not relevant, comparing and engine to a gearbox is not relevant. There are many intricate differences that will influence and affect oil performance and degradation. Engine oil has to put up with massive sheer forces, chemical attack, massive heat and carbon buildup from the combustion process. Gearbox oil has moderate sheer stress in comparison and moderate heat. Therefore they are composed entirely differently.

How many engines have you seen fail due to a correctly done oil change? I'm guessing zero. The same CANNOT be said for gearbox oil changes.

I am very much more inclined to follow the advice of a specialist who has been in the business 20+ years and deals with a number of gearboxes each and every day.

Notice how I stated not to change it if you DO NOT have DOCUMENTED HISTORY of it being replaced periodically in the past. If you know its been done at 60k and 120k, sure do it at 200k. However, if you're at 150k with no history of it being done, don't touch it.

EDIT: My gearchanges are smooth as butter too, 218k and no gearbox oil change.

If you aren't experiencing any problems LEAVE IT ALONE!

A very experienced automatic transmission specialist i know recommends you change the fluid ONLY if you know there is a problem or you have DOCUMENTED PROOF that it has been done regularly in the past.

It is COMMON to see an auto gearbox fail only a few miles after having some nice new fluid in.

It will most likely be the rear arms from hub to body. They are the most obvious ones when you look underneath, and run directly from side to side. It will likely be the bushes where it mounts to the body. A good soaking in WD40 with its bottom in the air should cure it, let it sit for a few minutes and then a 10 minute drive, you'll be back to silence :)

Coolant temp sensor, check this link http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/377171-diy-coolant-temperature-sensor-change-pics.html

Easy to check (if you have a multimeter and the right info which i can provide) and easy to replace too

Just thought I would update this... The ground loop isolator (as linked in an earlier post) worked a treat :)

Excellent, did you install it inside the head unit, or have it outside and neatly hidden away.

I have since found some stand alone transformers that would do the job, and could be mounted inside the unit, but what I am probably going to do is keep using the cassette method on the Lexus for the time being, as i have a thousand other DIY jobs to do around the house first.

I installed it alongside the AUX input wiring by the amplifier. It all sits hidden nicely under the drivers seat :)

Just thought I would update this... The ground loop isolator (as linked in an earlier post) worked a treat :)

Ah excellent! That's a great post, I now understand the process and what is going on which is all I wanted. With a suggestion of a potential solution thats even better! I'll get one ordered up and let you know the outcome :)