simontaylor

Hi, I have a LS400 Mkiii '95 and wondered if it was possible to connect up my GPS sat device to mute the stereo when it has something to say? Does anyone have the wiring connections for the standard stereo and what input level would be needed to activate the mute function. I geuss this is available for mobile phone fitting etc? Thanks in advance.

I do not know if the bonnet will fit, but the facelift in 1995 included a redesign of the bonnet. generation 1 had creases from the top edges of the rad going straight back ,paralell, to the bottom edge of the windscreen. Generation 2 had them going back to the wing mirrors, no longer paralell. I would probably expect them to be a different fit. and I think you have a ser3, 95-97, ser4 started in 98. generation 1 includes ser1 and ser2, then facelift is generation 2 includes ser3 and ser4. generation 3 is the LS430.

£100 is hardly a lot to pay to prevent that fine motor from being cooked if it looses all the water. But I do take your point that £100 is a lot for a plastic tank. I used to have a rover 800, replacement water expansion tanks were £45 for a replacement, breakers were nearly void of them as they were notorious for splitting under the sustained pressure. I know that some enthusiasts have had aluminium tanks made up at quite a cost to stop it ever happening again.

Leadfoot, we are on the same wave length together. At £90 ph my car is destined never to see a dealer. even if it takes me 3 times as long to do something, I'm better off. and if I do it in my own time it costs me nothing. What manuals do you have? I have a mitchels CD, but it is just descriptive, no pictures or part numbers. I was looking at the TIS, but they are just for the US cars. I was thinking about the real lexus ones, but £200 is a lot. I need to do the EGR pipe as mime is leaking badly, I'm told it is quite a job, but I do have the luxury of a double garage and a 2nd car, in case I'm not finished in a weekend. Simon, '95 Mk III.

Thanks Johnny5, good point, very good point actually. I have had company cars too long and like to do it myself, like a hobby. I only paid £3k for it and am just looking to run it into the ground over the next 10 years. I guess you are not sure where this valve is or how to check it? as you get yours done at the dealer. Any one else know?

I am planning to do a 120,000 mile service myself shortly and the service booklet mentions to "check exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) and charcoal conister". Well, I'm about to replace a leaking EGR but "where" is the charcoal canister and "what" am I checking it for?

I am planning for a 120,000 mile service which I will do myself and the service booklet mentions to "check fuel vapour control valve". Where is it and what am I supposed to check for, just cleanliness?

When the Lexus stealer says "you are lucky" "we managed to do it with out an engine out", or " we saved you xxx" I think it is just feel good factor comfort talk!!! As for "the sensor was stuck" and "we had to replace something expensive", well you never know how true that is either.... ????

pedal to the metal and see what happens mate! let us know how your car performs.

Uncer the boot carpet, there is an oblong space, running paralell to the bumper, with cut outs in the inserts around the spare tyre, for something that could be about 55x18x6 cm. Does any one know what this space is for?

Me too, I drove for 50 miles (~2 gals) with the light on and only got 76 litres into the tank when I filled up. Is there really 10 litres (~2 gallons) still left in it. Has any one got more than 76 litres into a Mk III LS400? Heaven forbid, will I do any damage if I run out, and what to do if I do run out???

Nigel, and I'm on the other side of town in Folly Hill. Don't let the robbers at Lexus take you for a ride, have you tried the US forum? I know you need the radio, to kill the silence while driving.

The car has an auto feature for mirror dipping. basically when a car behind shines its lights on your rear view mirror, or it gets really dark, like when yo go in a tunnel, the dash lights dim automatically. you should also notice that the cars behind seem to have lights with a green tint to them, and you do not need to dim the mirror. The mirror has a small button and a green led on it. I think this is turn this feature on/off. You will soon find an owners manual set on ebay, that is where I got a manual, CD and owners wallet. Just fir away with more questions, but try to use the site's search feature first. Welcome to the flying carpet fraternity.

Good luck, let us know what the "fix" is for future reference, asssuming it gets fixed.

Nigel, Page 120 - 124 of the owners manual describes how to turn the SECurity feature of the Radio on, I think there are off instructions too. If you have not got one, PM your email to me and I'll scan the pages in and forward to you.

Thanks Bob, all clear now, I definatley have R134a.

Hi Nigellexus, Guildford, Im flying around in a MkIII in Farnham. I think if you read the owners manual, the radio comes with no code set. It is then the choice of the owner if he/she wishes to set one of their choice. I'm hoping to do some work on the car tomorrow so will check on it. Wing mirrors, how often do you really need to use the heating element. When I was looking for an LS400 I saw a couple where the element was showing through, so I guess you are not the only one. How about just getting a Halfords stick on mirror and just stick it onto what you have now??? It will be less than a tenner for the pair. If you find a Mk III being broken, please let me know, I'm after some mats and indicator glasses. Wipers, perhaps the motor mechanism has moved a bit and can be repositioned a bit to overcome the over wipe. I imagine it is pretty anoying when it goes thud on the screen edge every wipe. Chris, the radio display on my Mk III is 100%, I think it is more the MkI & MkII that have serious radia LCD fading problems.

That is a question I have asked myself too. Feedback from this site, and elsewhere, has been conflicting for me, I did a serach on "interferance engine" and destructive" as well as "non-....." Of course there is the "wait and see what happens" option, but that could be expensive. It seems that of the 240bhp ( to 94) and 261bhp (95 on) engines, 1 of them will let the valves hit the pistions. It would be good to see something that is firm on this point. Perhaps the LS guru Colin Barber can comment? I'm just guessing that you will be ok with the 240bhp motor, but the 261bhp will cause quite a bit of damage when a cam belt goes. My is due to be changed in 5,ooo miles and I'll be doing it myself, on the back of the lexls.com tutorials.

Any one know how to distinguish a 1st Generation engine (240 bhp) from a 2nd Generation engine (261bhp). Also what are the main difrerences and what main parts are swappable or unique? thanks for a quick answer.

Previus car of ours (Japanesse yes, but a micra) had a dent the size of a tennis ball at the front of the bonnet as it curves down to the bumper. Looked hideous, but "the dent magician" popped it out from inside the bonnet and it was a perfect repair. Chap said he did a hell of a lot of parking dents on doors for major garages, like bmw/jag/audi as well as ferrari. Only £49 and it just took him 20 minutes. see www.dentmagician.co.uk and they will make an appointment with your local magcian. The only provision is that the paint must not be cracked or broken in the first place.

ROYT, is that £150 each, or for all 3. Eitherway, does any one have a copy I could borrow or could they copy out the page(s) that explains how to remove the trim to remove the drivers seatbelt, thanks in advance. My belt is not retracting well at all.

Well done Justin, The plugs are burried in there somewhere, deep, I've not seen them either. how about removing the battery, or an ignition connection if you can see any, take a wheel off if it's off the road/garaged and leave the steering lock on, or remove some more fuses, just be carefull as some of the electronics might need resetting after. also, check with your currect insurer, assuming you will be using the same company for the lex, some will cover you for 2 cars for 2 weeks when you are between cars, so long as you dont change cars too often. Enjoy.

Colin, what price are the genuine manuals in the UK, or am I just as well of to ask my Dad to get me the AMerican ones next time he is in the USA, for £105? I was looking at : http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-OEM-F...itemZ7991496109 for $159 + $15 for shipping, about £105. This is for volumes I & II. Are there any other Lexus manuals I'll ned for the '95 LS400? I have seen a wiring manual and a suplimentary manual on ebay, somewhere? I also have access to a Mitchelss system, so wiring should be ok, fingers crossed. What sort of quality of information do they contain, I'm needing to remove some trim to look at why the drivers seat belt is not retracting very well? Perhaps some one has a copy and they could post a couple of pages??? Thanks Simon.

What manuals are available / best ? Well there is no Haynes workshop manual available, so I looked on ebay (UK & USA) there seems to be a selection of CD manuals, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lexus-Workshop-Manua...1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEXUS-Workshop-Manua...1QQcmdZViewItem As well as some Lexus manuals. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-OEM-F...sspagenameZWDVW (does not seem to include electrical wiring diagrams???) As I plan to keep the car (Mk III '95) for about 5 years, I'm happy to undertake most tasks (incl cam belts) but I really value a good book and wiring diagrams. Any comments and or reccomendations? Thanks in advance.

I paid that much for a 1995 MK III model, perfect body and full lexus sh. It was being moved on by an esat london trader who takes on all the trade-in cars from his local lexus dealers, as he was an ex-lexus salesman and knows all the dealers, so he said. Ask your local dealer what he does with the trade ins, perhaps they can let you know when a nice one comes in. I even got in touch with the previous owner, as his tel no was on a service receipt, and he only got £2800 as a trade in. If you are not in a rush you could get a good car. As Bristol is a big place I'm guessing there is a reasonable volume of cars about.