MotorDevil

Seems that it was built by a coachbuilder but with Lexus input, nice. Would be a pretty cool car to pick up when the Prince is done with it. 

https://www.motor1.com/news/27177/a-very-royal-lexus-ls-600h-l-landaulet-revealed-video/

I've read about this on the LS400, its the Idle Control Valve on the power steering hose/pump that goes bad and when it leaks it sucks fluid through the vacuum hoses and causes white smoke out the exhaust. If it gets really bad the leak will drop onto the alternator and cause issues.

It's number 2 issue mentioned here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-1st-and-2nd-gen-1990-2000/261358-the-first-gen-power-steering-bible.html

Dont know if its on the 430 though...would hope Lexus would have fixed it by then. 

Instrument Cluster needle repair (part 1)

So, the speedo and rev needle in the cluster were only half lit, rather annoying with the speedo especially as you have to take a second glance to be sure what speed you are doing:

I followed this lovely guide and I went about repair: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lighting/clusterneedlerepair.html

After taking it apart it was clear that the cluster had given some issues before, no surprise since it seems to be quite common. Hopefully it was the capacitors I should have to deal with that in the near future then!

Its quite awkward to apply the grease without making a mess but I managed to get some in there. You can see in this pic the needles are surrounded by a piece of black plastic (means the light from the needle looks sharp rather then glowing around the edges), however it started to crack and come off so had to stick it back on:

I had no way to test the unit when it was out of the car (12v source) and ran out of time today so stuck it all back together….and it now kind of works / flashes a bit. At least I know I'm doing the right thing. 

I’m going to pick up a 12v probe and then next weekend apply some more grease and it get it fully working before reassembly. I’ll put today down as progress at least 🙂

1 hour ago, Razor61 said:

£4,500, considering what has been done to the car as described, isn’t that bad but at the moment..........maybe not achievable. Worth a punt though and if you get it for half the reserve then it’s a good buy, you never know...............you have to be in it to win it😉

If your in it I hope you win it!!

2 Green LS400s just new on eBay today too, havent seen any new ones for weeks and now 3 in 2 days! 

Same colour combo as mine....it looks well 🥰

His put a lot of money into it, would love to see it get the reserve of 4500 but in the current market its highly unlikely I would think. Still looks a good buy for whoever gets it.

Price is on the high side...but it is one-off, plus from a little further investigation it looks like a genuine Lexus custom build which surely makes it worth a few more euros. 

Just seen this mentioned on Pistonheads. The ultimate LS maybe?

You'd really have to be driven in it rather then drive it to get the most from it. I wonder how the handling is effected with the extra length just added into the middle of it.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/LEXUS-LS-400-LONG-/283866588383?fbclid=IwAR3alhNN5cCB4HwLrQQ-uJSl6yy0vKyNH5Aly_fzx8G8OPTsYeXIeg6CkAo

I read about the PCV for the LS400 after reading such threads (American forum obsessions).....checked it and all working fine, a small bit dirty but nothing to stop it working in anyway so cleaned it up and plugged it back in. I wouldnt bother ordering a replacement until you check your own but would think its perfectly fine. 

Attached is the full brochure.

I think the equipment list above is more comprehensive. 

IS300h preFacelift (UK).pdf

This might help, have the full brochure if you need it too:

Are they DHP wheels?

Looks too far gone going by the look of the doors and sill, pity. 

Read this thread a few weeks back and thought to myself I better check this....when I was out at the car today it popped into my head...and low and behold the same had happened. Thanks @Razor61 Fixed up now, will keep an eye on it.

Had a look at the EGR filter today...and its pretty bad, past the point of cleaning so need to try get a new one. Lexus only sell the complete part with the valve. Anyone know where / what kind of material would be handy that I could cut to size?

Great updates, keep them coming, always nice to see a car being freshened up and great pictures to show the work and give other a good guide too. 

That looks like a great project to have and nothing there that should put you off  and a lot of quick wins with just some elbow grease needed.

Will you have a go at the timing belt yourself?

So you think there's a risk in taking off the moulding?...from what I've seen so far there is little to no corrosion and the area around the moulding looks very good, just has some muck stuck between it and the arch. 

Any idea what type of silicone I would need if I to reassemble it?

Thanks @ambermarine, have ordered one with the grommets so will have a go at fitting when it arrives.

Successfully fitted some new bonnet struts, had to get the dremel out to remove the bolts from the old ones, must have been the original struts. 

In the meantime I started to clean out the muck from underneath the rear arches. I noticed where the rear bumper meets the arch there is some more muck jammed between, so will have a look at removing the rear bumper next time to give all that a clean out. Bumper looks tricky to remove (had a quick look and some rusty looking nuts present), would also like to remove the moulding behind the rear door too, will check out how that pulls off.

Welcome Sandy, looks like a nice example, only picked up mine earlier this year and delighted with it 

So my LS update status:

My electric antenna wasnt working, the previous owner had mentioned this. When I took it apart it had been replaced my just a normal antenna that you pull up, it worked but I really wanted it as per OEM that it goes up and down with the radio. I sourced a fully working antenna and motor (from Daveyboy20 on here who was breaking his later model LS400, thanks David!). The frame that attaches to the body inside the car is different so I swaped over all the bits to the frame I have and plugged it all in and works, perfect. However, the rubber mounting at the top of the antenna that stops water getting into the car, its a different fitting, which I really should have guessed. Anyway, the fitting I have wont work, and the fitting on the new antenna wont fit either. So I need to source the rubber mounting for a Gen 1 car, which is near impossible. I was thinking about buying one of those cheap antennas on eBay that come with the various different rubber fittings.....what are the chances of one of them working? See example below.

I also noticed the speedo needles are not lit up all the way, so another issue added to my list. Seen some DIYs on how to fix them, looks manageable I think....

Where does this guy keep getting all the Lexus cars from?

This might also help, first is 2013 specification, the 2nd is from 2014 when the Exec Ed was introduced.

It would be nice to get OEM from Amayama, just will get done for the customs duty too. 

@The-Acre Any particular ones from RockAuto you can recommended? Seems to be RAYBESTOS / MEVOTECH / MOOG / ACDELCO / PROFORGED?

Or does it really matter, your taking a chance with any non-oem parts.

@steve2006 Good call on the trim pieces and arch lips, definatly something thats need to be done.

Took the wheels off today to look at the suspension, lots of muck in the arches as previous owner lived on a farm.

All looks OK except for the rear drop links, I was able to move this by hand which I would imagine isn't good. Need to go find some parts now. 

Sorry for the bad picture angle but you can see the sway bar and link here which is easy to move.

Would it be worth restting the ECU to see if that clears anything?

Could be a bad ground maybe too?