Razor61

I would guess one or more of the bushes are split/cracked and there is movement in the bush causing the squeaking and lube works cures it for a short while. New arms or new bushes is the only answer in my opinion. New arms will come with new ball joints of course, I wouldn't want to go through all the work of removing the arms, installing new bushes and refitting them only to find the ball joints need doing after a while. Just my view of course.

Contact Lexus Bolton - talk to Darren Manning and get a price - book it in - drive down to Bolton - drop car off - stay in a hotel or B&B for a day or two - pick the car up when it’s all done and drive home happy. If you do that, I’ll meet up with you and go for a beer or two in Bolton😉

Have a look at this, and it’s in English not single or double Dutch🤣 I bought a fully assembled programming device rather than a diy one, nothing wrong with that by the way and I could build one no problem. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/diy-immobilizer-hacking-for-lost-keys-or-swapped-ecu.1306497/#post-10860457 Basically, all that stuff is to reset the immobiliser/chip to ‘factory’ settings, for want of a better expression, with no ‘keys’ stored ready for new keys to be programmed to the car/immobiliser. Simple thing in theory but not in reality, simple with £1000’s of fancy equipment but the same can be said of a lot of things. Thinking about it all again, if I can retrieve and save the immobiliser ‘key’ data from the existing ECU without removing the tiny ‘chip’, then I could simply ‘clone’ or ‘write’ the ‘key’ data from my existing ECU to the new ECU. I’ll experiment on the replacement ECU and retrieve the ‘key’ data then take it from there.

EEPROM programmer delivered today, looks a nice piece of kit, and some standard 8 pin IC sockets for the dash mileage EEPROM. Just waiting for other bits, blank 93C56 EEPROM's for the IMMO to practice with, workstation magnifying glass so I can see the small IMMO EEPROM if I need to remove it, solder paste, good quality solder wick, flux pen and some flux remover/cleaner (leaving flux residue can cause corrosion) I also ordered a lot of caps from DigiKey (bought in lots of 10 in most cases), enough to do a few Mk4 and MK1 ECU's (I have a Mk1 ECU from when I was thinking of buying a Mk1 a while ago) and a few Mk2 and Mk3 probably. Sounds extravagant but for the cost of them versus shipping cost, it was worth buying a lot. After I have a play with the programmer and blank 93C56 EEPROM's...........the plan is: Have a go at reading the IMMO EEPROM on the board - if that is successful I'll save a dump file of the data - reprogram the EEPROM to reset/virginize it - read and save this new reset/virginized dump file - replace all the caps - fit ECU to the car - connect battery - add my existing keys in programming mode (if it works) and see what happens. If I can't connect to the IMMO EEPROM on the board, I'll remove it, stick it in the programmer and carry on as above. If it all goes well, the car starts and runs for a while with no issues etc, I'll swop the original ECU into the car and make sure everything works as it did before and the keys still work. If that is also ok, I'll put the replacement ECU back in and replace the caps on the original ECU. Then swop them around again so the original is back in the car with new caps and the VIN is correct. That's the plan but may be subject to change and include a lot of frustration along the way😃

Piece of 3 x 2 is what I use and the same method. When I did the front discs and pads a few weeks ago I jacked the front up, put all the axles stands in place then realised I hadn’t loosened the wheel nuts. Nobody to help and stand on the brakes so out came the piece of 3 x 2, works a treat.

Correct, there is an EEPROM on the cluster for the mileage. I swopped out my cluster cos of a faulty temp gauge but retained the main board so mileage was correct. I've decided to have a go at reprogramming the immo EEPROM on the spare ECU and have a go at the mileage EEPROM on a spare cluster I have, mileage can be edited but takes a bit of working out which bits of data need amending. Its is possible though. There is a nice piece of kit from Autel for this, XP400 Pro, but it's £500 or £1600 for the XP400 Pro and the fancy key programming tablet/tool to make things easier. Way to much money for what I want. Found a decent EEPROM programmer that will do the job I think, there are lots on eBay but they need 'altering' for the EEPROM type used in automotive - didn't fancy that and I wanted a complete device rather than bits of circuit board, adapters and wires. I can either use the connecting 'clip' to attach to the chip on the board or remove it and plug it nicely into the socket on the EEPROM programmer. I'll give it all a try when it arrives and report back if I'm successful or not. This is the one I bought plus the clip and a couple of other 'plug in' chip sockets.

Thought about Lexus and they could probably do it, if I dismantle the glove boxes to get access and take the car in with the replacement ECU the cost may not be too great. I’ll find out. Specialist is another option of course but I’d rather do it myself if possible and then I could repeat the process for someone else if needed. Been in touch with Relentless Motorsports in Texas and they can either remove the immobiliser (another option) or reset the ECU, at the same do the caps as well. Just waiting for a price. There will be someone in the UK that could probably do the same as well.

As a lot of people are already aware there is/can be an issue with the ECU on the LS400 with leaking capacitors causing strange issues. In the worse case damaged circuit boards which can render the ECU duff/bad/unusable. This seems to affect the earlier mk1/2/3 but can affect the Mk4 LS400 apparently although not as much, but I suspect this is just down to the age of the car/ECU or maybe the capacitor issue was rectified on the MK4. For the earlier mk1/2/3 another 'good' or refurbished ECU with new capacitors can simply be installed and all is good, I know this is definitely the case with the Mk3 from personal experience. For the MK4 ECU it's a different story, if you don't have an original master key for that particular ECU. The MK4 ECU has the EEPROM Chip or EEPROM IC (IC900 I believe) for the immobiliser on the ECU itself and this stores the 'key' information. An EEPROM is a 'electrically erasable programmable read-only memory'. This means that after swopping the ECU the car won't start because the replacement ECU knows nothing about your original keys which are programmed to your original ECU and therefore the car is immobilised. Because of the capacitor issue I bought another ECU for my 1998 LS400 just after I purchased the car 17 months ago with the idea of replacing all the capacitors so it's good for the future but I didn't realise about the immobiliser thing at the time. After some research I found 2 x possible methods/solutions for this. Method 1 - if you are good with a soldering iron or know someone who is, you can swop the 8 pin immobiliser EEPROM chip/IC (IC900) from your original ECU, install into the replacement ECU and all should be good. Method 2 - reprogram the EEPROM chip/IC (IC900) on the replacement ECU and 'zero' all the data for any key codes stored and the virginize key entries (leave the valet key lockout code) effectively all zero except the valet key lockout entries - this 'virginizes' the immobiliser/ECU and puts the immobiliser/ECU into programming mode ready to accept new keys. This method is involved and you need to remove the chip (ideally), connect to an EEPROM programmer, download and save the current data to a file using software, edit the data, write/upload the new data to the EEPROM, resolder the EEPROM chip to the circuit board and it should work ok. Once you refit the ECU there is a procedure for programming the keys one by one until 3 new keys are programmed. First 2 are master keys and third key programmed is designated as the valet key. Or upload the data from the working ECU EEPROM and write it to the replacement ECU EEPROM, probably the better option. Has anyone on here attempted either of these methods or have any advice, particularly method 2, and maybe have information on what EEPROM programmer to purchase to do the job? I believe the EEPROM programmer needs to be able to program 93xx/95xx series 5v EEPROM used in the automotive industry. I've no doubt I can do method 1 and swop the EEPROM but I'd prefer to reprogram the EEPROM on the spare ECU I have if possible, I don't want to end up with 2 x ECU's which won't work.

I would normally have used OEM Lexus shocks, few reasons why I didn’t. 1 - around £1k for all 4 at UK prices and with everything else I bought it was a step too far I felt when KYB are apparently the OEM manufacturer. Although the OEM version may be a bit different. 2 - looked into Amayama as usual. Rears were available from Japan at around £220 delivered plus taxes etc. Fronts from UAE were £420 delivered plus taxes etc. Not far off UK prices in the end. That left aftermarket in the UK, I could have used Sachs, Monroe, Bilstein or something else and I even thought about complete Gabriel struts from Rock Auto. In the end I bought all 4 KYB for around £350, I could more or less buy another 2 sets of 4 for the price of a set of 4 OEM if they didn’t last another 60k miles. The ride is spot on as far as I’m concerned and certainly not ‘odd’, I would notice anything weird or something not right. Maybe other aftermarket brands coupled with worn suspension can cause an ‘odd’ ride. Can’t say if new OEM shocks would be better than KYB but the way it rides now is a vast improvement over the knackered OEM shocks, that is for sure.

General opinion is 100k miles or 160k kilometres, by that time they are normally way past their best. Of course this depends on the manufacturer and quality, some shocks will last a long time without showing signs of leaks or being ‘blown’ which is picked up at MOT or service time but internally they won’t be great. They may look ok but do they function as they should, that is the question considering they are a very important part of the car. It’s not an exact science, mileage alone isn’t a guide in itself and depends where, how the car is driven and how hard the shocks have been working over their life. Manufacturers will err on the side of caution and specify 50-60k miles for replacement to try and cover everything. A bit of research on the Internet will help, what shock absorbers do and how they work, signs of worn shocks, what are the effects of worn shocks while driving, to mention a few topics.

I should clarify that I mean the standard/normal type of shocks not air-suspension.

In the LS400 workshop manual😉

After all the suspension work I've done on my 98 LS400 and replacing the shocks with KYB, I thought I'd share my experience and, in my opinion, how to tell if shocks are on their way out or not working as they should. I replaced the rear shocks/mounts etc a few weeks ago (fronts about 8 months ago) and the weekend just gone I visited my son in St Andrews. The smooth, relatively pot hole free 'A' roads round St Andrews are a good test of how a car handles and after doing some spirited but sensible driving, I'm very happy at the difference. Before I would not feel safe going into/round bends at a 'normal' ish speed because of the rear rolling too much imo, now though the car handles far better and I have confidence that I don't need to slow right down for bends. I'm talking about normal/slightly spirited driving not crazy driving. I didn't expect a 98 LS400 to handle like a Go Kart but at the same time I expected better. Of course I have never driven a brand new LS400 so I don't have a reference, but I believe the car now handles as it should and is as close to a new LS400 as I'm going to get. The information below is only my opinion, which is based on my experience over the years on various cars. I view the shock absorbers in the same way as the brakes, they need to be in good condition and working well and is all part of the safety aspect. When I buy a used car - check brakes first and sort them out if needed, second check shocks and sort them out if needed, then check the suspension arms/bushes etc and sort them out if needed. So how do you know if the shocks are on their way out and not working as they should? Can you really tell if the shock absorbers need replacing by simply bouncing the car? Unless they are absolutely shot and doing hardly anything at all or they are obviously leaking fluid, I don't think you can tell properly. Imho you can tell if the shocks are not working as well as they should when driving and only know for sure the actual state of them once the shocks are off the car and tested. However, shock absorbers wear just like the rest of the suspension, some makes of shock absorbers last longer that others but they will wear and lose their effectiveness eventually and gradually. Long term owners probably do not notice the gradual wear/reduction in performance and compensate accordingly, this becomes 'normal'. I’ve been told lots of times that the shocks are fine after a lot of miles, 150k, 200k, 250k, but are they ‘fine’? or is it that the owner has owned and driven the car for so long they have worn gradually and the owner 'thinks' they are ok. My Dad’s 2004 Mercedes C230k is a prime example, he bought it at 70k I think. Fast forward to 140k which was 2 years ago and I drove the car one day and thought the suspension is worn and the shocks are pretty bad. Do I mention it to my Dad and risk upsetting him? Of course I had to mention it and was the right thing to do, answer was - ‘nothing wrong, it feels fine to me’ but I knew it wasn’t. Long story short, he had his suspension rebuilt with new shocks and mounts etc etc etc, I did the front and his local garage did the rear. To quote my Dad, ‘It drives like a new car, you were right. I didn’t realise it was so bad, car drives better and feels safer/solid, easier to drive and doesn’t roll about’.

Maybe this

Back up for sale: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145029372439

Hi John, £160 for the pair from Parts in Motion via eBay.

Thank you Malc, it was a job I was putting off but glad I did it. Took the car for a few miles drive along some twisty bits of road and the body roll at the rear has gone. Threw it from side to side while driving as well, nobody behind of course, and it feels miles better. Before you could feel the body roll a lot at the rear. Top mounts looked fine to me and the bump stops were fine as well, insulators were goosed with the bottom few inches had detached. I should have taken a video of the new shock v old shock when compressed to see the difference. I have take videos of the old shocks though and you can see they have lost their performance. Probably not the most technical of test though but gives some idea. One is worse than the other. A new shock takes quite a lot of force to depress the shaft into the shock body and it then moves out quite quickly with force. The better of the two, decent amount of pressure needed to compress the shock but should need more and it does move out again although not as fast or with as much pressure as it should have. IMG_2322.mov The worse one of the two, very little force needed to compress and after compression the shaft just stayed there and would stay there. Maybe it would eventually come back out. IMG_2321.mov

On a roll over the holidays, replaced the rear shocks, top mounts, insulators and bump stops this morning. All OEM apart from the shocks which are KYB to match the fronts. I had put off this job because I’d read that it’s a pain removing the rear struts, needing to compress the springs on the car to remove the strut. After watching a YouTube video using ‘the method’ for doing this, it turns out it’s a load of hogwash. There is no need whatsoever to compress the spring on the car to remove the strut. All that is needed is to remove the bottom shock bolt, knock the shock off the hub, remove the top mount nuts (if not removed already), push down on the hub so you can lower the strut enough so the top mount studs clear the fixing holes, rotate 90 degrees, lower the bottom of the strut into the gap between the suspension arms, tilt towards you and remove. Absolute piece of cake and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. Invest in a white paint marker pen and mark everything on the existing strut while on the car to make things easier later on for alignment. Once the struts are off the car the tricky bit is aligning the shock, spring and top mounts so it’s in alignment to fit back on the car. I can’t document exactly how to do this but you need to use your noggin, comparing the strut you removed with the alignment marks and transpose them to the new shock and top mount. If you have no idea how to do this type of thing then don’t attempt it. Having an impact wrench on the spring compressors helps with reassembling the struts, the strut doesn’t move as much. Release the spring compressors gradually while checking the alignment is correct and adjust as needed. You can always compress the springs again and redo it. Getting the bottom of the shock to fit back in the hub isn’t straightforward because the bottom mount is not square to the shock. I found the best way is to push down on the hub and get the shock started at the back into the hub - aligned as best you can, using a mallet so as not to damage the new strut whack on the bottom ‘eye’ mount bit to get it into the mount. It won’t be perfectly aligned but it’s in. Then using a round tapering pry bar inserted through the mounting, jiggle it about to align it so the bolt will go through completely or about 2 inch, then tap the bolt with a mallet or hammer to get the both through. Putting the rear seats back in was a a pain because I was knackered, body was complaining and getting cramp in legs and fingers. Job for tomorrow was going to be the engine mounts, had a enough for a few days - my old body needs time to recover. Maybe a job for Monday😀

New discs and pads replaced this morning using new pad fitting kit and anti squeal shims. All Lexus OEM stuff I bought over 12 months ago. New discs and pads had been fitted by the previous owner but they were not OEM, the anti squeal shims and the spacer bracket things were missing. Intention was to leave the brakes until they really needed replacing. However, a few months after I bought the car there was a slight judder braking from motorway speeds. This seemed to disappear after a few weeks but over the last 6 weeks I had a pulsing brake pedal at low speeds when coming to a stop. Also, and this has always been the case since I bought the car especially after washing the car, when reversing off the drive you can feel and hear the front pads moving and clunking. Probably due to the spacer bracket things missing. Time to fit the new discs, pads and fitting kit etc and check the caliper pistons are ok cos it could have been that causing the pulsing. More common on floating/sliding calipers though. Pistons were fine, looked very good with very little rust on the piston front edges. Took me about 4 hours really taking my time, cleaning everything and applying the correct brake grease in the correct places. Working out where and how the anti squeal plates fit took a while to make sure I got it correct, workshop manual helps of course but still needs some brain power. Took the car for a short run, brakes are smooth as silk now and pads do not move when reversing. The brakes were fine before regarding stopping power. Even after just a short drive and before the discs/pads have bedded in, the difference is big. If anyone is thinking of replacing their discs and pads etc with aftermarket ( which I don’t do, I inherited after market discs and pads on the car), my advice is don’t……………use Lexus OEM stuff. The OEM discs and pads are not more expensive than decent aftermarket stuff but the pad fitting kit and anti squeal shims will add £100 to the cost if they are missing or not reusable.

I remember the price being £8.5k and now it’s £8,990, does any else remember what the price ‘was’ before? Or am I mistaken?

Solenoid is £119.58 from Amayama and filter is £36.28 so about £180 delivered plus any customs fees. Price excluding shipping is £155.86, I think customs charges etc are charged above £150 so there may be some charges. Plus the Toyota FIPG, Form in place Gasket, for the pan. Didn't know what FIPG meant until I googled it today, you learn something new every day!! and also some ATF - £50 from LPD for 5 litres. Price for the solenoid in the UK from a Lexus dealer...........................3 - 4 times the price or maybe more going off the solenoid below - 35270-30030 - on LPD at £407.86, it's for the same gearbox and is £84.27 from Amayama. https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-gs-phase-2-shift-solenoid/ Also the video below shows how a guy fixed a solenoid (I think it is 'the' solenoid) on his car, dry joint on a connection inside the solenoid which explains the intermittent nature of the issue. https://youtu.be/Tz_gjj4Jdq0

What about this? This is for the A650E gearbox that is fitted. Looks like it’s up side down compared to the parts list diagram but which solenoid is which can be figured out I think. Going off the videos I’ve seen, where the solenoid is located in the videos and cross referencing the parts diagram with the TSB below, this is the one required I think - 35230-30010 01 07.2001 SOLENOID ASSY, TRANSMISSION 3WAY, NO.2 JCE10 https://at-manuals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/manuals/Manual A650E.pdf

I'll second that👌

That sounds suspiciously like the ignition switch issue which can affect the MK4 LS400.

Is it the one in this video? If it is, the part number is shown in the video. https://youtu.be/ywmd4jF-NBo