MUDGUTS

There are two ways to look at the initial cost: Search for a MK 4 LS400, which do appear to have quite a good reputation but may seem overpriced next to a newer LS430 or Search for an LS430 and maintain a 'War Chest' for problems that you may encounter, so things that would not crop up on a MK 4. Next time I change my car I'll be going for the latter approach, and if not a LS430, a Bentley, as in my opinion, they are probably the only thing that would beat LS ownership.

This topic (not the bit about Insurance) interests me. I am slowly looking for a replacement for my 1997 LS400. I think the very last of the LS430s would be best for me. The earlier 430s don't look so good and I would also hope that by then end of that production, it would be similar to the 400, in that all of the problems are sorted. I would be interested in other opinions...

Update: I pulled fuses for: HEATER FUEL OPN FR CIG PANEL This seemed to work, as the temp indicated was now more realistic, One thing that did happen though was the 'Front' LED on the climate control panel was flashing when I switched the Ignition back on. After I pressed a few buttons on the panel it all came to life. I then tidied up the insulation on the sensor etc., looked again and the temp was -3, so I had to go through the whole re-set again. Now it seems to be working OK but I guess the sensor is on its way out. Thanks for your help guys. In order for folk to find this fix in the future I'll post this reply on both UK and USA / Canada forums and link to each. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=72485&st=0&gopid=449005entry449005

Thanks guys, i have posted this on teh USA and Canada forums. It lloks like there are 4 fuses related to the A/C I should try pulling to reset. If that fails, I'll be looking for another sensor.

Hi, looking for a little help with this: Recently the readings went far too low, even earlier today it read 4 when it must be much warmer than that. I have located the sensor and disconnected it but now the reading is -30 and even after pluggging the sensor back in it reads the same, shorting the connections changes nothing. My questions are: Will this affect anything else on the car? Does the system need re-setting? Is a reading of -30 an open circuit or short? Thanks in advance

I think the answer is that Lexus, having proved themselves with the LS400, diversified with the Is, etc. and lost touch. I will be running my LS400 for a while yet but when the time comes, I wonder if I would be better off buying a Bentley and being happy to spend the money on it when required. It's a lot more to buy and run a Bentley but next time around I think I can justify that.

Well Gents, time limitations led me to carry on with the 2 litre changes. I managed to get enough changed by doing this 5 or so times a few hundred miles apart to have 68% of the fluid new now. I used just under 10 Litres of Type 4. It's running really well, despite that problem at 4000 RPM. I have done over 7000 miles in it.

Well, no news is good news. I have done nearly 5000 miles in this car since purchase and also sold the registration for £500, which has helped with the spend so far. I have found some more info on Lextreme: Also: I found some other info on Just Answer here. The tech mentions: My car is a 1997 and I have a round port in the drivers footwell and a rectangular one under the bonnet. I would like to buy a fault code reader but which one should I get? Could I connect my car up to a laptop? I have been checking for codes by connecting Te1 and e1 in the round port, (none are showing). As always any contributions welcome

Hello again, I have spoken to the local tyre depot and have ben advised to get Dunlop 235 / 45 / 17 (£120 fully fitted). What I am interested in is owners views of tyres noise. These are a little bigger so may help with the ride but I don't want to spend nearly £500 if they are more noisy. Currently the car has Kumho on the front and a brand like 'Sport-One' / 'Achilles' on the back (in other words cheapos).

Well, I ended up just driving the car up onto two large bricks, the extra 4 inches or so it raised the car was enough for me to reach the Transmission drain plug. I drained about 2.5 litres out and remembering that last time I checked the fluid level it seemed a bit high, I replaced only 2.3 litres. I checked the level after a drive and it's OK but I guess still a little on the high side. The condition of the fluid was not so good. I would describe it as the colour of molasses or strong black coffee. I'll do another drain and fill in a few hundred miles and maybe continue the process a few more times. It was very easy.

Has anyone experience of changing the transmission fluid using a Pela Oil Extractor through the dipstick? Pela Oil Extractor Pump I have been thinking about replacing some of the fluid by draining and re-filling. However this means getting underneath the car and messing around more than I would like as I can't get to the transmission drain plug without putting the car on ramps. It's not the end of the world but I was wondereing if a Pela Pump might make the job easier. Also There is the option of running the car for a few seconds to fill the sump again then sucking some more out. That may mean getting more than 2 litres out on one go.

'shift control module'...Is this a component on the Mark 3? I would like to have it checked if so, I have an unusual issue with mine (details here). Maybe there might be some info that could help you. Having said that yours is a 430. It does sound firmly like you have an issue with the transmission itself. Good luck with it.

Well Sir John, as you may know, I have spent quite a lot on mine recently, straight after purchase. I keep a spreadsheet of exactly what I spend and the SS tells me (after I update the date and and current mileage: Current months of ownership Total cost so far Total spent so far Cost per mile since purchase Average running cost per year (excluding depreciation) I did a similar thing when I had my old BMW 525. I ran this on a shoe-string until the engine failed and that cost me around £70 on average per month to run over 21 months. Doing something like this can put costs into perspective, so if for example the car has been reasonably good to run over a few years, then maybe you can justify spending a few hundred, as that may only put up the AVERAGE cost by a small amount. Quite a lot of folk forget about things like depreciation and focus on what the car has cost recently. I guess you have had yours a while so that's not a factor. While I'm on the subject: I can remember folk droning on about the fantastic MPG they were getting from their VW Golf Diesels when they became popular. They were totally discounting the depreciation and the servicing costs, plus sooner or later they would fill it with petrol and wreck the engine. One has to be aware of the bigger picture... Personally, if you can get another year out of it for less than, say £900, that is only £75 per month.

Was tinkering today and discovered this: ...fitted inside my LS 400 grill. It is held in place by six clips (see pic). To remove it you must first remove the clips by sliding them away and then remove one screw either side of the inside of the grill to loosen it. By slightly bending the cover, it is possible to slide it first one way, then the other, to remove it. I guess this was a mod to cars exported to cooler countries to slightly reduce airflow over the radiatior. Has anyone else seen this and removed of even fitted one?

Worth a try but I think you would have heard it pinking when you floor it, if it was that? It makes no sound other than the normal, so I don't think it is pinking when it limits itself. Just checked the fault codes today and there are none. I have done around 3000 miles in this baby now and have come to the conclusion I am going to have to live with this. I'll get the plugs changed next month (these have been previously eliminated) and have given it an oil and filter change, so it's in good shape. It has a slight popping from the exhaust which hopefully I will get looked at at the same time.

Wow Mike, this sounds even worse than my saga, here One thing that has suprised me is that there seems to be no way of working out what these engines are actually doing in real time by plugging into the ECU. Does any car have such a facility? Why does it seem to be trial and error? The worst culprit in my eyes was the Lexus dealer who were totally clutching at straws telling me the car was 'coked up'. I really expected them to be able to fix my problem. Good luck anyway.

...Just one thing, I have thought of is a faulty Knock Sensor?

Thanks for the contributions Gents. GEN has a point, this car cost less than £900 but I have spent another £1400 or so just trying to diagnose what the fault is. Having said that, the car is in very good condition, there are no knocks, bumps or problems with the suspension, it drives straight, etc. Some of this money has been spent on replacing faulty components such as Oxy Sensors and cleaning out throttle body, EGR system, etc. Also the Rotor Arms, Distributor Caps and HT leads have all been replaced. Four things are remaining to fix: Loose wiper blades (require a new motor and will eventually get around to replacing this but can live with it) I need to re-fit one of the headlamp washers (just requires a little time) The radio lights need replacing (been quoted £70, once radio is removed, which I can do) The Drivers heated seat doesn't work (this I can live with) Other than that lot, I can service it or have an independant do some of this. On the drive back last night I learnt that I can probably adapt my driving style to get around this problem: By using the ECT Power mode and knocking the overdrive off by using '3' rather than 'D' I can get this car to give adequate performance. Once I get a chance I will be looking at the Gearbox conections though, as I think this is pretty much the end of the line as far as enquiries go. Once that is eliminated I'll probably live with it until I change for a LS 430.

Thanks for this info ambermarine. Mine has no O/D light or switch but you can drive it with the O/D off by moving the shift lever from D to 3. I did another check today for fault codes but there were none. What I can try is the procedure above but using D and 3 rather than O/D on or off (my car doesn't have this switch). Something else a bit weird to report: I sat in the car today and it still has the same behaviour but now the limit seems to be 4400. I have a couple of long motorway journeys tomorow, so will try a few things. Also I have some ramps so next time I am off I'm going to check the wiring and plugs to the gearbox as far as I can.

Thanks Baz, I checked for error codes the day after I got it back but there were none. So it's not producing any but will regularly check this. When you hit the 4000 rpm limit, there are no warnings or flashes. ...However, if (whilst driving) you slip it into N you can rev past 4000. If you then put it into D the limit seems to be there and it slows down until it reaches the speed it would be at that RPM, then just sits there. Will give this another go though. When I checked the Transmission fluid yesterday (all warmed up after a drive, cycled through the gears and left it in P with the engine running, etc.) the level was right up to the top of the HOT mark, in fact, over that part of the dipstick and slightly onto the cable. So it's not low on fluid. Will try the rev-up and floor the throttle routine tonight, to see if it still drops to 4000 RPM. Hi Mudguts Waited to hear how your diagnosis went after my last post on this subject,I suggested then there may be a problem with the information transmitted between the engine and gearbox within the ECU ,Having read your post this morning I now feel your problem still lies in the Gearbox and could be related to back pressure readings from the transmission fluid sensors .It sounds like the ECU is receiving info from the gearbox that is instructing the engine to go to safe mode,This is the mode that prevents damage occuring in the gearbox after a working part as failed, it normally puts the car in second gear and does not allow it to change up so a limited progress can still be made,although this is not the exact scenario the fact you can rev beyond 4000 revs when in neutral leads the cause to the gearbox and the information it is transmitting. I had a similar problem when I first bought my car and the second gear solenoid failed and it would not rev up beyond 4000 revs and would not change up. It might be a faulty solenoid as they work with the back pressure within the gearbox to gain the optimum moment to facilitate a smooth gearchange. Have you tried the diagnostic codes for the Gearbox as you will get these showing any faults on the electrical curcuit within the gearbox. These are read through the ect light on the dash. Thanks for the input Gents, I will digest this all tomorrow. One thing I plan to do is have a look at as much of the wiring and plugs connected to the gearbox as I can get to. On the drive home tonight I tried putting the car in '3' and easing it up past 4000 RPM, which it did. It then did something really weird: If I just slowly accelerated, it did just that but if I pushed the throttle pedal harder, it was like it cut the fuel off, it was as if it was working in reverse... As far as the diagnostic codes for the gearbox go, I connected Te1 and E1 in the small round socket in the drivers footwell, the result was the check engine and ECT Power lights just flash on-off-on-off with no codes.

Thanks Baz, I checked for error codes the day after I got it back but there were none. So it's not producing any but will regularly check this. When you hit the 4000 rpm limit, there are no warnings or flashes. ...However, if (whilst driving) you slip it into N you can rev past 4000. If you then put it into D the limit seems to be there and it slows down until it reaches the speed it would be at that RPM, then just sits there. Will give this another go though. When I checked the Transmission fluid yesterday (all warmed up after a drive, cycled through the gears and left it in P with the engine running, etc.) the level was right up to the top of the HOT mark, in fact, over that part of the dipstick and slightly onto the cable. So it's not low on fluid. Will try the rev-up and floor the throttle routine tonight, to see if it still drops to 4000 RPM.

'Plenty of fluid', won't do, must be exact level! Should be pink,if it smells burnt or is very brown replace it. There is a linkage connected to the gear lever, look underneath while someone moves the lever and confirm it is connected and moves through all the positions. When in N the car should not start, if it does, the alignment for the inhibitor switch is wrong. The throttle cable setting is also important as the throttle position switch changes voltage as speed rises. If none of this is any use, the trans. has it's own diagnostic system and may show up some code. There are solenoids controlling the transmission as well as fluid pressure etc., complicated!! This thread may shed some light on my cars issue: here "When in N the car should not start, if it does, the alignment for the inhibitor switch is wrong." My car starts in 'N' Is the inhibitor switch easy to check?

Well, there is nothing wrong with that engine. It's been with Thor Racing at Coventry, who have gone well above the call of duty and comprehensively checked out the engine and systems. Just about everything has been checked and analysed, most of the list below re-checked and also: Ignitor swapped for a known servicable unit, same with the ECU, Throttle Position Sensor, Fuel pump and control, etc. Time was running out, so I have the car back now and will run it for a while. One last theory is that the car seems to go into a self imposed limit of 4000 RPM. The tech at Thor and I (whilst on the way home), note that when the throttle is floored and the car reaches this 4000 RPM limit, moving the shift lever has no effect, I had it in 'D' '3' 'L' and even 'N' whilst it kept driving along. As soon as you lift off and it comes out of this region, you can move the shift lever and the box shifts accordingly. The updated list is below of things already checked / to check: Already checked: Exhaust & Catalytic Converters checked Valve timing checked EGR valve cleaned & checked, pipes also checked Throttle Body & Plenum Chamber cleaned Distributor Caps, Rotor Arms & HT Leads replaced (Old Spark plugs were not suspect so replaced after new ones tried) Engine sensor connections checked Gearbox shift position sensor (confident this isn't at fault) Fault code 21 cleared with new Oxy Sensor Fault code 28 cleared with new Oxy Sensor Throttle position sensor checked MAF Sensor unpugged: Check engine light is on, engine runs rough and won't rev up much Battery off for 30+ mins: Was disconnected at the dealers Air Filter replaced MAF Sensor (another one tried), this would be the third on the car A temp sensor or faulty water pressure cap (I'll discount these as just about everything like this has been checked now) Coil Packs ECU To Check: Gearbox

Yep, I posted the details up yesterday, there must be somebody who can shed some light on this. The LOC (USA & Canada) thread is here.

For those still following this saga: The latest is that the techs are down to an ECU issue or some kind of fault with the gearbox and kick-down switch / sensor / wiring. The updated list is below of things already checked / to check: Already checked: Exhaust & Catalytic Converters checked Valve timing checked EGR valve cleaned & checked Throttle Body & Plenum Chamber cleaned Distributor Caps, Rotor Arms & HT Leads replaced (Old Spark plugs were not suspect so replaced after new ones tried) Engine sensor connections checked Gearbox shift position sensor (confident this isn't at fault) Fault code 21 cleared with new Oxy Sensor Fault code 28 cleared with new Oxy Sensor Throttle position sensor checked MAF Sensor unpugged: Check engine light is on, engine runs rough and won't rev up much Battery off for 30+ mins: Was disconnected at the dealers Air Filter replaced MAF Sensor (another one tried), this would be the third on the car A temp sensor or faulty water pressure cap (I'll discount these as just about everything like this has been checked now) Coil Packs To Check: ECU A new theory: Some kind of fault with the gearbox and kick-down switch / sensor / wiring