12 year old Ls 460 gearbox issue

Malc · January 18, 2019

guys, today I bumped into a gentleman in the local car park sporting a very fine looking silver Ls460

Urged him to join the forum F16LEX

He's just coughed up @£3k for the failed gearbox issue ( reconditioning ) following the darned radiator pipes leaking and doing it's destructive worst

he had exactly the same happen on his past Ls430 but didn't appreciate the same could happen with his Ls460

so all you guys with a Ls460 .................. please take care

Malc

cruisermark · January 18, 2019

Not good news

The-Acre · January 18, 2019

1 hour ago, Malc said:

guys, today I bumped into a gentleman in the local car park sporting a very fine looking silver Ls460

Urged him to join the forum F16LEX

He's just coughed up @£3k for the failed gearbox issue ( reconditioning ) following the darned radiator pipes leaking and doing it's destructive worst

he had exactly the same happen on his past Ls430 but didn't appreciate the same could happen with his Ls460

so all you guys with a Ls460 .................. please take care

Malc

Thanks for the info, it's the first 460 I've heard about with this problem. I think I may just order a new radiator next week!

RgrWynne · January 18, 2019

I think more than anything it highlights the importance of a full service history, whereby for example anti freeze is changed as per service requirements. I took the precaution of changing my radiator with an original lexus part but found no evidence of any corrosion . My indie thought I was nuts, and although it does give me peace of mind, because there was a full service history, I probably need not have worried ........but I guess do we really know.

What I do know though is that I am told there are signs that something is not right before disaster , so if things feel strange , immediately stop and do not drive.

Really sorry about your situation , cheers, Roger

Malc · January 18, 2019

19 minutes ago, RgrWynne said:

but found no evidence of any corrosion

somewhere on here I read a few weeks ago that it's the mild steel washers the rust through initially and IF ONLY they had been stainless steel washers eh !

Malc

( not my car Roger )

nickd · January 18, 2019

Dave at Lextek checks mine every 6 months, so I've had it checked 3 times now and he says it's fine....... mmmmm wonder if he'd pay if it did go. Perhaps I will get it done.

GrahamG · January 18, 2019

Nick, does your 6 month check involve undoing the union to the radiator or is it just an external eye ball?

messi · January 18, 2019

It is a common issue on the ls430 and ls460. It's happened to an ls460 that a friend of mine had too. Lexus birmingham are aware of the problem. But that isn't the only issue on the ls460, yes they have air suspension issues but also steering rack problems that trigger the vsc light on the dashboard and that's around £5000 to replace. I was thinking about the ls460 myself but chose to stick with my ls400

Tulpen · January 19, 2019

Quote

I had the steering rack problem 3 years ago ( VSC light on, steering wheel 45 degrees off when driving straight). I had read about the problem on the US forum and was dreading a huge bill. I took it to my local Lexus dealer, in The Hague, who have been looking after me since my 400 days.

They hadn't seen the problem before but, when I told them about the US forum and replacing the steering rack, they just refused to believe it could be a rack change. They plugged in the diagnostic tool and confirmed that ONE of the codes indicated changing the rack. However, they were convinced it was an electronic problem and, after doing a complete reset of all the computers, they discovered that the problem was a corrupt program in the 'Self Park' system - which I never use. They reset everything and I haven't had a problem since.

I wonder how many owners have had new steering racks that were not needed. As we often say on the forum...…...getting a good garage to service your car is a must. My local dealer also does discounts......I had 4 new tyres fitted in November. I got a quote from KwikFit and the dealer matched it!

The-Acre · January 19, 2019

15 hours ago, nickd said:

Dave at Lextek checks mine every 6 months, so I've had it checked 3 times now and he says it's fine....... mmmmm wonder if he'd pay if it did go. Perhaps I will get it done.

The other thing to consider is the fact that the system being sealed depends on 4 rubber o rings on the radiator. The washers do rust causing the o rings not to seal properly, but I wonder what years of heat also do to them. I notice on eBay you can now buy a UK spec rad so no need to adapt it. Previously only a main dealer sold them. I'm ordering one from Eurocarparts today (Koyo) £114 but it's made to fit US or Japanese spec so it'll be OK on mine.

RgrWynne · January 19, 2019

15 hours ago, messi said:

It is a common issue on the ls430 and ls460. It's happened to an ls460 that a friend of mine had too. Lexus birmingham are aware of the problem. But that isn't the only issue on the ls460, yes they have air suspension issues but also steering rack problems that trigger the vsc light on the dashboard and that's around £5000 to replace. I was thinking about the ls460 myself but chose to stick with my ls400

He we go again , “it is a common issue” ? Where is the evidence for this because it is not a common issue at all. This is again just scaremongering. There are many Ls430’s happily driving along with very few problems, which of course is why they are so well thought of.

messi · January 19, 2019

12 minutes ago, RgrWynne said:

He we go again , “it is a common issue” ? Where is the evidence for this because it is not a common issue at all. This is again just scaremongering. There are many Ls430’s happily driving along with very few problems, which of course is why they are so well thought of.

Come back to me when it happens to yours, and I'll just laugh at you. I'm not saying that they are bad cars, but apart from the engine, they ain't that reliable

harrylime · January 19, 2019

I'm not aware of this issue. What happens? Is it possible on the LS 400?

messi · January 19, 2019

1 minute ago, harrylime said:

I'm not aware of this issue. What happens? Is it possible on the LS 400?

No it doesn't happen on the ls400, well not that I've heard of anyway. The ls400 is a superior car. You only get wear and tear on the ls400 like pads and discs and y section of the exhaust leaking etc

The-Acre · January 19, 2019

1 hour ago, messi said:

No it doesn't happen on the ls400, well not that I've heard of anyway. The ls400 is a superior car. You only get wear and tear on the ls400 like pads and discs and y section of the exhaust leaking etc

How is the transmission cooled on the LS400? I don't remember how the setup went on mine. I'm guessing it either has an external cooler or it goes through the radiator as well.

runsgrateasanut · January 20, 2019

My '93 th gearbocx fluid is cooled via the internal pipes to the Radiator so probably the same for later. I had a problem with my W140 where the pipe just dropped off OUTSIDE the radiator and I think it was the Valeo Rads that caused numerous problems on Mercs. Douby they are fitted to Lexus?

I bought a Nissens 64756A Rad to replace the original which after 25 years might be prudent but have yet to do. Fact is, if you don't see the slightest rust in your expansion tank perhaps you can assume that the corrosion inhibitor where the right fluid is used, is doing its job. More modern Rads have the plastic top and therin lies another story of expansion/contraction variances causing... if I'm not mistaken.