1996 LS400 Project. Let the fun begin.....!

[Howplum]

22 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

I'd be grateful if you can let me know the length of the "tail" on your new Mast.  I have a spare but suspect it is short and don't want to bother to remove the unit if it is going to be a waste of time.

Hi Stuart,

The new aerial has a 140cm drive cable and a mast length of 24cm, retracted. There are 6 sections. The one that came out, which was a cheap replacement I fitted last year, has a drive cable of 125cm and retracted mast length of 32cm.

The instructions do say that for Toyota and Lexus the drive cable might need to be shortened, and it gives instructions, but I haven't fitted it yet. I'll let you all know how I get on.

[Razor61]

Regarding the aerial mast, I fitted one of the eBay variety and it didn't last long either. One thing to note is that the aerial mast changes length according to whether the radio is on AM or FM, it extends out more or less depending on AM or FM. I can't remember which way round it is but it does change. Maybe that's why the cheap non OEM ones don't last long

[Malc]

18 hours ago, Howplum said:

the reluctant extinguishment of the parking brake warning light

might well be a rear stop lamp bulb gone!

Often the cause 

Malc

[Howplum]

I have now fitted the replacement aerial mast from car-masts-uk and it worked perfectly, first time.

The instructions are very clear and helpful, with some useful tips, and have a separate sheet for Toyota and Lexus explaining how, and why, the drive cable needs to be shortened. Because there needs to be at least 40cm of the drive cable exposed when the mast is extended I trimmed off approximately 27cm, which was just right.

The end of the drive cable needs to be straightened so that it doesn't snag and the teeth should face the rear of the car. I filed a chamfer on the back of the drive cable to help it catch.

It is very helpful to have an assistant turn the radio off which draws the drive cable in, otherwise you will have to improvise with a long pole!

If you chew up the ferrule getting it off new ones are still available from Lexus.

Regarding the parking brake pedal damper, I have discovered that both VAG and BMW now use this system (perhaps they copied Lexus!). The VAG one is definitely too short, which is a shame because aftermarket ones are available very cheaply. However, the BMW one is a possibility, but some careful measuring is required first, because it is not adjustable.

[Howplum]

Having fixed the aerial, I wondered how it might be possible for my phone to communicate with the stereo, thus enabling me to listen to my new favourite radio station, Boom Radio. So, as a temporary diversion from a few little jobs on my Mercedes convertible, I bought from Halfords a cassette aux adapter. I seem to remember trying one of these many years ago, and not being particularly impressed, but for less than £7.00 I thought it worth another try. In fact, so far it works very well, although I have only fitted it today, so time will tell if it's a viable long term solution. Ultimately it is also dependant of the quality of the 4G signal when on the move.

For the moment I am living without the parking brake damper and must say there is very little noise when it's released. It's certainly quieter than my Mercedes.

Cue gratuitous picture of my Mercedes, which is now advertised for sale:

[rich1068]

19 hours ago, Howplum said:

Cue gratuitous picture of my Mercedes, which is now advertised for sale:

Link? 

[Howplum]

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1347348

 

[rich1068]

Thanks. Looks well 

22 hours ago, Howplum said:

I bought from Halfords a cassette aux adapter

Spooky. Recently did the same. The Belkin one?

Was quite temperamental for me as it kept activating the auto reverse and was quite noisy. So I dismantled it, took out the auto reverse mechanism and greased the back of the cogs. Works perfectly now.

[Howplum]

Thanks for the tip!

[Howplum]

I noticed the weatherstrips on the doors are looking past their best, especially on the front doors, but they look a lot more difficult to replace that the equivalent BMW or Mercedes versions. It seems to entail removing all of the outside trim, and most of the inside trim as well.

Has anyone tried it?  

Amayama sell the front ones for £34 each, plus postage etc., so I imagine the price from the local dealer is quite a bit more. I daren't ask! The rears are NLA.

It looks as though the rubber has gone hard, and I'm just concerned that some dirt might get trapped and scratch the glass.

[cruisermark]

I don't know how relavent this is as I done them on my 430.

The 430 has 2 seals, one which sits on the doors edge and seals from the outside and the inner one. The outer ones have a very thin fragile lip which had started to fray on mine - to remove its simply remove one plastic gromet and then pull off - replacement is reverse.

You just need a bit of patience and methodical approach.

[Howplum]

Thanks Mark. I have to remove a couple of the window trims to deal with some minor rust issues at some point this summer, so I'll see what happens then.

[Razor61]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:14 PM, Howplum said:

Having bought the rear OEM spring insulators from Paul, I have now bought a pair of KYB shock absorbers, which seemed to be the most reasonably priced, although the choice did seem a bit limited.

That will be a job for next year though.

Did you fit the KYB shocks?
I’ve bought a full set ready to fit if the existing shock need replacing when I rebuild the front suspension, I’ve read that KYB shocks can make the ride harsher and I’d be interested to know if it’s true.

[Howplum]

I'm just in the process of doing so, as per my recent post:

I'll post a comment about the result once it's all back together again.

I'm sure I read somewhere that KYB were original fitment, but I've just checked the old ones and there are no markings to confirm or deny that.

 

 

[Howplum]

I must admit, having wafted around for a couple of months, that I haven't really noticed any difference in the ride quality, which I imagine is a good thing.

Today I fitted a pair of Fiamm trumpet horns because I felt the factory fitted items were a bit weedy, and not really in keeping with a luxury saloon. The car will certainly be noticed now!

My next job will be to carry out some localised paint repairs to rectify the various stone chips, guano etching, small scrapes and minor rust scabs accumulated over the last 26 years. To this end I bought a small compressor and airbrush, which looks as though it will do the job. The spray pattern is smaller and more controllable than an aerosol or spray gun. I collected the paint today, and discovered that all paint supplied nowadays is a base coat, so designed to be finished with a clear coat , whereas the original paint has no clear coat, because it's not metallic, being 202 (Onyx black). Hopefully the clear coat I will apply can be blended into the existing paint without making the repairs too obvious.

[Supafly]

Firstly sorry for the off topic post.

I've just started a thread about if there should or should not be an electric condenser fan 

 

Then started catching up on other threads and noticed your picture above.  Is your car a late spec LS400 UCF20? 

EDIT - Went back to the start of this thread and can see that this isn't a UCF20

It looks like yours also doesn't have an electric fan.  I would be grateful if you could help me clear this up because I'm thinking of wiring in an aftermarket fan.  If yours is the same I'll carry on and leave this 'upgrade'.

My rad also did not have a temp sensor in the lower corner, is yours the same?

Edited July 27, 2022 by Supafly
I'm a numpty and didn't check readily available info before posting.

[Howplum]

Yesterday there was a scraping noise from the front nearside, which turned out to be the brake dust shield. A good tug saw it completely removed.

I bought a couple of replacements when I got the car, but replacing it looks like fun because it involves removing the hub from the steering knuckle. A challenge for the future, I think.

[Razor61]

1 hour ago, Howplum said:

Yesterday there was a scraping noise from the front nearside, which turned out to be the brake dust shield. A good tug saw it completely removed.

I bought a couple of replacements when I got the car, but replacing it looks like fun because it involves removing the hub from the steering knuckle. A challenge for the future, I think.

The manual says you need to remove the hub but the technician at Lexus Bolton has a method of replacing it without removing the hub. On the mk3 I had he did it no problem.
I don't know what the method is though, I'll ask the service manager at Lexus Bolton though and see if he can tell me.
However, I suspect the new brake shield is cut at a certain point and twisted/bent a bit to get it over/round the hub. Probably cut in the caliper area where its very narrow.
Getting the bolts out is a challenge, you can't get the access you would normally need to get them out. If you snap one then you can't get in to drill it out and tap it, unless the hub is removed..............
For the bolts it's the same old story of soaking with penetrating fluid, leaving for a while and repeat as many times as needed with a bucket load of patience until they free up.
There are 4 small bolts holding the shield on with a 6mm thread iirc so easily snapped, I managed to get 3 of them out but snapped one of them. First one came out ok, this lulled me into a false sense of security and then wasn't patient with the second one. Made sure I was very patient with the rest though, working the bolt out and in gradually with plenty of penetrating applied each time. 
 

[Howplum]

In the manual it sounds straightforward, but obviously assumes having the correct tools and not having to deal with 26 years of corrosion. Nevertheless, I would prefer to do the job "by the book" because it will give me a chance to derust and paint some of the components, which could possibly escalate into a full suspension rejuvenation. I'll make sure that the replacement dust shield is well protected with decent paint this time.

[Howplum]

Actually Paul, or anyone, I have a question. In the diagram of the front suspension/steering the axle hub is secured by a nut on the inside face of the steering knuckle, but obviously passes through the bearing assembly and the ABS sensor rotor. Is it possible to remove the axle hub without disturbing the bearing assembly? It looks as though the outer bearing cage is held in place by a circlip (snap ring) in the steering knuckle but I assume the two parts of the inner cage are an interference fit onto the axle hub shaft. What happens if the nut is undone and the axle hub knocked through the housing? I suspect the bearing might not survive the experience, necessitating a new bearing assembly perhaps.

[Razor61]

When I asked Lexus about doing the rear carriers and UCA’s, the Lexus tech asked if I had new bearings and hubs and if not to buy them because getting the hubs out normally destroys the bearings and leaves half of it on the hub shaft which also gets damaged knocking it out. It may be the same for the front.

[Howplum]

Taking a break from bodywork I thought I would have a closer look at what's involved in changing the front dust shields, and it's not looking very promising, I have to say. The problem, as mentioned by Paul in an earlier post, is that the M6 screws are well and truly seized and I suspect the only way to remove them is to use a drill, which involves removing the hub, which no doubt will lead to other complications. Although it's called a dust shield it looks as though its primary function is to stop dirt etc. from contaminating the inner face of the disc and pads, although apparently its absence is not relevant to the MoT. I've been using the car since last summer without any untoward side effects, so I may just learn to live without it, in view of the limited mileage and absence of use on dirt roads.

At the last MoT test in April it was mentioned that the brake pipe on the offside front was a little corroded, so I shall insert a new length of (copper) pipe, probably on both sides.

Whilst I had my head underneath the front wing I also noticed the one of the steering tie rod boots now has a split, so I will be replacing both tie rods once the parts arrive.

Another thing I plan to do underneath is to remove as much loose rust as possible from the suspension components and coat them with lanolin grease, about which I have only read positive reviews.

Finally, I have noticed that when coming to a stop with the front wheels at a slight angle, such as when parking, there is occassionally a very slight noise from the front, which apparently could be something to do with the ABS. I did try and remove one of the sensors to investigate, but it seemed to be stuck fast, so I decided to leave well alone. I suspect it's another job that could easily escalate.

 

[BigBoomer]

You could probably get those bolts to release with plenty of penetrating oil and an inductive heater. Bolts into blind holes like that can be a pain, but normally it is only the first few mm of the thread that is rusted. Inductive heaters cost £200+ but are a useful tool if you have many seized bolts as they heat ONLY the bolt which expands and that cracks loose the hold that the rust has.

[Howplum]

I've now finished sorting out the front brake pipes andfitted replacement steering tie rod ends, with the help of an angle grinder!

Using the angle grinder to remove what little remained of the dust shields I then cut a slot in the new ones and have reattached them using Tiger seal and some large stainless steel jubilee clips.  It all seems sturdy enough, but I will check after a few miles to see how things are.

All that remains now is to refit the discs and calipers,  bleed the front brakes and paint the front suspension with lanolin grease.

Pictures follow. 

 

[Mikaelse]

On 3/19/2020 at 11:15 AM, runsgrateasanut said:

Very Ripe Plum  - Water internally sounds like biggest issue -  good luck.

Could be if problems like corroded electric stuff is now present and stuff malfunction. With some luck some problems may go away just be wiggling connectors etc. 
If you experience no electrical issues internally now or close future you should be fine. 
I own two LS400.  You will ned to spend some money on it.
They have doubled their value over the 6-8 years I have owned them while daily driving them every day.
People have now understood how overengineered and good they really are.
HERE in sweden you are hard pressed to find one now for less than about 6000£ at those miles and often they cost even more.  
A bit annoying for me actually since risk for parts theft, used and new parts cost and insurance will no doubt go up.
Selling is not in my plans ( ever ?). 
I just hope these will not go same way old VW beetles from the fifties have . Cost a fortune now and they enthusiasts drive them to meets on covered trailers.