Leak From Gearbox - Oil Spec Etc

[harrylime]

LS 400 - I have a leak from my gearbox gasket. Apparently, there is no gasket as such, it is a silicone type sealant that is used, which is a new one on me. The indie uses Tiger Seal. Can anyone advise which oil should be used, and how much I will need (I'm supplying the oil) is it Dexron 3 or Toyota oil?. I found some old threads that suggested about 2 litres will come out when it is drained? The oil on the dipstick looks nice and clean and red, so I'm happy just to replace what comes out.

When I had my Audi 90, I knew every nut and bolt on the car and all the specs. I now have to learn about the LS 400 from scratch. I have a feeling it will be worth it, with some help and advice from you more experienced guys. The blokes at the garage were all over the car, I don't think they'd seen one before

[steve2006]

Use Toyota Type IV only, you will need 2 litres to refill after the sump removal so 2 1 Litre bottles will be enough, cost is around £12.00 a litre from dealers.

The original gasket was a FIPG type as there is not physical gasket available and this stuff needs a controlled environment when it is applied.

Not sure what the stuff is your mechanic uses but make sure the pan is torqued correctly and evenly during refitting.

If you want a copy of the factory manual section regarding this please sent me a pm with your email.

[harrylime]

Many thanks Steve. pm sent. If you know where I can source a repair manual, I would be grateful

regards

Hugh

[Titch LS]

Harry further to what Steve said, the filler pipe splits half way down the tube when you drop the pan. There is a small 'O' ring at the join. When you re-fit the pipe don't let any engine gunge drop into the pipe and don't be persuaded to use Dextron of any sort. Just my 2p's worth.

[ROYT]

As above ,stick with Toyota trans fluid...

[cleverdick]

Also, check out the lexls tutorial which is an invaluable resource. I used red Hermetite on mine with no problems.

Good luck,

Rich

[bookend]

I always thought tiger seal was for sticking body kits on?

[steve2006]

Must admit never heard of Tiger Bond, Lexus recommend you use "Threebond 1281" part no. 08826-00090 for the sealant.

"No More Nails" is not suitable :)

[steve2006]

Also, check out the lexls tutorial which is an invaluable resource. I used red Hermetite on mine with no problems.

Good luck,

Rich

Good point,very good tutorials there.

I did notice that there is a physical gasket involved in the tutorial,seems you can get them in the US but nothing in the UK.

[harrylime]

Hi all

I thought about it overnight and do not have enough faith in my local Indie, so am taking it to the Lexus dealer this afternoon. Toyota / Lexus use a specific sealant for this job, I was also worried about grit and crap off the engine getting into the gearbox. It's a simple job, but the money saved going local is not worth the anxiety. I absolutely love this car and do not want complications later. Although a simple job, a bit of carelessness could cause me major problems, with more chance of any redress from the main dealer, who are likely to be more careful in the first place. The advice on here about oils, sealants and cleanliness have been invaluable and I thank you all for your input. If I had access to a pit, I would have been happy to do it myself,

[steve2006]

Maybe a good idea given what you said at the end of your opening post. :)

"The blokes at the garage were all over the car, I don't think they'd seen one before"

You only want a bit of excess sealant entering the transmission and blocking the flow!

[harrylime]

Well, all done at Lexus Sheffield. They quoted between 1 and 1.5 hours. It took over two hours, a couple of bolts on the exhaust had to be ground off and replaced to enable access for the sump lid, but they charged me 1.5 hours, which was fair. Cost around £175 including a couple of litres of oil. I would have had to buy a 5 litre tin for local indie to do it at a cost of £48. I reckon the indie cost would have been around £130 including the oil. The additional cost is worth it for peace of mind in my view, the job being done by people who really know what they are doing. They also did a thorough visual check and confirmed no leakage of power steering fluid anywhere.

Feel a lot happier now. I don't know whether it's just me but I feel out of sorts and grumpy when something is wrong with my car and I can't drive it.

Next jobs - new air filter in the morning, air con regas in the next week or two, hopefully, and new bonnet struts when I can source some.

[cleverdick]

Glad all sorted. When I did mine (and it was a good few years ago now), I bought a filter and gasket set from Jaggraveyard in the US (non-OEM against my better judgement). Still, it worked OK, and seeing as I was going that far I thought I might as well change all the fluid at the same time. The biggest challenge was obtaining T-IV from the Toyota dealer, who would ordinarily use something generic! :-0 I don't recall any issue with the exhaust being in the way; maybe the setup is different on the Mk4.

[harrylime]

it was just the exhaust clamp, which needed to be out of the way so that the mechanic could present the sump vertically into position - necessary so as not to disturb the sealant - cheers