Need Help - 98 Ls 400 Parts

[Speedyz]

Hi all,

I am a total newbie and hope that you all can help me out.

I recently got a 98 LS400 and love it alot however I am now having worries on how long the car can last. The car that has been maintained poorly and defintely require replacing quite a number of stuff( the last time the timing belt was change was on 2005! that is almost 9 years AGO!! Crazy! It is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode!)

Is there any other way to get OEM Lexus LS400 parts besides going to the dealership? Do I have to use OEM parts? I want to use OEM parts as I read that it is more reliable. Where can I find parts for my Lexus? I really need some help here. What are the things that can be obtained from the US version of the LS400(interchangeable) like engine stuff and what are not? I think that engine items are all virtually interchangeable with the US model but I am not sure what parts are and what are not. And if there are essential parts that are not replaceble, what am I to do?

How do I get my independent mechanic to be able to do repairs and maintenance? Is there a servicing manual that can be bought? Is there a UK version manual for the 98 LS400?

I have been searching through the entire forum for answers. Appreciate the kind help of such a supportive community.

Thanks so much!

[messi]

Why don't you want to get the parts from lexus dealers? They ain't that expensive. You'll be suprised.

[hihihi]

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[Malc]

Welcome John, good to see a new member.

The cambelt change is about every ten years and 100k miles................. so you might not need to fret too much over that one ! the cambelts rarely snap even way over this.

At about the second cambelt change you might want to think about replacing the waterpump ( or sooner if it's losing water ) ...... it's a bugger to do separately.

The starter motor when it's on its way out gives you some notice usually and a simple repair kit is available for @£13 ......... you don't have to buy a recon or new unit.

Plugs are 60k miles ............ HT leads probably 180k miles or so.

Tell us more about your car then !!!!

Malc

[alien1974]

no HT leads on the 98 model

[black400]

Ok so for timming belt kit , blue print do a kit , but you should try alibaba or equivalent.

As for a mechanic , a good Toyota mech should be ok .

[black400]

Ps happy motoring from Ireland

[n4chv]

When I owned my LS400, I didn't find Lexus dealers that expesnive for parts - their labour rates were sky high of course but actually I managed to get them to knock 20% off their rate as my car was over 10 years old (£80 ph instead of £100).

I have heard of some owners buying a 2nd car and keeping it as a spares car which might be a bit OTT but it depends on what parts on your car you think need changing.

Breakers yards are also a good source of used LS400 parts too if you find Lexus dealer prices too much.

I'd try to stick with genuine parts though rather than aftermarket parts generally.

As long as the basics of the car are sound, hopefully it won't cost you too much to put the car back into good health

[Colin M]

As an alternative to buying parts from Lexus dealers, you could buy parts from Amayama Trading in Japan.

They supply OEM parts for the LS400. See www.amayama.co.jp/help for details. If the screen comes up in Japanese, click English version at the top of the page.

The prices can sometimes be significantly cheaper that Lexus dealers, even allowing for postage costs. I have just bought a rear suspension trailing arm strut bar for just under £28 plus £20 delivery. I may have to add a few quid on for import duty, taking it into £50 plus territory, but this is probably a third of the price I would pay if buying at a Lexus dealer in the UK.

[runsgrateasanut]

I'm assuming the 98 model is much the same as the 93. Bear this in mind.

I think its 60k miles or six years for cambelt, the 100k being Kilometres. Frankly if replacing the cambelt its a good idea to replace all associated parts including the water pump which is housed n the same area. Mine was slightly leaking at 113k miles. I paid over £600 for these parts from Lexus direct. The parts came unboxed and didn't include a new bolt, gaskets or O Rings. I was to say the least, disappointed with the service having expected a full kit to be quoted. If you look on eBay.com USA you will find a kit much more reasonably priced and with all parts (excl the bolt which perhaps was unnesessary depending on how difficult it is to remove original - cost £6) OK there will be shipping costs etc but the margin of price variation is staggering. So look around before deciding. Good luck

[ambermarine]

With regard to the water pump replacement, there is no gasket requirement as they reccommend the liquid gasket application,which is an industry wide dicipline nowadays and much more relaible than a gasket.

As far as the water pump replacement goes I would strongly urge replacement at the second cambelt change interval as my LS400 Mark 1 stripped its cambelt 14k after the second belt change when the water pump siezed and from all accounts is the only LS400 to have done this.

[runsgrateasanut]

Thats interesting about the gasket. I saw a thread on here asking advice on the gasket sealant issue. Not sure anyone answered. My Mechanic had a difficulty with the sealant as it didn't go off as it should first time which involved removing and cleaning all over again. The US eBay kit item shows a gasket which no doubt if put on together with sealant either side is a belts and braces approach, surely?

[alanr]

Just to clarify the situation on the water pump - the vvti engine fitted to Mk 4s has a slightly different water pump to previous models, and has a gasket rather than the instant gasket sealant from a tube used previously. A genuine Lexus pump will come complete with gasket in the box. Non OEM pumps may or may not have the gasket supplied.

Regards, Alan

[ambermarine]

alanr

I take your point on the mark 4 and with only 27k on mine I am hopefully a long way off worrying about this issue but when my mark 1 had its pump changed by Lexus I complained about the sealant being used as it was oozing out around the joint.

The service manager assured me that was the way it was done as per repair and replacement spec.

To be fair I also bought a genuine Lexus mark 1 pump as a standby off eBay a couple of years later and that box contained a gasket I eventually sold it on eBay five years later to someone with a land cruiser.

There are obviously different views on this subject but I can say the mark 1 did another 70k on that sealant without any leaks so it as its place I suppose.

[munday]

As an alternative to buying parts from Lexus dealers, you could buy parts from Amayama Trading in Japan.

They supply OEM parts for the LS400. See www.amayama.co.jp/help for details. If the screen comes up in Japanese, click English version at the top of the page.

The prices can sometimes be significantly cheaper that Lexus dealers, even allowing for postage costs. I have just bought a rear suspension trailing arm strut bar for just under £28 plus £20 delivery. I may have to add a few quid on for import duty, taking it into £50 plus territory, but this is probably a third of the price I would pay if buying at a Lexus dealer in the UK.

Another vouch for Amayama here, ordered stuff from them before and had great service, much cheaper than UK and US prices, even with shipping and import duty!