ambermarine

Rico I hope you are going to take that mileage with a large pinch of salt that steering wheel is about the worst example on a Lexus or Celsior I have ever seen in 25 years of these cars.It as been driven by a rhinocerous or done an awful lot of miles. I have no doubt you have every intention of bringing it back to its former glory but I would check everything on the suspension and running gear before you start spending money on it,it could be a bottomless pit, there are better examples out there to invest in.

Yes.

Yes

That is usually the sign of the valve not functioning hence the pump screaming in pain,it can be fixed by removing the valve and blocking the vent to the plenum chamber and this then increases the engine revs but it is not recommended as it changes the take up speed from standstill.the new valves are expensive best option is a used replacement pump from Paul Frost.

Yes, it is an integral part of the power steering pump on all the ls 400s./430s,its function is to enable the required power without stressing the pump needed to turn the wheel when the car is stationary without increasing engine revs , by using the vacuum created in the plenum chamber.

Well done with the latest update Peter very informative and interesting, just one point I would make regarding tightening any critical suspension or running gear components ,I always use the torque settings from the workshop manual especially as OEM parts are not warranted if the torque settings are not used properly.

Hi Roy Common fault due to age on the earlier LS range ,there are several fixes but removal and dismantle of the cluster is required in all cases.The procedures are posted in the archives of this and the US forum ,there are several companies online who will fix it but you have to send them the cluster.

Peter Well explained procedure and some good advice on tool usage,the problem for most of us when tackling jobs like this is fear of the unknown. Your pictorial explanation helps to dispel that fear and enables the timid to take on something they would not dream of doing. Keep it up and I look forward to the next installment (no pun intended).

Stuart the Tacoma as been sold in the states for 40 years but as been sold here as the brand Hilux there are variations to the Tacoma but itis basically the same pickup truck .

Really frustrating that if you have the costs to bear for the ***** up,It as the look of the 300 having checked a few video's and part diagrams but I 'll be interested to know eventually,the upside is the new pumps are nearly £400 genuine Lexus OEM. Hope you can get the costs out of them.

Hi Stuart I cannot remember exactly what the layout of the early pre 97 pump was but the reservoir was attached and sealed with an O ring,I have taken some pics of my Mark 4 and as you can see the reservoir is remote from the pump and the thick pipe at the bottom is the fluid feed to the pump. The only way to get a definitive answer is to offer up the pump to the engine the low pressure inlet feed is not critical as I dont think it matters on pipe fitting.

David Yes I have just bought a scabby one with a defunct tyre as an extra spare wheel If the tyre is over ten years old it is classed as unroadworthy but the wheel is worth at least £50 and there are LS400 mark 4s with that finish on the wheel still driving around. Stick it on the auction site.

Stuart Thats probably because you have been sent one with the drive pulley fitted which the one on the ebay site as not . That in itself is a bonus as the wheels are a pig to get off.

That is a replacement pump and reservoir for the power steering and fits all models up to 97. Get it fitted professionally as a bleed and purge is required to remove any air in the system.

Graham Did you not get a owners manual with this car I should complain bitterly if you did'nt. PS following the comment regarding owners manual I have been on the web and found various fully documented manuals for these 600s and I seem to find that you are correct, there are no alternatives in the climate concierge voice control menu.its warmer or cooler or automatic and that's your lot. I agree with your comment about missing climate options not having any is a real dissappointment for a car of this class.

Hi Peter Great story and looks like you did a top score on all fronts I am a real enthusiast of the Florida experience and have spent over three years of my life on vacations in Florida ,in fact your post as set me looking at a possible liveaboard scenario for the English winter in a gulf coast Marina . I will now set about looking for the right boat.

This is a post that covers the problems that occur buying second hand parts.I recently broke the stay bracket on my air cleaner box whilst changing the power steering fluid. I am too embarrassed by my stupidity to explain how, suffice to say it distracted from the pristine condition of the engine bay. I sought out a used box from several online scrapyards who assured me that the one they had was perfect as is usually the case with scrapyard products they turned out to be damaged usually in the removal from the car. After three fruitless deliveries of non useable returned items,I sought out a dealer price and £300.00 for the complete box when I only wanted half of it was not going to happen. I then sought out the part new through a company in Japan who would sell me the half I wanted for £45 but the shipping and duties etc sent it up to £125. I then noticed one of Paul frosts Mark 4s for breaking and he assured me he had the part and it was perfect I have just fitted the part and it is perfect so after months of searching I have finally found a reliable supplier of used parts. As the LS400 is getting older the new parts are going to go unavailable so it is important to have a guy who specializes in the LS range and strips and stores parts that will become difficult to obtain.

Dev Do yourself and your Dad a favour ,the car as no returnable asset value to you or him if you start spending money on it the wheels and the touch ups will cost at least a grand, regardless of how popular these cars are the one you have is not the most sought after of the 400s that prize goes to the Mark 4. Stick it on auto trader and if there is a enthusiast out there it will fetch its correct value .

This is quite a turn up for Lexus, that new model price is sparring with earlier model used prices but the main reason is the upgrade system used in the states since the launch of the LS 400 back in 89 . We in the UK have only experienced small upgrades like DHP and electronic accessories but the US would be everything from fabric to leather and satnav ,so they have now started here and if you go to the premium side of the new model it will add a considerable amount to that £76 k lead in figure.

Hi Steve It is not a Lexus first, I am afraid to say Mercedes were using this type of parking brake before the Lexus brand was launched as were a couple of upmarket American brands .As you are aware the brake manufacturers produce these braking systems and the car builders choose the ones they feel suit their models. On the first series of the LS400 the brakes were poor they suffered from constant seizing of the pistons and the front brakes were not powerful enough . They made a vast improvement from 94 onwards.

Sorry to butt in but I have just checked the official Lexus promotion of the car in Question and it states the Safety feature is only available on the premier grade.

You are correct in that observation it is common practice for manufacturers to dispose of parts enblock when the cost of storing them is seen as negative asset value and they don't see a big enough market for them in the future. The parts are sold to the highest bidder in aftermarket auctions that the general public don't get to see.

Phil The cost of replacement parts is down to volume of sales relative to cost of manufacture,trim is not a consumable and volume will be small the tooling for these parts is very very expensive and cannot be absorbed entirely on the manufacture of the model so any replacement parts because they may sit around on shelves for years are costed for sale at compound projected annual increases.

My understanding of his complaint was that although they had offered to change the part he wanted to vent is spleen on somebody because he had fitted the part , as any business got a department that deals with the customer cocking it up.

Andy I have come across this with uk online sites and not strictly Auto related,it comes down to their logistics set up and if they are dealing with Fedex Ups or corporate logistics the dispatching is down to the carrier and they dictate minimum pricing based on software devised for the customers operations ,anything that falls outside that scope cannot be handled below a certain minimum price. The telephone sales or online sales staff have nothing to do with the item and probably never see it. When the software is formulated seals washers screws and small items are usually assumed to be accompanying larger orders and are not priced for individual delivery.