ambermarine

Hi Mark I had a problem with my Mark 1 similar to this ,the whine was very subtle and another symptom was blowing the coolant out of the expansion tank we thought it was a failed thermostat but it was a failing water pump which eventually seized and stripped the teeth off the cambelt, fortunately the Mark 1 had a non - interference engine so the valves were undamaged your' s has no such thing so you need to get to the bottom of this before the situation gets a lot worse . Pumps can be faulty even if they are renewed the other point I would make is why would a oem pump need renewing after 20k miles .

I can understand Dale V when he denounces the quality of the late Lexus models I have spent a lot of time in the States in the last fifteen years and monitored the perception of the Lexus owners over there . The general concensus is that they are a quality car and outperform the competition on most levels but they do go wrong and are expensive to maintain when they do. Most users of the higher end Lexus models there are more models for sale in the states than here lease their cars for three or four years and have moved them on usually before the problems occur and anyway they will all carry a three year warranty for the lease period so they are not that fussed . The Lexus dealerships in the states mainly move any stock after it is three years old and comes back from leasing into the aftermarket and do not sell them from their showrooms ,this as the affect of diluting feedback on reliability as a lot of this stock is maintained by indies. In any product environment the art of capturing the market is the building of a product at any cost that captures that market,Toyota did this with the Lexus LS400 and it cost 100m dollars they now have to get those investments back and they cannot continue to build cars at any cost hence the fall in reliability.

Hi Hugh There may be a servo inoperable in the system, the heater is forced fed from the water pump unless a gate valve is closed .The gate is opened by a servo when you switch your heater on.Switch on the ignition and the heater on and off,you should hear a servo operating. Also check there is not an airlock in the cooling system the way to do this is release the relief valve by the outlet hose at the top front of the engine make sure the engine is cold when you start this procedure and take off the expansion tank cap if there is any air trapped in the system it will as the engine warms up escape through the venting nut at the front of the engine,the thermostat opens as the engine warms up and coolant and air should be seen escaping it will only take a couple of minutes if there is an air lock.

Hi Bob Take out the dome fuse and leave the car for 10 minutes then replace the fuse . This usually resets the ecu for the transponder receiver ,if this does not work there is a fault with the reciever.

Hi Damien The issue is with the memory on the preferred driving position set before you disconnected the battery. Try setting your memory as it is now then reset it to your preference after it as started working.

I wrote an extensive prognosis on this very subject four years ago when I started looking for a replacement for my Mark1 LS400 . The issues brought up in this thread were the same as I mulled over before I finally opted for the coveted 18k miles 14 year old mint mark 4 that I found for £3750 on ebay. I had already decided that was the road I was taking before I found the ebay purchase,to put it in a nutshell the Mark 4 LS400 is and still is the best car Lexus ever produced simply because it was 17 years in production and the development of that car was never matched anywhere else in either time or money. That being said we are four years down the line and good examples of the Mark 4 are difficult to find as the good ones or staying put just as mine is. So the debate for me lies with others as I am content with situation I am in and as far as cars go that contentment is worth its weight in gold.

Hugh It sounds like an electronic glitch as caused this and you will be hard pressed to reinstate the miles on the readout as this is basically a lcd readout that is similar to the readout on the climate control,It differs in that it as a memory which looks to have failed With regard to future buyers concerns over mileage history you have a service record and buyers of these cars are not to worried about well explained problems. I have just sold my Jiffy which had no service record 10 previous owners its tenth speedometer and mileage which at best was a lottery guess but the guy who bought it as knowledge of these kit cars and is not fussed. I know we want perfection on our LS's a suggestion I would make is put in a combination unit from a breaker and get the mileage certified on the changeover.

Hugh Amazing coincidence, I also had a five pot J reg Audi ninety with low profile tyres on alloy wheels that I have never seen bettered and a super smooth engine. I bought it at 4 years old for 9K it was red and a 2.2 version ,when I came to change 2 years later the new shaped jelly mould Audi had been launched and the Audi dealership offered me only 3K . In 96 I went to Devon to see my Daughter and on a curiosity looking for the replacement to the Audi I called in what was then Templeton Motors in Barnstaple they offered me 6k in part ex on what was to become my first Lexus LS400. Needless to say it was the best deal I ever did. The owner specialized in seeking out cars for people and obviously had a buyer for the Audi but the purchase and sale of the Lexus was speculative as there were not a lot about then. And to reinforce your point 18 years later when looking for a replacement for my Mark 1 I spent months researching nothing but Lexus cars to replace it, being able to afford any one of them in the LS range I opted for the one I have as I do not think it as been bettered. I have said this before, It is the best car LEXUS have ever built as an all round example of a Luxury Saloon. I have a friend who visited me today to show me his new Jaguar 2.2 diesel which he as taken on in part exchange for his similar range Mercedes which he bought 4 years ago when I bought my second LS400 for that famous £2750. He as just dropped 14k on the Merc buying a second hand Jag for 25k and he stood in front of my LS400 and lamented on how much he had lost and how much I had gained . Again this reinforces all the values of owning a Lexus LS400 and keeping hold of it ,without doubt they are an investment.

Hugh I agree with Steve on the Smart charger ,several reasons; The smart charger will maintain the battery at its optimum charge without the aggressive charge and recharge of the old type of charger which sulphates the plates reducing the battery capacity. Avoidance of disruption to the circuits and electronics in the car. Wear and tear on the battery terminals. The caddy type smart charger is the one I have used on my Lexus and it works great ,these are the ones used for charging the battery on a motorised golf cart. Whichever one you choose make sure it as an output of at least 2 amps otherwise it will burn out in a short time. Finally get the terminals renewed for the battery you are using so they tighten snug on the post.

I don't understand the renewed clicking fault after less than two years, are you sure your battery is on top form.

Hi Mark The issue being, is the car is worth a thousand pounds and are you going to find a lot more issues when you start it up . If I were needing to break a mark 4 for cloning spares I would snap it up . The chances of it being a runner without cost are remote ,sorry for the unintended pun.

Graham You are fortunate, the area you live is probably devoid of numptys and car thieves as I was in remote Argyll and long may you benefit from that .

Having just moved down to the Lancashire coast from Scotland I informed my insurer who I have been with for ten years.They promptly asked for an increase of £180 for the last six months of the policy and warned me my quote for next year would be £500 wheras it as been about £230 annually for years . I gave the guy at Churchill bleeding ears for 10 or so minutes and vowed never to buy from them again. The insurance was mentioned to a friend yesterday and he recommended Direct line. Quote of £230 with legal and NCD cover. At the time of changing postcodes the insurer seems to use this as a trigger to rip you off , BTW I also got cover on the house and contents which was very competitive.

Hi If the lense is plastic then the best way to get the water out and keep it out is to drill a 3mm drain hole in the bottom of the case as near to the lense as possible. This allows any water that is getting in through the seal to escape and saves a lot of trouble looking for the area that the water is getting in. I had the same problem on my Mark1 on the sidelight lense and solved it in this way.

Magnatec 10/40 is what I use and its been in both of my LS400s although it was 15/40 in the mark 1 for 18 years. I change the oil every two years as the mileage is only about 4k a year and although the fram filter is rated for 15k I change that as well as that is the most important part .

John There is a light sensor in your Model the LS400 range from Mark 1-4 had them and they dimmed the dashboard lights when driving through tunnels and during dawn and dusk . The sensor is located at the right of the base of the windscreen. The Mark 4s were the only model to have the light sensor linked to the headlights.

Hugh The temperature sensor is very important to the correct fuel mix on the engine management system I put a new one on my Mark1 after a period of time when the revs were too high for two long a period. It is there to monitor the fuel to air mix required for optimum performance as the engine runs up from cold. The aftermarket cheaper versions may not be as sensitive therefore defeating the object of having it renewed. I found that after fitting the Toyota sensor bought whilst in the states( it is fitted to most of the toyota range also) the engine ran a lot better from start up to optimum running temperature and was well worth the extra cost.

Hi John I think it runs down the firewall and exits somewhere in the vicinity of the bell housing on the left hand side looking from the front.

Jason First of all let me set you straight on the modification you are suggesting ,You will not get the LS400 engine in your is200 .two reasons its too big and its too powerful. If you carve up the is200 to get the engine and transmission of the LS400 engine too fit you will then have serious problems getting someone to insure you. The VOSA engineers will be wanting to take a look at the mod as soon as you re-register the car with new engine mods . Then your insurance company will want a look at that report and will likely run a mile. Now you might be intending to run it off road maybe or on a race track ,to that end you will be OK but forget any easy way of public highway driving.

Karl There are a lot more LS460 owners in the USA, try asking this question on Lexus owners club US it might bear fruit.

John The keys are blanks and do not come with a transponder . You will also find it difficult to get the key cut by a reputable locksmith. As I understand it the key as to come from Lexus and be married up to your cars security codes,and it is expensive.

Drove a rental in the states with a wood effect steering wheel ,after a few hours driving I found it hard on the hands. I have read on several forums that this is the main complaint and one person put there leather bound steering wheel back after the experience. I noticed the hardness when driving in stressful areas such as heavy traffic and on ultra busy interstates in cities.

Martin I concur with your last comment in your appraisal ; The LS400 was overall from concept to final production 18 years in development there is not a modern car ever that had that degree of onward improvement in some instances a complete change of suspension and major improvement to the chassis. There really was the pursuit of perfection going on then ,but I do not think it is as relevant in todays models.

John I will try to answer your question, if you have a 98 LS400 which had the first ever factory fitted satnav system in any motor car on the planet , if it works why would you have trailing wires and screens stuck to your windscreen ,plus the ladies voice on the system is real nice and posh.

The Lextreme sight in The USA goes deep into the mechanics and applications the Ls400 engine as been put to. It is the go to engine in the USA for powering any kit car or boat.