The-Acre

The LS400 that I had for a very short time early this year had an oil leak from both sides of the engine, it seemed to be from the rocker covers but I couldn't be sure, but it was enough to make oil burn on the exhaust. Very unusual for an LS400.

Are you doing the timing belt yourself? Some Lexus dealerships do a very good price for older cars.

Excellent, that must be a relief!

Does the noise go when the engine gets up to running temperature? I'm not sure how you would damage anything, especially the water pump by replacing the radiator. I know what you mean about the transmission hoses being impossible to remove, that's why I suggested in a recent post that they should be cut off and replaced. When did you first notice this noise, was it immediately after replacing the rad/belt? Because the belt is easy to remove it makes checking pulleys etc fairly straightforward.

Welcome to the LOC Ed, that's a lovely selection you've been through, and a fine looking LS430!

Same with my LS430, which is why my very nice Volvo tends to stay at home most of the week. I've got to chauffeur some friends to Gatwick soon, always a challenge with the winding car park, but a good excuse to fly down the M23!

Well said, and not wanting to contradict one of my previous comments I still think the LS400 is a superb looking classic limo. The thing about the LS430, and this has been discussed, a new radiator is easy and relatively cheap, and the air set up can be replaced with coilovers for around £1,200 inc labour. It still has the same fine engine as the 400 (with a couple of tweeks) and is a pleasure to drive.

As far as I'm aware the facelift model is the same under the skin, although it has a 6 speed box, ACC and reversing camera on some. The radiator set up is the same, and the suspension can suffer the same fate. I've had three LS400's and all were good, apart from starter motor and exhaust problems. I then bought an LS430 which I kept for a year, and I had to replace one height sensor and a second hand air con compressor, actually, I've just remembered I had to replace the compressor on a 400 as well. No offence to any LS400 owners, but the interior does seem dated, and much of the exterior too (which of course it is being at best 16 years old) The LS430, even the early one which I have still look pretty good I think, especially the interior which is timeless and superb. Because mine didn't cost much, although I was lucky to get an exceptional one, I'm happy to enjoy it while it lasts, whether that be months or years. If you're not bothered about a car being a bit dated then an LS400 is the one to go for for ultra reliability, the difficulty is finding a good example of what is already a rare car. The LS430 on the other hand is in fairly plentiful supply, but I'd want comprehensive service history. I wouldn't be put off by bad news about the LS430, as we've said many, many times, the ones that go on for years without problems rarely get a mention, we only read the bad news. Look at Mark's post above, three years of ownership and very little trouble, I'd be happy with that.

Great news, says much about the build quality!

It's worth having your rear AC pipes checked (if you have them )while the tank is out, they nearly always corrode and it's a fuel tank out job if they do. Even if you find the pipe you need at a breakers it'll be cutting it fine with postage and all. Is there nowhere near you that can make up the part for you, maybe an engineering firm?

That's the value of these forums isn't it? Gathering information that saves money, and in some cases lots of money!

Hi Neil, welcome to the LOC. A 2009 update compared to a 2016 Tom Tom for about £80 may be a no brainer. I do use my Lexus sat nav on the odd occasion, and it's OK-ish, but it's frustrating not being able to put post codes in. Do you only have the LS430 now?

Well done Colin, that says all you would need to know on it. We have one of those rare parts suppliers here in West Sussex called Going Spare, they have endless rolls of pipes and hoses. One of those shops where every square inch is taken with stock, and very knowledgeable, so I suppose we're lucky in that respect.

I'd have to agree with that, if the rattle wasn't there before they must have done something wrong surely? Sounds like a spring missing or misplaced doesn't it?

I've tried over the years to get classic insurance and only managed once with my very first LS400, but even so I only pay £180 fully comp with NCP. I guess much depends on age and postcode. Interestingly I've found that the LS430 is a bit cheaper to insure than the 400. Privilege seem to come up best every time for me when insuring a Lexus, but not for my Volvo for some reason.

I have to agree, what a beautiful colour!

It would be my guess that handbrake problems are caused through lack of use rather than regular use. Every moving part is designed to do something, but if its not being used it surely follows that it will eventually begin to seize. I generally apply my parking brake a couple of times in a week, just to keep things moving, much like my ageing bones really!

Well done that man, excellent news. Mine is due in about 6 weeks, here's hoping!

I wish I was an expert! As far as I'm aware the hoses aren't shaped, in fact the one on the left as you look down is only short and almost straight. The other one has a gentle "S" bend but I doubt very much that it was shaped. The original top and bottom hoses seemed fine, no signs of cracking etc. I didn't think about the thermostat as they are pretty reliable, also it's an easy hose to remove should the need arise at a later date. The main thing is to fit everything to the new radiator before it goes back, unless the job is done with the bottom under tray ( I've forgotten the correct name for it) removed, in which case everything can be connected afterwards. Obviously if it is removed it makes it easy to catch any escaping TF but the amount lost really is very small, probably an egg cup full. Another small amount will be lost when the rad is removed but that can be plugged up first. The hose I bought for the ATF pipes is fuel hose that says on it "suitable for unleaded fuel" I'm told this will be fine for ATF.

And what would make me comfortable would be having it done now. If it's on your mind I say do it.

The condenser thing fools almost everyone! It's true that a full main dealer history is preferred but none of my three previous ones had it and they were OK. Although saying that, my current one has full main dealer history and it is noticeable I think, it just feels and looks well maintained. Just to reiterate, replacing the radiator is easy and certainly nothing really challenging. The hardest part as I said is removing the hoses from the metal transmission pipes, but if you're replacing them you just cut them and then they're easy to deal with when the rad is out.

The photos you've posted are actually your ac condenser, the radiator sits behind it. To answer some questions, I used 10mm fuel hose which I'm told is fine, but I was told not to use water hose of any kind. It's easily obtained from a decent parts outfit. The radiator is a Koyo, they claim it's as good, if not better than the original quality (but then they would) I used red coolant, £25 from Toyota for 5 litres, ready to use (pre mixed) and I did ask when I was there just to make absolutely sure. They said they only sell concentrate in 25 litres drums and the one I bought goes straight in as it is. I used about 4.5 litres. The foam that sits between the condenser and the radiator always disintegrates so I just discarded it. If you're not happy with using a radiator that needs a slight modification or atf hoses that are slightly stiffer than the originals, best to go to a main dealer. As I said, I did the same to my last one, using the same parts, did various journeys through stop start London traffic and all was fine. One other bit of info, I phoned Lexus Guildford where my car has been serviced for the past eleven years, I spoke to a very helpful technician regarding coolant colour. He said Lexus use red coolant for cars up to 2007 after that its pink.

The cooler is not that big and I would estimate that you only need to replace about a quater of a litre at the most, probably a lot less. It doesn't come out of the transmission when you disconnect as its not pumping. You can by a litre bottle of Mobil (compatible with Toyota Type 1V) for about £13. I can't remember which Mobil as I left it at work, but do a search and you'll find it here, or I'll check tomorrow if you need to know.

I don't know how much a main dealer radiator is but I seem to remember someone saying £350? It's very easy but the hardest part for some reason is getting the small hoses to separate from the transmission pipe. The thing is, if you change those hoses as well, which I certainly recommend, you can just cut them and put the new ones on the new rad before you fit it. Basically you drain the coolant (I let mine go as I wanted to refill with new) remove the air filter housing (just two bolts) take off the top air intake ducting, disconnect the bottom hose from the thermostat housing (leaving it on the radiator) disconnect top hose from rad, disconnect the fan motors power plug, remove the two top radiator clamps and it just lifts out. You only loose a tiny amount of ATF. Then you can undo the 10mm bolts that hold the fan assembly and put on the new. The bottom hose and new ATF hoses can then be put on before the new rad is replaced I also recommend making sure the water is all drained before cutting/disconnecting the ATF hoses, just to avoid letting any coolant in. This photo is with the hoses and fans all connected to the new rad just before re-installation. The other thing worth a mention is that all this can be done from above, without the need to remove the under tray. The other thing you need is 600mm of 8mm hose to join the new rad to the 10mm hose from the expansion tank, plus an 8-10mm connector which you can get on eBay for £5 Just remember to disconnect the battery earth before starting the job!! As I said, I did this to my last LS430 and covered about 3K and all was fine.

Well it's nice to have somone appreciate it enough to leave a note. It wasn't an envelope with a Dudley post stamp was it?!!