harrylime

I would find the heater valve near the bulkhed, disconnect the cable (easy), then turn the valve (it's shaped like a quadrant) to its highest point. This is on full. If you have consistent high heat, this narrows it down the the cable or the solenoid (which you can hear if it operates). I believe my cable may have been kinked somehow, I have to manuall lift it to the top position until I have a proper look at it, I can then turn it down to the required position using the controls as normal

1 hour ago, keybasher2 said:

4th winter coming up for the big Bosch from Europarts,had to chop the battery tray though. Not sure the Duracell bunny would be drumming as fast

That my be the route I should have taken, mine having failed after 2.5 years. I considered ignoring the standard fitment and getting one with higher cold cranking amps. Can you remember which Battery you bought?

Thanks for the responses, Phil and Steve,I do appreciate it. I checked for a noise when changing the temperature and got a noise, so the solenoid seemed to be working. I then found the valve described, on the bulkhead, and watched it while my wife altered the temperature up and down. Both heater pipes were hot so it pointed to the valve as the culprit (although I was worried it might be a problem with the heater matrix).. I removed the cable this morning and manually worked it up and down a few times, it was obvious it was not moving its full length of travel. I applied some WD 40 and reconnected it, and it seems to be working fine now, with a nice hot heater in the car. This is important, as I am expecting to have to take a longish trip to Wales, and have bad memories of cars with no working heater (Morris Traveller and Mk 2 Jag)

It was a simple fix, as most things seem to be with the 400, touch wood.

I think it's a Toyota Battery

Replaced my Battery inJanuary 2014, and it has failed. It was purchased from Lexus and they today replaced it FOC, withoiut a quibble. I feel quite lucky that it went a few months before the warranty expired, but would expect them to last lomnger than this

I have checked the servo, as suggested (another little bit of knowledge gained). It sounds as though it is working, when I adjust either the driver's side temperature levels or the passengers side temperature. I have discovered that my Battery is faulty, but can't think of a way in which this might affect the heating?

The Battery is still under warranty, and my dealer has the Battery for an overnight charge and test, as they need to produce a printout to claim the Battery replacement. I hope it comes back as faulty, because en route to the dealer, I had the Battery tested at two different places, including Kwik Fit. Both tests concluded that the Battery has a dead cell.

I had no air con for a while, and it took several garage visits, new pipes, seals etc. to get that working . The air con is working great now, but I have no heat.

1 hour ago, ambermarine said:

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.

Many thanks for taking the time to respond. I have something to try now and appreciate that. I want to eliminate the simple things before taking it to the garage

I'm having a couple of niggles at the moment. Took my 99 LS400 out today and the temp gauge rose as normal (almost to halfway), but got no warm air from the heater. Can anyone suggest any obvious checks, other than coolant level?

Having charged my Battery, fettled the Battery terminals etc., I still have 60,000 miles missing from the odometer on my 99 series 4. Has anyone heard of this phenomenon before or is anyone aware of the cause or  a solution? Could it be as simple as the first number 6 being blacked out, and if so, when I turn 70,000 is the 7 likely to appear?

I may have to call out one of these firms who advertise to alter odometers, although I will probably be asking the opposite of what they usually do, in putting back the missing miles.

4 hours ago, ambermarine said:

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 a 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.

My Audi was also the 2.2 KV engine, it was a peach. The coincidences continue because I paid 2750 for my LS 400, around 3 years although I have spent a bit this year upgrading it with some paintwork etc I am a big Jag fan and have a MK 2 awaiting restoration when I get around to it. I have had a new XF 3.0 Portfolio (disappointing), but would not buy a 2.2 litre Jag. May as well have a Mondeo as an engine like that misses the point, in my humble opinion..

Regarding my 400, I checked the MOT history on my car the other day. It had an advisory for brake pads last year , all pads were replaced. It has failed the MOT once in the last ten years. The cause was a blown bulb. It passed first time again yesterday.

The point about the Battery terminals is a good one. I replaced these a few months ago, from a specialist auto electrical place, but the bolts are rubbish, they appear to be soft metal. The thread on one has stripped and been replaced and I'm doing the other one tomorrow. The Battery has been fully charged today and we'll see how I go. The loss of 60000 miles from my odometer is a mystery, I have no idea whether that will be restored when it's sorted

I wrote this in response to my previous post, and then realised that I had gone off at a tangent, so decided on a separate post.

I am in a position in which I can afford a really nice new car but having been out of the market for a few years, and driven a few new cars recently, they seem to have moved backwards. This after many years of not being able to afford a nice new car, having wasted most of my money on children etc.

These newish cars seem unrefined, don't ride particularly well, a spare wheel is unheard of (expensive insanity in my view), and research (of which I do a lot), uncovers what seem to be relatively common horror stories of dpfs, egrs, dmfs, gearbox failures, turbo failures, diesel contaminating oil and increasing oil content to destructive levels and so on. I'm talking about cars that include some that cost 30 grand upwards. I have considered various petrol engines, but they are not available in many models and come with their own issues including failed turbos, coil packs, stretched timing chains etc.

The last car that was as satisfying as my 400 was my 1989 Audi 90 5 cylinder. It was a wonderful car, with a briliant engine. It was incredibly well engineered and lovely to drive. I wish I could find a mint example, I would abandon my search for a newish car. My daughter just paid just over 2 grand for a 2003 vw beetle convertible with around 50 k on the clock,, a full vw history and a set of winter tyres. I'm starting to think that buying new or even newish is insanity,unless it is something very special.

Some of the new smaller petrol engines seem brilliant, with incredible power for their size -including the vw / audi 1.4 tsi 150bhp, but ever increasing fuel pressures, turbos and superchargers strapped to a small, highly stressed engine do not seem to me to be a recipe for a long and reliable life (the opposite approach taken by the LS 400 of a large , unstressed engine). I suspect that many of these little time bombs will be kept for three years only, for fear of ruinous repair bills when problems start to surface (as they already have).

So here is a caveat for potential Lexus LS 400 owners. Seriously, Don't, on any account, buy one, because you will probably never find a satisfactory replacement, and will be doomed to spend the rest of your motoring life regretting the one you sold, and cursing the car you currently drive, because it fails to live up. This is my quandary in deciding whether to sell my Mk 4

I had the rare opportunity to take my 99 400 out today. I disconnectthe Battery when not in use, to avoid the inevitable Battery drain,. It was fully charged last week. The firt time I tried to start it, I got the starter chattering, so I tightened the Battery terminals again, then the engine turned over slowly but did start eventually. During the drive I noticed that my odometer has changed from 66000 plus to 6600 plus, as if the first 6 is missing. I only do around 1500 - 2000 miles a year and I'm concerned that if I decide to sell, any discrepancy with the odometer would worry a potential buyer. It would me.

My radio and sat nav display would also not work. They work when parked with the ignition on, but disappear when I start up.I stopped and restarted a couple of times, asthis has cleared it before, but no go. My first thought was the Battery, so I checked when I got home and it show 12.39 volts. The Battery will be 3 years old in January, bought from Lexus.

I have my doubts about the Battery terminals, which were replaced at an auto electricians a while back. They are very hard to tighten up, and the square headed bolts do not hold in the recess, but turn, necessitating the use of two spanners. Not a problem in itself, but  casts doubt on their qiuailty.

Does anyone have any ideas please?

I'm not very happy about it. The battery's around 2.5 years ago, from Lexus. I will be looking at it and charging it fully today to see oif the symptoms remain

I had my starter contacts replaced around 20 months ago, and I have just started getting the dreaded clicking / rattling sound, the starter turning over slower than usual. It has, reluctantlt, started every time so far, but I need to get mine sorted.

It's Rh and the numbers on their wbsite contact page 0333 043 3911

4 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

I filled out an email request for a quote and they never came back to me, possibly because my Car is six years older than yours.

I never contacted them by email, only ever by telephone, for renewals and the odd query. They always seem pretty efficient

Not so. My 99 model has been on classic car insurance for over two years now. Around £200 including free European recovery.RS Specialist Insurance. You can also combine sveral classic cars onto one policy

Never had protected no claimsbonus. I may be wrong, take the view that if you have a claim, they'll get you somehow. Never had a competitive quote from Saga, they always seem expensive

Have you had your Battery disconnected? Mine always comes up when my Battery has been disconnected. A low Battery can also cause various lights to come on

Thanks for responding chaps, I think you make good points, the sensor being such a critical and sensitive part, it may not be a good idea to economise on its replacement. Tempting when you see the same part for less than half price. No idea what intermotor parts are like, I understand they are OEM on some cars, but perhaps not worth chancing it

On 22/07/2016 at 10:28 PM, steve2006 said:

If you can wait a short while the Amayama price for this part (89422-30030) is £22.37 plus shipping.

Steve

How sure are you that this part number will fit a 1999 ls 400? I have seen some on eBay uk for around £25 , quoting that part number, but the compatibility chart states that there are 7 other variations?

As above, the front one is a doddle and you will see how it is fitted as soon as you open the bonnet. I have some chrome badges, bought off Baz via eBay, to replace my faded gold ones. Never liked the gold badges and think the chrome will look much better on my maroon paintwork. I had a little paintwork done and had them remove my rear badges. They had an adhesive residue on them, and also locating pins that fit into holes in the boot lid. They fit in a rubber grommet. I would also try the hairdrier and dental floss or very fine fishing line to work them off slowly. I just bought some 3m double sided tape to fix my "new" badges. I have uploaded photos of the backs of my old badges, as it may help you to know where the locating pins are

Thanks all, I have found this tape on eBay. They do 0.6mm thick and 1.1mm thick, I doubt that it makes any difference which I use?

nice one, thanks