runsgrateasanut

ps to last - I should say I was playing Music via the bluetooth and clarty was superb. Never used a phone in a Car but bluetooth could (if unlikely) to be useful, I suppose. Personally I hate mobile phones and as my last months Virgin bill was £1.50 (no monthly contract) it shows I'm in the Billy no Mates team.

I bought one of these and I must say that it bluetoothed perfectly to my Android Mobile phone outside my house. What I'm not so sure about is if my old Sony MP3 A1000 player will work via the Aux input on the unit. I've lost my connecting jack to jack cable at the moment and although it refers to MP3 in the Ad, it suggests MP4 in the little booklet that came with it. Is there an MP4? I'm not au fait with audio. The only other thing I'm waiting on an answer from the seller is, the fact that they say in the Ad that the contents include a Remote. Not seen in the box, though also not seen in the visuals for the Ad. Works better than some other FM Tranmitters I've tried. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FM-Transmitter-Bluetooth-5-V-Wireless-Radio-Modulator-Car-MP3-Player-USB-Charger/183070632650?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

There's a Febi Bilstein on ebay for £200. Not sure if they have both sides. I've used cheaper Arms not from Rock, and as I said the only thing I needed to do was replace the rubber Boot over the Ball joint before fitting. Has passe two MOT's since. Rock does have Moogs for sale, I believe.

Sorry yes thats correct. They are under Ball Joint & Track Rod end Boots. Not Car specific. Or you may be able to retain whats on your existing UCA's and transfer them. Don't always match.

If replacing front UCA's with a cheap Chinese or Taiwan brand I suggest that you buy new Ball joint covers and replace the existing Rubber which disintegrates in less than a month or as someone said when "just hanging on the garage wall" The unit will then be OK for a while. www.southwalespropshafts.co.uk posts quickly once you've got dimensions.

Bizarre update. I purchased the new springs K-FLEX KYB RD5979 several years ago and at the same time bought two new Rear OEM Upper Control Arms from Amayana. - just in case of an MOT fail on these parts having had a nightmare with the fronts when I purchased the Car. Only the Springs so far have been mentioned, so I stored everything. Only now have I checked the Springs against these new UCA's to find that there is no way they will go through the centre hole. So, even if the originals had been lowered they wouldnt have been extractable. Or, KYB have sold me the wrong Springs (Sorry revised this sentence as the guy didn't take the whole unit through the hole in the UCA - Anno Domini affecting my thinking Doh!) See ebay ref for the same spring advertised as for Lexus LS400.. Just looked on Rock Auto to see if they quote KYB springs but only Moog seen and at £85 to import a pair is an OK price but looking at the image, it suggests that there is no flat bottom to the springs. Why is that?? different Diameter I have no way of knowing ? https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7111356&cc=1187489&jsn=327&jsn=327 Next time I have the wheel off i'll have to try to measure the diameter of the existing Springs to better understand what is going on here?

and this sa-96.pdf sa-63.pdf

Having just bought the Workshop manual in pdf for £9.99 the Bible says, remove Drive Shaft, Exhaust etc. sa-97.pdf

Postscript - you can get these at around £38 a pair. Also under 1997 listed http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/lexus,1999,ls400,4.0l+v8,1356083,brake+&+wheel+hub,hydraulic+hose,1792

Nice to know you have instant stopping power with the miriade of young people these days stepping into the Road with their mobile phones glued to their ears and their Brains somewhere else! Having changed the Rotors and pads (to Mintex) at the time its not easy to determine if they make a difference, but the car was lethal when I bought it. Now, its the best stopping power I've ever experienced.

I'm very confident of this mechanics abilities. How many mechanics can there be in their late thirties who've worked on changing springs on old Lexus's which seem to last the Cars lifetime? We had that upper control arm up and down like a fiddlers elbow but still couldn't get the thing completely out of the holder and no clearance at top or bottom of the spring to the inner wheel arch housing. Maybe, if after rotating the Spring, we had re-applied the clamps it would in hindsight have given a bit more top clearance but not at the bottom. Was persuasion in the form of leverage used by you, Steve? Its back on the drive now until the Ice Age is over and then I'll rethink if he or this other mechanic want to make further attempt. Bu**ered if I'd want to work in a cold Garage doing this sort of work.

Thanks Malc. I’ve no plans to scrap her and am only changing the springs because they’ve been an advisory more than once owing to rust. Just collected the Car back without the change being made. Contacting an ex- Toyota dealer mechanic and waiting for him to call me back as to what the Bible says about Spring replacement. If the cost is too high it probably would be cheaper to get two rear Coilovers and cut out the rear springs etc so avoiding the drive shaft etc., removal. Not that I particularly want to change the nature/ ride of the beast. 2nd Alternative is to rust kill , paint and continue to take with me the set of new springs on my 600 mile journeys into France and keep my fingers crossed. They’ve done the trip quite a few times. Roads better over there, mind you. When Springs can sometimes go with the Car parked at a Supermarket I prefer to try and circumvent such happenings. They’ve done sterling service if originals – 25 years this March! Time for their retirement!

I'll just update my own last contribution to this old thread. I went to the workshop to see why there was difficulty in doing this supposedly easy Strut removal. I tried with my Mechanic to remove the strut and I couldn't do it. There is insufficient clearance in the upper tunnel and I couldn't fully release the lower part from the housing sufficient to drop it away from the Drive shaft Gaiter and to the right of it. Even if it could have been done, the length of the Strut, the inner wheel arch and a Strengthening panel in the Tunnel don't allow for wiggle room to angle the strut. I have checked all vutube vids on this and each time when you get to the part of removal, there is no actual footage of a Strut being removed. Perhaps the 91 model had a different upper tunnel housing? We've had to abandon the repalcement and short of cutting out the Spring and repalcing with a modern Coilover (different diameter strut spring) I'm not going to imagine the cost of replacing with removal of Drive shaft etc. More than the Cars worth?

Interesting - if a bit pricey

Is that Boot evidence of a Toroidal LPG tank having been in there at some time?

My mechanic is trying to replace my rear springs. I said I'd seen on you tube a guy doing it and he said that the Springs can come out by just raising the Upper Control Arm. I think Malc or Steve said they had had one replaced recently only cost £40. Reading this thread suggests four hours job and my guy is not sure that he may need to remove the drive shafts. He's in crisis at this time. (me too now!) Perhaps the you tube guy said that the Ball joint bolt needed to come out of the Control Arm or perhaps he didn't?? DOES IT? Rusted in after twenty five years it won't be easy but with its removal is it then possible without clamping the spring, to twist and remove it under the wheel arch? He's still laughing when I said £40.00 and suggested I should take it to where its done for that cost. Bit of drive methinks ! Any quick help as I'm emailing him a link to the vu tube and lexus links. Will make his Friday evening!

Check out the thread I mentioned on the other forum clublexus. Its the ECU and you can see what can happen and the fault list. Could be you have none of the problems associated with the main ECU. Fingers crossed.

Throttle body might need a clean but as I said earlier Capacitors a possibly clue. You may want to go on to the clublexus site and look at thread "all my crazy Lexus issues solved" which suggests Lexus over twelve years old should check its Capacitors. OK it suggests also that if the Car won't rev out to beyond, or less than 2000 rpm, that this could be the cause. Your car is twenty years young, so.............

I will be most interested to read members opinion on this situation. I don't think I've ever reached 5k revs but when I get to the point of Overdrive kicking in and expecting a smooth drop in revs I do get a splutter and seemingly no change. For this reason the Capacitors are to be changed when the damp weather improves which on my much earlier car may be the reason??

I fitted the below on the basis that I was going to convert to LPG and they are supposed to run hotter. Two years on I've had no problems with them but as yet I've not installed the LPG kit - maybe soon. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8x-Lexus-LS400-4-0i-y1989-2002-Brisk-YS-Silver-Lpg-Petrol-Gasoline-Spark-Plugs/371047599637?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus&hash=item5664290e15:g:OXQAAOSw-wJZ-9Dc

Spotted a set of these on a CL500 which has rather taken my fancy - "Down Boy!!" , Not sure if they've been evaluated by our expert membership? https://www.evergreentyres.co.uk/

Congratulations Mike. Always a relief. Phil I well remember similar when I was being taken to the Norfolk Broads by my Grandfather - "step over the hole and keep your legs up"

Mk1's had Fifteen inch wheels whereas Mk 2 had 16" and possibly later models - 16? Will check Duncan but think its only possible to link an IMG code - let's see ...

Pity about the change in styling IMO. May move on to a 4 one day but hoping the 2 stays with me a bit longer.

I fitted Borbets to my LS and they came off possibly an IS. I think tehy look great! Can't put up a photo these days via P/bucket. Any one know how to put up a photo some other way?