skyway

Afternoon guys have you ever been doing what seemed like very simple job and it went some what downhill very quickly? Well that was me today I really hope it hasn't gone as badly as I think it has and someone else has had this happen. So while trying to fit my new idler pulley I loosened the tensioner bolt however it did not slacken the belt one bit, so in true blundering fashion I kept going a little bit ... giving a small push then a bit more until of course the bolt came out and the pulley went flying, so I'm now in the position of not being able to move my car to someone who could rectify my blunder, I think the tensioner itself is jammed up somehow and i think also to get to it I may have to take out the radiator (mind you could do with a new one anyways). I really hope someone could tell me that all I need is to tap the car with a magic hammer and all will be well again. thanks again for reading and for any advice, feel free also to laugh at me as I really think I deserve it :) Oh also the pulleys have been changed its the belt I cant get back on as well its tighter than a gnats bum. john

Hi guys thanks for all your time and help on this one. I'm loving your attachments there Steve amazing what we do to solve a problem when we need to:). I think it is best to use the sills, the idea of climbing under the car to get to the subframe or diff on the side of the m1 does not sound much fun. The reason i went for the subframe to start with is that i didn't have an owners manual and the sills seem to have a plastic shielding on of some kind which confused me a great deal ( in fact had me kicking things tbh but not the car). I will get back out on sunday and have a go on my brakes. I'm going to copy Colin's idea of the wooden block (thanks mate). But hey Steve if your making em I will buy em :)

Hi again guys, this one might be a little silly (i did try searching the forum before just in case so as not to waste peoples time) I needed to jack the car up today to give the brakes some love n lube and found to my utter dismay that my normally trolley jack was not up to the job of reaching the subframe as i believe the jacking point is far far away under the beast. I was able to get it onto the rear subframe however it would not jack high enough, not wanting to drag planks of wood around with me i was wondering if any of you wonderful people had a jack suitable for the job at hand.(I didnt want to trust the scissor jack) thanks in advance as always:) God after rereading this it is a very stoopid question.

HI guys and thanks again. I hope to be the proud owner of a non squeaking ls430 :) I bought this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-LS400-LS430-97-07-DEFLECTION-GUIDE-PULLEY-V-RIBBED-BELT-IDLER-ROLLER-SET-/171708894523?hash=item27faa5cd3b:g:HTkAAOSwBLlU-dF~ I will pop some photos up of me bodging it on which you can all then poke fun at me :)

Hi Titch sorry it didnt see your reply to the post. The one i think thats sqeaking on mine is the top idler for the Ancilliary drive belt. But i was under the imprestion it could only be changed with the timing belt. If this isnt right and I can change it I will do as the noise kinda worries me tbh. thanks

Hi Simon, I think its running at 144k now, I picked it up on 142k but the trip home was 1800 miles(on 7 cylnders tough old birds these). I don't have much in the way of paper work and nothing for the timing belt, although it was at some point pampered i belive by the look of some of the more expensive receipts are from a rolls garage. But at sometime it fell into the hands of a muppet so It may need a timing belt I would like to do this myself tbh however it does seem a big job best saved for the summer or at least when I can get it into a garage. I do have one more sqeek though its the drivers side rear coilover rubber mount but its looking mighty hard to get at without taking out the seat which i will have to do I guess. Seem to work on my van more than my car at the mo but her time will come :)

Hi again ambermarine and thanks again for your words of wisdom, it seems i will have to fine something else to fix... lord knows theres enough :)

Hi Guys so due to my mystery vsc light being still that a mystery I have decided to move on to the squeaky top idler pulley. I have serched but am unable to find a guide to replacing it.. has anyone done it? Does it have to be done at the same time as the timing belt? I have seen a post where someone had been living with the squeeling for 3 years but I feel like my cars in pain and I need to repair her.... so here I ask for your help and expertise. if I may. Also I was thinking of replacing the belt at the same time thought this bosch one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131510772767?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Thanks again for your time guys

Hi all, This week its time to see to a little something else on the car (big list) and I wondered if someone might shed some light on my light problem. I have an ls430 2002 the vsc light as well as red triangle light. She has had coil overs fitted which i think might be the problem. The fuse on the passenger side has already been pulled and I have cleared the light off by using the paperclip method (worked a treat) but as soon as I put it in gear and drive a few feet its back on. I have put a reader on it but I'm not getting anything come up. Also I have water on the indide of my passenger side headlamp (thought I would throw that one in there) Many thanks for reading and for any help

Afraid not Rudy hes torn it in half. I will try and get one from a breakers i guess. Unless I can buy the material and repair it (got a sewing machine cant be that hard... or can it)

Oh my good god Steve I think you saved that car from an abusive owner. I don't think Its an issue not replacing the leather with lexus leather, as long as it works for you and your happy with it. Thats what im going to do. I don't think that mine is leather at all it looks like some kind of plastic so the leather it will get will be an upgrade i guess. I was not going to match it but i was going to do both posts to match those at least. But then again I guess I could get one from a breakers I didnt even think of that, thanks Steve I can't work out how the last owner of your car did both sides, not likely that its rachet straps through the windows i guess

Hi guys seems I am on here asking loads (which I am bought a lemon trying to make lemonade) Has anyone ever fixed a rear passenger door sun shade? It looks like somebody had a tantrum and ripped mine out then stuffed it back in like so wouldnt notice (#@\=#) I saw one on ebay but its from the states and at £100 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-LS430-PASSENGER-REAR-DOOR-SUNSHADE-68907-50010-/351181512315?hash=item51c40c9e7b:g:lyIAAOSwPcVVsxSP Thanks in advance

Now thats great news an easy job. Thanks Steve after that I guess its the rear seat replacement from where they rested the timber and gardening tools, not looking great there. However I hear that's A pain of a job also I recon I will have to save some cash for a rear seat

why an ls400? if you have a 430...same car more or less cept the delicate air suspension (mine are coil overs), although the ls400 is the car that started me on this love affair.

Mine is ripped on the lower post where the last owner was putting in lengths of wood, I hope it's as easy to take out and repair. has anyone done this? (not the wood but the post removal

I filled it up today but tbh it was half full already... not really trusting the fuel gauge just yet.. but there is an 85ltr tank so at umm £1.05 a ltr (asda) its £90 its about right i guess i was on the halfway mark and it cost me 50 to fill up, I drove mine back from portugal (on 7 cylinders) zig zaged a bit all in about 1800 miles wasnt sure anything was working as it should and didnt want to get caught out across the water so again filled up at half way. I am going to put in a lpg tank at some point when funds allow. I may run it down this time as we are in london to see how far we can get on a tank ... I will pm you to let you know :)

well that was easy once you lovely people helped me.... one ten mill socket, £17 coil pack and I am no longer running on 7 cylinders the engine is running so smoothly. thanks again guys.... I will have a weeks rest then onto the next thing :)

hi Ambermarine thank you, I have ordered the coil and will see to it as soon as it arrives. again thank you all for you help and will give you an update. :)

Hi Ruud thanks mate you are saving my sanity. Sorry to keep asking not trying to be a pain any idea how i can identify number coil one I can't see any numbers on them

hi messi thanks mate, do you think i should change them all? 8 i think

Hi guys I wonder if anyone can help me. I bought a 2002 ls430 that I guess I should not have but well I guess I am not that smart. I'm trying to work my way through the longggggggggggggg list of problems and this is next on my list I have bought a fault code reader and attached it to the offending vehicle and i'm getting a p1300 code does any wise person out there know what doom is upon me? thanks in advance Ls430 146k blue coil overs (warning lights on) but much loved 5 different tyres (told balancing will sort this doh)

my co-driver who btw only drove for 15 mins over 1800 miles.

So a bit of a crazy one this and a tad long I reckon also (sorry for the saga in advance). I have been wanting an ls400 or 430 for a long long time ended up with a fiat multipla and a honda jazz for some strange reason. You guys might have seen a LS430 for sale on ebay in portugal, I messaged the guy who told me there was only 2 things wrong with the car that was the steering tilt (surprise surprise) and a small tear in the seat. A plan quickly formed in my head of a quick pick up and extended drive back to the uk, I rang a friend to see if he wanted to go on a road trip he said yes before I even told him where 'n' why. so off we went. we flew to Lisbon stayed the night right near a crack house. (thanks airbnb) took the train the next morning 2 hours and ended up in the sticks. The station was like 20 miles from the town. We met the owners nice people. And there she was sat in the station car park where the owners had left her for 2 weeks while they went on holiday(it got it's 1st wash as it had rained). we quickly had a look around the car and yes there was the 2 things wrong, a hole in the back seat and the tilt......however it was then I heard the phrase I forgot to mention that.... some other tears in other seats headlamp was hazed tyres need a balance as it judders at 55-65 one of the ciggy lighters don't work key fobs are broken hole in the backbox parking sensors broken headlamp washers missing trip computer is showing 99 mpg etc sunblind been torn out on rear passenger side no tax and an inch of dust n dirt over everything.(inside the car) I had travelled a long god damn way for this car and promised a good friend a road trip... and so I just stuck my head very firmly in the sand handed over the cash and drove off thinking i'm gonna need my breakdown cover. To keep it short we drove from portugal to valencia then back through the pyrenees to france and up to calais staying at some amazing places, ate some great food and met some lovely people totaling a week of driving and 1800 miles and you know what that damn missed used, uncared for car didn't miss a beat the whole way through sun, rain and my terrible driving skills. We did have to change the windscreen wipers in the rain and we noticed that all 5 tyres on the car were in fact different makes so no need to check the balancing I guess. Do I regret it... no I do not. I love that car (maggie) yes I know It's maybe sad to name a car but she got us back safely, In return I promised her I would repair every little thing wrong with her I could (with your help kind sirs) Thank you for your time reading this and your wonderful forum which convinced me to buy a lexus in the 1st place. (can't thank you enough)

Hi mike I have read the rules.. and i look forward to my quiz later (multiple choice?)

Hi guys, n girls, having just bought myself my dream model of car (ls430) I would like to take the time to say hi and thank you all very much for all the advice and posts I have been reading over the years on theses cars although it seems I took none of anyones advice in buying the car I did just got googly eyes and bought it. (so many things wrong with it hard to know where to start)