Razor61

Received most of the parts I ordered from Amayama today, ordered them on 24th of Jan so pretty good service. Rear UCA's, front lower ball joints, tie rods, rear drop links, front drop links, front and rear anti roll bar bushes, various clips/covers and grommets and the 09812-00010 'tool' for loosening the door bolts to adjust the doors while I was at it (pic below). Wouldn't have ordered it on its own but made sense getting it with the other bits. That will keep me busy for a while😉 I'm waiting for some other bits from UAE, front and rear pad wear sensors and an new antennae.

Fuel leak all sorted, filled the tank to max yesterday, checked this morning, no smell of fuel and no leak from the fuel sender gasket. I can fit all the trim in the boot now, fuel leak sorted and a dry boot

Have prices risen? I think the answer must be…….yes they have. At least for LS400’s in good condition, maybe dealers and private sellers with a LS400 sense the time is right to sell. Also because of ULEZ or clean air charges in various other locations, LS cars are being sold when otherwise they wouldn’t be. This applies to other cars as well of course.

I had exactly the same issue after I bought a LS400 and driving it back home. I was going to buy a new ignition switch but members on here gave me good advice and a member kindly gave me his old one to look at and use if needed. I then planned to remove the switch, remove the grease, clean the switch, apply some contact grease and put it back and see if it happens again. However, it hasn't happened again since mid December and I've done a fair few miles in the meantime. My plan now is to leave it alone and maybe do it later in the year, if it happens again in the meantime then I know what the issue is, just wiggle the key and it goes back to normal.

Thanks Malc, I'll do my best👍🏻 There are some noises on the suspension, nothing dramatic at all, I can hear some dull bumping/thudding noise coming off a speed bump when the suspension comes off load. Going on the the speed there is also some noise, it's different but maybe caused by the same issue. It's not really bad by any means but I can hear/feel it. Not sure if it's the front bottom ball joints or the UCA's, when a set of new bottom ball joints arrive from Japan I'll fit them and see if that cures it. Then it will be front drop links, anti roll bar bushes and track rod ends, if that doesn't fix the issue then it's probably the front UCA's (I have a new set anyway but didn't want to fit them just yet)

Correction, they were 600n and not 650n

As for the Krytox stuff on the seals, spent an hour applying the stuff. It’s pretty thick and applying a small amount does go a long way but when applying to old rubber seals it takes a fair amount of stuff. I bought a 30ml bottle and have about half left. I did the bonnet, boot, door seals but not the bottoms of the doors themselves (I’d had enough by this time) and the headlight seals. If nothing else the seals look good, like new now. As with anything else of this type of stuff, time will tell if it’s worth it compared to Gummi Fplege or equivalent stuff which is easier to apply that’s for sure.

Video after. 1737CC37-80B2-4BD7-B7E4-5640964B7DEB.MOV 6E3C4D5E-910F-48CE-8D96-0C5871B4398F.MOV

Well, I removed the needed bits to get to the tilt motor worm drive and and gear. Gear was in perfect condition, removed all the original grease, applied the Krytox stuff and put it all back together. Is it quieter………not sure but I think it maybe quieter on the tilt bit. The telescopic bit I couldn’t get to easily but I will do in the future. I did take some videos before and after but it’s difficult to tell if there is any difference, it seems quieter when the key is removed and the steering wheel returns to to the in and up position. If there is a difference it wasn’t worth 2 hours doing it all but I wanted to try. Video before 121FB6C5-7DDE-48C5-B2AF-0CE9ED619DBF.MOV

So todays work…….not as much as I intended to do. Fuel sender gasket leak removed everything again, cleaned and remove all traces of the sealant. I noticed the plate on the fuel sender wasn’t exactly as it should be (a bit bent and not square) so straightened it as best I could. Reassembled and fitted everything without any sealant this time so the rubber gasket will do it’s job as intended. Went for a drive and intentionally drove to slosh the fuel about, stopped at fuel station, put £40 fuel in and repeated. Got home checked for leaks and it looks good this time but time will tell. Note to myself, don’t try and be clever….just replace the bits as intended and don’t use fancy sealant as well. Put in the blanking grommets in the tow bar holes, of course the grommets I bought were not a perfect fit but I made them fit.

Yep, precision engineer and he can make anything really and has done over many many years. Making some gate bolts and nuts for a ‘well to do’ country house that where originally hand made a very very long time ago, working out thread pitch, adjusting things until it all works as it should is one example. Proper skill, knowledge, experience, it has to be correct and excellent work ethic which I aspire to. If 10% of that has rubbed off on me I’ll be happy😉

Boot is nice and dry now but fuel sender gasket still leaking slightly. I did the gasket without disconnecting all the sender plugs and clips which was a mistake. Got the sender out ok, cleaned everything, applied the gasket sealant, gasket and tried to put the sender back in with the wires connected. It was a right faff and had to disconnect the wires anyway in the end, by the time I messed around the gasket sealant was going off I think and it wasn’t all lined up and seated correctly. I’ll have another go today, disconnect all the wires, clean off all the sealant and put put correctly this time. Not sure if I can remove the sealant so I’ve ordered a new gasket just in case and may wait until it arrives. Purchased some new SGS Engineering Bonnet struts and fitted them today. New bonnet struts had been fitted but were too strong at 650n. They were so strong I had to push the bonnet down to release the catch. Closing the bonnet took too much effort as well. Also when the bonnet was closed the passenger side of the bonnet was sitting too high and wasn’t flush with the wing. I tried pushing it down but was solid, after the new bonnet struts I could push it down and it’s flush now. Next jobs for today, fuel sender gasket again maybe, fit rubber grommets to the holes left after a tow bar removal in the boot (bought a kit of various size blanking grommets and normal grommets), adjust boot lid alignment (it has had a little ding on the boot lid, left a small dint but no paint broken and this has shifted the boot off alignment I think), if the weather improves I’ll clean all the rubber seals and apply some Krytox GPL 105 (not cheap stuff but a little goes a long way apparently) The Krytox stuff is used in the automotive industry and applied to rubber seals (similar to Gummi Pflege stuff) and other parts for reducing friction and noise. There are different viscosities depending on where it’s used, VW use and sell their own mix of GPL 105 for use on sunroof seals etc to make the sunroof slide smoothly and reduce wind noise which owners complained about I think. One thing that is bugging me though is the noise that the steering wheel motors make, I’ve bought some Krytox GPL 205 G2 grease to use. Bought 10 grams but it may not be enough. Plan is to remove the original grease in the motors on the worm drive and plastic cog, apply the Krytox GPL 205 G2 grease, reassemble and see if it makes any difference. I’ll take some videos of before and after. I will of course examine the plastic gears for any signs of wear, if there too much wear then I’ll send the gears to my Dad and he will fabricate new ones. Probably make them wider as well. I’ve seen him do this before for Slushy machines and arcade machines where the plastic gears are knackered in the motor assemblies/mechanism, spare parts are no longer available and the only other option is to buy a new machine.

Thanks Pete👍🏻

Hi, can anyone tell me the correct tyre pressure for DHP wheels and tyres please or what pressures people run them on? My recent purchase has DHP wheels and 225/55/17 tyres, I know they are not the correct size but are pretty new. Checked the pressures because they felt too hard, pressures were 38psi all round so dropped them all to 32psi as a starting point.

https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/127871-windscreen-washer-jets/

Not a lot of work really, some of it I expected. I didn’t expect to have as much done on the engine etc but the body is totally sound so worth doing. I haven’t spent much time on it before doing the boot seal, spent a few quid though! The boot seal took some time of course, I could have just cleaned everything and fitted the new seal in 20 mins rather than a few days and not taken the trim off but it wouldn’t have been the right thing to do at all. Front drivers side spring has been sorted, thought it would be a doddle but it wasn’t that easy. I had to really compress the spring and even then it was a struggle to turn, then undoing the spring compressors was moving it back so out with the buzz gun to undo them. That did the trick…..

I went for Michelin Pilot Sport 4 at the end of 2020, cost me £550 iirc for all four tyres but they are staggered 18's 255/40 at the back and 225/40 at the front. I looked around and got a price promise thing with 'Formula One Autocentre'. Will be cheaper for 17's I expect. I've used them in the past in the various versions and they are very good in my opinion. I can't say what tyres are the best for an IS250 because I haven't tried different makes/model, I've tended to stick to Michelin Pilot Sport and not had any issues but I don't drive round like an F1 driver.

Nope, it’s 6P7 SILVER JADE PEARL

All done, gasket fitted to fuel sender and put back together, I have left the trim off so I can see if the fuel sender gasket is ok and not leaking and ther boot seal isn’t leaking anymore. New tyre fitted to the spare wheel this afternoon, old one was punctured and knackered.

The corners after scraping but before treating and painting.

Cheers, it needed to be done. There was no way I was going to fit a new boot seal with the rusty bits. It didn’t cost a lot (boot seal was £110 though), just time, effort, paint and some masking tape plus a bit of brain power. I caught the rust underneath the lower rear window seal/trim corner bits in time, another year or so and it would have rusted through. They won’t rust through now though. It depends on how the car is parked but the water can pool in that area so anyone with an LS400 it’s worth taking the trim off and having a look I think.

Few pics of the work done today before painting and after, pics got a bit mixed up but I’m sure you’ll work it out.

After the unexpected mechanical issues have been sorted it’s on to the other stuff which was expected. The rear boot seal is first……. Finished work early yesterday, weather was good (basically not raining) and forecast was decent for yesterday and today, so removed the corner plastic trims, old boot seal and rear lights. Cleaned all round the boot area lip/channel where the boot seal fits and removed all the residual rubber. There were quite a few surface rusted areas around it with the worse bits on the bottom and around the boot locking mechanism, due to the knackered seal and water sitting when it was off the road for quite a while. I bought some Bilt Hamber Deox-gel which I saw used on an IS200 rear sill repair to treat the rust so after some scraping, sanding and cleaning I applied the gel in a thick layer and covered it with cling film to stop it drying out and shut the boot. I could see that underneath the lower rear window trim there was surface rust but the light was going so left it on and plastered the gel under as much as I could. I didn’t take any pics cos I wanted to get it all done before it went dark. Got home from work this afternoon and checked the state of the gel, it was working really well so decided to leave it until tomorrow as it hasn’t dried out at all. I did remove the lower rear window trim though, it took about 5 mins releasing the narrow double sided tape around the outer edge in the corners, breaking free the small blob of sealant and unclipping the rest ( disclaimer - no clips were harmed or damaged during this process🙃) It was still fixed down as it was when it left the factory but I knew that underneath there would be so much dirt that needed cleaning out and surface rust underneath the corners. Sure enough it was all full of crud and surface rust in the corners. Rust is just surface and just looked like discolouring rather than proper rust. More gel applied and covered with cling film to work it’s magic. It is good stuff from looking at a small patch, rather than the rust being converted, as with other products, this stuff looks like it ‘lifts’ the rust and leaves clean shiny metal but it was only a small bit. I’ll be able to give a better opinion on it when I clean it all down and wash it tomorrow ready for painting with Por-15 paint. Only got black but the new seal will cover it all and it won’t rust again for a long long time that’s for sure. I will have more time tomorrow to take some pics and if anyone else feels like removing the lower rear window trim it’s not difficult when you know how it’s fixed down and you have some plastic trim removers. Worth doing as well in my opinion but ordering some new clips would be a good idea just in case. I have a complete set of new ones anyway which I ordered for the last LS400 but never got round to fitting them.

Absolutely, no guarantees of trouble free motoring of course but I’ve done as much as possible to make it happen.

Thanks Malc, knackered engine was the worst case and a bit dramatic on my part but a possibility none the less. I drove 160 miles back home after picking up the car and then another couple of hundred after that until it went in to Lexus. It ran great all the while apart from the noise which wasn't really bad like a big end knocking or anything, with the bonnet shut you couldn't hear it unless you put your ear close to the front passenger inner wing, it may have run like that forever and not got any worse but then again it might not. I wasn't that concerned about the noise when I bought it, Lexus Newcastle thought it was a noisy tappet and so did Lexus Bolton until it was investigated after the valve clearances were done and it didn't resolve it. Anyhow, I'm a few quid lighter but I have relative peace of mind.