Razor61

I take my hat off to you and the whole thread/topic is very informative and interesting👍

Dry is the way to go as designed, I have never ever applied any form of grease, oil or anything else to the threads when changing spark plugs. If the existing spark plugs come out ok then the new ones will go in ok without any help. Put new plugs in using finger pressure then torque up, I’ve never heard of anyone stripping threads using finger pressure..........

I’ll have a look, it’s 20 mins away for me so it’s worth a look at least.

I’ve got a MK3 LS400 which I’ve done a lot of work on and very happy with but I’m always looking at LS400’s for sale. I would like to buy a MKIV to see what the difference is but I’m not prepared to pay a lot of cash to find out! I have seen the one below for sale very near me which has peaked my interest, just wondered what people think about the car. Apart from the corrosion mentioned on the top of the windscreen it looks a decent car. Maybe it’s worth a punt? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383716994156

Fitted an new parking brake damper to my 1996 LS400, a bit fiddly doing it under the dash. I had to remove the smaller bottom dash cover and unbolt an electronic control module (don’t know which one it was) to get decent access to the top of the damper to unclip it but, apart from that and working on my back under the dash, it was pretty straightforward. The parking brake wasn’t returning properly, I had to use my left foot to flick it up fully so the parking brake light went off and it was annoying me. It is better for sure and will see how it goes over the next few days. Not 100% sure it’s fixed though, maybe the return spring is a little weak as well. Not exactly cheap for the new damper but, as usual for the LS400, it’s a proper piece of engineering. Approx £80 with postage😬

It is a bit of a pain, as far as I know a letter is sent by Parcel Force to inform you of the customs charges etc along with the specific parcel reference for paying the charges and how to pay them. They don't email as far as I know, I haven't ever received an email. I haven't had an issue myself with stuff from Amayama but I don't wait for the letter to arrive as it takes quite a while. If it helps anyone else this is what I do: As soon as I'm informed by Amayama that the delivery is in the UK or by checking on the Parcel Force tracking website using the tracking number provided by Amayama, I use the Parcel Force tracking website to find out the status and see if it's cleared customs and waiting for the charges to be paid. If the parcel has cleared customs and waiting for the charges to be paid, I call Parcel Force/International Customer Services, quote the tracking number and they provide the specific parcel reference for paying the charges. Once I have the reference I then go online and pay it, parcel is delivered the next day or the day after.

Radiator? The transmission cooler part failing and potentially knackering the auto transmission. I was under the impression this was more applicable to the LS430 but I believe this can affect the LS400 as well.

I stand corrected, I was just going off the exploded parts diagram which shows a separate transmission fluid cooler. Maybe this is was an option or I’ve got it all totally wrong😀 I’ll need to check mine for any signs of rust as soon as I can.

I think this was just for the LS430, the LS400 has the engine oil cooler combined in the radiator but the transmission cooler is separate from what I can see. I may be wrong though, if I am wrong someone will probably correct me😉

My son in law showed me the car for sale on Facebook, I looked and thought ‘It looks familiar.........’ now I know why😂 My memory must be getting bad.....

I did buy some k-seal but didn’t use it, thought better of it in the end. I’ve been looking at different makes of radiator, I’ll get a NRF or Nissens I think. The car isn’t worth spending a fortune on as it’s just a run about for the mrs, if it was the Lexus I’d get OEM or as near as possible. Getting the correct radiator is the hard bit, pretty sure I’ve found the correct one though after a lot of looking and comparing to the existing one. First radiator I’ve ever done on a car and not the easiest job on this A4. I had to cut through the plastic couplings on the radiator as I couldn’t separate the plastic joints on the top and bottom hoses. Sorted now though and ready for the new rad.

Not strictly Lexus LS400 related but still relevant and may help someone else. I had a large coolant loss on my other car, Audi A4 2.5tdi which the mrs drives, coolant was splattered between the timing belt covers and the radiator. I had to top up 2- 3 litres the first time the ‘low coolant’ error came up so a pretty dramatic loss. So I got the car on the drive, removed the timing belt covers to check if it was the water pump, it was all dry as far as I could see and no dripping from underneath that area. The symptoms didn’t fit with a leaking water pump anyway but had to check. So started it up and let it get up to temp to see if I could see any leaks anywhere. I couldn’t see anything at all, the mrs did a few miles round trip, checked the coolant the next morning, coolant splattered again in the same area but not swimming in coolant and had to put in another couple of litres. I’ve not had to go in depth checking for coolant leaks before so did some research (the web) and decided to purchase a ‘US PRO Tools 19 Piece Coolant System Pressure Tester Kit, 5226’ from eBay for £74. Yesterday I removed the undertray and bumper so I could see all round the readiator etc. So I attached the tester, pumped some pressure into the coolant system and found the leak in a few seconds, picture below which is self explanatory. I was initially stood directly in front of the radiator so got soaked a bit before I realised I was stood in front of the leak! Just running the car to temp wasn’t a good test for this particular type of leak, it needed to be under pressure so in effect driving the car. Of course when driving the car the coolant was spurting out and hitting the front of the bonnet then mostly disappearing because of the air rushing by leaving just traces/evidence of coolant. As you can see from the picture below, I didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out where the leak is🤪 it’s the radiator. So new radiator needed and I’ll also replace the condenser because the aircon has never worked since I got the car 3 years ago. If the radiator has a hole in it then the condenser may have one as well and maybe that’s why rage aircon doesn’t work.

I've had idling issues and the cutting out issue on my 1996 LS400 Mk3 more or less since I bought the cat in Oct last year which I think I've now solved. I have posted regarding this on other posts but thought I would put it all together and it may help other owners with the same or similar issue. Cutting out issue after a decent run and stopping: When I first experienced this issue I did some research and the general feeling was that it is caused by the ECU capacitor issue so I duly ordered the capacitors and removed the ECU to replace them. After examining the ECU I couldn't find any traces of leaking capacitors or 'doming' on them, ECU looked pristine so put the ECU back in the car. I'm not saying the capacitors are 100% ok (see further information below) but decided not to fit them. I decided instead to purchase a second hand ECU, replace the capacitors and fit it to the car. That way I wouldn't end up with a knackered ECU and not being able to run the car if I screwed up. I couldn't obtain the exact ECU but did obtain an updated version that is ok for my car (I also posted about this regarding ECU compatibility). I examined this updated ECU and it was also pristine and as new so didn't replace the capacitors and didn't fit to the car at this point. Erratic idling sometimes well over 1000 revs, engine revving by itself at low speeds and driving the car forward when it shouldn't: I stumbled upon a post on a USA forum regarding the 'ECM/ECU Coolant Temp Sensor' causing excessive fuel consumption and idling issues (I did a post about this) so I have replaced the sensor. But at the time I replaced the sensor the aircon compressor had just packed in. After I replaced the sensor the idle was immediately spot on at 600rpm and wasn't erratic at all, also the car didn't cut out after a decent run and stopping. All good for a few weeks (aircon still not fixed). Great result and gave myself a pat on the back🙂 But after I fixed the aircon the erratic idling came back with the same symptoms and maybe a bit worse, I reset the ECU and it was fine for a few days but came back again. After putting up with it for a few weeks I decided to fit the updated ECU to the car - 1. to see if it actually worked and was ok with my car and 2. to see if it made any difference to the idle (being an updated newer ECU). I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did actually work on my car as Lexus said it would and the idle is much much better, idle isn't 100% rock solid as before because the aircon is kicking in and out etc but I think it is 'as it should be'. Based on the above my conclusion is that the cutting out issue on my car was solved by replacing the 'ECM/ECU Coolant Temp Sensor'. I'm reasonably sure the erratic idling was solved by replacing the 'ECM/ECU Coolant Temp Sensor' as well or a least when not using the aircon. Replacing the ECU with the updated newer one I bought definitely solved the erratic idling etc after I fixed the aircon, either the capacitors were starting to fail in the original ECU or just fitting a newer updated ECU solved it or maybe the combination of a new 'ECM/ECU Coolant Temp Sensor' and a newer updated ECU solved it all. I hope all that makes sense and will maybe help someone else with the same issues because the erratic idling and cutting out is very annoying ....................

Prices vary according to what finish and whether there are tyres on the wheels or not, link to prices is below. They can also fit new tyres if you want after refurbing. Lepsons Prices

Don’t know of any in NE Lincs but I use Lepsons who are one of the best and offer a pickup and delivery service. They are located in Gillingham Kent.

Hi Stuart, I didn't get the bushes and bolts but I did get the nuts in case I have to cut through them to get them off. They are meaty bolts and I normally just clean them up, apply some loctite if needed and re use them if they are in good shape. I don't think replacing the rear Strut arms will be difficult, getting the bolts out will be the difficult bit if anything, and I will let you know how I get on when I do them. One of the rear strut bushes is worn on mine, the one in the hub assy, so I may wait until I do the whole rear end rebuild. For my 96 Mk3 LS400 the Strut Bushes (the bush in the strut arm itself) are not available separately from Lexus so it's a complete Strut arm assy, £42 from Amayama. For your car they are available separately. The bushes at the other end that are part of the rear hub assembly are not available separately from Lexus either so it's a new complete hub assembly, £160 each from Amayama and I think this applies to your 93 LS400 as well, aftermarket bushes are available of course. I have new genuine Lexus rear hub assemblies as well, long story but I bought them last year from eBay along with genuine Lexus rear UCA's, wheel bearings and handbrake cables as a job lot. Just to give you an idea of the cost to replace the rear hub assy bush for the strut arm from Lexus which means replacing the complete hub and probably the wheel bearing........................£1600😱 The part numbers I've found for the bolts for your car are listed as different part numbers, 90105-14065 - body end and 90119-14035 - carrier/hub assembly end, that is taken from the site below. Just put your VIN in and away you go or choose it manually. https://lexus-europe.epc-data.com/ls400/

I don't know of any potential items being a relatively new LS400 owner but in view of what happened to 'runsgrateasanut' I would say that LS400's are getting/have got to the age/state where rust/corrosion, metal fatigue or a combination of both on suspension components (and chassis or anything else applicable) needs to be checked and sorted out as much as possible on a regular basis. Just my opinion of course and not easy to detect but lots of rust on something isn't normally a good sign.

Wow....................... just read this, that is a major failure and a real shame it's happened. Fortunate you weren't batting along at a higher speed, bad enough issue but could have been worse. Looks like it failed at the weld between the strut bar itself and the 'U' bracket which attaches to the hub/bush, probably due to the old enemy..........rust or maybe its been weakened in the past somehow and rust has then done its work. I wouldn't expect it to be picked up on an MOT check though unless it was ready to break and the tester detected this when checking for play in the bush using a prybar. Corrosion is normally flagged up but you don't really know how bad it is unless you do 'get down and dirty' and start removing the rust/corrosion to see what metal is left. I checked all the rear end when I first bought my car as it looked in pretty poor shape and removed as much rust as possible and treated it as best I could. It's pretty decent now but I did remove a lot of flaking rust especially on the rear subframe. I'll be checking the rear strut bars (and other arms) again for any signs of cracking/movement at the weld with a long prybar to make sure. If I'm in any doubt about them I have 2 x new Lexus ones ready to fit which arrived today from Amayama along with a lot of other suspension bits ready for a rear suspension rebuild.

So took the plunge and fitted the 89661-50351 updated ECM/ECU today, took an hour to do with glove box removal, swop ecu, re connect battery, test it works, refit glove box and everything is fine. Car started and took it for a short run to check everything works. If anyone has a duff ecu and is struggling to find the exact one then an updated one may be the answer, Amayama was correct with an alternative one for my car but you can double check with Lexus UK to be sure as I did.

Swopped out the ECM/ECU on my 96 LS400 for an updated version. Nothing wrong with the capacitors on the existing one that I could see but I found a later revision ECM/ECU which Lexus UK confirmed was correct for my car. Will see this week if everything works ok but it’s seems ok, starts and runs so the updated ECU/ECM works. The original will have the capacitors changed etc and then I’ll decide what to do with it.

I recently replaced the ac compressor on my car. Once the old one was off the car and I could have a good look at it, it was the magnetic clutch that had failed and the compressor itself looked fine. The ‘Hub Assy’ at the front had come apart, clutch plate had detached so when the clutch engaged it didn’t drive the compressor, car didn’t detect the compressor rotating so then the flashing ac light. I was advised to get a new complete compressor with clutch assy which I did, I said I would fit it myself after a de gas and then re gassed etc, what’s involved and what I did is in the post below. As far as cost, a new compressor from the UK is approx £550 iirc, when I looked there were none in stock in the UK. I got mine from RockAuto in the states and for the new compressor, drier kit and a seal kit it was approx £280 iirc, delivered including everything. Ordered Friday afternoon and delivered Monday afternoon. The cost for fitting I can’t say but I would guess at half a day labour (probably more) to de gas, fit new compressor, test and re gas etc. https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/123942-ls400-mk3-aircon-compressor-replacement/

Link is on the very first post I did😉

At the moment there seems to be quite a few LS400's for sale on eBay and elsewhere, this particular white MKIV on eBay (link below) caught my eye and looks very nice. Lexus LS400 4.0l T-reg (1999) auto only 140k full service history https://ebay.us/BWG4Ak

It does look nice, apart from the bonnet. If your nephew has £5-6k to spend there is a very low miles, Gold MK3, looks in A1 condition and is for sale on Car and Classic (also on Facebook) at a dealer in Chesterfield. I would love it but I've invested too much time/effort/money in my current Mk3 LS400 I think. However, I am toying with the idea of selling mine and buying it or just buy it and keep it as an investment (not sure if it's a good idea though)

I’ve seen the one in question and I think it looks really nice. I can’t remember seeing another mk4 for sale in the same colour, very nice colour as well I think. But what has happened to the bonnet..................it looks like it’s been scratched to hell!! iirc the MOT history looks ok apart from the rear subframe corrosion, if it’s been dealt with and treated it shouldn’t be a problem. If it’s as described and drives well then it’s worth considering if the bonnet condition doesn’t put you off.