Razor61

Saw this audio head unit service manual on eBay for early LS400, manual says 91 but should be ok for 90 - 92 I think and may be useful to someone. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385512928493

This is what I get on Amayama using the VIN number and the manufactured date is correct for your car, 1993.03

This company maybe https://www.tynesidesafetyglass.com/sectors/automotive-and-motorsport/

You could try these guys for the DHP centre caps Lexus Breakers - New & Used Spare Parts for Lexus in UK

I’ve been putting together a ‘Buyers Guide’ based on my experience of LS400 ownership. I know I haven’t owned LS400’s for donkeys years, as some of you guys on here, and I don’t profess to know them inside out but I reckon I’ve built up a fair amount of knowledge. So, I have a draft document for this and would like to share it with anyone who is interested in it and would like to add or correct anything. PM me and I’ll send you the draft buyers guide.

Interesting video by TCCN on power steering, bleeding and fluid to use. I had read about Idemitsu lubricants and their link with Toyota when I searched for ‘who makes Toyota oil’ . TCCN uses Idemitsu PSF and he said it’s the stuff used when the car is new so I had a look into buying some in the UK, I couldn’t find a supplier though. Rock Auto sell it at £3.30 a bottle so I ordered 10 bottles of 345ml for around £60 delivered including duty. Will be delivered Friday, I still can’t believe ordering stuff from Rock Auto and it arrives in a few days!! Link to review of it, number 8 on the list of reviews https://autoquarterly.com/best-power-steering-fluids/ TCCN video

Nice one, thanks for sharing it. You learn something new everyday, so the compressor is 'turning' constantly and I suppose the solenoid controls whether it's 'engaged' or 'conditioning'. Lots of info on his channel, i.e. a link to a workshop manual site which will be useful to a lot of people without one - https://charm.li/

No problem, that seller on eBay sells lots of the same type of stuff - clips, fasteners etc.

Probably a long shot but does the bush/grommet look like this? If these are the correct ones, you can buy them off eBay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325168364614

Good memory, it was and the buyer posted on here about the car. https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/133024-ls400-24000-miles-£17000-a-new-benchmark/

Yep, it's likely and was my first thought right in the beginning but it would be a radio out job so never bothered and it's not the car I drive daily anymore. I was in electronics repair years ago, TV/Video/Audio/Computers etc. so I've done my fair share of finding dry joints and broken tracks with freeze spray, and/or a toothbrush plus wiggling the component leg. I would consider buying a used unit and replacing it but it may not be the assembly itself. If I did pull the satnav unit, I would need to check all the joints or re solder everything I can get to, unless I am lucky and it's an obvious dry joint or there is the telltale 'ring' on a joint. I may pull the satnav assembly and check the connectors and connector joints but that would be it, I'm not going to strip it down for an issue that occurs in winter a few times. Anyway, the components will be very small and most will be surface mounted, compared to components with legs going through the board which I can still see ok and work with. Different world now with electronics. It's only me that notices it anyway, the Mrs just uses FM and doesn't notice DAB isn't working. When the issue does happen, the Audio is 'off' when the car is started and displays 'Audio Off' on the display. I suspect the unit doesn't know what to do when it tries to power on in the 'state' is was powered off, DAB working, and when DAB isn't there anymore it powers off. I think it has got 'better' for some reason to be honest.

-3, very cold and very icy this morning, the DAB radio worked fine 🤷‍♂️ strange but true..........

Forget that, I've just had a look at the parts diagram and it doesn't apply. Video is interesting for LS460 owners though.

Have a look at the video below, it shows updated arms with extra bracing. Around half way through the video is where the guy shows the differences iirc. It is for a LS460 but may apply to yours as well and there are 3 parts to it (this is part 3) https://youtu.be/sgwstvV76Es?si=05urMjkhnSW6_wcM

I have used Bilt Hamber Deox Gel and would use it in your case. It can be a bit messy though. This is the method I've used, it works a treat and removes the rust rather than converting it. If the panel is rusted through you will be left with holes where the rust 'was'. Wire brush, spread on thick, cover with cling film for 24 hours, wipe off and repeat if needed, when happy thoroughly clean. Paint/spray whatever protective coating you want, I used Bilt Hamber Electrox (high Zinc content spray), left to harden for 24 hours then painted with a top coat colour (I used Por-15)

I spoke too soon, snow this morning and the end of the drive is still 'dug up' so took the IS250 to work. -2 with snow on the car and DAB didn't work. Drove to work, switched off, switched on (didn't start the car) and DAB working. I really did think the issue was solved but sadly not. Back to the drawing board, if I decide to do something about it. Thanks for your comments. I'll check the battery voltage and check the voltage across the battery when running, maybe the alternator is showing signs of dying, my instinct tells me it isn't but it is a possibility, as Vlad says. I don't drive it daily but I will check out the alternator, if I had a scope I could check the rectification is working ok and there is not too much DC ripple. Maybe the running voltage will give me a clue though.

I have had the IS250 for 3 years now, it was my car for the first 12 months then the Mrs car after that. Ever since we had had the car the DAB radio bit did not work first thing in the morning when it was very cold, after driving the car for a few miles - stop - switch off - start again and the DAB radio worked ok. Spoke to Lexus and they have never heard of the issue and said it would be difficult to diagnose which I fully understand so never had it checked out by them and didn't start looking myself. FM/AM and CD still worked along with everything else and it only happened when the weather was just above freezing by a few degrees with a frost or below freezing. So the vast majority of the year it wasn't an issue. The issue has got worse recently though and happening at higher temps 4 or 5 degrees. However, on New Years Eve the car was struggling to turn over/start but it did just start, new starter battery required and planned to get one from Lexus on 2nd Jan. New Years day it would not start at all, lights on etc but wouldn't turn over so battery ordered from Lexus on 2nd Jan and had to wait until the next day to get the battery (Wednesday). Battery collected from Lexus and fitted it that day, all good and car starts no problem. Why am I relating this story of replacing the starter battery you may think, well over the weekend the weather was just above freezing and today below freezing at -3 degrees. Saturday I started the car in the morning when it was around 1 degree and a thick frost, hey presto the DAB radio worked straight away and I was very surprised. Maybe it hadn't been cold enough for the issue to happen I thought. This morning I needed to drive the IS250 to work, pavement has been dug up at the end of the drive so can't take the LS400. It was -3 degrees and the DAB radio worked straightaway again, this time I was very very very surprised. I guess changing the starter battery for a new one has solved the issue. Maybe the battery has not been 100% since I bought the car, has been a bit weak and very cold weather made it worse (as normal for a dodgy battery) causing the DAB issue in some way. Can't see how or why though but with auto electronics nothing surprises me. Changing the battery itself, so in effect a 'reset', wasn't the fix because quite a while ago, maybe 2 years, the Mrs managed to leave the headlights on and lock the car somehow and flattened the battery. Car was beeping like mad at her apparently but the beeps were ignored and the car locked somehow with the lights on. Battery was removed and charged up by me so the car had a 'reset' then.

Thanks and yes c-clips are a pain. I’ll buy another O ring, c-clip and fit them, it’s been in and out too many times. What I’ll do with it then I don’t know, maybe put it on Facebook or eBay or keep it as a spare just in case. It must be worth a few quid to someone.

Thanks, I was a bit miffed to be honest but you live and learn.

As said I’ve had a look at the rebuilt pump and I made a mistake🤨😠 The flow control seat/plunger thing wasn’t secured by the Circlip correctly, Circlip wasn’t in the internal groove correctly to hold the plunger where it should be. I noticed the end of the plunger wasn’t flush with the pump body and was sticking out 2 or 3mm. As soon as I touched the circlip it sprung out and went flying, found it at the other side of the garage though. Pushed the plunger in to where it should be and installed the circlip correctly. I probably installed it correctly the first time but then removed it again because I forgot to install the spring and didn’t install it correctly the second time while cursing to myself that I forgot the spring the first time. I did check this part for leaks for the first week or so and nothing was leaking, I guess that after 5 weeks and hundreds of miles the plunger thing worked it’s way out to a point where the O ring was not where it should be to seal and fluid leaked past. The air valve wasn’t leaking, it was fluid running down from the flow control thing at the top. I was going to fit the new pump anyway but was going to do it when sorting out the steering rack, this brought the job forward. I think I was lucky that the plunger didn’t pop out completely and then ‘catastrophic steering failure’……………..

If you remove the large air intake across the front you can see the pump and where the reservoir fits to the pump. You may see the leak. Better to check all areas so the under tray needs to come off and look from underneath for signs of leaking. On your car you may be able to remove the reservoir and bracket without removing the pump.

Today I fitted the new steering pump I bought also new air control valve, hose and clips. No leaks for 5 weeks and approx 500 miles after the pump rebuild so thought I was ok……….then Thursday morning the steering pump made a bad noise. Left the car at home and drove the IS250 to work. Thursday evening checked the fluid and it was very low, refilled/topped up and noise gone but there was some steering fluid on the drive but not a lot. I checked the fluid level on Friday morning and all good so drove the car to work and planned to fit new pump on Saturday. This morning when I started the job there was a lot more steering fluid on the drive so it had got a lot worse and when the under tray was removed it wasn’t exactly clean. I did rebuild the pump as described in this post but after looking at it on the car it had sprung a leak on the flow control O ring. Also the air control valve itself was leaking, not where it fits to the pump. Pump body itself was not leaking though where it was leaking before. When rebuilding the pump I forgot to install the flow control valve and spring so had to remove the plug thing, fit the bits and refit, maybe the O ring was damaged doing this again or the pump had corrosion and didn’t seal correctly. I’ll have a look at the old pump tomorrow and ‘investigate’

I would say it’s quite likely to be honest on a 96 LS400, maybe not the pump itself but the reservoir O ring leaking. I’ve fitted a new steering pump on my 98 LS400 today, long story and I’ve done a post/topic about pump and rack leak but not updated it.

The stuff I got is red and I went to the Lexus dealer at lunchtime and asked them. They said it was the right stuff so that puts my mind at rest.