Howplum

This isn't a recommendation, but I noticed there is a Toyota/Lexus specialist here in Bletchley. https://www.itsautos.co.uk/

Yes, they're the ones, although there are four altogether, so that's how the knock effect comes into play.

Quite a few jobs to do, judging by the MoT history.

On the rear of mine the dust covers for the shock absorbers have started to disintegrate. The trouble is that they are part of the moulding that fits between the shock absorber and the body. Lexus calls them isolators. However, I did read somewhere on this forum that dust covers from elsewhere could be adapted to fit.

Does this help? "In its standard, original trim with 10.0:1 compression, power output is 191 kW (256 hp; 260 PS), torque of 353 N⋅m (260 lb⋅ft).[2] The engine was slightly revised in 1995 with lighter connecting rods and pistons and an increased compression ratio to 10.4:1 resulting in peak power of 195 kW (261 hp; 265 PS) at 5,400 rpm and torque of 365 N⋅m (269 lb⋅ft) at 4,400 rpm. In 1997, Toyota's VVT-i variable valve timing technology was introduced along with a further compression ratio increase to 10.5:1,[2] bumping power and torque to 216 kW (290 hp; 294 PS) at 5,900 rpm and 407 N⋅m (300 lb⋅ft) at 4,100 rpm." As to prices, this should give you a benchmark. The SKF is shown as £85 for the front, but the rears are not listed. https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/wheel-bearing-and-wheel-hub

I have used BBA-Reman before, when they rebuilt the throttle body of my W124 Mercedes, and am perfectly happy with their work.

I haven't been able to do any component testing yet, but did make some enquiries about having the cluster professionally rebuilt, and of those that replied BBA-Reman were the most competitive at £170, with a "Lifetime" guarantee. I have also been trying to track down a used replacement and Jap Parts have one is stock, tested, for £300, so if push comes to shove I'll know which one to choose.

A few things to keep you busy in the warmer weather then! It seems there is no easy answer to resolving the surface rust on the rear subframe though. I'm tempted to take mine off the car, dismantle it, have it media blasted and paint it with POR15 or similar, replacing as many bushes as I can at the same time. De-rusting it in situ looks a bit tricky, although probably quicker, and still achieves the same objective of preventing a further deterioration.

I suspect almost any car over a certain age will have electrical gremlins, which is why forums such as this, and enthusiasts in general, help keep our cars on the road, despite the lack of support from most manufacturers. At least Lexus didn't use bio-degradable wiring for the engine harness, which is what Mercedes-Benz did in the 1990s.

I'm assuming the coolant sensor, of which there appears to be only one, sends a signal to the instrument cluster, either separately or via the ECU. As far as I am aware I have no running issues, which seems to be a symptom of a failing sensor.

Thank you Steve and George for your replies. As far as the fuel gauge is concerned I am assuming, possibly incorrectly, that the sender is OK since the it works fine once the car has been running for a little while, even just on a local trip to the shop. Nevertheless, I will test it as suggested. On the other hand, the temperature gauge is consistently misreading, so it might well be that the sender is faulty. I see from the wiring diagram there are two wires, brown and red/blue. I have just watched a video testing a sensor in situ with a multimeter which looks straightforward enough. In layman's terms, what is the function of an electrolytic capacitor? Do faulty capacitors tend to give consistent symptoms? I do have a spare cluster, albeit from a 1997 model, but perhaps the gauges themselves could be swapped, if other tests prove inconclusive.

The fuel gauge always shows empty with the low fuel warning light showing on the first start of the day, although on a subsequent starts it usually shows the correct level, with no warning light. However, I did notice last year that on a longish journey the needle would slowly drag itself to the correct position, but that could take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. The temperature gauge only ever moves a few millimetres from it rest position, not even reaching the lowest mark. However, I did dismantle the entire cluster last year in an attempt to sort out some non-functioning lights (which @steve2006 kindly sorted out for me in the end), but I wonder if I accidentally damaged the gauge in some way. All other functions of the cluster work normally so it makes sense to repair my existing unit rather than try and source a used one, which might have its own issues. At least swapping the odometer is simple enough. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Well, cleaning up the rear of the PCB made it look better, but unfortunately didn't cure the problems, so I now throw myself at the mercy of any electronic experts who might be reading this. I did speak to BBA-Reman this morning, who said a repair would cost in the region of £175, which I'm a bit reluctant to shell out for at the moment.

Whilst there is nothing obviously wrong on the side with the larger components on it, the other side is a different story, which is no doubt a result of the historic damp issues. All of the solder joints are suffering from surface corrosion, which hopefully will clean off with contact cleaner. However, in the following picture the corrosion on the solder joint to the left of C126, which is the positive connection to capacitor C132 on the other side, appears to be spreading, potentially onto part of the circuit it shouldn't. Here's another picture showing corrosion on the many smaller components: It looks like I need to be busy with the contact cleaner, fibreglass pencil and magnifying glass. Who knows, I might get lucky.

I don't seem to be getting anywhere finding a replacement cluster so am investigating replacement of the relevant electrolytic capacitors, which I assume are the the cause of he misbehaving fuel and temperature gauges. I've read about there being three capacitors which can cause issues, the third being for the panel lights (which work just fine). Anyway, I was a bit surprised to find that there are 12 capacitors in total with very little commonality between them. On visual inspection they all look fine, but that probably means nothing. I have done a sketch of the capacitors and their details and wonder if someone would be kind enough to tell me which ones I should be ordering. I'm not sure my soldering skills are up to replacing the very small ones, so the next step is finding someone to test/replace the suspects. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have bought and downloaded the repair manual from eManualOnline.com, which was a hassle free experience, and have burned a copy onto a CD as a backup. There are 2,220 (!) pages , and having had a quick flick through it looks pretty comprehensive. Certainly it will be a useful reference work if I get stuck, bearing in mind it's an American publication.

Thanks again Chris. That's very helpful.

Thanks Chris. Where did you get it from and would you recommend them?

I was wondering about downloading one of the available electronic versions, but there seem to quite a few on offer, from free upwards, although most seem to based on the LHD version. Apart from the dashboard and steering column being the wrong way round, are there any other fundamental differences that might be important? eManualsOnline.com do one for £20, has anyone tried it? workshopservicemanual.com do one for free though. I did read somewhere that temporary access to the Toyota version could be bought. Has anyone tried this? I did search "LS400 repair manual" on this forum but got no results, although I found this during an internet search: I've got no major jobs planned in the near future, but I thought it would be useful to have one, just in case. Any useful tips would be appreciated.

Have you shopped around? A Limited Mileage policy tends to have lower premiums because they are usually aimed at "hobby" cars that are not used as everyday transport. Is your Saga policy on that basis, or did they merely ask for an estimate? You mentioned an annual mileage of 15,000 earlier, which is higher than the usual average of 10 - 12,000 miles p.a. In any event, the mileage limit on a Limited Mileage policy is just that, so if you do less there is unlikely to be a refund, but if you end up doing more then the premium will likely increase. There do seem to be some insurers that acknowledge limited use during the pandemic, but whether that results in refunds seems to be a grey area. Mostly they say "talk to us".

https://swva.co.uk/classic-car/lexus-ls400-1995/ This might be worth considering.

I find it useful to know the build date, which in my case was 8 months before being registered. Lexus should be able to tell you. As does the Climate Control display. The bonnet struts fail, but they are straightforward to replace and not expensive, unless you buy them from Lexus! The immobiliser/alarm can play up. It was not factory fitted but an aftermarket one, possibly Scorpion, fitted at the UK dealership. Hopefully along with the water pump, idlers, tensioner and coolant. And that the fuel and temperature gauges work correctly and consistently. If not, the cause is apparently due to failing/failed electrolytic capacitors on the circuit board. Don't be put off by all the above caveats. You would have to be really unlucky to have all these issues on one car! They are just the result of experiences of various owners over the years. It might be worth reading some of the buying guides here, if you haven't already:

Have you tried Lexus Parts Direct? At least it will give you a benchmark price. https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/ There's a parts enquiry form at the bottom of the home page.

I would be interested. I've sent you a PM.

I have been investigating what's involved in rebuilding the parking brake system, which still doesn't perform very well, despite careful adjustment.. Mostly it would involve stripping and cleaning everything, although I think replacing the two rear cables and the shoes would be a good idea. As far as I can tell Lexus no longer supply the cables, although aftermarket suppliers do. Blueprint only make the right side, whereas the likes of Ashika, Japanparts and Triscan do, at prices ranging from £12.96 to £47.55, all from Autodoc. Quite a difference. Blueprint's price is £22.76, so mid point. Does anyone have a real world experience of these manufacturer's products?