cleverdick

The A/C system essentially has three parts - condensor, pump and evaporator. The evaporator communicates with the car's interior, and the condensor with the outside world. As air is blown over the evaporator (to cool the car's interior), the refrigerant will pick up heat. That heat is deposited (via the condensor) right in front of the main radiator. So, on a hot day with the A/C on, you will be blasting hot air right onto the rad. Not ideal! In stationary traffic, without forward movement to assist in the throughput of fresh air, it is to be expected that the coolant temperature will rise. It is so rare to experience high outside temps in the UK that Toyota specified only one electric fan for this market. Versions for hotter climates (and later models?) had two fans. If the engine is overheating, turn the A/C OFF and the heater ON.

This happened about 2 or 3 weeks ago so I thought I had better ask what the normal might be.

The outside temp was as hot as I ever remember it, 34c on the external temp gauge. I had driven app 30 miles into London & hit a jam, it was crawl a few meters & stop for a while, this lasted for appx half hour & we travelled maybe 6 meteres in that time. I headed for a back st exit route but appx 10 mins before I got there I noticed the water temp gauge was as close to red as it gets, no idea how long it had been that close, I had the AC running all the time. Once I noticed it I stopped & started the engine only to move another few metres, that cooled once stopped & once I got out of the jam it started to go down again, it never boiled over but I was worried.

I once had a Merc190 which ran almost on red as its normal running temp all the time. I just want to know would this sort of hovering on red like that be normal for an LS 400, I never saw any of the other traffic stopped with overheating probs & the outside temp was an horrendous 34c.

Any comments as to the normality or otherwise of this guys?

I had exactly the same thing once on my old 1990 LS - sweltering day, traffic jam on motorway, A/C on. Didn't notice temp reading until moving off and hearing horrendous pinking.

I did have the radiator flushed, but that car always had a tendency to pink slightly in very humid conditions with the A/C on.

Cars for certain markets (other than the UK) had two auxiliary fans fitted instead of just the one, so clearly a known issue.

I'd say this was normal, and one of the very few design shortcomings of the early LS. Just don't have the A/C on in stationary traffic and high outside temps - it won't cope.

(Particularly between the shoe edges and backplate)

I'm just doing a survey here...

Please choose one of the following:

1. molybdenum grease

2. lithium grease

3. generic copper grease from RS Components

4. goose fat

5. olive oil

6. Vicks VapoRub

7. other (please specify)

8. don't know and don't care

For the ball joint rubber clean it with a bit of carb or brake cleaner & super glue it.

Good idea, might give that a try...

But grappling with the rear brakes at the moment - not fun.

Pink towards the rear of the car, blue towards the front of the car.

Nice one, thanks for confirmation....

I just need to be certain that I have the hold-down springs positioned correctly - each side has a pink and blue spring, one for each shoe. Of course, the service manual shows the different types - with different part numbers, but doesn't say which colour is which. The blue spring has more coils, but both seem to be the same overall length (and strength). Any clues? 1994 LS400.

Firstly please accept my appologies if the answer to my question is in a thread somewhere but I've not been able to find it. To top it all off the pc is playing up so stuck using the browser on my phone and search is not available for some reason.

My question is, has anyone experienced a clicking sound coming from front suspension area during slow manouvering and did they manage to find the culprit?

I have jacked her up and looked for issues and not found anything but expect that due to no weight on the suspension.

The sound is definately a clicking rather than clunking and is like click click click click with half to one second between clicks.

I'm really sorry if the answer is on the forum somewhere but I just can't find it.

Much thanks for your patience.

You may well find that removing and lubricating the front stabilizer bar bushes does the trick. It's quick and easy to do and is a freebie fix. Only two bolts each side, and if you have the right length socket extension bar you don't even have to remove the drip tray! Some people have got lucky by spraying WD-40 or suchlike on the bushes; I wasn't so fortunate and had to take mine right off. They were quite dry, and a copious smearing of silicone grease on there before reassembly fixed the creaking. Refer to lexls.com.

Today, just as a spur-of-the-moment thing, I thought I would tempt fate and try an old cassette in the car! (Bear in mind that it's the factory system from my 1990 LS transplanted into my '94.) To my amazement, especially as the cassette player section hadn't been used for nearly 10 years, it: (1) Played without chewing the tape, (2) Ran at the correct pitch without any wow or flutter, (3) Played without any loss of HF, and (4) Gave the cassette back afterwards undamaged! Top marks to Pioneer, I think!

So, when did you last use yours?

I've recently broken one of my own rules and had KYB front dampers fitted (as opposed to OEM). For some reason, the rubber bush around the lower bolt-tube just won't stay central - it keeps twisting round. Has anyone else had this? I'm pretty sure the originals didn't have this problem. I'm now on my second pair (the first having been replaced under warranty). I'm just not happy about this!

To make matters even worse, I have a small split in the O/S/F lower balljoint gaiter, on the inside at the top. Looks to be fairly recent. Hopefully no water will have got in there yet. Is this a common fault, and is it possible to replace the gaiter without too much hassle/expense?

Thoughts please...

I only wish you could operate the windscreen washers separately from the wipers. I just hate the way the wipers spread all the dust around - possibly scratching the glass - before the water has made it through the pipes.

One thing I don't like to see is aftermarket wheels (sorry guys)! To me, they almost always look plain wrong and IMHO devalue the car.

Hi all,

I will soon be in the position of needing a full geometric alignment following the replacement of a bent control arm. (I didn't bend it, BTW!) I seem to remember reading that there was an LS400 alignment specialist in the Cambridge area which isn't too far (from Essex).

Could anyone remind me who this might be?

Cheers...

(1994 LS400)

Just look on www.carsurvey.org - all smiley faces for the '96. (It's quite funny to compare the ratings with those for certain other vehicles, e.g. the Freelander!)

As a bit of general advice, beware of manual trigger-spray bottles of de-icer. They are prone to leaking horribly.

"I haven't used CDs for several years and have no intention of downgrading to CDs when I 'upgrade' to a Lexus..."

Ironically, in terms of audio performance alone, changing from CD to iPod would be the downgrade - not vice versa!

Its the best car i have ever had. By a mile. But i cannot aford to run her any more. Since July last year i have to do a 700 mile round trip once a month and its costing me £140 a time and in the current climate......So i will have to sell her.

Ive bought a Rover 75 Tourer CDT. The only car i like besides the LS. Its very slow and cannot match the LS in any way at all but i am getting 45mpg on general driving and 51mpg on the first cumbria/suffolk run.

Id like to thank all the members who have help, encouraged and offered me advice and support on repairs over the past 2 years.

The community spirit is just fantastic. I only hope my postings and responses have been of some use to others.

Id like to visit the forum and add a bit where i can if thats alright with you guys.

In the meantime, thanks again to everyone.

Well I'm very sorry to read this; it would seem that your decision is final if you've already bought another car.

As we all know, there's more to the cost of owning a vehicle than MPG alone, and time will tell if your Rover costs less overall in the long-term. One of the LS400's greatest virtues is its reliability, and whilst replacement of worn-out parts can be expensive, the need does not arise as frequently as with lesser models. Therefore, why not still keep the LS (if you can afford to), or at least keep it in the family? That way you won't burn any bridges (and I predict that your affair with Rover will be short-lived).

If it's any consolation, a colleage of mine bought a 75 new about 10 years ago, still has it and is very happy with it. (I think the only problem he had was the gear stick breaking off in his hand!)

On a final note, if the cost of fuel for your 700 mile trip is too much, could you not go by train?

I am very happy with my J Reg 400 but need parts, seats, radio, all sorts. Anyone breaking ?

Hi,

Tried to PM you but your email address is withheld.

I might be in a position to offer you a very good set of original roadwheels in the near future, PM me for details.

Right then, just in case anyone's interested, here are a few more pics which hopefully should show the problem quite clearly. Still can't imagine how it happened though! (The previous owner says he doesn't know anything about it, and I do actually believe him!) I'd be interested to know how many turns of thread should be visible on the strut bars - and, providing it's equal each side, is it that critical?

More importantly, just how easy is it to replace the lower arm?

I can't believe I fell for this one (having checked every other thing on the car)!

One thing to add to list of things to check when buying a car: "Compare wheelbase each side"!

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/Straightarm.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/Goodside.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/Bentarm.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/Badside.jpg

OK guys, here are a couple of pics which hopefully should show the problem...

When I feel a little more enthusiastic (and fixed all the outstanding faults), I'll try and get some nice shots of the car itself.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/CIMG1537.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r243/clever_dick/CIMG1534.jpg

I think my biggest difficulty will be sourcing a second-hand one with decent bushes. Rather annoyingly, there was one on eBay which has now gone! (I dread to think what a new one would cost!)

Has anyone on here actually done this job? Is it hard to do?

Oh well...

OK, thanks for replies so far guys...

I'm away on a course at the moment - hopefully more info next week!

Maybe a damaged wishbone?

Well, after worrying about it all night (as you can imagine), I got out there first thing this morning and had a good look at it. It does indeed seem that somebody's hit an object in the road or something, resulting in a slight backwards bend to the lower suspension arm. (I still have my old car, so a comparison was easy). My real concern was whether there was any chassis damage, but as far as I can see that doesn't seem to be the case. Still, I can't believe I never noticed this at the time :( (More initial expense!)

I'd put up a few photos if I could figure out how to do it (when I click on 'insert image' a box appears for an instant then goes away and nothing else happens)!

Well, yesterday I picked up a 94 LS which I'd been looking at for some time. And very nice it is too. There's very little wrong with the car (apart from some of the usual issues - leaky PAS pump being the most important). I can see no evidence whatsoever of any accident damage or repairs, but there's one thing that bothers me that I noticed today. The front wheel on the driver's side is about 10mm further back than the one on the near side, and as yet I can't see any reason for this. The car drives straight and smooth, doesn't pull or wander and the steering wheel is straight, too. The tyres (D8Zs!) are evenly worn with no sign of scrubbing. Right now it's parked in my driveway beside the house where there isn't room to take things apart to have a look at the suspension components (and I'm away on a course for a week as of tomorrow, so won't have time to investigate before then). So, any ideas? Caster adjustment?

Did neither of you try contacting benfur (Maurice) he normally has a good selection of used LS spares all delivered fast and at a good price.

I hadn't thought of that!

I've just PMd him now.

;)

I just called Dewsbury Auto Salvage (West Yorkshire) to get a quote for an electric cooling fan for my 1990 LS400. (Due to its age it only has one instead of the usual two, and I'd like to improve the air-con's performance with extra cooling to he condenser.)

A very curt and ignorant man, with obviously no knowledge of these cars snapped that the 1991 model listed on their site "had been sold" and, after demanding to know the plate letter (H), did not give me the chance to explain that a fan from an even later model (of which they listed several) might fit. Clearly not interested in being helpful, he then hung up!

Let's just say that customer focus isn't their strong point....

So, I'm still looking for a passenger-side fan to sit in front of the rad, next to the one that's already there. Any help gratefully received.

Anybody know wher I can get a small bottle of Type T-4 transmission fluid?

I only need to top up my box, and I dont want to buy a 5L bottle, use a cup full and have the rest spoil in my shed.

I have been in touch with my nearest Toyota dealer and they only do the 5L ones.

You can get 1 Quart bottles of T-IV from the US (just under 1l). Be careful if trying to obtain T-IV from a workshop - in my experience, even the Toyota dealers don't use it - claiming that whatever it is they do use is "compatible". (Not sure about Lexus dealers.) Unless you actually see the label on the container/drum it comes from, then assume it's not genuine T-IV.

The main thing that would put me off buying a Series 3 is the fact that some people have experienced engine stalling immediately after sustained high-speed driving. The 'workaround' is to switch on the a/c (to raise the idle r.p.m.) just before leaving the motorway. I don't know if Toyota ever owned up to this one, let alone issued a fix, so I'd bear this in mind.

I also read something once (affecting only the Series 3) about the alternator being vulnerable to spray/salt from the road, and I think the solution was a special shield - nothing too drastic. Whether Toyota would be willing to pay for such an item so far into the car's life is anyone's guess. Hopefully somebody else will know more about this...

On the subject of recalls generally, just how old does the vehicle have to be before the manufacturer doesn't have to take responsibility for any safety issues that arise? I often wonder this, but nobody seems to be able to tell me!