LScowboyLS

not after 1994

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

How often do you adjust the valves on 400 series cars? Or on Lexus in general?

That video was just some random video I found. That was kind of extreme. Here is another.

lexxpro

90-94 ls400 is recommened every 75k i believe. I waited to do mine around 140k when i did the valve cover gaskets. I got use to the ticking but after a few new shims it was alot quieter.

Twista4004

What size/part number on the shims? Where to get from? Where do they go?

I hate to bend over and let a mechanic saddle me for something like this.

LScowboyLS

we need to start a "shim exchange" with the other members on Club Lexus, they don't ever really wear out, you just trade em with your friends to get the sizes you need! - lol

LScowboyLS

No.

I had a leased one when they first came out, as did my co-workers, no ticks or engine noise whatsoever, and the motor mounts had the engine so dampened that you could stack wine glasses on it while running!

if fact, when the LS400 was first introduced, for years they had a problem with being so quiet that new owners were cranking them when they were already running!!

Legender

LScowboyLS... you are so right on attempting to start them when they are already running... I admit. I've done it and seen it done on these cars...

Yamae

Ticking sound is sometimes very serious as you wrote, LScowboyLS. Look at the photo below.



The car was owned by my friend's wife. It's not a Celsior but a Subaru. They noticed the ticking sound lately and I just have checked the engine. It sounded like a rod knocking type of ticking noise to me.

It was exactly so and the upper side bearings were already worn out to be seen the copper layer. It's a bit too late to fix this easily because crank bearings were also in the similar situations or a bit worse although I could not take a photo since my hands were already too dirty to use my precious camera.

LScowboyLS

yes, that is the kind of serious problem that I was hearing in the this video earlier in the thread! - and to reassure everyone, this is a rare situation for Subaru, who has an enviable reputation for reliability and durability, comparable to Toyota/Lexus/Scion, Honda/Acura, Mazda and Nissan's Infiniti brand - these manufacturers are the engineering and manufacturing envy of the world!

Twista4004

Exactly. The point of this is; How to get the car as close to this as feasibly possible...

I found myself at the junk yard yesterday just wrenching on random parts in the less-than-handful of LS400s (in the sea of thousands of cars) I could find just to get a feel for the car. Just like Radiokillas tail lights are cool AF I want to build my own but I refuse to experiment with the tails I currently have.

I digress, the point is, how do we quiet our noisy LSs ourselves?; and as economically as possible.

LScowboyLS

I would start by finding ALL exhaust leaks, especially the small ones near the manifold, then I would adjust the valves exactly to spec.

If there is still a tick, try Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra 5W-30 motor oil and a Motorcraft FL-400S oil filter

Twista4004

That's a great start. Thanks

lexxpro

First you need a set of Toyota valve tools like theses-
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...lve+adjustment

Once you find the valve out of spec use compressed air to free the shim and pull it out with a magnet with the help of this guide-
http://lextreme.com/valve_clearance.html

I picked up my new shims from the dealer for about $9 each. I only had two out of spec valves. One was off by .011 causing the loud ticking noise.

j2b4o

Maybe we should all post videos of the sound being experienced?
I can't hear my 90' run from inside the vehicle unless my ps pump decides to let about a little groan. However if I open the hood I can hear all sorts of quiet little well lubricated sounding ticks. It is a bit louder after being driven for a few hours but still silent from the cabin (windows down, even at bank teller drive through with all the echo).
I have thought many times about doing an adjustment but at the same time it runs quieter than just about every other car I have ever driven.

If we had even a few videos to compare we could see where the a average baseline is and what exactly constitutes Loud valves on these motors.

Twista4004

Well, I'm at work right now but I'll see what I can do for a video tonight when I leave. Sounds like a good idea. Others should definitely pitch in on this.


In case anyone was interested, My name's Val BTW. I'm in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I never made an intro.....