empringham

hey guys hows it going? heres the situation.

i bought my LS430 nearly three years ago with 160,000KM's. I am now at 230,000KM's.

The car has been absolutely great. Everything works perfectly, drives smoothly, everything.

However, i have lowered the car ALOT in the last two years. because of this, im now looking at new ball joints as the shop i went to get an alignment for my winter tires wouldn't even do it because they are so messed up.

So my question to the community of CL is this:

What would you guys estimate each ball joint would cost to fix? im sure not all of them will need replacing, but certainly some of them.

i know that i also need to fix a O2 sensor, possibly a cat, and a wheel stud.

Another question i would really appreciate is what maintenance do you guys think i should do to stay on top of everything? im really thinking about doing timing belt and everything that is included in that service, as i have no idea weather it was done or not as the guy i bought it off of passed away before we could finalize the sale.

Im really just looking to hear what you guys think i should be replacing and if you think i should really take it to the dealer or an independent place. I am hesitant to take it to a dealer as clearly they want the car to be as stock as possible and for me to spend the most money as possible.

Thanks for your time guys.

volson

I don't think the dealer will warranty suspension work with a modified suspension. They may not even do it.

Take it to an Indy and get the tbelt done asap if you are unsure of status.

Start with outer tie rod ends if all of your suspension is worn. They are inexpensive and can make a big difference.

semar

how did you obtain the car when the PO passed away

bmore430

Don't think this has anything to do with his maintenance questions? You in law enforcement or another agency? lol

I would do timing belt ASAP if you don't know the history with that mileage. Ball joints are best to do in pairs and if yours are worn out do yourself a favor and do all 4.

Check valve cover gaskets, spark plugs and all filters.

Brewmyown

Regarding costs for the items you mentioned, I do my own work on my cars but if you paid a shop to do ball joints I would guess they could be about $300 each, figure another $200 for the o2, and if you need a cat that can be a wild card and anywhere from $500 - $1,500 depending on what cat you want. Doing it all yourself it will be maybe $500 - $600. I would bet that once they started to tear into the suspension, there's going to be other items that need replacing before they could align it so count on spending more money.

The timing belt, water pump, etc. should be done ASAP. If that goes, its several thousand dollars. An indy shop may be $1,000 and doing it yourself about $250-$300

Again, I don't take my cars to a shop unless its for tires or an alignment so my shop costs are just best guesses.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I would not recommend taking on the TB / WP yourself unless you are an experienced mechanic. It's pretty complicated and errors can ruin the engine. The lower ball joints on the other hand are pretty easy. Takes about an hour per side. I went with beck arnley parts for my ball joints and tie rod ends and have no regrets. About 1/2 the cost. No matter what you choose, I always get the parts myself and pay for labor only.

Brewmyown

If you are mechanically inclined with regards to working on cars (changing ball joints, struts, hubs, etc.) you can do a TB job on an LS. Its one of the easier ones to do. I would read through a DIY thoroughly and make sure you are comfortable and understand every step. If not, and don't really understand how the timing on a motor works (top dead center, aligning the crank and cams perfectly, etc.) don't attempt to take it on but if you are, just find a step by step DIY, take your time and you can do it in a day. On this motor / car, its not rocket science. There's plenty of room to work, the belt and pulleys are clearly marked. Although I would never suggest doing it to a novice or someone who isn't mechanically inclined and/or doesn't understand the general concept of what the timing belt does, this motor is one of the easier ones to do.

Now, if you were to ask me about attempting guides or a timing chain on a BMW 540 or 740? I would say run away as fast as you can!!!! I've done it before. I would consider myself very knowledgeable on car repair and those are among the most complicated I have ever done and require special tools to accomplish. I wouldn't wish that project on my worst enemies......

empringham

a lot of great input here guys, thanks a lot! and yes i am absolutely sure this is not covered by warranty haha. I am hesitant to work on my LS as it is my daily and the motor is VVTI. I've done the TB/WP service on my soarer and it wasn't too bad, but again i don't want to be screwing around with my daily. Its looking like i should take it to an independent shop.

My biggest question now is what should i be replacing in the TB service? i want to replace as much as i can while I'm already there so i don't have to do it again when i could have done it now.

Thanks for your time guys.

Lexuslsguy

Here is the OEM kit:



Indy shop should be around $600

Brewmyown

That's a great kit. When I did mine I also changed the serpentine belt since it comes off anyway and I wasn't sure how old it was. There's really now not much more to change. I also went to Toyota and bought the OEM antifreeze to refill the system with. I would have changed my thermostat but I forgot to buy one (OEM only in my opinion) and forgot about it. That was until yesterday when driving my car to work it took forever to heat up. The thermostat ended up having some of the rubber seal around it breaking of and lettering water through which severely affected the temperature of the fluid which then affected how the car ran. Here's a photo of the old stat. Look where the screwdriver is pointed. I don't know what looks to be "buildup" is on the stat but the new one has it also?

empringham

Beautiful, thank you very much.

To my knowledge, Aisin is the OEM manufacturer right?

Brewmyown

Yes, Aisin is OEM

AandSC

I just did the following on my LS400. Since you've got access to all of these items you might as well do it all.

Timing belt
Water pump
Timing belt tensioner and pulleys
Drive belt
Thermostat
Spark plugs
Coolant flush
Upper and lower radiator hoses
Oil and filter
Air filter
Transmission drain
Cleaned throttle body

There's a really good timing belt replacement YouTube tutorial for your car.

empringham

Great post, thank you very much for these!

takimanpgt

As for suspension, lowered as it is, I would spend quality time checking and replacing

Ball joints
Control arm bushings
Ball joints
Sway bar bushings
CV joints
Drive shaft support bearing
Brake lines to caliper
Brake pad and rotor

Not suggesting to replace all of the above but recommending you take your time and inspect all of these components. If taking to an indy shop to get work done, you may as well have them do the engine portion of the maintenance combined with a 100% look at your suspension and drivetrain before picking the car up. Rest assured, no matter what, you will not regret it.