mpkayeuk

Hi folks,

I've just completed a coolant change on my 2007 LS460. I don't have a full DIY to post, but here are some notes.

1. I took off the main engine cover, the intake cover and the V shaped air intake tube to get full access to the coolant expansion tank and radiator pipes. You need a 10mm socket for the intake tube assembly and a screwdriver to pop the trim clips.
2. I had to take off the plastic engine undertray and both metal trays as far back as the transmission. You will need a 10mm socket for the under tray screws and most of the metal tray screws and a 14mm socket for the 4 rear bolts of the second metal tray.
3. The LH drain **** is accessible from underneath using a 10mm spanner. It is just forward and above the first exhaust catalyst. I drained without a plastic tube, but if you want to do a clean job you will need approx. 6mm bore tubing to go over the drain **** outlet tube.
4. The RH drain **** is not accessible at all as far as I could see, at least not without removing the alternator or perhaps the steering rack. It is located directly behind and above the alternator, it can only be seen from underneath and only from a specific angle. I didn't drain the RH cylinder bank for this reason.
5. The radiator drain is easily accessible at the bottom of the radiator, it is a hand turnable drain ****.
6. I followed the workshop manual fill procedure (a brief version of which can be seen on the sticker on the expansion tank). I found that after the 10 mins idle and 5 mins at 1500 - 2000 RPM I still had a fair amount of air and the engine was running towards the upper quarter of the temp scale (on the dash gauge). I took it for a short drive (5 mins) and after returning I could see the coolant level had dropped further. I topped up (be very careful releasing the hot expansion tank cap - use a cloth to protect your hand! Some coolant will escape out of the overflow tube) and went for another 5 min drive making sure I accelerated hard to red line. Again, on my return the level had dropped in the expansion tank. At the present time I'm waiting for it to cool before I top up again, but I expect this will be the last time.

So far I have used 9l of Toyota Super Long Life coolant, which means there is approx. 1-2l in the RH cylinder bank (given I have about 0.5l still to go in the expansion tank) going by the workshop manual fill guide of 11litres.

These notes are for a RHD, UK market car. Hope someone finds it useful

Doublebase

I find that if you remove the air plug on the top radiator hose near the right hand side of the radiator and add coolant in there while it's running, it makes the bleeding process a lot easier/quicker. I never even tried to drain it from the block, I couldn't even see them when I looked under there. I just did a simple drain and fill...then another one a year later. I'll probably be replacing most of the coolant again when my water pump eventually fails (128,000 miles and counting). Did you change yours at 100,000 miles?

mpkayeuk

I did remove the vent plug, that's part of the standard procedure, but the workshop manual says it should be replaced before starting the engine and completing the fill process... What I thought was the last top up yesterday actually wasn't, I've had to top up again this morning but engine temp is stable in the middle of the gauge.

The car has just done 30,000 miles, but it is 10 years old this year and I'm not sure the coolant has even been changed. So I thought it was a worthwhile change. I've also changed the brake fluid and bled the brakes (using Techstream, what a pain in the neck that process is), replaced all bushes on all 8 front suspension arms, changed oil and filter with Mobil 1 and Mahle parts, K&N washable air filters and both cabin filters. New front brake pads (EBC Red Stuff) and wear sensors front and rear.

This is the first car I've ever done DIY work on, I'm not a mechanic at all, but I've found the whole process pretty straightforward with the right tools.

Doublebase

This is the first car you've worked on and you did the control arms and bled the brakes using tech stream? I'm impressed.

mpkayeuk

Ha, thanks. Yes it really is. All work done on the driveway in front of my garage My knees don't like me anymore! I got the car quite cheap given the mileage, but I knew the bushes needed doing (clunking was pretty obvious on the test drive) and I'm sure the seller knew also. I'd done a lot of reading and knew this was common, although the car had only done 26k miles when I bought it, it had lived a pretty hard life in central London, with potholes and curbs, etc to contend with. It also had the symptoms from L-SB-0069-09 Squawk-Bark Type Noise from Brake Actuator. That's why I did the brake fluid and bleed, plus the pedal was pretty soft. Since then the pedal has improved and while the squawk is still there it's very, very much quieter.

After I did the work my wife and I did approx. 2,000 miles round trip to the Nurburgring and back over 4 days for the 24 hour race... The LS didn't miss a beat, including 155MPH on the autobahn

texas008

very impressive, wonder if you could also post some tips on replacing the CA bushings, thanks

Ls460kidd

Nice job on the dyi