peterls

1. Is it possible that only rear struts go? My car seems to be ever so slightly leaning backwards. Front feels and looks fine... I wonder if, say, previous owner parked it frequently so that there was more pressure on the rear, would that make only rear struts go?
And would you then replace only the rears or all four?

2. I plan on upgrading my brakes to second gen. LS400 brakes. I think I would need to change lower ball joints at that time, as well as upgrade my wheels to larger ones. I looked online at pics of lower BJ for 1st gen. vs. 2nd gen. and it seems that all holes are in same places (identical geometry?) but shape on 2nd gen is bent out of the way to allow for larger brakes. So, if I am changing ball joints now, should I replace lower ones with 2nd gen ones to save me work later when I upgrade brakes? Are they otherwise the same, and can be easily aligned?

3. How easy is it for an amateur to replace strut tower bushings? How easy or hard is it to replace tie rod ends? Are there any important precautions?

steve2006

I guess the springs could have become weak but check under the spare tire to see if the trunk is filled up with water.
If you have a decent tool, lifting kit and workshop manual most jobs on the LS400 can be done on a DIY basis.
If you're planning on fitting the later 4 pot calipers you will also need the matching pads, discs, the stone guards/splash guards and the later lower ball joints.may be worth upgrading the brake hoses at the same time.
Your wheels will need changing to clear the larger calipers.

LScowboyLS

if you are able to successfully do a timing belt replacement by yourself using the service manual, then you are ready to do inner/outer tie rod ends (Toyota calls the inners rack ends) - I love doing this job because it makes the steering feel like a new car!

peterls

Thankfully, its a California car, doesn't see much of rain or water of any kind... but I looked in there and its all as good as new.

That's exactly what I am looking for - better steering.
But, I will have to get rid of that valve on the PS pump first, then I want to do my transmission and engine mounts (have all the parts, all OEM), and then I will move on to the suspension work...

BTW, any good writeups on changing engine mounts from below? How hard is it to do? I actually found the valve cover gasket to be harder in some ways than timing belt, only because of few things that are impossible to remove, like the wire loom... The one thing that I was scared about the most was harmonic balancer but that came off in a few seconds. But that wire loom bracket was pure hell.

Twista4004

I COPIED THIS FROM ANOTHER MEMBER AND CLEANED UP THE FUDGED UP WRITING SOME. HOPE THIS HELPS.

Procedure: Replace Engine and Transmission Mounts
Resolves: Vibration from engine and transmission and misaligned drive train
Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
Estimated Time: 3 hours
Tools Needed: 12mm, 14mm, 17mm Wrenches and sockets (Mutliples and different lengths preferred), 3/8” extension, oil filter wrench, floor jack, wood board wide and thick enough to spread load of engine weight while used on jack.

I thought I would post this while it is fresh in my mind on replacing the engine and trans mounts. Took about 3 hours. I could do it quicker next time. And these mounts are so soft..there will be a next time.

Car supported. jack stands, battery cable disconected etc.
Mounts are 17 mm nuts top and bottom. Remove the lower nuts.

Passenger side (easier side): First remove the power steering return hose or the holdown 10mm clamp to body. You will be raising the engine to replace mounts and can break or damage the hose if you don't remove the holdown. I didn't. I hurt the hose (old hose was hard as a rock anyway). Power steering fluild dripping on you isn't fun. Learn from my mistakes. Remove all the air cleaner stuff while you are at it and to get to the hose holdown anyway.

Now remove the top 17mm nut on the passenger side. Box end wrench. Shortest wrench you have. More feeling than seeing.

Driver side:
No access from the rear cause rack and pinion is in the way. No room..you gotta make some. 10mm wrench and remove the bolts holding the wiring loom that goes across the crossmember. With the same 10mm, remove the supports for the power steering hose. That lets the hose get out of the way. Now remove the oil filter. Unfasten the oil pressure sender wire clip. Now there is another wire loom in the way. Plastic clip carefully spread and free the loom. Then remove the bolt and bracket (12mm wrench).
Now you have just enough room. But you should remove one more little wire loom clip right at the back of the A/c compressor. 14mm bolt..use 3/8" extention to get it. Finally remove the top 17mm nut on the motor mount.

Now using a floor jack with a wide board across it..jack the motor up to get the mounts out. I found I could just barely get the mounts out...motor woulsn't go up any higher..never did see where was the holdup. But I got the old mounts out.
I took the passenger side out first. It was broken at the top. But the new mount was not sagged like the old one so I couldn't just slide it in. I could get the bottom started..but the motor needed to be higher to get the top in. The mounts are indexed so they only go one way. Heat shield is important and must go back in place. Since the motor couldn't go up...that meant the crossmember had to come down...at least a little to give me room to get the mount in. So I loosened the crossmember (17MM deep socket) and let the crossmember lower enough to get the mount in. Then I did the driver side...had to lower the crossmember a little more. Soon as I had both mounts in place...then I tightened the crossmember back up. Then I started the 17mm nuts on top of both mounts..tightened just enough to hold the heat shields in place. Then I lowered the motor some and started the bottom nuts. Then lowered the engine completely and tightened the top mount nuts both sides.

I left it like that and went to the tranny mount. Used the floor jack to support the transmission. removed the crossmember using 14 mm and 12 mm wrenches and replaced the broken mount. Moutn was so sagged and broken...I had to jack tranny up more to get the new mount in. Tightened everything and lowered the jack. Trans mount is a piece of cake.

Then went back and tightened all the front mounts and replaced the oil filter and brackets and what not I had removed.
Finally I went to the topside and replaced the power steering return hose I had damaged and refilled the power steering. But you won't have to do that because I typed these instruction.

Vibrations are now gone. Driveline angle has been restored with engine and trans at the right heights.

Twista4004

Wrote all of that for myself so i could do it in case i had no internet when going about it.

peterls

Wow, nice writeup, thank you!

Michael

peterls,

See the link below for another pictured reference to replace engine mounts that was posted before:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...placement.html

peterls

Thanks Michael, I saw that one too. Just got my mounts a few days ago, so that's on my to-do list.

BTW, I got my new OEM engine mounts from e-bay for 160 both sides. Transmission mount is really cheap (currently) at Sewell Lexus (around $70)