1997 LS400 170K miles, Coolant Leaks, alternator not charging, ...
#1
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1997 LS400 170K miles, Coolant Leaks, alternator not charging, ...
Hi all,
I just acquired this car (12/31/2013) . I knew the alternator was bad before I bought it, I did not know that it leaks coolant. It also has a CEL of P1600. Alternator is easy to fix. But the coolant leaks/drips from two places (not sure exactly where), it drips from the area above the alternator. Also it drips from the area above the oil filter. I need to stop the coolant leaks before I could fix the alternator (otherwise the water will damage the alternator). I was told the car has been sitting for 2-3 years. Could the leak be due to the fact that it has been sitting for two long and the gaskets/seals are dried up? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Happy New Year!
I just acquired this car (12/31/2013) . I knew the alternator was bad before I bought it, I did not know that it leaks coolant. It also has a CEL of P1600. Alternator is easy to fix. But the coolant leaks/drips from two places (not sure exactly where), it drips from the area above the alternator. Also it drips from the area above the oil filter. I need to stop the coolant leaks before I could fix the alternator (otherwise the water will damage the alternator). I was told the car has been sitting for 2-3 years. Could the leak be due to the fact that it has been sitting for two long and the gaskets/seals are dried up? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Happy New Year!
#2
It might be worth while to check the leak above the alternator. It is fairly common on the older LS400s to leak Power Steering fluid onto the alternator, rather than coolant.
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Hi all,
I just acquired this car (12/31/2013) . I knew the alternator was bad before I bought it, I did not know that it leaks coolant. It also has a CEL of P1600. Alternator is easy to fix. But the coolant leaks/drips from two places (not sure exactly where), it drips from the area above the alternator. Also it drips from the area above the oil filter. I need to stop the coolant leaks before I could fix the alternator (otherwise the water will damage the alternator). I was told the car has been sitting for 2-3 years. Could the leak be due to the fact that it has been sitting for two long and the gaskets/seals are dried up? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Happy New Year!
I just acquired this car (12/31/2013) . I knew the alternator was bad before I bought it, I did not know that it leaks coolant. It also has a CEL of P1600. Alternator is easy to fix. But the coolant leaks/drips from two places (not sure exactly where), it drips from the area above the alternator. Also it drips from the area above the oil filter. I need to stop the coolant leaks before I could fix the alternator (otherwise the water will damage the alternator). I was told the car has been sitting for 2-3 years. Could the leak be due to the fact that it has been sitting for two long and the gaskets/seals are dried up? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Happy New Year!
#6
Lexus Champion
1997 LS400 alternators normally do not go bad in 170K miles, so I would find and fix the power steering leak that very likely killed this alternator, or you will be buying yet another alternator in a few months - however it could also be damaged from a coolant leak by the same principle
there is not too much of the coolant system residing in a place that could leak on to the alternator, so this should be easy to locate
if this really works (I have thought about something similar in my head) it would make having read your other 22 silly posts in the past worth it!
there is not too much of the coolant system residing in a place that could leak on to the alternator, so this should be easy to locate
if this really works (I have thought about something similar in my head) it would make having read your other 22 silly posts in the past worth it!
Last edited by LScowboyLS; 01-04-14 at 01:41 AM.
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I will have to fix the powering steering leak (if any), of course. But the first thing first is to locate the coolant leak. Is it possible that the water pump leaks and the coolant detours to the two sides (along the alternator and the oil filter). I plan to open the timing cover to look at the water pump. Can I easily tell if the water pump is leaking once I open the timing cover since I can't run the car once I opened the timing cover. The coolant leak was a surprise for me since the seller did not disclose this. What the chance of the engine is totally toasted and not even worth of spending any money at all on it? Could it also have a blown head gasket?
Thanks,
YC
Thanks,
YC
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#8
Lexus Champion
you can run the car briefly in a clean environment such as a garage, without the timing covers, as long as you replace the fan bracket and fan and any water hoses to ensure correct cooling. The covers are only there to keep the timing belt area safe from fluids such as oil, as well as road debris, etc. and this cleanliness is critical to prevent the timing belt from jumping time and also to insure the belt itself is not prematurely deteriorated by prolonged fluid contact
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I took the alternator out. I have a quick question. I would like to start the engine without the alternator to troubleshoot (meaning without the serpentine belt). Is it safe (without causing further damage to the engine) to run the engine without the belt for a few minutes?
Thanks.
Thanks.
#10
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I took the alternator out. I have a quick question. I would like to start the engine without the alternator to troubleshoot (meaning without the serpentine belt). Is it safe (without causing further damage to the engine) to run the engine without the belt for a few minutes?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Last edited by Sc0pe; 01-05-14 at 11:56 PM.
#11
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I took the alternator out. I have a quick question. I would like to start the engine without the alternator to troubleshoot (meaning without the serpentine belt). Is it safe (without causing further damage to the engine) to run the engine without the belt for a few minutes? Thanks.
PS - code 1600 can be indicative of failing ECU capacitors, so if a new alternator and battery doesn't make that code go away, I would do Yamae's ripple test and/or a visual inspection of the inside of the ECU, given that 97's are highly affected and also that you live in a hot and humid state!
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I ran the engine for a few minutes without the belt. Even without the alternator, I still could not identify the location since the coolant come from the area above the alternator stud and below the distributor. Is there a gasket below the distributor? I am attaching a pic.
Thanks
Thanks
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due to the cold the weather, I finally opened the timing cover today. It appears that leaks are outside/above the timing cover. They are on both side of the back of the camshaft. Could anyone tell me what's behind the two camshafts? head gaskets? Thanks
Last edited by ychen; 02-14-14 at 01:00 PM.
#15
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red or green and tastes sweet = coolant
golden or brown or black = oil (tastes like oil)
red or purple = PS fluid or transmission fluid (tastes like oil)
clear = brake fluid (tastes horrifically bad)