Hi folks, I'm brand new to the forum and to Lexus, just bought a '99 LS400 with 72k miles last week. Regrettably it needs a good deal of sorting out - a number of things I didn't/couldn't notice when I was driving & inspecting the thing. More to come on that later...

I'm a relatively experienced shadetree mechanic, I've been working on my cars for about 10 years now - Jags, Mercedes, BMWs, Volvo, Ford, Buick. But I want to ask/confirm a VERY basic question with those who have done it, before I go start breaking things:

What is the best jack point for this car, other than the four hardpoints inside the wheelbase along the runners? Do you just use a floor jack and some wood under the oil pan?

Cheers all!

 

front crossmember, rear diff.

 

same jack points as 1LS.
www.lexls.com

 

for best results here:

 

Yes, those are the points I use. The front crossmember is just behind the oil pan and you must use care...it would be easy to "snag" the edge of the oil pan and damage it. On a side note, you might also consider using ramps.

You would use a jack with a piece of wood under the oil pan? I shudder

BTW Andyman, Welcome!!

 

i just open the driver door and put the jack handle on the bottom of the door frame

 

Ha! Works for me.

I see the front crossmember now, that's the usual jack point, it was just up under this plastic cover. The undercowlings are great to keep road dirt and wind out of the engine bay but they sure make routine maintenance more annoying. Same for all the nice plastic hooplah on top of the engine...

I did have it up on ramps yesterday for the transmission flush but I need the wheels to be free to try and track down a clunk. I'm 80% sure it's the steering outer tie rods / ball joints, but I guess it could also be a control arm bushing...