turbo556

Hey all!

I just got my LS 400 Platinum edition....it has 55k miles on it.

I do not have any records on the car so I am going through doing maintenance stuff now when Im motivated and first have the car....

Here's a few questions I have...

1) I do not know whether this car has been ran on Synthetic or Regular Oil in the past...if it has been ran on regular oil will running it on synthetic cause leaks the develop (some older cars used to do this...apparently the synthetics would clean out the deposits in the gasket and create holes and leaks would develop. I have also heard wonderful things about Royal Purple's Synthetic oil has anybody used it before?

2) I checked the tranny fluid and the tranny fluid was really hard to read....I am not sure if its just thinned out or what....it did not look dark on the dip stick...in fact it looks soo light it was hard to read it....any ideas if this means I need to do a drain and fill (also should I worry about changing the tranny filter?)

3) I know these cars call for Dex 3 Mercon (I think) in the power steering reservior....I looked at my reservior and the fluid in there looks nothing like tranny fluid its dark black like the color of dirty oil....any ideas what I should do?

4) How often should I change the fuel filter in these cars?

5)What is the low side pressure range for the A/C systems on these cars? It's at 40psi right now and its plenty cold....any thoughts?

6) My car's temp runs a hair below halfway mark (70-85 degree days)....is this too warm and is there any way to bring it down?

7)Should I worry about the timing belt and wait till 80k to do it?

8) When I put an extra quart of oil in the car today I popped the cap and there was quite alot of sludge and grime up in the oil cap...furthermore the oil stank pretty bad....Is this a wrong oil thing, a past of delating oil changes tooo far thing or what could it bed? Also whats a good way to get this sludge out of the car? Ive heard before you drain the oil put a cup of Seafoam in the oil and let the car idle for 15 mins before draining will get rid of the sludge big time...has anyone tried this? Any other suggestions to get rid of this sludge?

9)When I am at idle speed (like going through a neighbor hood with tiny inclines and declines) the car seems to not wanna make up its mind what gear to be in...like its having a hard time making up its mind....any ideas about this...is this normal?

Thanks in advance guys for the answers to all these questions I have been reading alot on the forums and learning as much as I can about these great cars...

Turbo

Raddison

First off, welcome to CL!

Congrats on getting an LS, she looks great!

I'll throw some quick answers out for your questions, hopefully I can help you somewhat.

1) If you got the car from a person, get in touch with them, ask! If you lucked out and it was dealer serviced, head into your local Lexus dealership and run the VIN. There is so much freaking debate on whether or not conventional and synthetics can be mixed I can't say anything for certain on the topic. As far as the Royal Purple goes, personally I think it is a ridiculous thought to put such an expensive oil in a car such as the LS400, let's be honest here, it's not exactly a sports car. But hey, that's just my opinion, and I have also heard some dang good things about Royal Purple, if you have the funding, why not right? (On that note, I have heard AMSOIL is better)

Check out what I just found! http://www.performanceoilnews.com/oi...nst_oils.shtml
(They rate AMSOIL on top, just saying )

2) You can read it! Wipe the dipstick really really well, and while the car is off and has been sitting on a flat surface. Grab a work light if you need to!

3) This. (Tutorial: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/steering/psflush.html)

4) You should change your fuel filter annually, regardless of make or model. (Tutorial: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/fuelfilter.html)

5) 40 PSI is plenty! If it's blowing cold, don't worry about it!

6) It runs lower than the middle and you think it's too warm? You're daft man! IIRC most cars are supposed to run right in the middle.

7) Get in there and visually inspect your belt, it never can hurt to check! Simple age may have taken its toll on the belt and it could use replacing, when you do get around to doing it, don't forget to take care of your water pump too!

8) Delayed oil changes and crap oil can lead to sludge issues, just keep up on those oil changes. Additives such as Sea Foam can help. I used Sea Foam in my previous car and it worked like a charm! A friend of mine used it in his early 2000s Durango and he loved it too. If I get around to Sea Foaming my LS before you (if you choose to, that is) I'll let you know how it goes!

9) I don't have any advice for you on this one. If it really annoys you, take the reigns and gate shift her!

Kansas

Your car is probably fine. Don't worry too much.

There is no problem switching to synthetic oil. I switched my 2000 LS400 at 38,000 miles and it is now at around 142K. I've put about 300,000 miles on LS400's running Mobil 1 5W30.

It is NOT necessary to change the fuel filter annually or very often at all. Follow the maintenance schedule.

Do not put Sea Foam or other urban legend crap in your oil. Just change it every 5,000 miles or 7,500 miles per your maintenance booklet schedule.

Raddison

Hey Kansas, I forgot to mention that the reason I recommended changing the fuel filter annually is that, one can be had for 5 bucks, can it really hurt?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

the OEM fuel filter is ~$30-35 and meant to last upwards of 200k miles. toyota/lexus went out of their way on most cars to put the filter in a pain in the *** place just so their dealerships would stop having to do warranty work from techs (easily) stripping/bending the fuel hardlines, requiring entire lengths to be replaced. an (admittedly extreme) example of this is my MA70 supra, with the fuel filter placed on TOP of the entire rear subframe...

if your car's high in miles and its on the original filter, sure go ahead and (carefully) change it. but otherwise, i'd pass.

Kansas

Replacing parts needlessly is a waste of money. If $5 is burning a hole in your pocket, please send it to me!

turbo556,

Since you do not have maintenance records for your "new" 2000 LS400 and it is especially low mileage for its age, consider changing the engine oil immediately and using synthetic oil. Run the car for 500-1000 miles and then change the oil again with synthetic oil.

Consider doing a drain and refill of the transmission fluid. Do not have the transmission flushed!

If the dark PS fluid is "bothering" your (and it's probably fine the way it is) siphon out as much as you can with a manual rotary pump and refill it. Do not do a "flush" as it is not necessary and could cause damage.

A typical problem with an older low mileage car like yours is that the owner may have done maintenance based only on miles driven and not on age. If the owner changed the oil by the normal 7,500 miles change interval, it may have had only seven or even fewer oil changes in its nearly 12 years.

Also, the timing belt change interval is 90,000 miles or 6 years. If there is no timing belt change sticker on the engine cover, it's probably original and should be changed. When you change the timing belt, replace the water pump, tensioner, idlers and the other little parts. Timing belts on these cars rarely fail and it it is usually a failed tensioner or idler that takes out the timing belt.

Enjoy your car! Mine looks identical -- you can see photos of mine by clicking on my "garage".

turbo556

Hey guys,

Thanks all for the answers!

Just to clarify I was able to pick up a fuel filter yesterday (before I sent this message) for $15 a Napa.....so I might as well change it....

1) For the PS thing....I'm assuming since its black that the person put regular PS fluid in there any not tranny fluid (is this an accurate assumption?)......if I got the turkey baster route and just siphon the fluid out and put in the proper proper tranny fluid it a couple times over the next 10k miles will this be enough to remove all the old fluid and would going from regular PS fluid to tranny fluid cause any leaks?

Furthermore what specifically is the correct tranny fluid to use in these PS systems on theses cars?


2) Is it normal for the dip stick for the tranny to be hard to read (and a sign that the fluid has broken down and is watery)?

3) Will just switching over to synthetic by itself be enough to get rid of all the sludge and stinky oil smell in the engine (what causes this smell btw)?

4) This was a FL car (hence the manual reads 5w-30) since it gets a little colder here in the carolinas (avg winter night its 30-40F....coldest it gets maybe a few nights a winter would be 5F) would it be wise to maybe bump to a 10w30 or another oil type?

5) Does anyone know the reccomended pressure for the Low side AC on these cars? The lexus dealer shop foreman told me 70-80 psi on the low side....

6) When I change the tranny fluid should I do a pan drop and change the filter or will just draining the fluid and putting new Toyo fluid in there suffice?

Thanks in advance for all the answers guys!

Turbo

Kansas

If I remember correctly, changing the transmission fluid is not in the maintenance schedule except when the car is used in a severe service category such as towing a trailer or as a limo. Regardless, I have mine replaced every 30,000 miles. A drain and refill should be adequate.

I am not aware of these engines having a sludge issue. If yours does, it could be an indication that the oil has almost never been changed or that the engine has been run with the oil level very low. Trying to clean the inside of an engine with chemicals can be dangerous. Try doing a few oil changes and see how it goes. Check for oil leaks or spilled oil to see if that is the cause of the smell.

5W30 oil is good for year-round but use 10W30 if your owners manual says it is OK and if that is what you think is best. Like I said, I've put about 300,000 miles on LS400's while using only Mobil 1 5W30. These cars never used oil between changes.

Also, change the brake fluid - now. It may be waaaaaaaay past due and unsafe and causing corrosion of the brake system.

You can view the owners and maintenance manuals in the owners section of Lexus.com without registering and you may be able to see some of your car's maintenance history if you register and maintenance was done at a Lexus dealership.

Also, the very first suspension item to go on the 98-00 LS400 are the front strut bar bushings. They can last 75,000 miles but time causes them to deteriorate too. If you replace them, buy complete OEM assemblies and not just the bushings.

turbo556

Whats a symptom of those front bushings going?

Also for that oil smell...its not pronounced outside of the car or even under the hood...though I could smell that burnt or dirty oil smell when I opened the oil filler cap and also when I wiped the oil off the dipstick checking it...

Should the tranny be checked with the car running and hot or not running?

The brake fluid actually looks in great shape to be honest....its a light canola oil color....should I still bother with it?

Kansas

Clunks and/or vibrations and wandering at highway speeds.

Do you have an owners manual or have you viewed one online on the Lexus website? Have you owned a car with an automatic transmission before?

I thought you said that you have no maintenance records. The condition of brake fluid cannot be checked visually.

It is sounding like you bought a car that has been poorly maintained. I think you should decide whether or not you want to "step up to the plate" and set things right for as trouble free future ownership as possible. It does not seem like you do.

turbo556

Bro read Raddisons comment above...thats what through me off...

2) You can read it! Wipe the dipstick really really well, and while the car is off and has been sitting on a flat surface. Grab a work light if you need to!


I do feel a slight vibration in the car around 70-80 mph on the highway...how hard or expensive of a fix is this?

In my last car an older Mercedes the brake fluid would need changing when the fluid got dark colored....so I assumed this was a good indicator...

Also I noticed that the speedo tonight was acting funky....it would take a minute or two after I started driving the car to come off zero and actually read my speed...is this a fuse fix? How is this fixed?

turbo556

What would you think about running MMO in the oil and then driving 50-70 miles today and doing a fresh oil change afterwards? Would this cause any problems since MMO is gentler?

Do you think something running seafoam through the brake boost would harm anything since the car likely has 10 years of carbon buildup in it?

turbo556

Just got back from a trip guys and I must say I am floored! I did alot of maintenance this week....oil, tranny fluid, air filter, ran two cans of sea foam through the vaccum (4 seperate treatments) also ran a alot of lucas through the gas tank...

I took a trip this past weekend...nearly all highway miles...I got between 26.5 and 27 mpg both there and back!

SkulCracka

nice MPG there .... sweet. think ill do a few more sea foams this weekend right before putting in these new desno o2 sensors. probly will do the temp sensor too.

turbo556

Oh I also failed to mention I cleaned out my throttle body and cleaned the junk out of it.....