I have a 1996 LS 400. Just had the radiator replaced but the temperature gauge still shows HOT. Replaced the radiator cap too. No luck, still shows HOT. Do you think I should have the thermostat changed next? What route would you take now? Thanks for your input.

 

Are the cooling fans working? Also have you bled all the air out of the cooling system?

 

Bleed the system correctly

 

yes i too experienced this and after a proper coolant system bleed, all went back to normal!

here is my thread showing how i remedied this:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ng-system.html

 

If the thermostat is pretty old, it's never a bad idea to just replace it to rule it out, and as a precautionary measure.

My old 95's thermostat was stuck open when I first bought it, and as a result the engine would never get to operating temperature, and would be stuck in "warmup mode" with the high idle and everything. It fairly simple to do on these, and make certain you use an original Toyota thermostat... aftermarket ones are crap in comparison.

 

Thanks everyone...I will have my friend try this stuff on my car.