djamps

I primarily own Nissan/infiniti's (have three in my driveway at the moment). Never thought I'd own an LS400 (or lexus in general) until my uncle called me asking if I wanted to buy his single owner LS. He was about to put it up for sale but called me first knowing I was a car nut and wanted to 'keep it in the family' since he loved it so much -- plus I have a soft spot for any RWD platform such as the LS. The only 'issue' he knew of was a supposed 'transmission leak'. Was a good enough deal I took it factoring in a possible trans swap.

Got the car a couple months ago. Drives and looks great. After a few hours in the driveway it was clear there was no transmission leak. It was a confirmed massive power steering leak as well as oil leaks. So bad pretty much everything on the passenger side of the engine bay including the alt and PS pump was coated in a thick black slime.

Cleaned the crap out of everything, swapped the PS pump out along with the low pressure lines attached to the reservoir and the o-ring on the feed line. Also tightened the valve covers which were so lose I could unscrew them with my fingers.

Left the under tray off for a day to look for more drops. Next day there was a 4" spot of oil that came from the driver side. Apparently the valve covers are also hemorrhaging.

Trans fluid was a nasty brown color so I changed it... seems to shift better after that.

Stereo backlighting was out so I swapped it with an alpine (metra kit). Also had to bypass the OEM amp wiring and swap it out with an aftermarket sub amp which was a pita.

Low washer fluid indication would not leave me alone. Disconnected the sender...lol

Vibration during acceleration... swapped the trans mount and it's gone -- cheap/easy fix for once.

Aside from the stereo splurge at least I'm not in very far in terms of cash and it's a blast to drive. Not looking forward to the valve cover gaskets and timing belt it needs....but it is what it is.

To be continued. LOL.

clipster

Coming from another owner of a 98 w/200K I can tell you that these cars are like women - give them some attention and some affection, and they will blossom. Sounds like you are doing the right thing. Don't forget the differential oil.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

If you were prepared to do a trans swap then valve cover and timing belt should be no problem. Has your uncle ever changed the timing belt??

djamps

Will be doing the diff shortly.

The timing belt was changed around 100k. I suspect minimal maint. has been performed since then beyond basics - oil, brakes, tires, ect based on the amount of sludge buildup in the engine bay and the state of the trans and power steering fluid.

I'm pretty handy but I'm slow - the power steering pump took a few days - couple hours at a time + trips to dealer for random parts like o-rings, hoses and bango-bolt crush washer thing, massive degreasing, locating the correct bolt to replace the ICV, ect ect -- I'm burned out for now.

Re-torqued the valve covers again around the front corner where it was dripping and it hasn't dripped in about 12 hrs... so hopefully it'll hold up long enough til I get enough will/energy/time to tackle the seals.

I may cave in and have the timing belt done at a shop. Not seeing a huge cost savings vs the effort/time involved on this task.

dicer

For some the shop is a good value. If it gets messed up some how its on them. And around here the dealer was the best and least price and included a loaner.

djamps

Care to share the cost? I've been quoted in the $7xx range by a trusted shop (non-dealer).

Legender

Congrats on the purchase. Sounds like you've got a solid vehicle there. I too purchased a slightly neglected 98 with over 200k on it earlier this year. The valve cover gaskets will easily take care of your oil leaks. I swapped out the PS pump and alternator myself and had the valve cover work done at independent Lexus shop while it was in for the timing belt.
I also replaced the motor and Transmission mounts and the car is smooth as ever..once I put new tires on it. Love to drive it and hope it lasts a long time...

djamps

Same experience here... trans mount (didn't do engine mounts) and tires made a HUGE difference in ride and handling. The ones on it were shot. Also very glad the trans appears to be holding up with the foul fluid swapped out. Pulls hard and shifts solidly all the way up to redline. The more I work on it and drive it the more I realize I bought a tank with soft suspension. lol

dicer

I really don't remember the prices it was over a year ago that I called around. I think every indy was at 1200 to 1600. and the dealer was around 1100. I think, like I say I don't know for sure. I think the best value is the dealer and they did have a loaner car too, the indys didn't. You can always go to the nearest dealer and show them the estimate and see if they want to beat it. You really don't know what the indy is going to use for parts at a low price. They most likely will not be top quality. And how soon will they work on it? It may sit for a week. And just like getting anything quality the lowest price isn't always a good thing in the long run.
And you could always do it yourself, it is an interference engine and bent valves are easy to get. And if your changing the cam seals (does the $700 do that) you get to deal with the VVT sprockets etc. If there are any updates, service bulletins I'd have them do that while in there too, unless the car is not worth it.
I really don' t see how a shop can just charge 700 ish for the job and buy the good parts too. A dealer can be cause of the parts mark up they make money on the parts too. The tech will have to be throwing things around to get that job done fast enough to make money for the shop. At 80 per hour shop time there isn't much time.

djamps

Fortunately I don't need a loaner car - the LS is an extra/side project car I bought to fix up and drive occasionally.

Parts quality is a good point... however I can vouch for the speed/quality of their work (been using them off and on for my japanese cars for over 15 years). I know that if something went wrong they'd make it right at the very least. If it weren't for my existing relationship with this particular shop I'd definitely be heading to the dealer on this job without question.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

The OEM timing belt kit is only $200 plus dollars online and if your shop is good I would use them. Not a complicated job just time consuming.

djamps

Do you guys normally have the camshaft seals changed as well? Anything else important other than belt/pump? I want to know all the right questions and followup when I finally do take it in for this.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Cam seals are not part of the TB job and would be an extra cost since the cams have to be taken out to change the seals on the 98-00 models. If they are not leaking leave them alone. You should change the crank seal, water pump and the pulleys while your in there though.

djamps

Thanks for that. To follow up - if the cam seals ARE leaking, would I not know until the timing cover is off? There is a decent amount of oil coming from the front corner of the valve cover area.

I was planning to do the valve covers soon (before the TB) and now wonder if I should hold off on that in case the shop ends up taking it apart to do the cam seals (might as well have them do the cover seals at that point?).

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Well the valve covers have to come off to change the cam seals but the only way to know if the seals were leaking is when you remove the the front covers and clean all the old oil out of there. My valve covers were leaking and I could not really tell if it was the covers or the seals once I got in there but since I went in thinking my seals were bad I was already prepared to do them. I have a thread on here from last year with pics. It's not a DIY but it gives you some insight into the process.