Rokas

I got lucky one day. As I pulled up to my friend's house, I noticed he had crashed his Lexus and the plate was off. Long story short, he wanted 500$ but I got it for $300 and drove it home no problems.

Problem (or not problem) is, I couldn't believe how the car felt. I mean, I LOVE the way it drives, the 90s luxury leather seats, and ofcourse the V8 rear wheel drive! I've owned a turbo 96 Saab 900, 97 Volvo 850, 2001 Volvo S40 turbo, 94 turbo eagle talon, a Silverado, and even an 89 BMW 325ix. Out of all of those, this car feels best to me.

The car was in a low speed crash. The front end is damaged. Now, it's very minor damage but I think it caused an oil leak. The way he hit whatever it was, the car was hit only in the area to damage the hood and only one headlight as far as body damage! The lights still turn on. But the radiator took a hit and it made the hood stuck!

I still can't open it. The cable and stuff is just gone and the latch is closed but will NOT move no matter what I try. Any ideas?

Since the hood was bent, I could see the engine which looked fine to me. It was still clean to my surprise.

The bad:
- Oil leak. I'm HOPING an old gasket finally went and that it's an easy fix. What do you guys think about this part and what info do you need to give me an idea of what it might be?

-Power steering leak. I read up on this and it might be the O ring above the reservoir... hopefully. He said it's a slow leak?

-Hood is dented.

-Radiator will probably be replaced.

The GOOD:
-Motor runs SMOOTH boy, and has some frikkin power!
-Transmission is also smooth.
-It has a phone (lol).
-No frame damage, paint is good, and interior is damn good except for the seats which are ripped (will be reupholstered later).

Am I stupid? Worst case scenario oil leak and how much $? Anything else? I'm gonna try to put some pictures up.

bornking

If the power steering is leaking it can damage the starter. Be careful!

djamps

My oil leak was valve covers, enough to run all the way down the side of the engine and burn on the manifold. But I've seen alot of issues with the crank and cam seals on the forums so check those when you can.

Banshee365

That's a new one. Hehehe

Banshee365

If the hood is damaged then find a matching color one from a junkyard. Then get your cutoff wheel out and cut the hood out where the latch is. It's junk anyway.

dicer

This is the same advice I would give. Airplane guys think alike.
If you look up my photos on the hood latch it will show how it works. I'm sure they made a sticky of it like I had asked in the past.
Yeah I'm joking. Good luck finding it.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Really? I'm guessing you meant alternator.

Legender

We all know it's the alternator under the power steering pump. The starter is safely tucked away underneath the intake manifold. That's another story for another time.

Rokas

I know this, but the previous owner obviously didn't and it's by the grace of God alone that everything EXCEPT the alternator is covered in power steering fluid! My buddy is coming wednesday to help me take care of it.

Oh and... there is no oil leak. I confused the smell of PS fluid with oil. It has flown over all the hoses, making multiple puddles.

I think all I need to do is change the radiator and fix this and the car should be good to go (mechanically).

I opened the hood. I bent it back by standing on it and the lever inside started working! Everything looks good so far...

dicer

You lucked out on the hood deal. That is one of the worse things that can happen on these cars, the latch not working or cable broke at the latch. Second would be a door latch messed up.

Rokas

Yeah I lucked out. Otherwise, I wouldnt even have access to the bolts to take it off.

I have a power steering leak. Does this look like the O ring common problem? If so, can someone link me to how to change it step by step?

I'm on my phone and Ive tried to post a picture three times now. Not working. Ill do it when I get home.

Basically, under the power steering tank (where you pour it in - is that also the pump? no right) is a huge amount of PS fluid. DIRECTLY below it, it starts. Is that the O ring? Ill post a pic later but if that sounds like it, can I get a link explaining how to change it?

Rokas

PS leak
Yeah I lucked out. Otherwise, I wouldnt even have access to the bolts to take it off.

I have a power steering leak. Does this look like the O ring common problem? If so, can someone link me to how to change it step by step?

I'm on my phone and Ive tried to post a picture three times now. Not working. Ill do it when I get home.

Basically, under the power steering tank (where you pour it in - is that also the pump? no right) is a huge amount of PS fluid. DIRECTLY below it, it starts. Is that the O ring? Ill post a pic later but if that sounds like it, can I get a link explaining how to change it?

Yamae

The link below would help you a lot. You also need to check the alternator too. The leaked P/S oil kills the brushes and the commutator in the alternator.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...0-ls400-s.html

dicer

And if there is oil getting in the alternator its best to take it apart and clean those parts Yamae mentioned. There is an electrical cleaner spray I forget the name.

Rokas

Yeah thanks guys. That's the first thing I checked when I got the car and miraculously, it has no type of fluid on any of it. Matter of fact, it looks kinda new but not like the previous owner changed it BECAUSE of that. It just looks like I got extremely lucky and it didn't damage it.

Now, it IS everywhere else. Running down hoses, it's on the engine and stuff. When I run the car for a little bit, it starts smoking from the engine. Its a light grey, almost bluish smoke. NOW, should I be worried or is that just the stuff burning off?

Also, my engine temp gauge isn't working. Is it the thermostat that is responsible for that? I kinda need to see the heat level if I'm screwing around with it, with a bad radiator.

One more simple question. Is it okay to fill up the radiator with water for now? Yeah, it will leak out but it will let me see where the leak is (I wanna see if its bad... because it was dripping by drops). Not gonna lie, would like to keep the engine on for more than a couple minutes without worrying about screwing something else up.

THANK YOU GUYS for the help.