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oil seepage and Louisana soil, or Texas soil, or Arkansas soil, but surely not Mississippissippissi, oh well
how long since you replaced your TB/WP, and cleaned up the front of your engine??? looks like a long time, what model is yours?
here is the front of mine 223+ miles, second TB/WP..
Last edited by billydpowe; Jul 26, 2018 at 06:16 AM.
Been in Louisiana all of her life.
99 LS400
227,000 miles
Just got it a week ago.
Was hoping to get it all back in shape.
Wasnt cared for very well.
Flushing and changing the radiator today.
Neck snapped off while on the highway. -_-
I'm not very inclined, mechanically.
How would I go about checking the water pump and timing belt?
Would it be difficult for me to adjust what's in that last picture?
Mine is clearly off.
Also, what would be the best way to clean up all of that sludge?
Hate to say it, but that sludge will probably be the least of your troubles. With these cars at your mileage, you either need a fairly fat bank account or need to be handy with wrenches. I bought my 1996 ls400 three years ago at 217k miles and promptly replaced the radiator, starter, egr pipe, water pump, transmission, multiple pullies, transmission mount and all the shocks. That was a very short list of things I've done. The starter, egr pipe, and water pump(think timing belt) are each around a $1000 a piece if you farm it out to a mechanic. The transmission I replaced would cost at least $1500 if you couldn't do it. The good news is if you are willing to learn, there are guides here that you can follow and do this all yourself. Just a matter of how willing you are.
that is a good statement, they are WELL BUILT... and really not all that bad.. jaaa sorta went overboard on price... unless you were taking it to the dealer..
find a lexus LS400 driver around your country, and become friends... what he knows and can do is important... could the previous owner be of any help??
read up on a lot of the post in here, and the stickeys at the beginning.. what you are looking for is 1998, 1999, and 2000 LS400.. other models are not the same.. we, you and me, have the best ones made, all tho the 1995, 1996, and 1997 are real close.. find 1998-2000 post and read all you can.. it will help.. you might want to go to a power car wash and clean up the front as good as you can.. and look for oil leaks underneath... keep us posted..
I would suspect valve cover gaskets for a "blanket" overall engine coating. On my 98 the gaskets are rubber and the bolts have rubber grommets. Rubber shrinks with age. I would check the torque on a few easy to reach valve cover gasket bolts (10mm), if they are loose then you have found the culprit. Now, that being said, DO NOT over tighten these if you choose to just tighten them without replacing gaskets. After I replaced the passenger side on mine, I wished I tried just tightening them first, because that was the hardest valve cover gasket change I have ever done. Look at this youtube video by
Timing belt and water pump are 100K intervals. If that hasn't been done within that interval, that service would be recommended. That also would allow the cam seals to be replaced. The valve cover gaskets are likely hard and not sealing very well either. Is the power steering pump also leaking? Can clean the engine but be gentle if going in there with a hose or pressure washer. The electronic connections don't fare well getting water pushed into them at these later stages of car life.
Billy has it down, his LS/S have received excellent care and his advice is
The term sludge is reserved for the caking of oil and deposits INSIDE THE ENGINE. That is just normal old leaking oil on the OUTSIDE OF THE ENGINE with dirt on it. To clean it use an engine cleaner chemical and a moderate pressure washer or steam cleaner.
The term sludge is reserved for the caking of oil and deposits INSIDE THE ENGINE. That is just normal old leaking oil on the OUTSIDE OF THE ENGINE with dirt on it. To clean it use an engine cleaner chemical and a moderate pressure washer or steam cleaner.
dicer, this man is new, quit trying to be so RIGHT all the time, we know that, he is trying to learn....
dicer, this man is new, quit trying to be so RIGHT all the time, we know that, he is trying to learn....
That is part of learning, using the proper nomenclature. If nomenclature is tossed out the door, imagine the discussions of the future. Its so funny in the computer world of programming and coding the syntax has to be perfect, if not the compiler will reject and complain. Yet in the car forum world nomenclature is thrown in the trash can.
The one I love the best is BRAKES. How many times is it written as Breaks ? The meaning of those 2 words are worlds apart. Just go to google and type in
DEFINE BRAKES etc etc. Since these forums are for learning lets help the learning process, even if it hurts some feelings sometimes.
So we're just going to sit here and act like the actual definition of sludge is not 'dirt and oil'. OK.
Now, if I would've been talking internally, I would've said 'engine sludge' rather than just 'sludge'.
No one is impressed, guy.
I included photos in case my epistemic modality wasn't enough, Mr. Syntax.
We are not machines, we are animals.
But I thank you all for taking the time to offer helpful advice and suggestions.
I appreciate all of the help and encouragement I've received from this forum.
Its really helping to move this project along.
Timing belt and water pump are 100K intervals. If that hasn't been done within that interval, that service would be recommended. That also would allow the cam seals to be replaced. The valve cover gaskets are likely hard and not sealing very well either. Is the power steering pump also leaking? Can clean the engine but be gentle if going in there with a hose or pressure washer. The electronic connections don't fare well getting water pushed into them at these later stages of car life.
Billy has it down, his LS/S have received excellent care and his advice is
I would add the the 1UZ-FE engine while legendary for its reliability IS an interference engine, meaning that if your timing belt snaps you will likely bend valves or worse depending upon RPMs at the time the belt breaks (idling in driveway vs 85mph down the highway). If you have no idea when the timing belt was changed I would be a bit worried at that mileage.
