Hi,

I have had a 98 LS400 for almost two years now. It has 255,000 KM on it. It has been a wonderful car but it has been costly to maintain. I had to refresh the suspension, replace the motor mounts, replaced the timing belt/water pump and crank seal. I am just wondering if I should expect anything else that is common on these cars to come up soon? I have heard the cam seals can be very expensive to do on the 98+ cars. Is it common for the cam seals to leak for the 98+ cars?

Thanks for your help in advance!

It used to be they made cars with the odometers went up to only 99,999 miles because they really didn't expect them to last longer than that or the owner to own them longer than that. Our cars are 20 years and older now. Beyond around 200K miles or so is doing quite well just try to find people who can work on more affordably I suppose.

Yes, it is expensive, no it's not necessarily common but it can happen. Use a quality oil/filter and stay on top of OCIs. Old oil becomes acidic...

I guess what I am trying to figure out is how common is it for the cam seals to leak on these cars? Is it something that will eventually happen?

Usually it's done when you're doing the timing belt since it's a "while you're in there" gig. It's more preventative maintenance than anything. Do you want to roll the dice and be the guinea pig to see how long they last?

ty for info about how oil changes help preserve longevity.

It's not common at all so don't worrt about it unless you have a reason to worry about it. I've done that job and I'm not sure it was even the problem.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ith-vvt-i.html

Even though you have to remove the TB to get to the cam seals I would beg to differ that it's a " while you're in there " gig. You have to also remove the valve covers, disconnect the fuel line and remove the actual camshafts to get to the seals on 98-00 cars. So If your cams are not leaking no one in their right mind would change them out while doing a TB job. Ask me how I know.

Really? I was under the impression there was a lot of overlapping labor that had to be done on both jobs. Or, like you say, are things different on the 98-00 cars.

I have a 98' and haven't done my camseals (car doesn't leak or burn a drop, no need to yet); so I'm curious to learn here.

Pre VVTi cars were much easier as the cams did not have to be removed to replace the cam seals. This was a "while you're in there" scenario during a TB service.

98 and later is a completely different story. Cam seal replacement and a TB service are both long arduous jobs that shouldn't be done simultaneously unless you're a Pro working in a professional facility. Take a look at Sha4000s thread, attempting to tackle both at the same time is borderline dangerous. Again, unless you're a Pro...

Yes there are definitely overlapping tasks but a TB service is entirely more user friendly to the average shade tree (most of us...) mechanic. Removing the cams is not.

Okay. This is the answer I was hoping for. Thank you.