Hi everyone
This is my first post on CL. I've had this 160k miles 2004 LS430 for 8 months now and so far I've replaced the Timing Belt, Water Pump, Radiator, and Crank Seal. The car initially made coolant disappear couple of months into ownership. Turns out the previous owner used a aftermarket radiator and it had cracked. So I had my mechanic replaced all that was mentioned above while he was in there. There were also signs of oil leaks so that is why the crank seals were done. But the oil leaks were still there. I did notice that it was leaking oil onto the oil pan when I got the car back and so did my mechanic so he told me to take it back to him next week but life got in the way so I didn't have time. I basically drove the car around like that for a couple months. Now fast forward the oil had started to drip onto the floor so I was starting to get concerned so I took it back to my mechanic and he gave me the following diagnosis in the videos: https://imgur.com/sGsMaJW / https://imgur.com/Hr5xt5K I did wipe that car down myself and it seemed like it was around the upper oil pan or around the oil pump like my mechanic said. It honestly sounded like he didn't know where it was leaking from himself. He also told me that I probably have to pull the engine and reseal the whole thing and that it would be up to $5k. I bought the car for 5k. So I am coming to you guys to get a second opinion on what to do with this car. I really like this thing and wish to keep it. Should I just keep letting it leak?

 

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Well, you are where many of us have been, and remember regardless of what you paid or the mileage, 22 years is 22 years. Seals just give, they dry up.
Is this a Lexus/Toyota mechanic or independent? I mean, these aren't Ferraris, but it's nice when you get a crew that knows these cars and what they are famous for. "Reseal the whole thing" is vague to me, so that is why I ask.
I am not sure what the crank seal is, but I am inclined to push you towards the camshaft seal, which is back behind the timing belt. I had mine done on my 04 at about 140k 2 years ago, and yep, it was about $5k, lots of labor. Now, disclaimer, I opted for some additional expense. They knew that preservation was my mission, so they replaced about 6 or 7 hoses that had to be disconnected and 20 year old hoses are potentially dry and brittle. Also, since the timing belt has to be removed, he convinced me to buy another belt even though I had it done 3 years before. He simply said it is no additional labor and you reset the clock on the belt. I agreed. It's a beast of a job and not for the beginner, so you have to evaluate your own DIY level.

Here are some threads from our site here you can sift through:
https://www.google.com/search?q=club...h=826&dpr=1.25

Usually if you Google "LS430 xxxxx(brief word from the problem)", you can get pretty good results from this site (the internal search here is not great). It's a one and done, as long as it is done well. The car is worth it in my opinion. It's an aging thing. My advisor at the dealer said it is not uncommon to get the pristine SC430's in needing this job done also at 60k and 70k, so it just an aging thing, a rite of passage if you will. If it is the camshaft seal, it is not super urgent, but it will drip oil onto the timing belt, so that can cause problems. I just have no tolerance for leaks.
Good luck on your decision. I know, it is tough to stomach, and it took a big chunk out of my savings, but my 04 has 165k, is in amazing condition, and I love it and I plan to never get rid of it.
We never hear any follow-up of course on those low-mile cream puffs sold on Bring a Trailer, but I will guarantee a few months or a year down the road, they have leaks, especially with that much sitting.

 

@CA2WALS430 , As often, you encourage me to stick with my perfectly fine but worn 2005 LS430 UL. It *needs* nothing but can use a new front bumper, seat cover, etc. Maybe new airs struts, etc. All in good time. But I am mostly local driver, low miles, core maintenance all done, so I can wait. It's a perfect old car, if noit cheap over the years, My equiv repair was $4k for cat/o2/maf/y-pipe back in 2019. Bone dry at 170k miles but I have had to do extra TB due to early water pump failure.

I suspect a 2010 es350 or camry would be cheaper as a beater, but my car is a known entity, and still very good if certainly showing some cosmetic and suspension aging.

camshaft seal at $5k is a surprise: I thought it is one level beyond a timing belt job, several hours more labor at most. Mechanic at last TB (recent) dismissed by request to do it as an add-on. I hope that doesn't bite me before my next TB, hopefully not for at least 8 more years.

 

Thanks, @demark1 ! Well, these cars are proven entities, so they are worth it, hence why they are escalating in value and being bid on. I am going through a similar deal on my RX right now (very known 3.5L V6 timing cover leak), and I feel the same. If this was German or domestic, I would run.
Do note my disclosure line. I think the total bill was $5500, and a grand or so was optional parts and other services I had done at the time like power steering fluid service and differential fluid service and something else. So maybe $4500 was the camshaft seal and the hoses. I got some fight from people on the site here, the hard core DIY-ers and the anti-dealership-ers, but I feel great about the repair, and I trust that dealer a lot and now I won't have to go back in. My feeling on dealerships has changed over the years. I don't like doing the minimum to get by, and here in SLC I just don't know an indy that I trust or that will take my OEM parts. Where is the victory if you have to go back in to the same place in 2 years?
Both big leak jobs will total $10k, and if you break that out over the 8 years I haven't a had a car payment and will continue not to, it washes out. A $500/mo payment is $6k/yr, with no guarantees of not needing repairs, so that is my perspective. I love my 2 Lexus', and will continue to. These babies will give you back what you put in.

 

You don't have to pull the engine to address an oil pump issue.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...e-removal.html

911LE chose to do it this way because he has the mechanical capabilities to do the work himself, but also does not have a fully equipped shop with access to a lift, engine hoist, etc.
Removing the engine is fairly invasive will likely cause a lot of ancillary parts to be replaced during the process. The hoses leading to and from the heater control valve, as an example, would not
survive the surgery and need to be replaced. They are a pre-formed hoses only available from Lexus and not exactly cheap.
I'm not suggesting either method is better, faster, etc., but there are options...

 

I have learned where to go for what. Dealer is no better at diagnosing subtle driveability issues, and other places use OE parts as well. Timing belt can be done fine at a local Indy, with Aisin kit. Spark plugs may be similar price so use dealer. Certain key things I opt for a dealer: trans fluid replacement at either Lexus or Toyota. Dealer also manages to find crud no one else does: transmission ground strap comes to mind. So I get there, but less often than I used to.

In 2019 i had 3 CELs in a row over 3 months. Dealer kept saying "fixed". On flip side, the final time I had a loaner es350 for a month. Did not like various aspects: the joystick nav at the time, the cruise placement. But it sure was new. Getting my car back felt, it felt relatively dilapidated. But I fell back into it quite fast. My RX loaner around 2 years ago was beautiful, but the electric doors bothered me, I kept getting locked in all week, if the opening motion is not right. And that 4 cyl was not nice. And I needed more storage. When I finally neede an SUV, I got a (4 cyl but smoother) Lincoln Nautilus CPO. But my LS430 endures!

 

Get some leak detection dye (universal or engine oil), and a UV light source. This will take a lot of the guess work out of a repair.

I use this dye: https://www.brightsol.com/4-in-1-mul...14-oz-bottles/

You can find similar dyes and UV flashlights on Amazon:

 

Update: I put some AT205 (I know some guys will **** on me for this) after an oil change and the leak went down significantly. I got an offer to trade for a IS350 and I might take it do you guys think its worth it? It does have 190k miles tho.