Does anyone know if there is a front strut replacement/installation tutorial for the LS430? On Lexls.com, there is a very good tutorial for the first gen. LS400s. I need to change my front struts, but was wondering if there was a good DIY illustration. Anything would help. THANKS!!

--John

 

I haven't looked for a set of instructions, but I installed my coilovers and it's a straight-forward procedure that should become evident once you jack the car up and get started. IIRC, I disconnected the sway bar and brake caliper (can't recall for sure about the caliper), disconnected the brake line stays, removed the upper A-arm bolt (flip the nut over and tap it GENTLY with a hammer to loosen the press fit) and the rest was just unbolting the strut itself. I hope I'm not forgetting anything, but the key message is that if you've done any level of mechanical repairs, it's pretty easy and self-evident... Probably took me 2 hours to install the first one due to taking it slow and careful to figure out the correct way, then 20 minutes to do the second one.

 

https://techinfo.toyota.com/

Well it costs a few dollars but unlike the old days when I was in need of $200~400 Factory Toyota books to get such information for each car, an online Factory Manual is available that takes you STEP BY STEP with list of proper toque specs, tools needed and the SAME instructions Lexus/TOYOTA uses to teach ASE technicians. It is not only the BEST way to do any repairs or maintenance on the car as intended by manufacturer, but also a base information that is key to making your custom installs much more meaningful. You understand why factory specifications are such. You learn why certain things are done in such ways.

If you can read English or French, then I think this is the cheapest way to learn about specifics of your TOYOTA in detail and is much more accurate information than any forums topic replies can offer in most cases. I highly recommend reading these once, and printing it for your records... LS430 manuals in General repair and electrical diagrams are in 7 volumes, and over 2000 pages... From a dealer that's about $1000 worth of books just for a single year model of modern Toyota or a Lexus. So I think the price to peek into the same documentation on PDF is really a bargain.

The TIS web charges less than $50 for a month of endless access to all published documentation for all SCION/LEXUS and TOYOTA repairs, bulletins, electrical diagrams, and manuals. Download the documents you need for any of these cars and it will pay for itself whether you are doing a aftermarket radio install, repairs, tune ups, collision repairs, modifications what ever!

 

Excellent resource and excellent advice. I guess I should have offered more words of qualification on my "you can do it yourself" post above, in case the OP isn't as experienced at such things. I've done all my own repairs, engine builds, mtce., etc. for 35+ years, so I don't hesitate to tackle most jobs, but I wouldn't think of starting any serious repair or rebuild without consulting the FSM for the proper procedure and specs. But I suppose I take too much for granted in simple cases like this one -- need to keep in mind that I have a lot more 'I done did dat' under my belt than most people.

 

Well you got more service history under your belt than most of us... All the more reason you can appreciate the factory manuals ;D I even like to browse through them on occasion just to read more specifics of my cars. It's also still VERY necessary in wiring a complex car like this LS430 for aftermarket goodies and trying to find faults when error messages show up on ECU from tapping into something important.
FSM are AWESOME!