My 2001 LS430 has 139,000 miles after 9 years of ownership. (Purchased with 98,000 miles) .. My car has never dripped any oil on my driveway or garage but after having it on the lift a year or so ago, my Indy brought to my attention numerous oil leaks from both the engine and trans. Of course there was no way to ascertain where they were coming from so we placed a dye in the engine oil. The trans leak seamed to be coming from the pan gasket, but my Indy who knows Lexus well said our cars almost never leak from the pan unless it was removed and not placed back correctly. The gear selector shifter bushings were suspect for the trans leak so I had both of them replaced. My Indy felt after driving for a few hundred miles with the dye, another common problem is the engine dip stick O ring to leak. I had both the shifter bushings and the dip stick o ring replaced at the same time. A few hundred miles later, the bottom of the oil pan was wet once again. This time, he suggested (since the dips stick o ring area was dry) that he could see the oil level sender was leaking. I proceeded to change that part as well and Voila! After almost 700 miles the bottom on my engine and trans is bone dry! There was no leak from the engine oil pan or the trans pan which some suspect as a culprit , but i lucked out as removing the engine oil pan is not an easy job. For those interested, I would first investigate 1) engine dip stick O ring 2) oil level sender switch) and for a trans leak (selector shifter bushings. FYI, these fixes do require a fair amount of labor, but in comparison to dropping the oil pan it is a savings in labor. PS...The OEM oil level sender switch was pricey....forgot the cost but everything through Lexus cost an arm and a leg.

 

This made me curious what the sensor cost. The best price I could find is $37.67 at a Toyota dealer. Rockauto sells several aftermarket between $5 and $13. I think this is one sensor I would definitely choose OE because of it's importance.

 

 

My mistake...
I misunderstood it as the oil pressure sensor.

 

Why would you replace the entire oil level sensor for a leak? The gasket is available separately and is only a few dollars.

 

It was not leaking from the gasket. The leak was coming out of the end of the sensor at the electrical connection.