I just purchased a 2003 LS430 about a week ago. It has decent maintenance records via the dealer but after about 60k, there's only 3 or 4 records. Given it only has 105k miles and is 16 years old, is there anything I should be worried about due to age rather than the mileage? TB was replaced at 98k which is on a sticker on the cover, but don't know about the water pump. The place I purchased it from hadn't done much with it other than transfer from CA to OK, and it sat on their lot for a year with minimal drive time I suppose. Though I did ask of they started their vehicles regularly and he said that due to the condition and mileage this 430 was in they made sure they started it atleast once a day, and consistently move their cars to various spots daily.

 

You might consider changing some (or all) of the fluids, especially the brake fluid.

It is a virtual certainty that the water pump was replaced at the same time as the timing belt.

 

Most owners will have their water pumps changed when TB is changed. I unfortunately purchased my car from the 2nd owner 10 years ago and found out the water pump was probably NOT CHANGED during the TB service which was at 96,000 miles. That being said.....since I primarily drive my car locally, I was not prepared to take apart the engine again to replace the water pump that was and still has not been leaking. I always keep on eye out for any signs of leaking....so far so good after 144,000 miles.

 

Thank you for the info. I planned on going through the life blood of the car and replacing all of it. The transmission is a sealed system?

 

luckily, you have a dipstick.

 

So, I tried to open it up a bit and there seems to be hesitation in the initial acceleration. RPMs climb and after a second or 2 it catches. I'm suspecting the TPS may be dirty or needs to be replaced? Can you clean it?

 

my LS set for three years and ran just like the day I bought it after starting it and putting in a new battery ,change the oil fill er up with super and give it a couple wide open throttles on the highway and that should fixed the hesitation, some Dealers leave the gas on E because they’re so lazy to fill up