98 LS400 break wear light just came on .
#1
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98 LS400 break wear light just came on .
Well ,just put a new starter in over the weekend on my 98 LS400(lots of fun)Now Im driving the car feeling good about my accomplishment and BAM , break wear light comes on .I searched the forum for a DIY front brake pad replacement ,but could not find one .The rotors look and feel fine ,no warping or anything of that nature ,so I just want to throw some pads on there .How hard is it ,and is there anything that I need to look out for .You guys have been awesome in giving advice ,thanks for that .
Last edited by Horsepwr; 06-01-09 at 08:09 AM.
#5
BahHumBug
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check the front and rear pads, replace the ones that are worn, then either buy new brake sensors or just solder the wires together to shut the damn light off, though in your case since you didnt feel your pads nearing their limits, and didnt keep an eye on their wear limits, i would strongly recommend you buy a new sensor.
#6
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Is it obvious where the break is at in the wires ?If I solder them ,or splice them together ,will that disable the "break wear" indicator ?I just want the stupid light off .Dont really care if it does not warn me in the future .
#7
The wire is housed inside a plastic shell. The light only comes on when the plastic housing rubs against the rotor and trhe wires (circuit) is broken. Unfortunately there is no way to fix it as is.
Yes, the easiest thing to do is cut the sensor, solder the wires and seal it with rubber coating to complete the circuit again.
This is exactly what I did - won't buy the sensor again.
Yes, the easiest thing to do is cut the sensor, solder the wires and seal it with rubber coating to complete the circuit again.
This is exactly what I did - won't buy the sensor again.
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#8
Lexus Champion
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the brake wear sensors for bmw's are relatively cheap at where i work...dont think the ones for the lexus can be much more, i would get new ones and have ur brakes inspected every 2nd or 3rd oil change...i would have ur rotors mic'ed and have them turned,ur pads will last longer as well
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Check this out !! I found a auto parts store online that sells the sensor for $28.00 .Im gonna snag it up ,way better that $90.00 from my local stealership .I just got back from my local tire place ,they do brake checks for free ,and this car is only equipped with one sensor . It is on the right front wheel ,and yes it is touching the rotor ,but there is actually still about just under a 1/4 in of pad left .Plus they mic'd the rotors ,and there is plenty of meat left on them .Ok guys ,if I just wanted to save the $$ how important is it to have the rotors turned .Do I REALLY need to do it ???
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Yea ,I just found that out today .My rear pads are getting down there also .Im buying all the pads tomorrow ,and Ill get around to putting them on this weekend .Thanks guys .
#13
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On my current 2000 LS400, the front brake pads were replaced for the first time at 71,293 miles. The rear pads have over 110,000 miles on them and they should easily last until I have the car serviced at 120,000 miles.
The indie Lexus trained mechanic I use charges so little to replace brake pads and turn the rotors that I no longer do it myself. I'm down to one car and it's not like I'm going to rent a car or take a cab just to take my rotors some place to have them turned.
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The previous owner had new front rotors and front pads put on at 65,000 .So Im about at the 65,000 mile mark on the front v,the rears I dont believe have ever been changed ,and the car has 133,xxx .So you are right ,these cars do not go through pads too quick .So your brakes did no pulsate with the old pads ,before you changed pads ?The brakes on my car are very smoothe ,no signes of warping at all .Im going to be putting Akebono Proact ceramic pads on it ,I guess they are supposed to be pretty good .Thanks for the advice .
#15
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The previous owner had new front rotors and front pads put on at 65,000 .So Im about at the 65,000 mile mark on the front v,the rears I dont believe have ever been changed ,and the car has 133,xxx .So you are right ,these cars do not go through pads too quick .So your brakes did no pulsate with the old pads ,before you changed pads ?The brakes on my car are very smoothe ,no signes of warping at all .Im going to be putting Akebono Proact ceramic pads on it ,I guess they are supposed to be pretty good .Thanks for the advice .
To say the least, the brakes on my 2000 LS400 are infinitely better than on the 90 LS I drove for (too many) years. According to Road & Track magazine, the early gen 1 LS400 had one of the longest stopping distances of all the cars they tested during that period of time.
I wonder if the ceramic pads you are going to use will wear as well as OEM and provide as good braking. Sure like the complete absence of brake dust of the OEM pads -- hard to believe that Lexus went with low life, high brake dust pads on newer models.