M1214782

I recently purchased a '97 pearl white LS400 with 142k miles and one owner for $1950. This beauty is not perfect mechanically and cosmetically but I am on a mission to restore her to pristine level.

What works:
Engine and Transmission feel strong
2 sets of keys
All interior and exterior lights
Sunroof
Radio & speaker. I haven't tried the CD changer as I got rid of all the CDs.
Power & heated seats

Mechanical Flaws: I am planning to taking her to a Lexus dealer to get a comprehensive inspection
1. Check Engine light is on
2. Tie rods leaking fluids & making noise when I'm making a turn
3. AC buttons don't work. AC is on all the time
4. car makes noise like dragging a shovel on a concrete road between 15-25mph & 30-40mph
5. The cluster intermittently not working (RPM & Speedometer)
6. Hood prop struts

Cosmetic Flaws: Once I get her mechanically sound, I will focus on the body.
1. Surface rust @ Rear passenger side fender (Paint is bubbling)
Surprisingly, the undercarriage shows minimal rust damages. More damages to the rear of the car
2. The previous owner's son hit the rear driver side door when he was backing up. Need to repaint.
3. Rock chips in the front of the car.
4. Water leaking from the trunk.
5. Driver seat is torn and worn.
6. I forgot to mention --> I have a broken passenger side mirror glass.


The previous owner took a good care of it. The timing belt was done @ 104K miles back in '08.


Small cracks in the headlight covers


Cluster works. Sometimes RPM and Speedometer do not work. A couple of light taps on the top of the cluster fix the problem


AC On & Off, Mode button does not work so the AC is on all the time.


Driver seat is torn and worn


The rear seat has small cracks


Pearl white paint with gold lettering is HAWT!!!


The previous owner attempted to repair a damage to the rear driver side door.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Congrats on the LS
Keep us posted on the progress.

jaaa

I can help you with mechanical flaw #6:
I bought these around 3 years ago and they have held up quite well considering they are inly $19:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/291435894694

And congrats on buying the ls400. Take your time and slowly you will get ride of all problems one at a time.

M1214782

I will do my best to post updates as I will try to do the repairs DIY

mikaelse

Congratulations. Does not sound like too bad to fix . I have a simmilar a bit neglected 1995 LS400 . Bought for 2000$
It needed parts for about 1000$ and some work I did myself . But has worked flawless for three years after that as a daily driver mostly.
I am fond of the LS400 and aim to drive one for a very long time.

M1214782

Took the beauty to the Lexus dealer in Orlando to get a comprehensive inspection (Lexus calls it a 5 page inspection):

Here are the verdict:




I was expecting something major failures but I will take it. BUT!!!~~~ $7k is a crazy number.

Components I need to repair:
1. Rack and Pinion, power steering pump, and end tie rods (I can get by refilling the PS fluid but I want to do it sooner than later) The shovel dragging noise was from PS pump trying to pump fluids.
2. Valve cover gaskets --> I have a bad leak on both sides.
3. Radiator assembly --> the mechanic didn't pressurize the radiator because the top portion was rusted and in a horrible shape.
4. Rear brakes --> Not that big of the deal YET.
5. Belts --> shows its age.

Questions:
1. Can someone recommend aftermarket parts (close or better than the OEM at a fraction of the cost)? or should I bite the bullet and get the OEM parts?

mikaelse

Yes 7000$ is ludicrous. Aftermarket parts will run you a lot less then 1000$ . None of the really time consuming difficult things to do here.
My opinion is. Buy good brand aftermarket from manufacturers that are known for making good parts. Many manufacturers are good.
Some really crucial safety parts I have bought OEM like lower ball joints in front wheel suspension for peace of mind.
But that is because I have personally seen several times fails of ball joints on older cars with seemingly very little warning. Scary thing.
It seems a real worry to get parts made cheap and not lasting. Be careful, read forums

Nr 1 I have not encountered. A rebuilt pump and rack might be a good idea. Used parts may not last.
Both pump and rack can wear like yours have. Rebuilt sold at Rockauto seem to run 150$ + 250$
Some seem to complain about quality of rebuilds.
Nr2 . A small job. Cheap parts.
N3 . An Aftermarket radiator made for the car is cheap. Even a DENSO brand can be had for 70$. at Rockauto , Easy swap. Obviously do fluid at same time.
Nr 4 . Easy to change rotors and pads in the rear. Parts will run you 120$ or less . I would fix up rear parking brake at same time but if it works well you may choose not to.
Nr5 . The serpentine is super easy to change. takes minutes. Will be smart to do when you swap the pump. Feel all idlers and rotating stuff for slop or noise.

yotoy822

1. Rack and Pinion - every single toyota and lexus of this vintage they always point this out, if it drives ok and isn't leaking on the ground I call it normal seepage. I changed mine, drove exactly the same! I put an OEM rebuilt one, this is the better way to go otherwise a new one is 1500. Don't get any aftermarket rebuilt ones. They come with tie rods I believe so if you wanna do it, thats the way to go. Any mechanic can do this for you, will also need an alignment after. PUT NEW RACK bushings as well. they seem to wear out every 5 years. I had bad luck w/my polyurethane ones.
2. Easy fix, the parts online are like 15-30 bucks for OEM.
3. Get a new radiator, danger of overheating is the one thing you want fixed immediately. Don't want to risk losing the vehicle completely. Not sure which aftermarket one to get , someone on here had bad results with a chinese Denso. My radiator is 250k 22 years old and still fine, so maybe you can find a good junk yard one from a dry state, not florida.
4. AKEBONO brake pads are the best.. probably the last pair of brake pads will buy for a long time. Rotors, not sure.. some aftermarket ones rust fast.. go oem
5. Belts is easy fix can be done anywhere with almost any brand, its just a serpentine belt after all

For parts, search on Amazon, online lexus parts sites, Rock auto.. always go with the premium choice. Car-parts.com searches most junk yards across the country, sometimes you cant find a part or dont need to put a 1000 dollar part on a car and it will get you by for a few years, had good luck w/used parts. If an upper ball joint OEM cost 450, a cheap aftermarket cost 120 and wear out in 6 months, a good junk yard one can get you by for 2 years sometimes if its a low mileage one etc, plus most offer returns if unsatisfied.

These have become literal money pits with age, rubber/plastic/electronics age brittle etc. But the car is so much fun to drive we just keep dumping into it because it drives better than a new car. Most mechanics hate when you bring your own parts or charge higher for labor. Find a good one you can trust.

M1214782

Thank you, yotoy822.

I looked to find a shop to rebuild my rack & pinion but I was unable to locate one here locally in Orlando, FL.
I found rackdoctor.net which is located in SC who deals with OEM rebuilt ones for $309 + tax + return shipping fee.
Due to hurricane Florence, I was unable to receive a response. I guess I will have to wait.
If you have any suggestions where I can find OEM rebuilt, please feel free to point me to the right direction.


Currently, the beauty has an electrical issues... my dumb fault... she has no power. I recently posted on the forum for a solution.

97 Lexus LS 400 Electrical Issues

Any advice is highly appreciated. Thank you,

Nathan