When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I found a really nice two-owner '98 for sale with 146K miles and its on its way to me in western WA - it was sold here and spent its entire life in western WA too. The car is in incredible condition cosmetically, and has no leaks, no suspension issues, drives very nice. Used Lemon Squad for the PPI and they basically found nothing at all wrong with it. Everything works.
First order of business will be a TB/WP using the Aisin kit. Local Toyota dealer will do that with me supplying the kit.
I plan on replacing all the fluids and filters myself.
Other than that, is there anything else I should look at as far as preventative maintenance?
I have really nice '05 LS430 also with low miles, and this will be a summer/fun car. I do my own maintenance on that too. I'll post pictures after it arrives and I give it bath.
I didn't read other comments, but I have a 98 with 262k miles on road. You may need to change anything that's rubber and plastic harness connectors on engine bay when you replace something as a practice, if that's not been replaced. Say you're disconnecting MAF harness? see if you could just get the housing part alone be replaced. Replacing PS Pump? replace the hoses on both sides.
I can tell you that due to age, these things degrade irrespective of mileage. I have maintained my car from 221 to 262k miles all by myself except a few suspension components.
Genuine Japanese Car Part Imports - Amayama is a legit supplier where you need to order all your parts like bushings and what not if you plan to restore the car and keep it for long time. Good luck!
Can confirm. They are a great source - though be mindful, shipping to the USA can take a very long time compared to sourcing locally. Leadtimes might be 1-2 weeks depending where you live since everything is coming from either UAE or Japan.
That's good info re: Amayama, thank you. I have looked over all the rubber lines in the engine bay and they seem to be good; no cracking or degradation noted. The car spent its entire life in a cool climate, which may have helped preserve them. But I will keep an eye on those parts as well as the suspension bushings etc.
One of these days I am going to do the surgery noted in this video to remove the car stereo from the vehicle and take the cassette player to a repair guy I found. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HbRswRHO9mQ
That's good info re: Amayama, thank you. I have looked over all the rubber lines in the engine bay and they seem to be good; no cracking or degradation noted. The car spent its entire life in a cool climate, which may have helped preserve them. But I will keep an eye on those parts as well as the suspension bushings etc.
One of these days I am going to do the surgery noted in this video to remove the car stereo from the vehicle and take the cassette player to a repair guy I found. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HbRswRHO9mQ
I think they're based on southern California (?) I have used them if so to add aux and BT to my factory setup.
Update on my '98 after about 6 months and 2,300 miles: (Now at about 148,440)
1) Even though my '05 LS430 is a supremely comfortable and smooth riding car I really really like driving the 1998 - maybe even a little more so. With the 5 speed transmission it sits a little higher in the power band when on the highway and feels more powerful than the 05 with the six speed.
2) If I don't drive it for a week or two (rare) it does emit a puff of blue smoke when I start it up. It never smokes at all at other times and does not use oil or leak oil. I think my valve stem seals might be going. How unusual is that for this motor? The PO probably did not change the oil often enough judging by looking down the oil filler neck. Ooops. I am running 5W-30 Mobile 1 full synthetic with OEM oil filter. Maybe that will help clean things out. I may use a little seafoam before I change the oil next.
3) The MPG on this car are really something if you keep speeds down and stay out of city traffic and drive with a very light foot, significantly better than my '05. Couple of recent trips: 197 miles mostly highway, some city, speeds below 60, 31.7 mpg, no wind, no elevation gain. Today's trip: 112 miles at 32.8 mpg. All rural two lane highway, windy roads, lots of hill, speeds under 55, no wind, no elevation gain. Average since I bought the car 27.9 including some city.
4) I think my suspension is too floaty - not sure what to do about it or whether I should do anything at all. It is completely quiet. The shocks look good, bushings as well. The suspension shop I prefer is booked months in advance....
5 )The build quality of this car after 25 years on the road never ceases to impress me - everything works like new except the tape player (and the blue smoke, damn it). My '1998 LS400 "economy car." This was after 86 miles into my trip today (rural roads, speeds at or below 55, no wind etc). When I got back to the station where I filled up in the morning after 112 miles the tank average: 32.8 mpg.
3) It must be the winter tires + altitude I run on my car because I never see anything like those sorts of fuel economy numbers. You must do a lot of 55mph driving with no stopping which is basically MPG ideal.
4) Hard to determine "too floaty" on a car which is kind of supposed to be floaty. Bushings can be defective even if they pass visual inspection. Tolerances can deteriorate over time, and even if they aren't leaking\cracked, they can be kaput after 25yr. Let me ask some specifics.
Does the car tramline on the highway? Want to follow ruts\grooves in the road as if you had 275 section Michelin Cup 2 racing tires up front?
Always "nervous" at highway speeds, especially at higher speeds (70+), where you feel like you're always making different adjustments to just drive straight
Is the car very sensitive to crosswinds? aka do you notice them, even when it doesn't seem very windy outside?
When going over a "yump" at highway speeds. Not a bump, but a large vertical travel which launches the car up slightly. Does the car land "4 square"? Or does it land and have lateral side-to-side motion even when you were going perfectly straight and the bump was perfectly perpendicular, as if the car had landed on one side first before the other, causing said side-to-side motion.
2) Thanks 400fanboy for that link. I'll investigate that possibility for the smoke.
3) Yep, steady speeds and ever more important steady throttle position are what is working for me, as well as the low speed limits where I live (sea level too doesn't hurt either). I think the tires must be low rolling resistance and also contributing too. I have them at about 35-36 PSI cold.
4) No to the four bullet points. In fact, at high speed (70+) the car feels very planted and stable, the faster I go the better the car handles and feels. My '05 is more sensitive to crosswinds, but frankly I have not driven the '98 in windy conditions often if ever so far. I seem to notice more floaty/boaty behavior in the '98 at low speeds around town. It might be that I have been driving the '05 with 18 inch wheels for the last 5 years and the difference is due at least in part to the 16 inch wheels/tires in the '98, or a difference/improvement in the suspension design in the '05 as compared to the '98.
I've never personally driven an 05 so I cannot direct compare.
I was asking those questions about the front lower ball joints, which present those symptoms and are very common (but hard to diagnose). Your answers don't throw up any suspicious flags to me.
You may be feeling the difference between 16's and 18's. I felt a massive difference for the 1 year I had 18's on my car. Turn-in was sharper. The front end felt a lot more stable. But it was really crashy and harsh around town at low speeds, less worse at high speeds.
Beyond that I can't really give an answer to "does this feel boaty".
Beautiful car and my favorite color combo (other than the missing wood grain steering wheel and shifter). My car does the little puff of blue smoke if I let it sit for more than a few days but at my 5,000 mile oil change its still sitting at the full mark so I am not worried about it.
I put an aftermarket head unit in mine quite a long time ago and I typically hang on to my old parts. I could see if I still have it packed away somewhere if you're interested in it. i think the cassette player was working on it.
Interested in a more thorough overview of the differences between the LS400 and the LS430. I have always wondered myself if they made big improvements in the cabin noise department. And I always assumed the suspension was less soft on the LS430 to reduce the floatiness. I personally prefer a softer ride even with the floaty feeling. The seats in the LS430 always looked more flat and uncomfortable to me based on the pictures (never been in one)
"Interested in a more thorough overview of the differences between the LS400 and the LS430. I have always wondered myself if they made big improvements in the cabin noise department. And I always assumed the suspension was less soft on the LS430 to reduce the floatiness. I personally prefer a softer ride even with the floaty feeling. The seats in the LS430 always looked more flat and uncomfortable to me based on the pictures (never been in one)"
I think there has been a lot of discussion on the differences between the LS400 and LS430 on this board over the years, I am sure a search will dig it up. My main takeaways are LS430 is a more modern vehicle, handles and rides slightly better, has better headlights (by far) and a larger trunk, and more front seat leg room. The seats in both cars are extremely comfortable. Cabin noise is minimal - both are very quiet, have zero wind noise at any speed, cannot hear the engine at normal cruise in both cars. I think the choice in tires will determine which car is quieter. The suspension in the LS400 is definitely softer, the LS430 is less floaty for sure. Both cars have a superlative build quality, incredible factory paint lasting seemingly forever, a pleasure to work on (the little details in the design that aid the mechanic and show what went into component selection and design go on forever). The things I like more about the LS400 - the throttle response, leather quality, the visibility, ergonomics, and the sound system (Nakamichi), the age/classic styling, and the proven better fuel economy. Wish it had a backup camera - I might add that some day. I get a lot of stares and thumbs up in both cars - especially the LS400. My '05 is Crystal White with dark tinted windows, not the quite showroom condition of the '98 though especially the rear bumper cover has a few marks on it, 140K on the clock.
03-17-23, 12:38 PM
