The fan and radiator come out together and might be the easiest part of the job. The accessories and timing covers on the front of the engine are where the work is. They all come off in a particular order and have to be replaced in a particular order.
It's not a complex job requiring complex tools. A 10mm socket with a variety of extensions will tackle approx. 70% of the fasteners. Organization and patience are paramount.
All the bolts can become very confusing as so many parts have to be removed. I've found the best way to keep track is by putting bolts back after the part is removed. If you've removed 4 bolts for a particular part put all 4 back where they belong, screwing them in a few turns so they stay put, and set the part aside.

 

Filled it up today ($69) and a quick wash. Really need to do clay bar and polish.

 

Is it difficult to remove the crank pulley bolt?

 

It is not if you have a good impact gun. I used a 1/2 Milwaukee compact Impact with a full charge 4.0 battery with a 22mm Snap-On socket. Why Snap-On? Flank Drive to prevent rounding the bolt. it took maybe 1-2 mins of impact but she gave it up. The crank slid right off, no puller needed. To install the crank bolt, you need a special tool from amazon which holds the crank while you torque that bolt back to 181 ft lbs. I can do the job for you if you are local to florida.

 

It can be, it really depends on what tools you have access to.
There are several ways to skin the cat. Unfortunately, if your tools are limited this step can potentially be a deal breaker. An impact gun makes it pretty easy. There are tools designed specifically for this step using 2 breaker bars. If you don't have the right tools you can always employ the starter bump method using a breaker bar oriented close to the ground and bumping your ignition to spin the crankshaft which breaks the bolt loose. I won't recommend this method but I have used it many years ago. Don't be surprised if it snaps the head of the breaker bar😒

As I said, this one step can be a deal breaker. You get all the way down to the crank pulley and suddenly you're stopped dead in your tracks with no way to move forward until the bolt is out so be prepared.

 

see the discussion at the 9:30 mark and on.

 

Poured seafoam into my oil and gas tank, sprayed a bottle into my throttle body as well. Bought royal purple 5w30 and a k&n gold oil filter to put in the car once it hits 9k km or so on this change.

 

I would change do an oil change now. Seafoam will thin out the oil

 

Today I officially "Ruined"™ my car with a factory gut, x-pipe, and drift dialects Fireball mufflers.

 

My LS430 has 423,xxx miles on it and has been throwing several codes all relevant to the Evap system. And the car smells like gas every time I start it. And before anyone asks, I already bought and installed new vsv’s, a new gas cap, and it has a new set of coils, plugs, and injectors on it. The codes all point back to a fully saturated Evap canister. I spent 4 days working on the rear end to get the right axle out, then tried to lower the entire rear end, but no dice. So I pulled the carpet out of the trunk and used a dremel to cut the hump in half and pulled it out through the trunk. New one went in easily enough once I could access everything from on top. And now I am down to just a misfire code on cylinder 1. It may be from running rough for so long due to the bad Evap, but I am going to pull each piece out one by one (coil, plug, and injector) and replace each one (they are all under warranty still) until the code clears. I also changed out the rear diff fluid, replaced all the sensors (MAF, Variable oil valves things, throttle position sensor, etc.) and did a synthetic oil change with Napa gold filter. Also paid a local company to cut out some bad exhaust pipe and replace it. They did a great job and charged me just over $200 for both pipes. Hopefully I can find a radio that can replace the factory one. I would really like to listen to my phone on my stereo.

 

Replaced the rain x with the correct oem wipers so I can just replace the inserts when the time comes.





side note, dealership I bought it from said they replaced the wipers but in reality. It was a lie . Do not trust dealerships . I’m not going to rant but I got proof

 

I read twice to make sure you did not have a 3rd gen with 9K km😀

 

eBay replacement trunk button. Feels good and positive feedback, one push and it opens now instead of kind of pressing all around and the ole sticky finger.

New



Old blob

 

Many people will laugh, but this makes a difference! I took my previous Ls back to OEM blades and then just bought inserts. They never worked better. My current LS is OEM blades, and they are quiet and smooth. And buy the Lexus inserts!! I know, stupid, but it matters. They have a higher oil or silicone content or something, but they are quieter and work better. I live in a drier climate now, but used to live in Seattle area, so wipers were a BIG deal.

 

Part number, please! That's been sitting on my to-do list for a minute.