I recently had a misfire in cylinder 8. I swapped all the plugs and replaced the coil pack on that cylinder but it persisted. I thought maybe the fuel injector but that wasn’t the case either. The compression test said everything was fine, but the leak down test revealed it was a chipped valve.


The cost to remove the head and replace the valve is going to be $3,300


Would you recommend selling and starting over or investing $3,300 or 55% of the purchase price into rebuilding?


I’m split on it, as I can’t find another LS430 in decent shape for a decent price and the only other car I’d be interested in, 2013 ES300h, is double the cost.


I chose the LS430 to replace my Prius as I drive a ton, like 30-40k a year for work, and my knee was hurting. My knee stopped hurting with the 14 way adjustable seats and I overall like the car.


What are your opinions? I try to only spend around $5k for my work vehicles as I kill the value due to the amount of miles I put on them.

 

Try www.car-part.com and search for an engine out of a Junkyard / Salvage yard?

 

Get a second, and even a third, opinion on the repair price. $3,300 sounds rather expensive.
1 valve and 1 head gasket from Lexus totals approx. $100. The same aftermarket parts total approx. $20.
Not sure if the $3300 total includes tax and shop fees so let's call it $3100.
$3100 divided by an hourly rate of $125 (which is on the high side) = 24 hours of labor !!!
Something isn't adding up here.

1 Lexus valve- $19
1 Lexus head gasket- $82
(*Other small ancillary parts will also need to be replaced- valve oil seal and guide bushing, exhaust gasket, coolant bridge gasket, etc.)

 

Yeah something is not adding up here. It sounds like they are charging for an engine removal and repair or are selling you a totally new head at dealer prices.

 

I’ll get a few more quotes for replacing valves from some other shops. Unfortunately I live in the country and my choices are few.

 

Where are you located

 

Swapping in another engine would be cheaper.

 

Price sounds a bit steep. Much of the work is same as exchanging the cambelt and waterpump. Does that need doing now? .
Perhaps do the cam seals and the starter as a precaution at the same time. These cars are typically worth fixing.
The parts are not overpriced if you buy wisely.

 

Tearing down an engine is an expensive job.... (And, an effort as per the below valve failure example.) Answer may be a function of what amount you can get for it as it stands now vs the utility you may get after cost of repairing with cost of future maintenance. A factor may be current mileage on a vehicle which do not see stated. (Sorry for your trouble.)

Lexus LS430 engine failure – ticking, misfire, valve seat failure, and head replacement http://carspecmn.com/lexus-ls430-eng...d-replacement/CARspec had the unique opportunity to repair a 2005 Lexus LS430 recently – this particular vehicle suffering from a loud ticking noise and a rough running engine. After some diagnostics and a compression test of the suspect #1 cylinder, the technician used a digital boroscope to inspect the cylinder while the head was still on the car. The camera show 3 out of the 4 valves were open. This is not normal – only 2 intake or 2 exhaust valves should be open at any time on this engine. Suspect was a failed valve, guide, or seat that was holding the valve open. The owner ok’d the technician to remove and tear down the cylinder head as well as inspect the block and piston for damage. The process is major surgery:
LS430 cylinder head removal

It didn’t take long to find the culprit:
LS430 Damaged Valve Seat

The first intake valve’s seat on cylinder #1 had partially fallen out of the head and cracked, a rare occurrence on any Lexus (especially on the normally bulletproof 4.3L V8). The technician inspected the valve, lifter bucket, and shim, all of which were also damaged:
Damaged Valve Set

The inside of the head was also gouged from the shim and lifter bucket being forced into the valve spring’s bore. The head was declared a total loss due to the damage. The technician inspected the rest of the head and block, finding no further damage, and recommended a new cylinder head (reusing all the old valvetrain parts save those pictured above). With the new cylinder head now installed the vehicle ran perfectly and was returned to service.

 

While I don't think it's worth $3,300, what are the consequences with the misfire? Was it one time, then it drives fine? I've found misfire shadow codes on 2 of our cars (including the LS430), cleared them, never came back.

Can the car simply be driven until the wheels fall off, which may be a very long time? Or is this code persistent, where it may affect emissions testing?

I'd probably be one of those folks who feel it isn't fair to use internet prices and then expect a shop to charge them. Just to illustrate, you and I can go online and purchase a furnace and 4 ton AC condenser for about $3,000 (I'll find the link in case you can DIY and are interested). Then how is it that a contractor can get $20,000 to install such a system? It is "NOT" 17,000 labor, not even close. And you know the $3,000 system, is what a home builder uses, so that 5-7 years after the new home is lived in, it needs a $40,000 system installed

 

I would buy a used 3UZ off ebay for $1200 and call it a day

 

Why...?
A used head can be purchased for under $200. Less money in parts AND labor.

 

I'd fix mine for sure!

 

I would replace the head with a remanufactured head. That way all 16 valves have been addressed. the price is right $650 plus 60 shipping

The ls 430 will run a long time if you take care of it.557,000 and counting. no engine work other than timing belts and water pumps .

I was driving 800 to a 1,000 miles a week prior to covid.19

 

I like the used head of a lower milage engine from the boneyard solution. As I cant say I've read about many of these sorts of failures to the LS430. And keep the old head if the used one fails rebuild it and then replace. You'll be hard pressed to find a replacement car of this quality for the purchase price plus the repair costs. If you're driving that much I would repair and drive it into the ground.

BTW, you didn't say how many miles? That may alter the path but doubt it unless your 250k plus.