The £1k 4.3 V8 Lexus LS430
Discussion
Straff99 said:
Can't say I've ever wanted one, but as this ones fell in my lap I might as well give it a go. Might end up rigging it as just a solid 3 horn sound, also with the standard dual horns for a full 'GET THE HELL OUT THE WAY' toot.
The regs say a horn must be " continuous, uniform and not strident " on a vehicle "first used on or after 1.8.1973"
Being a child of the 60's... I remember this coming in. There were loads of cars playing La Cucaracha and similar ditties at that time so they banned them. The Fun Police were in place even back then
Mind you, they've got to catch you first...
I'm imagining in the 70's, cars pulling up next to a police station, La Cucaracha blasts out full volume, then the car speeding off The regs say a horn must be " continuous, uniform and not strident " on a vehicle "first used on or after 1.8.1973"
Being a child of the 60's... I remember this coming in. There were loads of cars playing La Cucaracha and similar ditties at that time so they banned them. The Fun Police were in place even back then
Mind you, they've got to catch you first...
I did once have a Nissan Micra that had 1 of its 2 horns a bit dodgy. So when you held the horn it went something like nnnnNNNNNNNnnnnnNNNNNnnnnnnnnNNNNNNN (It's rather hard to do horn noises with text!)
toast boy said:
Not sure if you've sorted your wheels yet but I did my alloys the other week, got some U-pol etch primer, E-tech alloy wheel paint and U-pol lacquer from ebay. I'm not sure how good the e-tech paint is but if you're going to put good quality lacquer on afterwards it probably isn't as important as long as you get smooth coverage. U-pol stuff is spot on, I'd recommend it.
I used 1x can of etch, 2x cans of silver and 2x cans of lacquer though my wheels are tiny skinny MR2 alloys so you might need a bit more for yours!
In terms of removing the paint it depends how patient you are, you'll get the best finish using sandpaper in various grades although it's terminally boring. I used a wire wheel to remove the bulk of the paint and in some places it's scored the metal, managed to sand out the worst of it but still visible if you look very closely. It depends what you're aiming for though, like you I didn't want to spend £200 having them refurbished on a £2k car and just wanted them to look better than the terrible condition they were in when I bought it.
Great advice here, thanks! I think in the coming weeks I should end up buying some. (I've been hoping for an ideal set of aftermarket wheels to come up for sale at a bargain price, but it's looking unlikely)I used 1x can of etch, 2x cans of silver and 2x cans of lacquer though my wheels are tiny skinny MR2 alloys so you might need a bit more for yours!
In terms of removing the paint it depends how patient you are, you'll get the best finish using sandpaper in various grades although it's terminally boring. I used a wire wheel to remove the bulk of the paint and in some places it's scored the metal, managed to sand out the worst of it but still visible if you look very closely. It depends what you're aiming for though, like you I didn't want to spend £200 having them refurbished on a £2k car and just wanted them to look better than the terrible condition they were in when I bought it.
Medic-one said:
The amount of kit on that car, especially for that money is insane!
I'm jealous of the amount of buttons in the rear compartment!
There are more buttons and extras in the back of this car than the front most of my previous ones I'm jealous of the amount of buttons in the rear compartment!
ajprice said:
Could you get the wheel paint off with an acid or thinner as a spray on or bath?
I do have a tin of nitromors, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel using it with the tyres still on the rim.Latest update -
Haven't been able to source the cause of the lost coolant. Took it for an hour or so's drive and came back and checked the rad but doesn't show any signs of leakage. Although there is this purply bit on the end, which is a similar colour to the coolant, but it wasn't showing any signs of being damp recently so maybe nothing.
Coolant hasn't dropped since the last episode so will just keep an eye on it. Driving from Teesside to Manchester later in the week so should give a good indication anything that I should sort prior to a trip over to Europe in July.
Managed to get some kind of fix on the factory sub that had blown. £5 on eBay for a replacement foam piece, glued it in place (easier said than done, pissing superglue worked better on my fingers than anything else).
Also, CDB1983, how you said this was a 10 minute job to take the seats out I'll never know! Maybe I'm just a retard but it was a right faff, made worse as I did it on a hot sunny day
Anyway, seems to have done the job somewhat. Still think that the speakers in my '08 Mondeo are x10 better mind you.
Also keep finding this message amusing. Who calls a sunroof this?
Got a copy of Toyota/Lexus Techsmart software and a cable the other day. Ebay job for £17, but it only seems to work on XP so I'll have to create some virtual PC to emulate XP on my windows 10. Again, something that sounds easier than I imagine it'll be.
Air horns, I'm still waiting on the relay turning up before I can find out what amazing tune it'll play. Hopefully that'll come in the next day or so.
Aircon needs regassing. I've never had a car done before, does the price depend on the size of the system? I'm hearing it's around £60, which I dont mind paying aslong as it's pressure tested for leaks before topped up. I really want the rear fridge to get working again! One thing though that's slowing me down with it, is I'm considering having the timing belt changed as I've no record of when it was last done, but not sure if that will cause the a/c system to be disconnected whilst doing so, anyone have a guess?
Finally a bunch of snaps from a drive out this evening -
Usget said:
Before you go to the hassle of creating a VM and so forth, worth trying this:
When the program is installed, go to the install directory and find the .exe file. Right click and select the "compatibility" tab
Check the box for "Run in compatibility mode" and try selecting the earliest one you've got an option for. I only seem to have an option for Vista, YMMV.
Not saying it'll definitely work, but worth a go before you go to the faff of creating a new environment etc (if you *do* go down that route I've got an old Windows XP license key you can use!)
Thanks, I gave it a try but no luck. When the program is installed, go to the install directory and find the .exe file. Right click and select the "compatibility" tab
Check the box for "Run in compatibility mode" and try selecting the earliest one you've got an option for. I only seem to have an option for Vista, YMMV.
Not saying it'll definitely work, but worth a go before you go to the faff of creating a new environment etc (if you *do* go down that route I've got an old Windows XP license key you can use!)
Set up a virtual copy of XP on my laptop, problem is it doesn't recognise any of the USB slots so I can't get it to talk to the cable to the car. And I can't seem to get files from my laptop into the virtual system, bloody thing! A friend had an old Toughbook with Win 7 on it, managed to install everything properly on there but it still wouldn't talk to the car. I've given up for now as I'm not sure what the program can actually do and bought it because it sounded like it could be something useful in future.
CDB1983 said:
Just noticed your coolant comment, mine often sits around the minimum, always has done. I put it down to when they installed the LPG they must if have let a little bit escape. (The reducer uses the coolant to warm the gas up before injecting it) wouldn't worry too much. If you haven't already done so it's worth installing an aftermarket ATF cooler to prevent a potential strawberry milkshake of death scenario. £100 tops.
The coolant issue has been strange. I overfilled it after noticing it'd gone from max to min in like 200 miles. Then it sat overfilled for weeks. I've since had to drain out about 100ml so it would sit back at max. I'm not complaining, it would appear I've got no leak in the end!Aircon still hasn't been addressed. It damn hot in there, especially when the blowers only put out hot air if the cars been sat in the sun for a while. I'm also guessing the cooled seats work off the same aircon system? I couldn't spot any aircon lines (not sure exactly what they'd look like to be honest) that looked corroded under the rear of the car although there's plenty of other rusty stuff so will just have to take it to somewhere first and get them to pressure test it. I've no idea what price I should be looking at to refill the gas in it!
I've been a bit busy the past few weeks so haven't done much with the car except drive it. I bought another shed to tinker with so most of my free time has been spent with this -
I might make a thread on it.
I did get the airhorns sorted in the end. I was slightly disappointed to find out that they don't make a tune, but just one solid tone. Then again, when it sounds this loud I'm actually very happy
Can't wait for the first time I need to use them in anger!I also managed to get the car up on ramps last night to have a look under it.
So a recap, I have an EML on for "Catalyst system efficiency below threshold, bank 1 & 2". I can hear a blow from the exhaust somewhere near the front and because it was both sensors showing an error, I was thinking it the fault wasn't with the sensors but something else.
Sure enough, both flanges on the cats are rusty and have holes in them.
As I love a bodge fix that means I don't have to open my wallet, my friend had a tube of heat paste stuff for exhausts. Smeared a bit of that around the flange (that was a rude sentence) and so far it might have done the job. Well, I can still hear a blow, but the EML hasn't come back on in the 30 miles I've driven. If it stays off then happy days, one less thing to worry about.
Also noticed whilst under the car that both back boxes were crap. One had a hole in it, the other wasn't really attached to the rest of the exhaust. So in a cheap attempt to make more V8 noises and delete some rust, the backboxes were chopped off. I need to get welded up about 30cm of exhaust pipe just so it exits after the bumper.
I forgot to take a picture at the end. But just imagine the backbox is missing.
It's slightly louder, but inside the car, you can't hear a thing. Even at (German) motorway speeds, it's barely noticeable.
Video's aren't the best to transfer the sound. The standstill video (can't get it the right way up) is revved very high (a friend was in it) and rarely would sound like that. And the drive-by was in a small space. But still, better than nothing.
Couple of the tyres are getting close to the limit (nothing to do with the burnout, probably) so I've been on the look out for some new wheels and tyres.
Spotted a set of 5 LS400 wheels on Gumtree described as "lots of tread" for £75. Thought it's worth a punt as I had a long journey to Germany coming up and for piece of mind it'd be nice to have the tyres done.
It was only when I got there that I realised they were winter tyres. Oh well, not the worst but not really what I needed. Also it was 4 different brands, again not ideal. But with me travelling to Germany sometimes during winter where winter tyres are a legal requirement I thought for £75 I might as well take them.
Spent a few hours sanding them down and painting them back up. They're far from a good paint job, but they're far better than they were. Anyway, in the shed they go until winter.
Also prior to the long drive to Germany I thought it might be best to do an oil and filter change as I had no paperwork that indicated when it was last done. The oil was certainly dirty enough when I drained it!
Total cost for 4 litres of oil and a filter from Euro? £28.
Whilst the car was up in the air I took another look at the flange for the cats. It has been blowing (see previous post for picture) and last time it was up in the air it was filled with exhaust paste and it stopped it for a while and also took the EML off (lamba sensors) but after a day or so it blew through and EML came back on. A friend asked if I'd be likely to take the exhaust off at any point in the near future, I replied no to which he offered to weld the flange up to stop it blowing. He did so and although it has quietened the blow down, it is still blowing on the top side (which can't be reached without removing) and it still shows an EML. Maybe I'll give exhaust paste another go but in a more generous amount.
Also a quick snap of the back box delete situation. Looks a bit odd at the moment until I get some pipe to extend it to the bumper. At least you can't see the lack of exhaust tips when the cars on the ground.
Car all loaded up for the drive to Munich, surprisingly large boot that took more than I expected.
On the over-night ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, was joined by another barge.
The drive went pretty well. Only issue was half way through a message for "brake wear" popped up on the dash, assume its related to the rear pads that I changed last month. Not sure how or where you reset that issue.
I ran out of LPG gas after about 200 miles and found the next problem. German LPG pumps are different to UK pumps. An adaptor is required, ordered off Amazon for £15.
Arrived with an average MPG over the 680 miles of 25.6MPG. Which I'm fairly happy about as I was expecting lower 20's but I think doing 400 miles on petrol improved that figure.
I'm also happy because the last 2 hours of the journey were done on mostly derestricted autobahns where the average speed was around 110-120mph.
It did also get up to a GPS indicated 138mph before slowing for traffic. If I get the right conditions I might see how far she'll go, I think 150 could be possible.
Had the car parked up just down the road from BMW HQ for a few days in the heat.
I didn't notice until I'd driven an hour away and parked up that my number plate was no longer on the car. Not great.
I recalled noticing the front plate looked like it was 2 glued together at some point so investigated and found that indeed, that was the case.
For a temp measure I taped that plate on the rear so I wasn't so obvious.
Luckily once I returned to where the car had been parked previously I found the plate on the floor with not very sticky, sticky pads. Guess the heat got to them. Fitted back on with some new pads and hopefully, it'll stay on til I'm back in blighty.
Spotted a set of 5 LS400 wheels on Gumtree described as "lots of tread" for £75. Thought it's worth a punt as I had a long journey to Germany coming up and for piece of mind it'd be nice to have the tyres done.
It was only when I got there that I realised they were winter tyres. Oh well, not the worst but not really what I needed. Also it was 4 different brands, again not ideal. But with me travelling to Germany sometimes during winter where winter tyres are a legal requirement I thought for £75 I might as well take them.
Spent a few hours sanding them down and painting them back up. They're far from a good paint job, but they're far better than they were. Anyway, in the shed they go until winter.
Also prior to the long drive to Germany I thought it might be best to do an oil and filter change as I had no paperwork that indicated when it was last done. The oil was certainly dirty enough when I drained it!
Total cost for 4 litres of oil and a filter from Euro? £28.
Whilst the car was up in the air I took another look at the flange for the cats. It has been blowing (see previous post for picture) and last time it was up in the air it was filled with exhaust paste and it stopped it for a while and also took the EML off (lamba sensors) but after a day or so it blew through and EML came back on. A friend asked if I'd be likely to take the exhaust off at any point in the near future, I replied no to which he offered to weld the flange up to stop it blowing. He did so and although it has quietened the blow down, it is still blowing on the top side (which can't be reached without removing) and it still shows an EML. Maybe I'll give exhaust paste another go but in a more generous amount.
Also a quick snap of the back box delete situation. Looks a bit odd at the moment until I get some pipe to extend it to the bumper. At least you can't see the lack of exhaust tips when the cars on the ground.
Car all loaded up for the drive to Munich, surprisingly large boot that took more than I expected.
On the over-night ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, was joined by another barge.
The drive went pretty well. Only issue was half way through a message for "brake wear" popped up on the dash, assume its related to the rear pads that I changed last month. Not sure how or where you reset that issue.
I ran out of LPG gas after about 200 miles and found the next problem. German LPG pumps are different to UK pumps. An adaptor is required, ordered off Amazon for £15.
Arrived with an average MPG over the 680 miles of 25.6MPG. Which I'm fairly happy about as I was expecting lower 20's but I think doing 400 miles on petrol improved that figure.
I'm also happy because the last 2 hours of the journey were done on mostly derestricted autobahns where the average speed was around 110-120mph.
It did also get up to a GPS indicated 138mph before slowing for traffic. If I get the right conditions I might see how far she'll go, I think 150 could be possible.
Had the car parked up just down the road from BMW HQ for a few days in the heat.
I didn't notice until I'd driven an hour away and parked up that my number plate was no longer on the car. Not great.
I recalled noticing the front plate looked like it was 2 glued together at some point so investigated and found that indeed, that was the case.
For a temp measure I taped that plate on the rear so I wasn't so obvious.
Luckily once I returned to where the car had been parked previously I found the plate on the floor with not very sticky, sticky pads. Guess the heat got to them. Fitted back on with some new pads and hopefully, it'll stay on til I'm back in blighty.
CDB1983 said:
That's a f
king good road trip!
I'm glad I didn't get stopped by the fking good road trip! king police!msmith0592 said:
I used this VM that someone had already set up. I could not get it to work from within Windows 10 or Windows 7 but this worked perfectly.
http://blog.obdii365.com/2019/11/04/download-techs...
This looks exactly like what I need, thanks! I'll give it a go when I get back to the UK.http://blog.obdii365.com/2019/11/04/download-techs...
carinaman said:
Leave a couple of post it notes on the horn push warning the MoT tester of the horns may be polite.
Imagine being sat in the MoT waiting/viewing area when those horns sound. Hopefully the any vending machine in the vicinity only dispenses tepid tea and coffee.
Thinking about it my usual MoT place beep the horn while moving the car from the car park to the testing bay.
Imagine being sat in the MoT waiting/viewing area when those horns sound. Hopefully the any vending machine in the vicinity only dispenses tepid tea and coffee.
Thinking about it my usual MoT place beep the horn while moving the car from the car park to the testing bay.
Yes, I should certainly tell the MOT tester. Although its a 5-second thing to unplug, fortunately. I am somewhat friendly with my local tester so the devil inside me says not to tell him.mercedeslimos said:
I'm always envious of your trips away. I adore Germany, and the style of the architecture is right up my street. If it wasn't such a huge change I'd move in a heartbeat.
It's a magnificent place. Bavaria especially. I'd move here in a heartbeat but with house prices x10 that of where I'm from in the UK, it's just not possible yet 
Today I tripped down to the alps. The way home, about 8pm, 115mph set on the cruise control and relaxed back in my seat. How brilliant is that!
NMNeil said:
The V8's were great engines but.....
Yours has 160,000 miles, it uses a timing belt that should be changed every 90,000 miles and it's an interference engine.
Might be worth checking the last time it, and the tensioner were replaced.
Just saying.
It's certainly on the front of my mind.Yours has 160,000 miles, it uses a timing belt that should be changed every 90,000 miles and it's an interference engine.
Might be worth checking the last time it, and the tensioner were replaced.
Just saying.
I'm in a toss with it though. So I'd estimate around the £500 mark to get it done (would that be about right?) and with that being half the price of the car, is it worth it?
I've got an MOT due in the next couple months so will see how that goes. If it's good and doesn't cost me a fortune then I might do it because I should see the returns when I sell it. If the MOT requires a few hundred quid of work to get through, I might give it a miss. I try to kid myself that this car is a keeper and I'll keep it 1 year+ but I have an addiction to classifieds and will buy something new in the drop of a hat. So spending so much on a car that I could potentially get rid of at anytime is a tough one.
Note, I have no idea when the last time the timing belt was done. I'm going to hope it's been done at some point, I mean, who'd spend £1100 2years ago fitting LPG to a car if it needed a belt doing?
mercedeslimos said:
mercedeslimos said:
I'm always envious of your trips away. I adore Germany, and the style of the architecture is right up my street. If it wasn't such a huge change I'd move in a heartbeat.
STIFree said:
It's a magnificent place. Bavaria especially. I'd move here in a heartbeat but with house prices x10 that of where I'm from in the UK, it's just not possible yet
Today I tripped down to the alps. The way home, about 8pm, 115mph set on the cruise control and relaxed back in my seat. How brilliant is that!
Where are you from in the UK? Here in Ireland the average 3 bed semi is €300k. Maybe later in life I can move out there, but you're right it's damn hard to make a change!Today I tripped down to the alps. The way home, about 8pm, 115mph set on the cruise control and relaxed back in my seat. How brilliant is that!
A comparable house in Munich, €900k.
That's not even mentioning the deposits is usually something like 15% and its over 15-20 years.
I understand why most people rent there!
We have somewhat of a plan to move to Munich in the future, but it requires more luck than hard work to get there as your average well paid job is still going to be nowhere near good enough to buy you even a small flat! (€400k is the price for a normal 50sqm apartment way outside the city).
NMNeil said:
Check all the receipts you got with the car. Might be a pleasant surprise in there.
Sadly not. It is a little strange though, the car came with a tonne of paperwork way back to 2005 when it was brought over from NI to Manchester but nothing really in terms of servicing. It's almost as if that whole section is missing, making me think that it was kept separate and lost at some point. For now I'll play roulette and hope for the best.scottos said:
Awesome trip Kurt, love he barge too and glad its serving you well!
I didnt realise how expensive Munich was to rent/live. I'd have loved to be walking to the bmw museum and have seen your Lexus 9 months too early, although i hope to be back at some point!
I didnt realise how expensive Munich was to rent/live. I'd have loved to be walking to the bmw museum and have seen your Lexus
9 months too early, although i hope to be back at some point!I'm currently walking past the BMW museum twice a day with the dog as its a good route and I try to see if I can spot anything interesting but I'm not upto date enough to spot what the camo'd test cars are.
S54B32 said:
Nice thread cider man
Thanks Dan.I've been meaning to update this for a little while.
So since the last update I had an MOT due on the Lexus. First one in my ownership and I had a few things to do.
First on the list was the sort the ABS/Traction control warning lights.
So I checked out the ABS Reluctor ring as I'd read that they can wear on LS430's due to the shield they're protected by rusting and then fouling teeth of the ring. Sure enough, I could see it was visibly worn down on one side of the teeth and there was metal filings stuck on the ABS sensor.
Next issue was finding a replacement reluctor ring as there didn't appear to be any online for LS430's. But I did find a website that listed them for sale for SC430's and GS430's, taking a gamble I assumed that the LS430 reluctor ring would be the same as those model as they share the same engine. I was proved right (thankfully, £40 it was for the ring, a lot when it's so simple!).
Car up on the lift at a friends unit.
The new and old rings compared (ignore the warping of the old one, took a lot of heat and hammering to get it off). You can see how half the tooth is worn down.
And the ABS sensor with all the filings stuck to it
So after that I went back to Techstream to clear the warning lights. No joy, tried many things but just couldn't get rid of them. In the end, last attempt, I removed the battery for 5 minutes and reconnected it. Job done!
But the issue is not over. I might have cleared all the ABS/TC lights etc. But I now have a problem where when I come to a stop, the ABS activates on the last couple MPH. It judders. No warning lights and I can't tell what might be causing it. The other side reluctor ring seems fine, I've not checked the front ABS sensors or rings yet so it could be that. Anyone have an idea what the issue could be?
Anyway, for the time being that removed the lights. I only had a EML on for the o2 sensors because of a blow in the exhaust. I clear it and the light stays off for 40 miles or so, long enough to get the car through the MOT. Which it passed first time with only a few small advisories, such as the aforementioned blow on the exhaust.
First, a photo of it the next morning after passing it's MOT. It's a lovely daily driver.
So onto the exhaust. As the car is still strictly speaking, a shed, and it at shed value, then I'm only putting shed money into repairs where possible. So when it came to the exhaust, I knew if i could get away with exhaust putty then that's what I'd go for.
Hidden behind these heatshields were hiding a bunch of holes
Fixed them with some repair putty for now but the other day I did a full throttle blast and it blew through so might have to get a friend to see if he fancies doing a little welding for me.
Then something requiring more immediate happened. The passenger rear airbag collapsed. Well, it pumps up when the car is running and drives fine, but within half an hour of switching the car off, it looks like this.
It had been leaking slightly since I bought the car. If i left it for a few days without using it you could see the back had dropped. But I think that behing up on the lift with the bags fully extended, it's torn whatever hole it has more and now it's properly leaking.
Fortunately, when I got the car the bloke I bought it off threw in a pair of rear struts and a compressor that he'd bought but never fitted. They're not new but he was told they were working so it looks like I shall find out! Unsure if they're side dependant or not as one looks a lot rustier than the other. I also dont know but I belive the connections for the airlines are push-fit and reusable which will save a headache. Hopefully will get it replaced this weekend and I'll be back running.
Next was a marketplace bargain. I was requiring a new tyre (nothing to do with the open diff burnouts) and priced it up at about £70 fitted. I then just happened to notice for sale someone selling a set of 4 Lexus GS300 Sport wheels (I actually owned a GS sport with these factory fitted years ago), OZ racing, 18inch with good tread Pirelli's for £60. A deal was done.
They look a damn site better than the LS400 wheels that are on it, even without a clean. The LS400 DHP wheels are all corroded.
Only issue is they dont clear the front callipers by about 1mm. So I've ordered up some 5mm spacers just to give that little extra clearance.
I'll update with more pictures once they're fitted.
But for now here it is blending in outside a stately home.
msmith0592 said:
I used this VM that someone had already set up. I could not get it to work from within Windows 10 or Windows 7 but this worked perfectly.
http://blog.obdii365.com/2019/11/04/download-techs...
Firstly, thank you again for this link. After so much time spent wasted trying to get Techstream to work, I used this link and had it working within 5 minutes.http://blog.obdii365.com/2019/11/04/download-techs...
So since the last update I had an MOT due on the Lexus. First one in my ownership and I had a few things to do.
First on the list was the sort the ABS/Traction control warning lights.
So I checked out the ABS Reluctor ring as I'd read that they can wear on LS430's due to the shield they're protected by rusting and then fouling teeth of the ring. Sure enough, I could see it was visibly worn down on one side of the teeth and there was metal filings stuck on the ABS sensor.
Next issue was finding a replacement reluctor ring as there didn't appear to be any online for LS430's. But I did find a website that listed them for sale for SC430's and GS430's, taking a gamble I assumed that the LS430 reluctor ring would be the same as those model as they share the same engine. I was proved right (thankfully, £40 it was for the ring, a lot when it's so simple!).
Car up on the lift at a friends unit.
The new and old rings compared (ignore the warping of the old one, took a lot of heat and hammering to get it off). You can see how half the tooth is worn down.
And the ABS sensor with all the filings stuck to it
So after that I went back to Techstream to clear the warning lights. No joy, tried many things but just couldn't get rid of them. In the end, last attempt, I removed the battery for 5 minutes and reconnected it. Job done!
But the issue is not over. I might have cleared all the ABS/TC lights etc. But I now have a problem where when I come to a stop, the ABS activates on the last couple MPH. It judders. No warning lights and I can't tell what might be causing it. The other side reluctor ring seems fine, I've not checked the front ABS sensors or rings yet so it could be that. Anyone have an idea what the issue could be?
Anyway, for the time being that removed the lights. I only had a EML on for the o2 sensors because of a blow in the exhaust. I clear it and the light stays off for 40 miles or so, long enough to get the car through the MOT. Which it passed first time with only a few small advisories, such as the aforementioned blow on the exhaust.
First, a photo of it the next morning after passing it's MOT. It's a lovely daily driver.
So onto the exhaust. As the car is still strictly speaking, a shed, and it at shed value, then I'm only putting shed money into repairs where possible. So when it came to the exhaust, I knew if i could get away with exhaust putty then that's what I'd go for.
Hidden behind these heatshields were hiding a bunch of holes
Fixed them with some repair putty for now but the other day I did a full throttle blast and it blew through so might have to get a friend to see if he fancies doing a little welding for me.
Then something requiring more immediate happened. The passenger rear airbag collapsed. Well, it pumps up when the car is running and drives fine, but within half an hour of switching the car off, it looks like this.
It had been leaking slightly since I bought the car. If i left it for a few days without using it you could see the back had dropped. But I think that behing up on the lift with the bags fully extended, it's torn whatever hole it has more and now it's properly leaking.
Fortunately, when I got the car the bloke I bought it off threw in a pair of rear struts and a compressor that he'd bought but never fitted. They're not new but he was told they were working so it looks like I shall find out! Unsure if they're side dependant or not as one looks a lot rustier than the other. I also dont know but I belive the connections for the airlines are push-fit and reusable which will save a headache. Hopefully will get it replaced this weekend and I'll be back running.
Next was a marketplace bargain. I was requiring a new tyre (nothing to do with the open diff burnouts) and priced it up at about £70 fitted. I then just happened to notice for sale someone selling a set of 4 Lexus GS300 Sport wheels (I actually owned a GS sport with these factory fitted years ago), OZ racing, 18inch with good tread Pirelli's for £60. A deal was done.
They look a damn site better than the LS400 wheels that are on it, even without a clean. The LS400 DHP wheels are all corroded.
Only issue is they dont clear the front callipers by about 1mm. So I've ordered up some 5mm spacers just to give that little extra clearance.
I'll update with more pictures once they're fitted.
But for now here it is blending in outside a stately home.
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