Craig writes:
After checking out TTAC’s reviews and having a general distaste for sending a perfectly fine car to the clunker heap, I decided (even though I have a vehicle that qualifies for C4C) that the best car is a free car. I’ve been catching up on maintenance on the 1992 Lexus LS400 since I made that choice as I was letting the work slide. Saturday night’s project was a PCV valve replacement. Nothing major . . . unless you are clumsy. I dropped the PCV valve on what I’m assuming is my exhaust manifold (I’m kind of new at this). There is a metal . . . tray? created by the part and sure enough—3 point shot from downtown—the valve landed smack in that little trough. No biggie, right? Just get the magnetic grabber tool and fish it out.
No dice. Put a glove on, contorted myself and got a hold of it with my hand. Wouldn’t budge. Waited until the morning and it looks like it melted to the manifold. My current theory is that the manifold was hot enough to melt whatever impurities or residue or whatever that lived on the PCV valve and bond it to the manifold proper. Manifold swaps on this car, I think, are a major operation. My question to the TTAC community is as follows:
Do I really even need to worry about this? I went for a ~100 mile trip post melting that included highway, stop and go and city driving. The thing hasn’t moved. Or is there some good way to get this out that I don’t even know about?
Sajeev replies:
I’ve melted stuff to exhaust manifolds before and a melted PCV isn’t any different than a cooked spark plug wire or spilled oils: the manifold doesn’t care, the only problem is the smell of a smoldering component as it disappears into nothingness. So you are in the clear. But—and this is very, VERY important—
There has never been a more perfect excuse to buy tubular exhaust headers for your Lexus. Check out the remix of the “Relentless Pursuit of Perfection” (above).
Now tell me which car is truly the clunker: a wheezy shitcan Corolla you considered or a hot-rod LS400? You have an opportunity: a melted PCV valve delivered on a silver platter. This is your excuse to make the Lexus LS400 into something truly wonderful. Your Japanese Muscle Car awaits . . .
[Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com]
I’m quite certain that Sajeev is drunk.
Sounds like the only way to rectify this problem is an LS-X swap…
Lol @ Travis: I was thinking the same thing when I read this. But then I suppose he showed restraint for not recommending a 2JZ-GTE engine swap… so maybe he’s just really hung over.
Er, Sajeev, a Lexus LS400 was intended to be quiet.
To remove the baked-on PCV valve, I recommend enthusiastic use of a sledge and chisel, indispensable tools (along with duct tape) for fine-tuning precision machinery.
50merc is right. get out the cold chisel and start banging away.
Sometimes there is nothing so satisfying as giving your car a good whack with the “Special Service Tool”
–chuck
This reminds me of how the first time I tuned my ’77 Toyota Corolla (woudl have been around ’87) I dropped a screw or two down the distributor shaft. Nothing happened until 1991, when the distributor began to go kerplooey. Adrian, my mechanic, went to three different junkyards to find me a used distributor so I didn’t have to pay roughly $700 in today’s dollars for a new one–about what I had paid to buy the car in ’85. He didn’t find me a ’77, but he did get me a ’71, which worked fine, but it was a bitch to find parts for it when I had to tune the car. The old distributor looked very interesting after Adrian pulled it.
50 merc and Chuck, you’re right on the money…except in the South we always referred to the “Special Service Tool” as a “BFH.”
You’re lucky that the PCV valve landed on the exhaust manifold. When my friends and I did the PCV valve job on another ’92 LS400, the old PCV valve grommet disintegrated and fell through the valve cover. 30 cuss words later, we had the valve cover open.
Get a long OLD screwdriver and sharpen the end with a file. Working from above, chisel it off of the manifold. I do not recommend putting headers on a Lexus, although Sajeev may have been joking. I also do not recommend leaving the old PCV valve there to continue melting, as the fumes will be very annoying for about the next year or so.
Wow a BMWfan doesn’t recommend putting headers on a Lexus? Wonder why? :P
I did a search for LS400 performance parts on Google and now damn it, Sajeev, I WANT ONE! There not exactly sleepers given their factory V8s and such but I would love to go around stoplight drag racing pimple faced kids in old V8 Mustangs and Camaros (or around here, old Silverados and F150s). God I’m 33 years old, I guess I should grow up, lol!
You could leave it there and the car will be just fine. The melting badness will pass quickly. Don’t worry about it.
50merc : er, Sajeev, a Lexus LS400 was intended to be quiet.
Yeah, and Ford never intended Lincoln Mark VIIIs for the people (who were 16 when they came out) who put Kooks and Magnaflow exhaust parts on their cars.
golden2husky : Sounds like the only way to rectify this problem is an LS-X swap…
Hey now, I like the way you think! :)
@educatordan
Wow a BMWfan doesn’t recommend putting headers on a Lexus? Wonder why?
Same reason I don’t mod my BMW. No need to ruin a perfectly good car! LOL
This long time listener/first time caller reporting in.
I actually wrote this in a bit ago. I live in a small-ish Rocky Mountain town and there are a lot of great indie shops here. I went to my usual guys, told them what was up and the mechanic on duty put me on flashlight/magnetic grabber duty while he took a big old screwdriver and pried it out. Took some real muscle and two minutes of his life; wouldn’t charge me even though I insisted on something and he earned a lifelong customer.
In regards to Sajeev’s comment above I never considered a Corolla as my C4C replacement. The #1 choice for me was a WRX wagon; but that’s just me. I live in a place where serious snow can happen 6 months out of the year and am one of those musicians with band gear. I actually test drove north of 30 cars when this whole C4C nonsense started.
I like the ideas for giving the LS a little more oomph. I put in better poly bushings and have great winter/summer tires (a must out here) but am wondering at ways to get a bit more power. What’s the first step?
Puh – leeeeze!
A Lexus that sounds like a Camry with a fart can?
Gimmee a break.
“I’m quite certain that Sajeev is drunk.”
No, no, it’s more of a ‘Sajeev and Kumar Go to White Castle’ scenario.
I’m with Sajeev.
With a bit of luck, Lexus owners who encountered such a car would have their lives ruined forever. Always thinking that just behind some narrow alley in all of their favorite towns, men in modded LS400’s are getting incredible kicks from things they’ll never know.
Got to give you props BMWfan, as they say, don’t hate, congratulate. I’ve never been a BMW fan but in a strange twist of fate I’ve loved the “imitators.” The Lincoln LS V8, Pontiac G8 GT/GXP, and the much discussed CTS-V.
BTW I can NEVER leave perfection alone! I was raised in a house with a HOT ROD Magazine subscription, my dad has been a continuous subscriber since he was 15 and he’s 55. Those wackos once took a Cadillac Fleetwood and started stripping the interior, power windows, AC compressor, doors, ect… just in a quest for better 1/4 mile times.
I do agree with the fartcan exhaust comment on the video, but that’s not the headers fault! Get that man some Flowmasters or even some Cherry Bombs!
craigotron :
September 27th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I’d start with exhaust and then move to intake if you like the results, either that or see if somebody sells reprogrammed chips for your engine. Try searching for Lexus 4.0 V8 performance parts on Google.
I think it was car craft or hot rod some years ago that someone had dropped a lexus v8 into one of the old 70’s RWD Celicas. It was badass if I remember. or it looked like ass…one or the other.
Commando : A Lexus that sounds like a Camry with a fart can? Gimmee a break.
A 32-valve V8 sounding like a four banger riceburner? Surely you jest!
—————————–
craigotron: I like the ideas for giving the LS a little more oomph. I put in better poly bushings and have great winter/summer tires (a must out here) but am wondering at ways to get a bit more power. What’s the first step?
Step 1 or 2: Headers and a somewhat more aggressive muffler (NOT the ones shown in that video clip) like the quietest Magnaflow/Dynomax/Flowmaster muffler in the STOCK diameter. (probably 2.25″ in and out)
Step 1 or 2: If you are handy and like going to Home Depot and own a Dremel, you can open up the stock airbox, delete intake mufflers, etc without resorting to ricer conical air filter kits and their questionable “cold air” status. All it takes are some plumbing caps, metal or PCV tubing, and a K&N replacement panel filter.
Step 3: Get an ECU tune/reflash/whatever its called in the world of Toyotas. Don’t know anything more off the top of my head, but I assume the Internet has got your back.
My old friend down the street has one of these that he bought when it was about 3yrs old. His wife has been putting ’round town in it ever since, knowing Peter, with minimal maintenance.
I would buy one before I bought a BMW 7 or a Mercedes of the same age. Or a 3yr old now.
K&N panel… yup… shouldn’t bother with a cone filter on a car like that, especially if you don’t know what it’ll do to the MAF or MAP readings… (hey, my car isn’t rice!)
I’d suggest a tasty set of headers, maybe freer-flowing mufflers… leave the cats in and the sound won’t be rattly… but should be nice and raspy.
Retune, last of all… the best bang for the buck, anywhere.
Damn, that Lexus in the video sounds nice… now all it needs is a variable-flow muffler to double the shock of the roar when you really let her rip.
Thanks everybody for the advice. The general idea, right now, is to take care of two maintenance items that I’ve let slide; the car needs new plugs/wires (still on the originals, I think…) and a brake job. Then I’ll be looking into some new exhaust type goodness. I live in a state that has zero emissions laws… so I might as well take advantage.
Commando,
If a Camry with a fart can sounded even remotely like that V8 Lexus, I might even want one. And I hate Camrys.
You do recognize that V6’s don’t sound like V8’s…no matter what you do to them, right?
# Commando :
Puh – leeeeze!
A Lexus that sounds like a Camry with a fart can?
Gimmee a break.
If he had an ES then your assumption would be right on the money.
I agree that Lexuses (Lexi?) are supposed to be quiet vehicles (the LS out of them all) but I don’t see anything wrong with opening up the V8 for a little more oomph and sound. It doesn’t have to sound like a Mustang GT500, but at least it will sound (and feel) like there’s an engine up front.
Sajeev is correct regarding the first steps. Freeing up the intake and exhaust airflow always releases extra ponies and, depending on the type of mufflers you go with (I recommend Flowmasters), enhances the engine’s natural sound without being overlt obnoxious.
A chip retune should be the next step. My brother’s ’06 GTI got a chip retune for an instant 60 extra horsepower that he could feel.
Interestingly, nobody has mentioned the potential fire hazard of melting plastic, etc under the hood… I’d get it out of there if I could!
The plastic is already melted. The only danger is the fumes, at this point.
RE: Rechip… the GTi gets 60 horses because it’s turbocharged… a naturally aspirated V8 should get 20-30… but that’s still a lot of bang for the buck.
Porsche986 : Interestingly, nobody has mentioned the potential fire hazard of melting plastic, etc under the hood… I’d get it out of there if I could!
I’d agree, if I found a good deal on LS400 headers. Gotta have some reason to begin the insanity, ya know.