Safety Warning
DIY auto repair can cause serious injury, fire, or vehicle damage. These guides are for informational purposes only. Always follow OEM torque specs, wear PPE, and consult a certified mechanic if you are unsure. You are solely responsible for your safety.
2003 Lexus LS 430FACTORY OEM SERVICE PROCEDURE
Suspension Control System (REAS): Precaution
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Toyota 4Runner. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
- Precaution to handling the center unit and the shock absorber.Β
- Replacement of each until is allowed if there is no oil leakage. But, in case of oil leakage from the system, replace both the absorber and the center unit as a set.
- For replacement of the system, make it possible to replace a unit only at the first time and replace the system as a set of delivery at the second time or later.
- When carrying each unit, be sure to hold the body of the unit and never hang the body by holding joint parts or hoses.
Also, do not deform metal tubes.
- Each unit should not be at a high temperature at the time of replacement.
- Since the shock absorber could be damaged by a sudden temperature change as being disconnected from the center unit, be careful about its storage.
- Do not loosen the union bolt except the time of the disposal of each unit.
- Never loosen the absorber hoses and the flare nuts at the joint parts.
- Precaution of removal and Installation of the center unit and the shock absorber.
- Conduct the operations as stretching all the shock absorbers out by jacking up the vehicle.
- Never put a great compressive load to the shock absorbers, such as contacting the tires on the ground, before connecting them to the center unit to avoid the break down.
- Avoid the contacting surfaces of the joint parts to get any foreign objects, and wipe them away so as not to damage the O-rings in case of the adhesion.
- Be sure to fit the detentes attached to the bracket on the front absorber hose side, the rear absorber hose side and the middle unit joint part into a hole on the frame side.
- Never loosen the absorber hoses and the flare nuts at the joint parts.
- For the joint that is connecting the supplied parts, tighten the joint as checking the gap spacing shown in Fig 1 .
Dimension of gap : 1 mm (0.04 in.)Β
Reference torque : 25 N.m (255 kgf.cm, 18 ft.lbf)Β
Factory Service Tools
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When to See a Mechanic
Stop DIY work and contact a certified mechanic immediately if any of the following apply:
- β’ You smell fuel, burning insulation, or see smoke.
- β’ Brakes feel soft, pull hard to one side, or make grinding noises.
- β’ The engine overheats, stalls repeatedly, or misfires under load.
- β’ You are missing required tools, torque specs, or safe lifting equipment.
- β’ You are not confident in the next step or safety outcome.
