I recently hit the 200 K mark on my 95 ES and yesterday the car overheated... It was leaking like the water pump was toast and one of my hoses had steam spewing from it. Well, I had it towed to Pep Boys. They initially quoted me $650 for a new radiator and hose. When I called to check the status this morning, they basically said they weren't equipped to do the work and I need to take it to someone who does "major engine" work. The tech talked about possible cracked head, rebuilt engine, timing belt, etc. I keep up with the maintenance on the car and it's somewhat surprising that it could (possibly) be so serious.
Any thoughts, observations, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Full Version: Radiator / Water Pump / Overheating
Lexus Owners Club (USA & Canada) > Lexus Owners Club > Lexus ES250 / ES300 / ES330 / ES350 Forums > 92-06 ES250/300/330
i assume that t-belt/water pump service has not been done on time. you are right around mileage when it should be done for a 2nd time... every 90kmiles.
go on yelp.com and find some good reviewed indie shops in your area or just ask around your friends/neighbors etc. in this situation you can get ripped off easily. take your car to them and have them look at it. there is a small chance that your engine is still ok, but i would not bet my $$ on it... were there any unusual sounds coming from the engine before you shut it down?
do you have AAA? they offer free towing for members (up to certain mileage). membership costs 40$/per year. good luck!
p.s. go to rockauto for parts. 600 for radiator is a rip off.
go on yelp.com and find some good reviewed indie shops in your area or just ask around your friends/neighbors etc. in this situation you can get ripped off easily. take your car to them and have them look at it. there is a small chance that your engine is still ok, but i would not bet my $$ on it... were there any unusual sounds coming from the engine before you shut it down?
do you have AAA? they offer free towing for members (up to certain mileage). membership costs 40$/per year. good luck!
p.s. go to rockauto for parts. 600 for radiator is a rip off.
QUOTE (rlx101 @ Oct 14 2009, 03:19 PM) 
i assume that t-belt/water pump service has not been done on time. you are right around mileage when it should be done for a 2nd time... every 90kmiles.
go on yelp.com and find some good reviewed indie shops in your area or just ask around your friends/neighbors etc. in this situation you can get ripped off easily. take your car to them and have them look at it. there is a small chance that your engine is still ok, but i would not bet my $$ on it... were there any unusual sounds coming from the engine before you shut it down?
do you have AAA? they offer free towing for members (up to certain mileage). membership costs 40$/per year. good luck!
p.s. go to rockauto for parts. 600 for radiator is a rip off.
go on yelp.com and find some good reviewed indie shops in your area or just ask around your friends/neighbors etc. in this situation you can get ripped off easily. take your car to them and have them look at it. there is a small chance that your engine is still ok, but i would not bet my $$ on it... were there any unusual sounds coming from the engine before you shut it down?
do you have AAA? they offer free towing for members (up to certain mileage). membership costs 40$/per year. good luck!
p.s. go to rockauto for parts. 600 for radiator is a rip off.
No unusual sounds ... just heat and steam... I felt the price was a bit high myself. Thanks for the info!
QUOTE (bmack @ Oct 13 2009, 04:57 PM)
I recently hit the 200 K mark on my 95 ES and yesterday the car overheated... It was leaking like the water pump was toast and one of my hoses had steam spewing from it. Well, I had it towed to Pep Boys. They initially quoted me $650 for a new radiator and hose. When I called to check the status this morning, they basically said they weren't equipped to do the work and I need to take it to someone who does "major engine" work. The tech talked about possible cracked head, rebuilt engine, timing belt, etc. I keep up with the maintenance on the car and it's somewhat surprising that it could (possibly) be so serious.
Any thoughts, observations, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Any thoughts, observations, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
It has been a couple weeks so don't know where you stand with this, but this past week my '95 with 325K miles just got a new radiator after loss of coolant and mild overheating (caught it in time). The problem was not a hose, not the water pump, etc., but a hairline crack in the radiator inlet nozzle (which is plastic). The shop said it was a "common problem" and no way it fix it reliably. Total cost was $496, half of which was for the parts. Runs great again.
Through that tiny crack (not even visible except seeing the coolant ooze out when hot) came a lot of coolant, let me tell you.
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