The Legacy

[ArmyofOne]

Well guys, its time for another restoration update. Jason (JP Importz) has been doing a fabulous job with my car, and hes even letting me help. I went through and made a list yesterday of all the things wrong with the car that i will adressbeforee i consider the restoration complete:

*=done

**=in the shop for it now

Mechanics:

Cam seals**

Crank seals**

Front main seal**

Oil Pump seal**

Valve cover gaskets**

Distributor seals**

Spark plug seals**

Timing belt**

Water pump**

Rear main seal

Power steering pump (still working, but leaky)

High Pressure Power Steering Hoses

Shocks/Struts/Springs (lowering when i do it)

Rear Brakes

Front Brakes*

Rack and pinion*

Ball joints*

Tie Rod Ends*

CV joints and driveaxles*

Tranny filter and 4 fluid changes*

Spark plugs*

Spark plug wires*

Motorvac*

Fuel Filter

Motor and tranny mounts

Preventative:

Fuel Pump

Radiator hoses

Radiator

Cosmetics:

Dashboard replacement

Front Bumper (fubared in an accident, made even worse on the way to jasons shop on friday when i got clipped on the freeway and the dude kept going...no damage to the body, only more done to the bumper)

Reattach Body Cladding (coimin off the doors, the sticky tape is old/clips broken)

Paint

Center console replacement

Minor Annoyances(bottom of list)

Fabric on sunroof panel redone

Door lock on drivers side rear doesnt work with the rest of the auto locks

New hood (dent in mine)

New headlights (housings are old and one has condensation in it, so i figure why not)

Hole in Pipe before catalytic converter (purposely drilled there by previous owner to get it to pass emissions)

Short in front right foglight

Mirror glass on passengerside missing ($37.00 ill get there when i get there LOL)

so thats what i have done so far and what my plans are for the rest of this project. after i get her back to like new condition, i plan some mods:

Header back exhaust system with dual 2.5inch slanted chrome tips coming out of the rear of the car, one on either side.

Port and polish on heads

HID Headlight conversion

Window tint

Rims and tires

Stereo

thats about it. I will have pix of the progress for you on friday when i pick up my car from jasons shop. he will take a few photos of the inside of the engine for me.

a few pix of the car:

Ok, enough whoring my ride for now.

I know you all must think im crazy spending this much on this car, but as rare as it is, and as nice as it is, i just cant see letting her end her days in a junkyard. that a lousy way to die, sitting there, rotting. So i am going to restore it, and hopfully pass it on to my children eventually (when i have them.)

I will say this much though, coming across OEM parts has been difficult. As rare and as old as this car is, its impossible to come across NEW OEM parts. Most are refurbished. There are maintenance items, oil filters and timing belts and such that i can still find. However, things like the rack and pinion, you can forget it. I had to wait a week to have it rushed from california. It was the only one anywhere NEAR here at the time.

there are however, and abundance of camry V6 parts. unfortunately, many parts, such as the rack and pinion, are not interchangeable. the camry's turning radius is alot smaller than mine. the ES250 has a 36.1ft full circle turning radius.

anyway, thats the digs, what do you think?

[amf1932]

Lookum good!

It brings back memories when I had my first Lexus ES250 in 1991. I loved that car. :)

[ArmyofOne]

glad you approve amf...i have been catching much flak lately about spending so much on repairs, but the thing is, im really not spending that much. What woudl cost around $5,000 to do, im doing for under $3,000. yeah thats alot, but not when it will take care of nearly every mechancial problem on the list.

BIG thansk to my parts guy and Giovanni for hooking me up with OEM parts for cheap!

[Matthew_McNally]

gotta applaud a man putting the effort into his motor

there are lads in the UK spend 3k on stupid looking over the top bodykits, spoilers the size of mid size car, undecar neons, LED washer lights etc.

This sounds like a much better investment

[ArmyofOne]

gotta applaud a man putting the effort into his motor

there are lads in the UK spend 3k on stupid looking over the top bodykits, spoilers the size of mid size car, undecar neons, LED washer lights etc.

This sounds like a much better investment

←

oh and i forgot...

BIG

Thanks to Lexus Owners Club, Clublexus and LexusLovers.com

you are all fantastic, and i hope you will continue to be so, i aint done yet :)

BTW matt, my father got madd at me cause it seems like every other week i write another $1,000 check for car repairs.

I told him:

"Well, its better i spend it on thios than on somthing like drugs. Cars are my drugs. What can i say?"

His response:

he was OWN3D and he knew it LOL. I dont know why, but its something about preserving a piece of automotive history that i find fascinating. this car is #14 off of the factory line. thats EARLY. TRULY one of the first lexus' ever to set tire on earths streets. Thast something to be proud of in and of itself. Tahts my take on it anyway.

[Transit921]

i wanna do timing belt and water pump on my es250 , if anyone has carfax let me know, be cool to look up ,my vin number ,

[ArmyofOne]

i wanna do timing belt and water pump on my es250 , if anyone has carfax let me know, be cool to look up ,my vin number ,

←

this has what to do with the topic at had...exactly?

you hijacked my thread! LOL

alas, i am just kidding.

I dont have carfax, but i did when i bought this car, i woudlnt trust it as far as i could throw my montitor.

it stopped keeping records on my contour after 1997...

[Transit921]

lol

[VGR]

Cam seals**

Crank seals**

Front main seal**

Oil Pump seal**

Valve cover gaskets**

Distributor seals**

Spark plug seals**

Timing belt**

Water pump**

Rear main seal

Power steering pump (still working, but leaky)

High Pressure Power Steering Hoses

Shocks/Struts/Springs (lowering when i do it)

Rear Brakes

Front Brakes*

Rack and pinion*

Ball joints*

Tie Rod Ends*

CV joints and driveaxles*

Tranny filter and 4 fluid changes*

Spark plugs*

Spark plug wires*

Motorvac*

Fuel Filter

Motor and tranny mounts

Fuel Pump

Radiator hoses

Radiator

←

In case you didn't know - most of that stuff does NOT need to replaced until up around 400,000-500,000 miles on a Toyota / Lexus that had been driven and maintained properly since new.

[vcv10guy]

Josh,

Glad to see that things are coming along really well. It's great that you're restoring your car, and it is definitely a lousy way for a car to die by rotting in a junkyard. Keep it up!

VGR,

Unfortunately the previous owner did not take care of the ES before Josh took ownership of it. Hence the reason why he's putting his time, effort, and money into restoring back to new. He actually has some threads on it.

[SW03ES]

VGR- When the previous owner drilled a hole in the exhaust to make it pass emissions, I'd say you can be pretty assured that it wasn't maintained properly LOL.

Lookin good! Don't pay people attention that don't understand your desire to restore the car, as long as its your money and you have it, its your decision. Your dad just worries about you.

[Transit921]

post some engine shots when you get ur car back if possible, be cool to look at

[ArmyofOne]

post some engine shots when you get ur car back if possible, be cool to look at

←

i have some now

only the external engine though. when jason is inside the motor, he will take pix for me he said.

Thats one of what it currently looks like.

as for my dad, i knwo he worries, but he neednt. if i couldnt afford it, i wouldnt do it.

VGR, SW03ES is right. You must not have seen the threads i have put up. thats ok though, i dont mind reexplaining. :)

When i got the car, the tranny fluid waws black, the air filter was done for, the oil leaks i was told were simply valve covers. wrong. the pcv valve wasnt changed for 138,000 miles. that right there is what blew all the seals. mine is getting a new one now, again, after just 10K. might as well start fresh.

and i disagree with you here:

Timing belt**

Water pump**

Rear main seal

Power steering pump (still working, but leaky)

Rear Brakes

Front Brakes*

CV joints and driveaxles*

Spark plugs*

Spark plug wires*

Cam seals**

Crank seals**

its common to have to replace cam/crank seals when a timing belt is done. mien are leaking cause it was wayyyy ypast its interval. the pcv valve being clogged, didnt help.

as you can see agood majority of what you quoted is somewhat common on ES's. i have seen rear main seals fail as early as 30K miles or as late as 300K miles, or never.

if you run a searck, you will find NUMEROUS posts about valve covers leaking, even on vehciles that were maintained properly.

but alas, lack of maintenance was the biggist factor of the degredation of this car.

[VGR]

am seals**

Crank seals EVERY SECOND TIMING BELT CHANGE

Front main seal AFTER 300,000+ MILES

Oil Pump seal AFTER 300,000+ MILES

Valve cover gaskets EVERY TIMING BELT CHANGE

Distributor seals AFTER 300,000+ MILES

Spark plug seals AFTER 300,000+ MILES

Timing belt

Water pump**

Rear main seal

Power steering pump (still working, but leaky)

High Pressure Power Steering Hoses

Shocks/Struts/Springs (lowering when i do it)

Rear Brakes

Front Brakes*

Rack and pinion*

Ball joints*

Tie Rod Ends*

CV joints and driveaxles*

Tranny filter and 4 fluid changes*

Spark plugs*

Spark plug wires*

Motorvac*

Fuel Filter

Motor and tranny mounts

Preventative:

Fuel Pump

Radiator hoses

Radiator

[VGR]

Army, below is the life expectancy of a properly driven and maintained front wheel drive

Toyota or Lexus:

Timing Belt: 90,000 miles

Cam seals: 180,000 miles

Crank seals: 180,000 miles

Front main seal: 360,000+ miles

Oil Pump seal: 360,000+ miles

Valve cover gaskets 90,000 miles

Distributor seals 90,000 miles

Spark plug seals 180,000 miles

Water pump: 180,000 miles

Rear main seal: 360,000+ miles

Power steering pump (still working, but leaky) 360.000+ miles

High Pressure Power Steering Hoses: 360,000+ miles

Shocks/Struts/Springs : 360,000+ miles

Rack and pinion: 360,000+ miles

Ball joints 360,000+ miles

Tie Rod Ends: 360,000+ miles

CV joints and driveaxles: CV Boot: 180,000 miles, CV joints: 360,000 miles

Motor and tranny mounts: 360.000+ miles

Fuel Pump: 360.000+ miles

Radiator hoses: 360.000+ miles

Radiator: 360.000+ miles

Catalytic Converter: 360.000+ miles

AC Compressor: 360.000+ miles

[Transit921]

that cant be right, cause struts go fast on these older lexuses , on mine, my friends 93, they just go

[ArmyofOne]

VGR-

well, tell that to JPI, he himeself has told me that camshaft and cranksahft seals are VERY prone to leakeage, especially with a clogged PCV valve.

why are we even talking aboyut this, its OBVIOUS that the car wasnt maintained.

Lack of maintenance on this car ends here.

my rack and pinion was gone at 90K BTW, ball joints at 80K.

and before you go blaming hard driving, the car was owned since 1992 by an old !Removed!.

the fact of the matter is, for 10 years, this car had less than 3,000 miles per year put on it. AND, it wasnt maintained. that is NOT good for any car. and im sure that all of those things there have a time as well as distance limit.

you mind linking me to a source of this info?

[SW03ES]

And I know my dad had to but ball joints on his LS400 at around 80k and an A/C compressor around the same time. People put motor mounts on ES's all the time well well before 360,000 miles. Rear main seals are also very common on the V6 cars. 360k on struts/shocks? No way, thats not even physically possible. I've never seen a strut that lived past 150k with meaningful life left.

Scheduled lives are all well and good, but like most other things real live variables will shorten them dramatically. I wouldn't put much stock in most of those numbers as we have real live examples of them being proved wrong all over this site. Look at the pics of Josh's rack and pinion and blake's tie rod ends and ball joints, well before the mileage you posted and unquestionably dead and had been dead for some time.

[ArmyofOne]

And I know my dad had to but ball joints on his LS400 at around 80k and an A/C compressor around the same time. People put motor mounts on ES's all the time well well before 360,000 miles. Rear main seals are also very common on the V6 cars. 360k on struts/shocks? No way, thats not even physically possible. I've never seen a strut that lived past 150k with meaningful life left.

Scheduled lives are all well and good, but like most other things real live variables will shorten them dramatically. I wouldn't put much stock in most of those numbers as we have real live examples of them being proved wrong all over this site. Look at the pics of Josh's rack and pinion and blake's tie rod ends and ball joints, well before the mileage you posted and unquestionably dead and had been dead for some time.

←

I replaced the struts in my contour the first time SW03ES, at 210K, they were still OK, just ok.

be that as it may, Motor mounts i Know for a fact are about every 100K miles.

as steve sais, there are exapmles all over this site.

Blown Ball joint, 140K

not 360,000. Jason says they were done long before 140K.

as for the R&P,

The wheels are straight here, while the steering wheel is not. and if i were to try to change lanes, the wheel would have to be turned 90 degrees opposite the way its pointing before it would go.

at 140K. but again, jason said it was gone well before that, more than likely around 90K.

[ArmyofOne]

im an now wondering exactly how much more i can really bring myself to put into this car. the radiator is clogged now. the car is at jasons shop and he figured this out when refilling the coolant after the TB/WP change. you guys should see those seals...they are horrible.

my valve cover gaskets were hard as a rock.

as well as all fo this, now the tranny is leaking...but it wasnt when i took it in there...maybe the pan seal again?

i suppose it could be residual from the power steering resivoir, a hose had to be removed for easier access.

at least it will be driveable now. oil leaks suck. LOL.

its so frustrating when i keep having to shell out cash. but we will see what comes about.

check # 4 @$1,500.

[SW03ES]

Man oh man...

[Transit921]

right before i baught my es250 the last owner put a new raiator in it, and i had a power stering fluid leak last year, i fixed that , it was leaking from the container, no big deal , probally common promblems wth these cars

[ArmyofOne]

right before i baught my es250 the last owner put a new raiator in it, and i had a power stering fluid leak last year, i fixed that , it was leaking from the container, no big deal , probally common promblems wth these cars

←

ok update, tranny is fine, blew a seal on a high pressure power steering feed. nothing too bad. it isnt leaking alot.

THE OIL LEAKS ARE GONE.

ok, all but...

the rear main seal is still leaking, but i could care less. it sat OVERNIGHT in jasons shop, dripped ONE drop.

thats better than him coming in to a 1/2 a quart of oil on the floor after sitting overnight.

so the the list of repairs this trip:

Timing belt-1

Water pump-1

Valve cover gaskets-2

Crank seal-1

Cam seals-2

Valve cover washers-12

spark plug seals-6

Distributor o ring-1

Coolant Bypass pipe (the pipe that goes from water pump to the engine)-1

Bypass pipe o-ring-1

Intake hose-1

PCV valve-1

Thermostat-1

once again, i will reiterate, the tranny is not leaking as far as jason can tell.

now dont ask me for the price as i am not at liberty to discuss it. i have been sworn to secrecy, but lets just say, in the last month, the total has come near to $3,000.

BUT...everytime i get this car back, i love it even more! It isnt going anywhere.

the cause fo the overheating was the thermostat got caught half shut. the radiator is still clogged, but jason did a backwards system flush (for a VERY Reasonable price, again, not at liberty to discuss) and repalced the t-stat, and now allis well, but i will still have to replace the radiator eventually. it is NASTY.

and now the pix of the seals:

http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02358.jpg

http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02365.jpg

http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02363.jpg

http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02359.jpg

[Transit921]

GOOD STUFF

[Transit921]

i have the same dash warpage from the sun on my car , like above the center console, it bothered me , i put a clock, thermostat think there so i didnt have to look at it