New To Lexus, Expriencing Proplems

[stupitblonde1221]

I bought a 1991 ES 250, I got it for a REALLY good price because a really good friend of mine wanted it out of her drive way and didnt have the resources to get it fixed. It turned out that it just needed tires, a new power steering hose, and a battery. It been running good for about 2 weeks, but now when i stop it vibrates like it is trying to stall out or something. Its an automatic. Sometimes, the oil light comes on when i stop and the car does stall. Do i need a new transmission? and how much am i looking at? I am a pretty girly girl, so i cant do the work myself, but i iknow someone who can do it for free.

PS i checked the oil already. Its not low, nor does it need changed. It was a little over filled, could that be what the problem is?

[Lexusfreak]

I bought a 1991 ES 250, I got it for a REALLY good price because a really good friend of mine wanted it out of her drive way and didnt have the resources to get it fixed. It turned out that it just needed tires, a new power steering hose, and a battery. It been running good for about 2 weeks, but now when i stop it vibrates like it is trying to stall out or something. Its an automatic. Sometimes, the oil light comes on when i stop and the car does stall. Do i need a new transmission? and how much am i looking at? I am a pretty girly girl, so i cant do the work myself, but i iknow someone who can do it for free.

←

Welcome to the club! B) How many miles on your ES?

My suggestion would be to take it to your mechanic (if you don't have a good & reliable one, ask your friends & family to recommend one......you mentioned you have someone that can do the work for free......is this person a licenced mechanic that you trust?).

By the sounds of it, I think you might need a major tune up & throttle body cleaning. Check the oil level yourself (don't drive it until it's at the proper level as well as the other fluid levels in the car) & it might be as simple as adding a qt or so to get the oil level correct & the light to go off. If the light does not go off, you might have something more serious wrong......have it looked at. A good general thorough inspection (takes about an hour or so) would be my best suggestion to see if anything serious needs attention or will soon need attention.

A tranny 'tune up' (fluid change, filter mesh screen cleaning & new tranny pan gasket) sounds like it wouldn't hurt either. I hope this helps & post some pics if you can.

[stupitblonde1221]

The person is my boyfriend, so yes, i trust him. He is not licensed. He is a deisel mechanic, but he dabbles in foreign cars alot.

Can my bf do this for me? --you might need a major tune up & throttle body cleaning-- He works on semis. He also has done his own motor swaps in his crx and civic.

The light is not on all the time, just sometimes when i stop, usually when i stop fast because of traffic. if i dont stop to fast it just vibrates, if i do.. it get a light and a turned off car.

[Lexusfreak]

The person is my boyfriend, so yes, i trust him. He is not licensed. He is a deisel mechanic, but he dabbles in foreign cars alot.

Can my bf do this for me? --you might need a major tune up & throttle body cleaning-- He works on semis. He also has done his own motor swaps in his crx and civic.

The light is not on all the time, just sometimes when i stop, usually when i stop fast because of traffic. if i dont stop to fast it just vibrates, if i do..  it get a light and a turned off car.

←

The ES 250 is not a very difficult vehicle to work on (pretty much the same as a Toyota Camry V6 of the years 1987 - 1991) so your BF should be fine with the tune up (spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, fuel filter, PCV valve) & tranny flush. Are all the fluid levels ok in the car? (IE: Engine coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid etc). The oil light might be a defective sensor, but a place like autozone or pep boys might be able to do a 'scan' for free to get a trouble code from the car's computer to tell you exactly why the light is on. B)

[stupitblonde1221]

The oil is "over filled"--My bf said. There is a leak in the power steering so that is empty, and everything else is fine.

What exactally do i ask the autozone guys?

This is my first car so i am new to the repair. But if my car stalls again, i am going to look at the RPMs so i can see if it is actually stalling.

ANOTHER Q: This is a long story, and kinda strange. My lexus is a bit ghetto. (excuse my terminology) There is a key super glued in the ignition, and a new one was installed on the left side (ill take pics for you to see tomorrow). After reading the manual, i found a saftey feature that will not allow the drivers side door to unlock if the keys are in the ignition. I believe this glued in key was messing up my locking system because my drivers door would not unlock. So we disabled the door from locking. I dont know why the second ignition, or the first key is there. is there anything i can do about that without breaking my wallet?? (ps, i am in high school, and live on my own. I am short on cash)

[bartkat]

Lots of cars will do this with a fast sorta suddend stop. The idle may just be too low. The oil light will flicker when the engine stumbles because it's getting some really low RPM. Probably not a big deal, but maybe make sure the idle is set properly. I don't think I'd go into anything really major on account of this.

[Lexusfreak]

The oil is "over filled"--My bf said. There is a leak in the power steering so that is empty, and everything else is fine.

What exactally do i ask the autozone guys?

This is my first car so i am new to the repair. But if my car stalls again, i am going to look at the RPMs so i can see if it is actually stalling.

ANOTHER Q: This is a long story, and kinda strange. My lexus is a bit ghetto. (excuse my terminology) There is a key super glued in the ignition, and a new one was installed on the left side (ill take pics for you to see tomorrow). After reading the manual, i found a saftey feature that will not allow the drivers side door to unlock if the keys are in the ignition. I believe this glued in key was messing up my locking system because my drivers door would not unlock. So we disabled the door from locking. I dont know why the second ignition, or the first key is there. is there anything i can do about that without breaking my wallet?? (ps, i am in high school, and live on my own. I am short on cash)

←

The autozone guy's can hook up a computer scan tool that will get info from the cars computer & get any 'trouble codes' off the car....you will be better able to narrow any problems down that way rather than guessing what the problem might be.

How serious is the power steering leak? Make sure you get a bottle of PS fluid in the meantime to keep the components lubricated untill you get it fixed (perhaps try an auto wrecker or salvage yard for a replacement since they are much cheaper than a brand new unit).

Your last question is a bit of a strange one.......I won't even speculate at this point until we see pictures of what your talking about. There is another member on this site that had the same car as you.....that member is 'Armyofone'. He would be good person to suggest & recommend specific things about the ES 250. B)

[Lexusfreak]

Lots of cars will do this with a fast sorta suddend stop.  The idle may just be too low.  The oil light will flicker when the engine stumbles because it's getting some really low RPM.  Probably not a big deal, but maybe make sure the idle is set properly.  I don't think I'd go into anything really major on account of this.

←

agreed bart. B) I'm just suggesting some basic items to try. ;)