93 With Multiple Problems -- What To Do?

[John Martin]

I bought a 130K '93 ES300 with what I thought was leaking valve cover gaskets. After further examination, I am convinced that the car has more problems -- specifically two blown head gaskets and probably a rear seal. Stupid decisions alway have a story, and this one is no different.

The car overall is not perfect by a long shot, but I did not overspend. I had already anticipated fixing the instrument cluster, new tires and doing the struts and brakes. The AC has been converted, the exterior is good, all of the interior bits work, never wrecked, etc.

My choices are, as I see them:

1) Clean the engine and sell it to someone as dumb as me (not really something I would do)

2) Do the work myself. I have rebuilt 70's RWD twin cams, but the FWD is an intimidating prospect.

3) Buy a JDM engine and transmission and hire someone to install. I don't have the equipment to do it myself

4) Write the car off

So the costs are, as I see them:

1) ArmourAll, Purple Cleaner, water, and a guilty conscience

2) Fourty or more hours and an iffy job -- either it will be bulletproof or it will run less than 1000 miles (see #1 above)

3) $1000+ for the JDM set on ebay, plus $200 shipping, and, what do you think, $1000 for installation? And which JDM, the 3FVEZ or the later model?

4) What can I get for the car if I precent it honestly? $1000?

I bought the car for my daughter to drive sixteen miles round trip to school, so this is not a "send and pray" type of application. In need to get the car into relaible shape to do five thousand miles a year for the next four years.

Your advice and experience are appreciated,

JM

[Toysrme]

I bought a 130K '93 ES300 with what I thought was leaking valve cover gaskets. After further examination, I am convinced that the car has more problems -- specifically two blown head gaskets and probably a rear seal. Stupid decisions alway have a story, and this one is no different.

Hey! If McElligott might want it for a parts car if it has a manual! LoL!

The car overall is not perfect by a long shot, but I did not overspend. I had already anticipated fixing the instrument cluster, new tires and doing the struts and brakes. The AC has been converted, the exterior is good, all of the interior bits work, never wrecked, etc.

My choices are, as I see them:

1) Clean the engine and sell it to someone as dumb as me (not really something I would do)

2) Do the work myself. I have rebuilt 70's RWD twin cams, but the FWD is an intimidating prospect.

3) Buy a JDM engine and transmission and hire someone to install. I don't have the equipment to do it myself

4) Write the car off

1) Eh. Glad we're ruling that one out myself.

2) Modern, DOHC engines are brainless to rebuild. Atleast for the most part. FWD means nothing. Only differance is that for home work, if you're gunna pull the transmission, it comes out the top of the engine bay connected to the engine.

3) Sounds like you do! You can buy electric hoists lifts for under $100 at Harbor Freight. (Mine is 880lbs for like $70 on sale?) Mounted on two extra braced floor joists in the basement. YOu can buy an engine picker for less than that too. Keep in mind, Harbor Freight is cheap crap... But how many engine swaps you plan on doing? Pick up, set down, pick up set down & if it breaks afterwards. You've still saved $900.

4) You can do that. There is some moron (No offince to him) in town with a '94 ES 300 trying to sell it in the paper. Blown motor.. Asking $4000. Ya right... Driveable, in bad condition 92-93 ES's go for around $3500 here.

So the costs are, as I see them:

1) ArmourAll, Purple Cleaner, water, and a guilty conscience

2) Fourty or more hours and an iffy job -- either it will be bulletproof or it will run less than 1000 miles (see #1 above)

3) $1000+ for the JDM set on ebay, plus $200 shipping, and, what do you think, $1000 for installation? And which JDM, the 3FVEZ or the later model?

4) What can I get for the car if I precent it honesly? $1000?

I bought the car for my daughter to drive sixteen miles round trip to school, so this is not a "send and pray" type of application. In need to get the car into relaible shape to do five thousand miles a year for the next four years.

Your advice and experience are appreciated,

JM

In reverse order. Bawahahahahahaha. You're on crack if you think it's *only* gunna do 5,000 miles a year. I think I put 20,000-25,000 miles my first year driving on the 'ole civic. & It aint like my parents didn't keep me on a real short leash either!

You might get 2 grand out of it. I've never counted up the general parts cost, but if you parted it out... It'd be worth more than a grand. I mean... $200+ for GOOD headlights. $400-700 for the A/T, differential & axles (If they're not shot).

If it's headgaskets... Ya I can tell you about some headgaskets LoL! (It blew them for a reason - overheating.) If the head gaskets are blown & it's in a condition where someone wants to see it run. You're not going to be able to hide it for very long. Specifically, the amount of time it takes for the thermostat to open LoL!

It really comes down to what you want. If you don't mind rebuilding it... I'd probably rebuild it. Doesn't sound like the daughter is in desprite need of a car tomorrow. IDK what you bought it for, but you likely wouldn't be losing that much money fixing it & selling it for the $3500-4500 it's worth. (Maybe sell it to someone without the internet for 5 grand. LoL! Stretching I know...)

What else are you gunna put your daughter in? The ES is plenty fast enough to show off & get in trouble. (OK... That's not the best areguement ever. But her mom will be able to teach her how to cut people off like crazy.) It's got really good brakes that are still in great standings 15 years later. *Especially* if you spend money on the right pads & rotors. ABS.

Driver's air bag.

FWD with a soft suspension (Unless she gets on here & just makes daddy want tp do some upgrades) She'll never spin it out without atleast a rear sway bar upgrade. That's for damn sure!

Looks good. Rides good. Once they're running well & maintained you can beat the crap out of them. If you can get it reliable, itll run alot longer than you probably want to keep it.

Same insurance bracket as the same year Camry... Yup...

They're great beginner cars. I mean what else ya gunna do if you don't have a hand-me-down. You can maybe put her in a first year LS400. (Do you *really* think she'll be able to park that LoL!) Try maybe a civic/accord, DSM (Lay off the turbo's & watch for the crankwalk), Maxima/I30. Alotta other things I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

I digress. They're not *hard* to rebuild at all. Takes some time. Unless you just want to go pulling it, or the transmission. The engine block stays in the car while the heads & etc come out.

You'll want to find a machinest / engine builder & have him deck the heads flat.

Change the water pump. Thermostat & both pressure caps. Check the radiator. Might aswell change the timing belt with the water pump.

Change any split hoses. (Vacuum hoses, main air hose) (Come n dad, build her an intake. Only giver her a couple of mental horsepower, but it'll make it roar like a Porsche when she gets on it.)

Flush the oil (Where water is, oil isn't), flush the coolant. Drive it for a week & then put the real oil & filter in it.

Clean the throttlebody, IAC & EGR valves.

Change the plugs, distributor cap & rotors while the upper intake manifold is off. Check the spark plug wires. (Trust me... At $90 for Denso/NGK wires, you just want to check them!)

Change the PCV valve.

*ick* Maybe change the fuel filter. (Oh ya baby! Now *there's* something that's actually physically hard to do lmao!)

Engines are easier to work on today. They make them simpler & more logic friendly. Like... You won't look at the engine & suddenly go... WTF did they do that for?

New i4 FWD. Way easier than a old rwd i4. It's all out there up front to do your work on.

Transverse v6's... Well... The rear bank is a pain in the !Removed!. But it's really no big deal if you're actually taking the engine apart. It's easier to work on than a longitudnial v8. Ya, I said it...

Everything is sorta compact. If you've got big hands like me :whistles: Buy you a pair of really cheap normal gloves for a dollar & cut the fingers off them so you don't scratch your hands.

You sound perfectly capible of doing the work & don't sound willing to just pawn it off.

So it comes down to, take a shot & buy a JDM engine & do maintenace on it while it's out of the car.

Or fix the motor yourself & save a boatload of money. At the cost of your time.

I suggest owning short & deep well metric socket sets in 3/8". Probably gunna want 1/2" to deal with the crankshaft bolt. Owning a cordless impact driver makes rebulding the top end go at 10x speed. A pipe to slip on a 1/2" wratchet (and the lug nut wrench), or a 1/2" breaker bar.

You'll need a torque wrench too.

10, 12, 14mm sockets. And 19mm. Really that's what the entire car is made out of. 10, 12, 14 and afew 19mm's here & there. (crankshaft, suspension.)

[John Martin]

Thanks for the advice.

I'd like to find a local mechanic who would do it on the weekend for cash, but that's really hard to do in downtown Atlanta. Anyone know any GOOD mechanics in Georgia who would take this on? The car drives well enought to make a reasonable trip. Anyone know where I could rent a service bay in Atlanta to do do the work myself?

So, if I'm crazy enough to try this myself, what, other the the FSM, should I use for a guide? Haynes, ALLDATA, Chilton?

Thanks,

JM

[Toysrme]

Haynes is helpful.

It's not a truely weekend project if they heads are warped. Generally. It takes most shops 2-3 days to get around to machining heads. Timewise, it's a weekend project, if they're aight. They probably wont be lol!

More like take them off one weekend, go to the shop, get them back in the week, maybe piddle on the car alittlebit & reassemble it the next weekend.