Help! I've Got The Cold Morning Blues!

[isiginamo]

Twice in the past month when I have started my 1995 ES300 with 145K miles, the engine sounds as if it is misfiring. It idles really rough, almost has a slight knock , and after about 5-7 seconds it fixes itself and purrs like a kitten. This is very intermittent, and if I give it a little gas, it clears right up. I do not have a check engine light, and never have. I bought this ES300 last year from a 60 yr old lady, that baby'd the car, she had the timing belt done at 108K miles, and followed all maintenance faithfully! This car is in great shape and I want to figure out if anything is wrong with it!!!

Here is a list of what is wrong that I know of...

Also.... when cold the first time I get the car up to speed, it hesitates to shift into OD. I don't redline or anything, it just will accelerate into a higher RPM than usual to shift into OD. I'm guessing this is just to get the engine to speed? I had transmission fluid changed last month, still does this, but I at least I have new fluid!

AC does not work, I am guessing it is a compressor because if I turn the AC on it will work it its not too hot out, but will bog the engine down, like its under a big load. I'm guessing the compressor pulley is getting pretty touch to turn, could be wrong though. And it makes a pretty loud sound like a thump when it cycles on and off if I have it on.

This I do not know what it is, Could be compressor again. Car has a slight wine in the motor, nothing bad, I almost think it is normal, but... yes always a but... when it is cold, and I mean cold, below freezing, the car will start in first tap of the ignition but will run at a higher RPM (I know this is normal) but the wine in the engine gets louder and more high pitched. Weird, took it to an independent mechanic and he said that was normal. I just don't think it is. I have heard from people that the ES300 should be quiet, and hard to hear... you can definitely hear mine, and it is not exhaust, its all motor.

Antenna mast and motor need to be replaced, I have it disconnected in the upright position.

Passenger seat leather pulled apart at the seam. I am guessing it got wet and dried quickly at one time.

I took out the factory deck and put in an aftermarket Pioneer Premier MP3 CD player, hooked up factory amp to deck, and 2 10" Xplode's with a Xplod MOSFOT 760 watt amp in back.

So... tell me what you think... and just to let you guys know what kind of deal I got on this car... I worked for a Ford Dealership last year when I bought this car, and the lady was buying a Lincoln LS, the dealership offered her $1500 for her car and she just agreed because she wanted the LS so bad... so I talked to the management and the lady and I just bought it from her instead for $1500. It had 128K, black on black, loaded (like most of em), it needed front brakes, cost me about $250, and the AC didn't work. What you guys think of that deal??? But... really... help me with the issue above if you can!

[wwest]

Twice in the past month when I have started my 1995 ES300 with 145K miles, the engine sounds as if it is misfiring. It idles really rough, almost has a slight knock , and after about 5-7 seconds it fixes itself and purrs like a kitten. This is very intermittent, and if I give it a little gas, it clears right up. I do not have a check engine light, and never have. I bought this ES300 last year from a 60 yr old lady, that baby'd the car, she had the timing belt done at 108K miles, and followed all maintenance faithfully! This car is in great shape and I want to figure out if anything is wrong with it!!!

Here is a list of what is wrong that I know of...

Also.... when cold the first time I get the car up to speed, it hesitates to shift into OD. I don't redline or anything, it just will accelerate into a higher RPM than usual to shift into OD. I'm guessing this is just to get the engine to speed? I had transmission fluid changed last month, still does this, but I at least I have new fluid!

AC does not work, I am guessing it is a compressor because if I turn the AC on it will work it its not too hot out, but will bog the engine down, like its under a big load. I'm guessing the compressor pulley is getting pretty touch to turn, could be wrong though. And it makes a pretty loud sound like a thump when it cycles on and off if I have it on.

This I do not know what it is, Could be compressor again. Car has a slight wine in the motor, nothing bad, I almost think it is normal, but... yes always a but... when it is cold, and I mean cold, below freezing, the car will start in first tap of the ignition but will run at a higher RPM (I know this is normal) but the wine in the engine gets louder and more high pitched. Weird, took it to an independent mechanic and he said that was normal. I just don't think it is. I have heard from people that the ES300 should be quiet, and hard to hear... you can definitely hear mine, and it is not exhaust, its all motor.

Antenna mast and motor need to be replaced, I have it disconnected in the upright position.

Passenger seat leather pulled apart at the seam. I am guessing it got wet and dried quickly at one time.

I took out the factory deck and put in an aftermarket Pioneer Premier MP3 CD player, hooked up factory amp to deck, and 2 10" Xplode's with a Xplod MOSFOT 760 watt amp in back.

So... tell me what you think... and just to let you guys know what kind of deal I got on this car... I worked for a Ford Dealership last year when I bought this car, and the lady was buying a Lincoln LS, the dealership offered her $1500 for her car and she just agreed because she wanted the LS so bad... so I talked to the management and the lady and I just bought it from her instead for $1500. It had 128K, black on black, loaded (like most of em), it needed front brakes, cost me about $250, and the AC didn't work. What you guys think of that deal??? But... really... help me with the issue above if you can!

Sounds like a sticking or even a slightly burned intake valve that seats more firmly once HOT. At 143,000 miles that would not be all that unusual. Not using OD until warmed up is SOP and if the engine HP is degraded somewhat, at that mileage it likely is, using OD might even be more delayed, or not at all.

[AnandLexus]

A clogged PCV Valve is known to cause rough idle. Verify if the valve has been changed recently.

The valve and grommet in my car were never changed and they broke into pieces and fell inside the valve cover when i tried to remove them. Took me an hour to fish out the pieces!

Seafoaming the valve train should help if there are deposits in the valve train. However, these deposits provide sealing in older engines and cleaning these deposits out may cause oil to leak through the valve seals, piston rings etc., causing oil consumption and smoke from the exhaust. I suppose this is a risk that you will have to take.

There is a Hirschmann brand antenna kit for $46 on ebay. I am planning to buy that for my car.

Does the car whine when the ac is turned off? If so, it is not the compressor. Try spraying plenty of wd40 into the compressor bearings. this should clear any deposits after the engine runs for a couple of minutes. Then use lubricating oil to lubricate the bearings as wd40 will evaporate after a while. A loud whine is not normal and must be diagnosed.

If the ac cools, but insufficiently, it could be that refrigerant is low. Check the pressure with a gauge and recharge if necessary. If the pressure is low then there is a leak somewhere.

The purchase price is a steal and even if you put in $3500 into the car, you are still below the blue book - for a car that is known to last for 300K miles!!

[isiginamo]

Anybody know if there can be codes available if my check engine light is off and has never been on? I just don't want to pay the $100 diagnostic if I don't need it ( I don't live near a Autozone I'm in Le Mars, IA... middle of no where!) And... like I said this has happened for a total of maybe 10 seconds the past month. I would doubt if I could reproduce the rough start to a mechanic.