Berry B Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I just got a diognastic test done on my 1999 es300 and here is what the mechanic told me was wrong Air/fuel ration sensor- Replace B1 thermostat Mass air Flow sensor Replace faulty B2 VVT solenoid Spark Plugs The guy also advised the 100,000 routine maintance done for the timing belt what should i replace first and how much time you think i have to drive it like this. Also do you know of any websites that i can get some of these parts for cheep I really dont need top of the line parts because im not going to be raceing the car you kno i just want it back to good standing. Well have a good weekend lexus world and hopefully some one can help me Berry B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexis lexus Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Bare, Sounds like bad news, but most of these things are not critical as to keeping the car running. I'm always suspicious of mechs quoting large capital gains projects. Here are some of my thoughts: >Air/fuel ration sensor- Replace B1 This is not an uncommon sensor to fail, and the result usually is that fuel economy suffers. The fact that its reading this code, doesn't nessicarily mean the sensor is bad, as this could be due to the system running too lean as if there was a vacuum, intake or exhaust leak, not to mention a malfunting MAF sensor. You can get an AF sensor for $50-$150, or more if you go to the dealer. Not impossible to swap out yourself but you need long arms, an adventurous spirit and a 7/8 in box wrench (if memory serves me well). AF sensors are like spark plugs in that they go bad as they age, so replacing w/ new vrs used is the way to go if you can afford it. >thermostat The tstat is prolly stuck open, which means the coolant takes longer to heat up. May be a problem in winter. IF the car is overheating, due to tstat not opening, then replace it immediately. >Mass air Flow sensor This sensor is a box attached to the air intake hose running from the air filter housing to the throttle body. Easy to replace (10 minutes), but first I'd take it off and spray the internals (inside the air intake hose) with electrical contact cleaner. That often helps. Again, not a critical part. $30 bucks used (yard or ebay), but in the mid 100's for new. >Replace faulty B2 VVT solenoid This is part of the emmisions system (as are the AF and MAF sensors), not sure what it does, but I doubt its critical. I got the whole emmissions rail which has 4 sensors (one of which is the vvt)at the local pullapart for $25. Not too difficult to replace, need to get the cover off the top and there they are sitting above bank 2 (front bank). >Spark Plugs Ya, you prolly need them. Front bank (B2) are fairly easy, but the rear bank is a bear, as you have to take the whole intake side off down to the intake manifold. About 8 hours the first time you do it. Be sure to buy irridium plugs ($7-8 each), as they'll last another 100k. Car will continue to run until these old boys burn out, but will begin to run quite roughly as they're on the way. >>Timing belt I believe the '99 is still a non interference engine, and as such, if the tb breaks, the car will stop, but no damage will occur. The valves are perpendicular to the cylinders so if the belt breaks the pistons will just bump them up and down. Interference engines have valves that come down at an angle to the pistons and get bent easily when the belt breaks. You might be able to get many more miles on your belt before it snaps. Might try to inspect it by taking the top tb cover off. Google your engine model with the word "non interference" and you will can find a list showing it. Overall, the news isn't as bad as you think. If you like to wrench, you could take care of all of this for $300-$500 in parts and hours of fun and excitement. But don't be surprised if in a few weeks another sensor will send a CEL. Might want to invest in a scan guage (I have one that interfaces my computer with the car's, spent $30 for the cable on ebay), so you can see the codes for yourself, and not get the crap scared out of you by the Lexus dealership. Also investing in a Haynes manual for your year is also a good use of $. Can find reasonable prices for parts at rockauto.com and there are dozen of other sites out there as well. LL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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