Gs 300 (1993) Bubbles And Overheating

mariaz · May 11, 2004

need repair manual for this car as well.

SKperformance · May 12, 2004

wow this post sure is imformative?

mariaz · May 12, 2004

need repair manual for this car as well.

Hi, thank you for the post back on my problem. I am not sure about the history of this car, we purchased it last September and since then we had the timing belt replaced (not voluntary) and now this problem. When we first got the car the check engine light came on as well as another light that I think said track off. I drove the car for about a month or so and the light went off on it's own and it didn't turn back on at all. My husband took the car one Sunday and while he was driving it the check engine light came on but he didn't pay attention to it since this happened before to us. He didn't notice that the temperature went up so high and he noticed it when the steam started coming out of the hood. He kept adding water to the radiator and came home with the car. He replaced the thermostat and the next day I drove it to work, it didn't overheat the temperature showed all normal but when I lifted the hood I had bubbles in the tank. I didn't drive the car for the whole week and then again took it out last weekend and after about 30 minuets of driving the temperature went up high and the car started overheating. I am not sure what to do after this, since we have no idea what kind of problems, if any, did this car have before and now I am not sure if we should keep it or just do a fix and get rid of it. I love the car and have about 115K on it and my husband keeps telling me that once it overheated like it did that it's better to get rid of it. I am in a situation that he refuses to take it to a dealer since he doesn't trust them and I have no other choice but have him do a fix and get rid of it. I called him and told him what you indicated about the water pump and he didn't seem to think that would be the problem and he also said that the fan clutch isn't working properly.

JPI · May 13, 2004

Hello mariaz,

Did you get your husband to check the radiator out? Please take the temp on lower and upper radiator hose.

JPI

SKperformance · May 14, 2004

If the fan clutch isn;t working properly then that is your problem right there.

Are you driving at highway speeds and it is overheating?

Or just at idling?

mariaz · May 14, 2004

If the fan clutch isn;t working properly then that is your problem right there.
Are you driving at highway speeds and it is overheating?

Or just at idling?

Hi, thank you for the response

We know that we need to change the oxygen sensor since that was the reason the check engine light first came on when we purchased the car. I know that the fan clutch is not working right, but when I called a auto parts store to order the part they told me that the gs300 doesn't have a fan clutch so I am not sure what the heck it really is. Can anyone suggest a place where I can find a repair manual for this car or if anyone has one can you look and she if this car has a fan clutch. Thank you again for all of the responses that are being sent to me. When I drive on the highway the car is fine but when idle or driving at a slow speed it overheats. :chairshot:

SKperformance · May 14, 2004

You got a few problems

You can buy the oem manuals from lexus and they are worth al the $300 for the 3 ,more detail than you will ever need to make your own repairs.

ebay has some also ,most are phototcopies but for the price who cares.

1UZ-FE · May 15, 2004

before i bought my 94 LS400 I had a 94 Mazda 626. One day i was driving and noticed that the car was slightly overheating. The problem get progressively worse and after a few days the car could not run for more than about 15 minutes idling or on a highway without coming dangerously close to the "H". It turned out that the water pump had gone and so all my coolant leaked out (I had no idea since i NEVER saw a puddle of coolant under the car). I had the water pump and thermostat replaced. This time the car kept its coolant but still overheated from time to time. This was even in the dead of winter in 25 degree weather. It turned out to be a sticky thermostat. All in all it took 1 water pump and 2 thermostats. The moral of the story is that you shouldn't overlook something just because it was allready "fixed". You might be in the same boat I was. Check and recheck.

Recklessracoon · May 20, 2004

since he changed the thermostat, he most likely had to drain the radiator fluid. because he had to drain the radiator fluid, he obviously had to put more in. ask him if he rid the system of air bubbles.

i had to replace the water pump and thermostat on my jeep and i had the same problem. the water pump was completely frozen and i just replaced the thermostat anyway since i had it apart and they fail often. what i did was let it run and get to operating temperature then crack the lid to the radiator reservior. its probalby not the best way to do it but it worked. it should hiccup and the radiator fluid level should go down, add more. continue this until the level doesnt change.