Icefury

I too run the KYB and I would no hesitate to buy them again. Made a dramatic improvement over the worn out OEM's. Ebay was cheapest by about $30 than anywhere else online at the time I bought mine.

The Maxlife is great stuff, I run it in my ES300 and it shifts smoothly. About $3.63 a quart at Wally world (cheaper by quart than jug strangely).

No way would I pay that kind of $$$ for a mount! I picked up a aftermarket transmission mount (Anchor) from RockAuto.com (awesome vendor) for like $18 + 10 for shipping. Works just fine! Your 2002 mount from Anchor would cost about $112 shipped with the 5% discount code. Code = 30677292530201

Has the same check engine code on my 95 ES300. As George pointed out, in all probability it's the vac modulator. EGR valve failure is very uncommon and nearly everyone who has posted here has fixed the P0401 CEL by replacing the vac modulator (myself included). The diaphragm's in the modulator dry rot and no longer hold a vacuum, causing the CEL. Dealer wants like $70+ for one, picked up a aftermarket one off Ebay for $29 shipped to my door. Works like a champ, no more CEL! Here's the seller.... Ebay Aftermarket Vacuum Modulator

If you are doing the head gasket, be sure and replace the valve stem seals. A top end engine gasket kit will have these. A new water pump and metal gasket would be a good idea too. Best price I've found on a top end Engine gasket kit with a multi layer steel headgasket and new head bolts is $120 shipped to your door. 99-02 Lexus ES300 Head Gasket kit

He said there was no more than 1lbs difference on any cylinder, it was very tight. Has been driven 120 miles and is completely dry now since replacing the o-ring on the cam position sensor. I'm pleased it turned out so favorably.

Any further findings about this man? I am also curious about this certain scenario so I wanna know. Everything checked out fine. 175lbs compression on all 6 cylinders which I presume is normal for a 1JZ-FE. It "seems" the culprit is a small leak from the cam position sensor (o ring worn out) working it's way down the block to the head. Mechanic says the leak is definitely oil, not antifreeze. He believes that what water is present is condensation mixing with the oil. Given the solid compression and no other contributing symptoms, Im inclined to conclude there is no problem with the head or gasket. Awesome! Thanks GJ for the help & advice!

Just picked up a complete AISIN OEM kit for $212.70 shipped from partsgeek.com. Best price I have found. http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1995/lexu...g_belt_kit.html

I'll do that. I'm taking it in to my mechanic on Monday to have the timing belt & water pump changed out. We will comb over it and I'll let you know what I find. I will post a pic or two of exactally what I'm seeing.

Thanks for weighing in GJ. The very corner of the block and head (driver side). There is a small ledge/lip where the block extends just a bit further than the head does.

Hey guys, was hoping I could get a few of you gear heads to weigh in on this. My 95 ES300 runs like a top. My concern is the driver side corner of the engine has a very small "seepage" of antifreeze. To clarify, this means there is a smear of antifreeze directly between where the head bolts on to the block. When I take a paper towel and wedge it between the head and block I get a little antifreeze transfer. It's no where near enough to trickle down the block nor do I see any air bubbles. After I clean it up to where it is visibly dry, the wet bead reappears after driving it a few times. No white smoke on start-up No antifreeze detected in the oil or cooling system Not loosing any coolant Using Zerex Asian formulated antifreeze I know a compression test is the logical next step, but I wanted to get some feedback/speculation on this first. I dont suppose this is "normal" is it? Thanks for you help!

Thank you for the fog lamp feedback, I went ahead and ordered some led fog lamps to match the temperature of the HID's. Seems the best move given limited options. As for my SVT Contour, beauty is a subjective thing. You tell me not to take offense and say your not trying to disrespect me and yet tell me my CSVT is nothing to be proud of, challenge my claim of hanging with V8 Mustangs in a race, and generally mock my ownership of my SVT Contour as "a mistake I should correct". This is both condescending and disrespectful. <_< I concede the Contour overall was not a very reliable car, especially when pitted against a Lexus. However, virtually every problem known to plague this car has been corrected through modding it. While you never get what you $ink into a car when you sell it, it's worth a hell of a lot more than the 2-3k your average everyday high mileage beater Contour fetches on the market. The custom lighting alone I could sell for 2k instantly. In modifications, there is well north of 15k tied up into my CSVT. My last Dyno pull (outdated) has me at 240 at the wheels (with a steep torque curve) so that puts me at roughly 290 at the crank. These numbers fail to take into consideration the addition of my custom XCAL2 tune, larger TB, and port matched lower intake manifold. MY CSVT weighs 500 lbs less than your average Mustang, has less drivetrain loss, and has a suspension that blows it away. So it's no stretch of truth when I say that I give stock/lightly modified V8 Mustang's real run for their money. I enjoy having a highly modified, limited production car that is underrated and overlooked. My choice in owning and modding my SVT Contour is neither regrettable or a mistake.

I wanted to know what (if any) aftermarket fog lamp solutions exist for the 95-96 ES300? Does Hella, PIAA, anyone make a fog lamp that will take the place of the factory ones? Perhaps JDM Windom? I searched before asking and turned up nothing. Any advice is appreciated!

Needed a replacement daily driver (deer killed previous one) so that I would not be "forced" to drive my summer show car (heavily modified 2000 SVT Contour, see signature) through the harsh Minnesota winters. I picked up the Lexus from the owner of the bodyshop I use exclusively. Been doing business with him for years and recently was up to pay him a visit him as my wife's car suffered hail damage. He lent my the Lexus to drive while he restored my wife's car (complimentary). Really liked how well it drove and overall how solid it's built. Went to return the Lexus and pick up my wife's car. Asked him out of curiosity if he would be interested in selling it to me. He thought about it for a minute and said he got a years good use out of it, so he offered it to me at his "true" cost which was $1700. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to sell it so cheap, we both knew he could get at least $1000 more for it without a struggle. Long story short, refused to take any more for it and I scooped it up. Only paid $35 to transfer title into my with tags good until May 2010 (no tax on 10+ year old cars in Minnesota, gotta love former governor Jesse Ventura!) It's fully loaded (leather, chrome rims, projector headlamps, premium sound system w/6 disc cd changer, keyless entry, moonroof, etc) and has 170K. For a 14 year old car, it's in remarkably good shape. Everything works great and the AC blows ice cold. Power Steering pump was replaced 20k ago. Paint is a solid 8 out of 10 (save 2 small scrapes) and not a trace of rust on it (southern California car most of it's life). Came with all maintenance records proving it has been well taken care of going back to the 2nd owner at 50k. I've not had a chance to clean it up and detail it inside and out, I'll post the "after" shots soon. It needs a few things.... (engine mount, EGR valve cleaned, fog light replaced, and struts could use replaced) but all in all it's good as it sits. All driveability concerns are being taken care of next week. JDM Windsor Headlamps, 4300K (9005) HID kit, and lextech gauge cluster lighting upgrade on order. What do you guys think? Not bad, eh? :D