tckcumming

Here's something that has worked for me in the past... Get a bucket full of cold water, put a shop rag in it to soak. Heat the rotor "hat" near the hub - as hot as you can get it. Glowing red would be good. A couple of propane torches used at the same time can put out a surprising amount of heat. Pick the wet rag out of the bucket - throw it on the rotor where you were heating. You might need to do this cycle a few times. Heat - wet rag - heat - wet rag and so on, until you hear a distinct "crack" or "thunk" sound. That's the old rotor separating (finally) from the hub. Tap it off with a hammer. You should be prepared to replace your wheel bearings & seals if you use this method, the heat can cook the grease and damage the seals. But, at 200K+ miles, that's probably not a bad thing anyway. Give it a try. tck...

TCK hey dont get me wrong I love my 98 ES 300 got a great deal on the car low miles and in excellent shape.altho had to replace the tranny..got that at a steal . car runs and drives like new it is an amazeing car...since you like novas ill send you a pic of mine ill also send a pic of the 64 in another day or so... take care 64 Nice! Here's my '64 283 coupe. These pictures are "borrowed" fom the 'net... but mine was just like this. tck...

I had this exact problem on my '93 ES. I had replaced my plug wires about 6 months before, so I figured it wasn't that. I opened the hood once when it was sputtering at idle and was amazed at what I saw. Blue sparks about 2 inches long arcing from the distributor cap to the metal base. I installed a new distributor cap the next day, it seemed better but I could still hear a faint clicking sound coming from somewhere near the distributor. So I pulled out my old plug wires and replaced the new ones that I had noticed arcing the night before. Engine ran a bit smoother, but the clicking sound had changed - it became more irregular, like it was skipping every once in a while. So I went ahead and just put all the old wires back on in place of the new ones. Clicking sound gone, engine ran smooth as silk. I sprayed a mist of water on the cap to check it, no problem. So I finally figured out that my "new" replacement plug wires were faulty. They were "Xact" brand, aftermarket parts. They looked and felt exactly the same as the OEM Toyota ones when they were new. But when I pulled them off, the rubber boots on the plugs had become soft and mushy, and one of the boots on the distributor came off in my hand. They were useless after 6 months. I'd start by replacing the distributor cap and rotor, and the plug wires - but only use OEM Toyota parts! The aftermarket ones I bought weren't that cheap, and they turned out to be crap. Replace your PCV valve with an OEM one, too, if it's old. OEM plug wires are pricey, you can probably find a deal online at one of the Lexus parts suppliers. Cap, rotor, and PCV can be picked up at any Toyota dealer and are not a lot of money. Good luck! tck...

BTW 64 impala... I learned to drive in a '64 Chevy Nova - 2 door post, straight 6 with "3 on the tree". I had another Nova, '64 coupe with a 283 V8 - great little car! A good buddy of mine had a plain-jane '66 Chevy Biscayne (similar to your impala) with a 396 and a huge 4-barrel carb the size of a Civic's entire engine. The best part - it was painted a brilliant lime green with a flat black hood. It looked like it should glow in the dark. We spent a lot of time at the nearest drag strip with that! ET's weren't that great, it had no bottom end power, all top end. At about 60 feet it would hook up and smoke the tires, finish the 1/4 mile FAST. But he usually lost because of his poor starts. We never did figure out why it sputtered and kicked off the line, but what did we know? We were just kids. I'll never forget the rush I got when it did hook up, the big V8 howling, rubber smoke everywhere, trying to steer it straight while hanging on for dear life... So I'm with you. I go way back with the old American iron. I'd love to have an impala or one of my Novas back, but time marches on. My ES300 is SO much better engineered - it's just nowhere near as much fun! Enjoy your Impala - I'm jealous. tck...

The old American iron that's selling for seven figures now (Hemi 'Cuda convertibles, 427 Camaros, Boss '9 Mustangs, etc.) were VERY limited production when new. You or I couldn't walk into a dealership and order one of those, only a few "in the know" people even knew they existed at all. Even the more common musclecars make a lot of money now mostly because of their rarity. There aren't many left now because they were really beat on, driven into the ground and discarded because they were relatively cheap to buy. I see those auction prices and (like everyone else my age who was into the whole car thing back then) almost want to cry, thinking of some of the cars I had or (especially) buddies of mine had back then. We just drove the sh*t out of them, had a blast, and then moved on. Nobody thought they'd ever be worth anything 35 - 40 years later. We didn't care. My point is that you can't really compare the values of those rare, old cars with newer imports like the Supras and WRX Subarus, etc. Vastly more of the import "muscle" cars have been made and sold than any of those old million dollar gems. The situation today really does remind me of the "good old days" of the 'late'60s - early '70s - lots of fast, relatively affordable, exciting import cars to choose from. None of them seem like collector's items today. Young people buy them, hop them up with speed parts, and drive the crap out of them. Just like back in the so-called good old days. It's a good time to be a young motorhead. The only trick now is to figure out which newer import will be the next multi-million dollar collector car of the future. There's probably some factory-built Honda Civic with a 400hp NSX engine and carbon fiber bodywork out there that nobody has ever heard of or seen that will become the icon of the era for car guys. Nobody knows... just like the old days. My advice? Forget about "value", future or otherwise. Drive what you like, enjoy it, and don't worry about what it is or will be worth. You can look forward to saying "I used to have one of those!" 20 or 30 years from now. tck... BTW - Street racing is for morons.

Yes it can be done... but not with a totally "stock" muscle car. Most (all?) of them were very front-heavy, had primitive suspensions and skinny bias-ply tires as delivered. Impossible to put all that monster V-8 horsepower down on the pavement. Incredible noise, tire smoke, and leaping lurching acceleration.. but no traction. Having said that, it was incredibly easy (and very common practice) to bolt on some tall low-pressure slicks, get a good set of (open) headers, add a bit of carb-ignition tuning - and lose a few seconds off your 1/4 mile time for very little $$$. All those Hemi 'Cudas and SS396 Chevelles etc. that did 12 second times had SOME modifications, the guys who claimed their cars were running "stock" were lying big time. And the more a car was modified for the dragstrip, the less driveable it became on the street (and they weren't very good to begin with). Don't get me wrong - I loved those big loud machines, so raw and overpowered. Stand on the gas and hang on - hope you're pointing in a straight line! But modern cars are SO much better engineered in every way, it's ridiculous. I'm with Toysrme on this one - horsepower wars ARE back in a big way. tck... BTW - street racing is for idiots. Go to a track where you will only hurt yourself if you do something stupid. Jusy my 2 cents...

I used to drive my '71 Austin Mini in an old quarry near where I lived many years ago. Put some tall skinny snow tires on it, and that car could go anywhere. Never had to be winched out of the muck, it always got me home. It was also fun to zoom through the forest on trails a snowmobile would barely fit on. That little car took all the abuse and asked for more. Sometimes left a few bits and pieces behind, but nothing important. It made me feel like Paddy Hopkirk at Monte Carlo... Oh, the things you do when you're young and bored. tck...

Yeah, that's what the dealer says too. However, my driving habits are not extreme. I don't drive that much as you can see by the total miles driven since I bought my ES300. I don't drive on winding or hilly roads. The weather conditions are mild to moderate, no snow or inclement weather patterns. So, I guess I should expect to face this again since you say this considered normal wear & tear for these vehicles? Maybe so, but this CV boot repair history seems a little excessive to me. I know several people who have transaxle drivetrain vehicles and they have not encountered this type of problem. FYI... I also have a '93 ES300, I've had a problem with a torn CV boot exactly once. I replaced both outer boots even though only one was ripped (I figured that if one ripped, the other would soon follow, so I replaced the remaining one before I had to). I still have the original inner ones on the car. And I DO have a lot of inclement weather, cold and heat, snow and road salt here in Eastern Ontario Canada. My previous ES300 (a '92) never had a problem with the CV joints or boots as long as I had it. I don't think your experience is typical of other ES300 owners, it does seem excessive to me too. My experience probably isn't typical either, though. I'd say that you and I are on opposite ends of the "lucky" scale, that's all. tck...

Why not REALLY replace everything at once and get another car?? Probably cheaper!! :) Not much help, I know... tck...

I had the same symptoms with my '93 ES300 a few years ago. I got many different opinions from different mechanics at the time, most of them invoving $$$ for repair. I learned to live with the glowing ABS light and drove the car for a year or more with no ABS. No problem doing this as long as you know that you DON'T have ABS and drive accordingly. Anyway, I had my right front wheel off in my driveway one day (don't remember why), I noticed something I hadn't seen before. The wire that connects the wheel speed sensor to the module is held in place by a little clamp in the wheel well. I noticed a bit of electrical tape poking out from the clamp. It seemed odd - I couldn't believe that the car left the Toyota factory in Japan with electrical tape wrapped around an ABS wire. So I bent the clamp open and pulled the wire away from it... the wire came apart in my hands. I took the tape off and stripped the wire back a bit and it was obvious that it had been damaged previously and not repaired correctly. I figure that somebody at some time (it wasn't me - no, really it wasn't!) cut or burned through the wire, then just twisted it back together and wrapped tape around it. :chairshot: The crappy repair wasn't visible because it was hidden by the clamp. None of the various mechanics that had checked the car had noticed it either. Over time the wire just started to come apart... no ABS. I spliced a couple of pieces on wire into the original, soldered and shrink-wrapped it and tucked it back up where it belonged. Fixed!! It's been working ever since. The moral of my (long-winded) story? It's probably something simple, a broken wire or sensor that's been knocked out of place a little. Easy to do when working around the wheels/suspension, but tough to troubleshoot. I just got lucky. Why don't you just drive it as-is for a while. The brakes work fine, just no ABS. Have a really close look at all the wires leading to the wheel sensors and investigate anything that looks even a little "dodgy". If wires are OK its probably a wheel sensor. I'd bet that there's nothing wrong with the control module. Just my opinion. tck...

I'm confused.... My '93 ES300 has 2 caps (one on rad, one on engine). I had a '92 before this, it had 2 caps as well. If yours is a '92, it should have a cap on the new radiator as far as I know. Later models only have 1 cap on the engine, none on the rad. You should be good to go with the rad you bought if it has a cap on it. Am I right? tck... ps - the cap on the rad and the one on the engine are NOT the same - different parts, if you're going to replace them you need to get the correct ones, don't just buy 2 that are alike... (I did this & had to take one back..) - you don't need to do anything with any A/C parts to replace the rad - the cooling and A/C systems are totally separate. Just undo all the hoses and bolts on the rad and lift it out - don't disturb any of the A/C components.

When you need to replace the PCV, just assume that the grommet is no good and buy a new one when you get the PCV valve. I also replace the rubber vacuum hose that connects the PCV to the intake manifold. It gets old and cracked too - easy and cheap to replace while your in there messing with the PCV etc. 1. Pull old PCV out of hole. Resist the temptation to try to remove the grommet at this point - it will probably break up and drop into the valve cover, as mentioned in the previous post. 2. Stuff a rag into the hole as far as you can. 3. Use a utility knife or box cutter and cut the old grommet (with the rag stuffed into it) in 2 or 3 places. 4. Pull out the chunks of old PCV. Any small bits can't fall into the engine because of the rag. 5. Carefully pull the rag out, any bits of leftover PCV will come out with it. Pull off the old vacuum hose now. 6. Pop in new grommet, and new PCV. Measure and cut your new hose (just make it the same length as the old one). Connect vacuum hose to PCV and intake manifold (re-use the old clamps). Done! The grommet comes out easily if it's changed once in a while, before it gets old and petrified. Only a few bucks for a new grommet and short piece of vacuum hose. One more note - I always buy an OEM Toyota PCV valve. The ones I've bought at auto parts stores in the past have all turned out to be cheap pieces of crap. BIG difference using OEM for this small but important part, in my experience anyway. tck...

Nice! Might have been mid - low 12's with a better reaction time. I'm not being critical - my R/T would probably be about 3 seconds (no exaggeration - it's been a looooong time!). A street-legal Camry running 12's (or better) is amazing - most of the fabled '60's monster muscle cars would have had trouble doing 12's in street trim "back in the day". 0-60 in 2.5 is incredible - an old Hemi Cuda or big-block Chevelle couldn't touch that. Just putting his times in perspective for some of us older guys who remember those machines... I'd love to see him lose the subs, amps & batteries, put on some wrinkly slicks and see what it can REALLY do! Awesome job. tck... ps... the video link didn't work for me...

Reminds me of an experiment I did a few months ago... see the photos... I was going to post these under the topic "My spoiler is bigger than your spoiler!!", but they seem to fit here better.. That's an old ('60's) factory hardtop for an MG, I was trading it for some other MG parts. The guy I was trading with lived about 350 miles (600 KM) from me, straight down the 401 (a multilane expressway here in Ontario Canada). I drove there at a nice steady 70 - 75 mph with my "spoiler" in place and checked my gas mileage. Then I did the return trip at about the same speed a few days later and checked mileage again. Here are my results: Mileage with hardtop sticking out of trunk : 22.2 mpg. Mileage without hardtop, return trip, trunk closed : 26.2 mpg. The car was surprisingly stable at speed with that big lump hanging out the back. I was expecting it to be a little "squirrelly" at 75 mph, but it was OK. The steering felt a little more vague than normal (front end lifting a bit?), but not enough to make me slow down. I could even see everything behind me in the rearview mirror, through the glass in the hardtop. Lots of funny looks from other drivers as I blew past them on the highway. What does all this prove? Absolutely nothing. Your mileage may vary, blah blah blah. tck...

all 1993 cars have r134a, the ones that you can get from walmart. R12s are illegal and you can't buy them except for mechanic shops. My 93 ES300 had R-12 from the factory. I had it converted to 134a last summer. Lots of R-12 "recharge kits" available on ebay, last time I checked. Probably old stock that someone has had sitting on a shelf for years... I wouldn't buy it. tck....

On my '98 Es300 I had a rear valve cover leaking. The leak stopped after I replaced the PCV valve. My guess is that a lot of gasket leaks are caused by improper crankcase ventilation. Replacing the PCV valve is not expensive and could solve a lot of problems. I agree! Same situation with my '93 ES300. Replaced PCV, grommet and short hose... no more leak. I think you're right, cyberflyer - many of the common oil leaks that ES300 owners complain about could be prevented or cured by the simple method of replacing the PCV and related rubber parts. Many people forget about changing the grommet on the valve cover and the small hose connected to the PCV. These get hard and develop cracks over time, then they don't seal properly. A new PCV won't help much if it doesn't fit snugly into the grommet. They (hose and grommet) are cheap and easy to replace when the PCV is replaced or checked. tck...

Awesome!! Brake fires can be pretty impressive. Any pictures? Lots of things can cause this... mostly from lack of attention/maintenance. The caliper slides laterally on 2 little pins protected by some rubber boots. Water & crud can get in if the boots are worn or ripped, rust results, pins stick in place and don't allow the caliper to move. Pads rub on rotor, result = increased friction, increased heat, smoke, then flames. Cool! The caliper has a single piston inside it that pushes the pads onto the rotor. The more you push the brake pedal, the more pressure and friction (and heat) the caliper and rotor create. When you take your foot off the pedal, the pressure is relieved, caliper stops squeezing the pads on the rotor, and the rotor cools off until the next time you need to use the brakes. Due to lack of maintenance or attention, the piston in the caliper can stick because of rust or crud buildup or moisture in the brake fluid, keeping the pads in contact with the rotor even when you're not pressing the brake pedal. Pads rub on rotor, etc. etc, result = same as above. By the way, don't just replace one set of rotors/pads - ALWAYS replace both sides at the same time. Don't mess with brakes, just install new - both sides - front rotors-calipers-pads. Expect a pretty hefty bill, but be sure to shop around because prices can vary alot from place to place. Have the shop check the wheel bearing on the side that had the fire, I've seen cases where the heat buildup has caused the grease in the bearing to melt and ruined the bearing in short order. One more thing - get ALL the brake fluid changed when you have the brake work done. Be sure you tell the shop to do this, they won't unless you tell them to (they'll just bleed the air out, leaving most of the old fluid still in the system. This is bad.). You might want to have the rear brakes checked at the same time. Don't do a half-assed partial job when you're dealing with the brake system. Spend the cash and get it done right. The peace of mind is worth the expense. tck...

Take the filter off and check the surface where the filter gasket contacts the block. Might be a small piece of the old gasket or some other bit of crud stuck there, preventing the new gasket from sealing. I've had this happen before. Scrub that surface with a scotchbrite pad (or similar - DON'T use sandpaper!!) so that it's shiny and clean. Remember to smear a little clean oil on the gasket of the new filter before you screw it back on. You'd think the mechanic who changed the oil would have checked this... but some of them are, in my experience, just glorified grease monkies. Hope it's just something simple like this! tck...

Doing some engine work on my 1969 MG today. Drained and pulled the rad, the fan & pulley, and the water pump. I've read many threads (too many?) on this site about antifreeze, more specifically the proper colour to pour into your engine. Many people seem to be of the opinion that the cooling system and engine will be clogged with gunk and ruined by pouring the dreaded green antifreeze into the rad. I'm not trying to start another antifreeze "rant" here, but have a look at these photos.... This is the water pump. It's an aluminum casting. Last time it was off the car - about 1982. Looks pretty good, no? This is a shot of the inside of the pump. Look close - any sludge/gunk/corrosion? Inside the cast-iron block. Clean as a whistle, no rust or crud at all. The car still has its original rad, too. Didn't take a photo of it, but it's in fine shape. This engine has ONLY ever had green antifreeze, usually Prestone or whatever else was cheap, in its cooling system. Last time it was flushed and changed (by me) was in 1999. I know, I know... it's not a Toyota, it's just an old iron block not aluminum, it doesn't have magnesium and unobtainium gaskets, etc. etc. etc. But it is 38 years old and has never had a drop of the hallowed Red coolant in it. Look at the photos again - and tell me that Green antifreeze will cause your cooling system to gunk up and destroy your engine. Red vs. Green - which one would you choose? Looks to me like it makes no difference at all. Just my opinion. tck...

'92 and '93 had a manual trans available. My '93 has never had an overheating issue. It's never had any mechanical issues to speak of, other than the usual maintenance things. I've owned it for about 9 years (I think)... I had a '92 before this one, same story - no real problems to speak of. The way the car was treated by its previous owner(s) really determines how good it will be as a used car. If it was abused or neglected, chances are that it will cause grief at some point. If it's been maintained properly and driven with some common sense, it can last a long time. These cars are quite "bulletproof" in my experience as long as they're treated properly. I still love the way mine rides and handles, it doesn't feel or look like a 13 year-old car, especially when you consider the harsh environmental conditions it has to endure here in the Great White North. tck...

Just a thought.... I've had slight tire vibration problems a few times after the car ('93 ES300) has been in the shop. An Acura I once owned had the same problem. It can be frustrating since the tires/wheels seem to be balanced OK but they still have a bit of a "shimmy", especially at high speeds. I've discovered that mechanics often put the wheels back on the car and tighten the nuts with an impact gun. This can sometimes cause a vibration, even if they use one of those torque - socket things. Using a good torque wrench and tightening all the nuts evenly to the same torque will often cure a small vibration. I'd take it back one more time and have them loosen all the nuts slightly and torque them properly, with an actual torque wrench. Simple and quick to do - worth a try, eh?? tck...

Thanks! It's nice to hear from another "LBC" enthusiast. I've owned many British cars over the years - including a couple of "original" Minis, a Lotus, a Triumph TR250... so I have a VAST knowledge of leaky hydraulics. I have owned this green MGB for almost 30 years! It has about 160,000+ miles. There is hardly a single part on it that hasn't been removed, repaired or replaced by me. Capk - let us know what your mechanic finds. Hope it's nothing serious/expen$ive. tck...

Sounds like a hydraulic problem. Check the rubber flex hose that connects to your slave cylinder. The rubber gets "mushy" over time, it can collapse internally and block the flow of hydraulic fluid back to the master cylinder when you let up on the clutch pedal. If the hose has deteriorated, the fluid flows OK to the slave when you push down on the pedal, can't flow back freely when you let it up - it feels like the pedal is "sticking", as you describe. The hose might look fine on the outside... the "collapsing" problem is inside of the hose. Could also be your master cylinder leaking internally. Fluid can leak past the seals inside the mc, leading to problems when you have the pedal depressed for any length of time (like waiting for a red light). Slave cylinder can develop leaks, too - but fluid usually leaks out, leaving spots on your driveway. Worst case scenario - a problem with the throwout bearing or pressure plate. It's "worst case" because the clutch has to come out of the car to fix it, a big job. This is unlikely. You don't have very many miles on your car, clutch components can last MUCH longer than 105 K as long as they're not abused. Here's what I'd do: ** Always do the cheapest/easiest things first, then move on to the more involved/expensive! Before replacing anything, be sure the fluid level is topped up. Make sure there's nothing interfering with the movement of the pedal itself. Bleed the system to be sure there's no air in the line. ** Replace the clutch hose first. It's the easiest and cheapest. Bleed the air out of the system and go for a drive. If you still have a problem, then... ** Get your master cylinder and slave cylinder rebuilt. New fluid, bleed... check it out. Should be fixed. If not, it's probably an internal clutch problem. Hope your on good terms with your favorite mechanic!... Good luck! tck...

The motor... I floor the accelerator and it just boggs down... No slipping at all it goes, but crawls... then it gets the power back and its back to normal.... seems like it happens when the car sits for a long period of time... Same with my ES... you have to let it warm up. A few years ago, my '93 ES300 did this, too. Had it checked out at Toyota and Lexus garages... nothing amiss. My neighbour had a Toyota pickup truck - he complained of the same thing. We talked about it for a while... turned out he bought gas at the same gas station I regularly used. Tried a different gas station (different company that supplied the fuel - I checked) - problem solved! I had my fuel filter changed just in case it had gotten gunk in it. No problem since. Sometimes you get lucky and it's something simple. tck... ps... same thing worked with my neighbour's truck.

I'd think twice about welding your pulley. Lots of potential for grief... New ones are expensive because they're a fairly precision piece. You can be sure that your welded one will not be balanced properly, any imbalance (however small) will be transferred directly to your crankshaft. I'd also hate to see the result if the weld "let go" at hiway speed - expensive AND dangerous to have that 5 pound hunk of shrapnel flying around up there. $85 for a used one seems pretty reasonable, I'd do that instead. Also... I've always wondered how well those "split" CV boots work. I've considered using one of those kits in the past, but I didn't feel like experimenting so I chickened out. Let us know what you think when you've changed it. tck...