tckcumming

I had the same kind of noise on my '93 ES300. I thought it was a suspension problem, too. It turned out to be something really simple. My "dogbone" upper engine strut had broken. The rubber insert on the engine block end had separated from its steel housing. Every time I hit a bump in a certain way, the metal housing would move slightly and contact the car body - causing the knock. Sounded exactly like a strut mount or bearing. Replaced the dogbone - knock disappeared. Who knows? Worth checking out... tck...

I just forked out some cash for a conversion. My compressor was making some serious vibration noises and my guys said it could be the compressor or the clutch. I just decided to have them replaced and converted to the newer freon. I get my Toyota parts wholesale so I saved a little, but it is a very expensive conversion. Snes ← I did the same conversion on my '93 ES300 a couple of months ago. I couldn't find anyone in my area to work on the A/C system with R-12 in it. I have a neighbor who is an A/C technician at a shop nearby, even he advised me to convert to R-134a. The shop vacuumed out the old Freon, checked the compressor and clutch (they were AOK) , put in a new receiver/dryer, changed all the seals, recharged with R-134a and oil, did leak and pressure tests, etc. It cost me about $300CDN total. The A/C works fine now. The only difference I have noticed is that it does take a little longer to cool the interior on a very hot day than before - but it's not a problem, once the car is cool it blows cold and stays that way. We've had some wickedly hot & humid weather here for the past month, the A/C has handled the conditions without a problem. The shop that did the work called last week and asked me to come in for a "dye test" and leak and pressure checks, etc. They went over the whole system & found no leaks or problems. They told me to come back again in a couple of months for another check - all at no charge. Bottom line - I'm happy I did the conversion, money well spent to "tune up" and update my A/C. While I'm sure that an R-12 Freon system would be colder - faster -etc. than my converted R-134a system, the difference to me is negligible, especially compared to the hassle of dealing with ebay, certification tests, EPA certificates, etc. etc. I don't want to be bothered with all that - I just want to be cool in my car on a hot day. No worries about getting it serviced in the future, any A/C shop anywhere can service it now, if the need should arise. tck...

In my experience, the ES300 does have a different brake pedal feel when compared to other cars. I also have a '69 MGB, and the brake pedal is VERY firm, like pushing on a brick. Very good feel, but also very difficult to properly modulate when stopping from high speed, brakes want to lock up if pedal is pushed just a little too hard (no ABS in 1969, of course!!). My ES300 (1993) brake pedal feels very "mushy" and soft in comparison. BUT it is much easier to brake smoothly in day-to-day driving in the Lexus. Toysrme is correct when he says that the pedal feel changes if you push faster (like in a panic stop) - the ES300 has very good brakes, mine will stop much shorter than my MGB even tho the Lexus weighs probably 1500+ lbs. more. But I also agree with exdotcomer, I would take the car to a shop you trust and ask them to check your entire brake system. Tell them not to fix anything, just report on the brake lines, hoses, calipers - everything. It'll cost you maybe 50 bucks or so, very cheap for the peace of mind. If they find anything wrong you will know what to fix. ps. re: SS brake hoses - I have them on my MGB, they DO make a difference on that particular car. They have been on the car for about 10 years, still look and work like new. Not sure whether they would help on a Lexus - it's a different animal entirely. tck...

I also have a '93 - and had the same condition that you describe. I cured mine by replacing the PCV valve, the rubber grommet that the valve plugs into (the old one was hard as a rock), and the rubber hose that connects the PCV to the intake. Very easy to do, lots of previous posts about this. I always replace the grommet and hose when I change the PCV - they are cheap and are prone to deterioration over time, if you don't change them and they leak then your new PCV can't do its job properly. Once I replaced the grommet, PCV, and hose the oil smell went away completely. It took a week or two to completely disappear - but it's gone and hasn't returned. Just one added note - go to a Toyota dealer and buy an OEM PCV valve, don't even bother with the cheap plastic ones you can get at auto parts stores. The cheap ones never seal properly, in my experience. They're just a waste of money. In this case you really do get what you pay for - IMHO. tck...

Is Westwood a brand name? I'm not familiar with it. The price is awesome, tho. Where did you get it? tck...

← The only issue I had was getting the hoses off of the old radiator. They had been there for 12-13 years and did not want to come off. There was some minor difficulty getting the radiator past the fan shroud. You will need two pairs of hands for that part. Other than that it was smooth sailing. ← I'm thinking that I'll replace the hoses while I am at it... they still look like they're in great shape, no cracks or bulges or soft spots, but they ARE almost 13 years old! The top one is easy, Ill just cut it off & replace it. The lower one looks like a real b**ch to get at, the thermostat is at the engine end of that hose, too. I'll either change it all (lower rad hose and thermostat and clamps), or put the old lower hose back on and get a mechanic to do the dirty work - depending on how ambitious I feel that day! Thanks again for the input tck...

Thanks for the info. I figured that it had to come off somehow! I was going to try prying it off... but I chickened out. I'll give it a try on the weekend. If I do break it... oh well, I guess I'll just have to order my new rad sooner than I wanted to. tck...

Thanks for the link. I checked it out... I like the free shipping! Quoted price was $111.00 US delivered to a US address. That's about $140 CDN. It's "all metal" too - better than OEM plastic tanks, I'm guessing. You say you installed it yourself... I'm planning on doing mine myself, too. It looks pretty straightforward. Any "issues" I need to know about? How was the fit of the new rad? tck...

← Check it out here: http://racingradiator.net/product.asp ← I have ordered radiators from radiator.com with no problems and if I remember right they have all metal radiators too... Good Luck ← -------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the links. I'll check them out. I have to be careful of the shipping charges from US sites to Canada, tho... lots of added taxes, handling fees, customs fees (thank you, Canadian gov't!!) and the currency exchange rate too. It can all add up to turn an apparent bargain into an expensive excersise very easily. And yes, I am speaking from experience!! tck...

Haven't tried salvage yards. Couldn't hurt to have a look, I guess. The trouble with buying parts at a salvage yard in this part of the world (Eastern Ontario, Canada) is that the part I get has surely been subjected to the same harsh weather conditions as the one in my car now. It probably has much the same problem as the one I'm replacing. Some things would be fine - engines, transmissions, suspension parts and the like. But things like rads, body panels, exhaust parts, etc. - not so much! They suffer too much in the salty (from road salt), damp conditions and extremes of temperature (-20C in winter, +30C in summer) that make up what we call our climate. tck...

Lots of corrosion - the fins are turning a greenish colour in spots, there are some areas that have no cooling fins, just the tubes. Corrosion is external - coolant is still clean and there are no leaks... yet! I figure it's just a matter of time before it lets go. I don't want to be stuck somewhere with an overheating Lexus, especially since the '93s like mine seem to be prone to problems if they overheat... tck

Good evening, Did a search and can't find what I'm looking for... I'm about to replace the radiator in my '93 ES300. Local autoparts stores want about $200 - $250 for the new rad, Lexus/Toyota dealers want significantly more. My question is: Has anyone had any experience, good OR bad, with purchasing a radiator on eBay? Some of them are incredibly cheap ($60 - $80 USD). Awfully tempting. I know.. you usually get what you pay for, Toyota parts are better quality, I should use Lexus parts in my Lexus, etc. etc. Don't want to start a whole "aftermarket vs. dealer" debate! I'm just interested in hearing from anyone who has gone the "ebay rad" route. Any aftermarket brand-name recommendations would be appreciated, as well. tck...

I've owned 2 first gen ES300's, both had the same thing happen at around 150k. The flexible mesh joint fails - usually the smaller of the 2 goes first. I tried to get just the flex piece replaced, a couple of muffler shops said they'd do it if I insisted, but no guarantees. They all said the same thing - that they had done this kind of job for customers in the past, and just ended up with unhappy customers because the second flex joint almost always fails soon after the repair. I had the whole crossover pipe assembly replaced at a local Speedy, total (inc. tax etc.) was around $500 CDN. Pretty steep, but I understand that the '95 and later ES300's are a lot more expen$$ive because the catalytic converters are integrated into this pipe as well. My advice (for what it's worth)?... bite the bullet and replace the whole front pipe assembly. You could probably adapt a '93 or '94 pipe to your '96 if the cost is too great. Shouldn't be too hard to weld a new flange on your converter to fit the pipe. tck...

Same problem here. Struts were replaced (aftermarket - Monroe "Sensatrac") last fall, they were fine until the very cold weather hit.... at REALLY cold temps this past winter, it felt like there were no springs or shocks in the rear - like the wheels were solidly attached to the body! Now, they seem OK again since the weather has warmed up considerably. Anyone else notice this?? tck...

Either way, I wouldn't worry about that seal on top the radiator since you're going to replace the radiator anyway in the future. ← I guess I'll just ignore it. I only wanted to change it to prevent possible problems out on the road. This car spends a lot of time on the highway, and I've always been careful to look after anything that could leave me stranded far from home - things like tires, rad hoses, belts, electrical items, etc. Anything that could immobilize the car if the part should fail. I just returned from a "banzai!" road trip, around 2000km in three days and the car ran flawlessly, as always. The ES300 is just perfect for those long, high speed cruises - just set the cruise control to 125km/h, sit back & enjoy the view. I want to keep it running this way for as long as possible. I guess I'd better start trying to source my new radiator. Ebay, here I come! tck...

I know - my previous Lexus, a '92 ES, didn't have one like this. Maybe a "one-year-only" part? If so... maybe I should try selling it on ebay. **RARE**!!! Lexus rad cap!! ONE YEAR PRODUCTION ONLY!!! OWN A PIECE OF LEXUS HISTORY!!! ONE ONLY --- BID NOW!!! LOW RESERVE!!! What do you think?? Any offers? tck...

Here in Eastern Ontario, Canada, our roads are white with encrusted salt at this time of year. A cloud of "salt dust" follows you when you drive down the street. Very corrosive to everything, but especially to cars. My house is on the banks of the St. Lawrence River... all that salt washes directly into the river when the snow melts. Can't be good for the fish, not to mention all the towns and cities (like my village) that draw their drinking water from the river. Oh, to live in sunny Southern Califonia! Only smog to worry about... Enough preaching, already... I added some pictures of the offending radiator cap to my post above, just so you all can see what I'm talking about. tck...

Your cap sounds different than mine - I can't push it down or turn it, it's held in place by the two tabs on the rad top tank that I described previously. I guess they really mean it when they say on the label "NEVER REMOVE..." The coolant has been changed several times... flushed & refilled by the Lexus dealer. It's been a while since the last time, tho. I figured that since I'll be changing out the rad in the near future anyway, I'd wait & completely replace the coolant then. The rad in my car is original, it's looking a bit scruffy - the last time I sprayed it with my powerwasher some of the cooling fins became dislodged. I looked more closely at it... lots of greenish corrosion on the surface. No leaks or other problems, tho. Not yet.... I thought Fluidyne only made racing radiators and oil coolers... I'll check out their website. They're probably really pricey, tho. Thanks tck...

... because it's been on there for more than 12 years, the other cap was leaking, so I figured that since I'm replacing one... why not change both? I have been told by a sometimes reliable source that both caps should be changed - but I'll just leave it if I can't get it off. It could be that the cap is permanently attached - I don't know. I just wondered if anyone else had tried to do this. By the way... where did you get your aftermarket rad? How much $$? I checked at a local autoparts store, they had 2 in stock, quoted $213.00 Canadian... pretty reasonable, I thought. . tck...

I can't push it down or turn it, the two tabs on the rad that engage the slots in the cap prevent this. I'm not sure if I've described this clearly, I'll post a pic tomorrow if it would help. tck...

So I'm changing the radiator cap on my 93 ES300 (I said it was a boring topic!). Mine is the older type with 2 rad caps - 1 on the top tank of the rad itself, another on the filler on the engine. The filler on the engine was no problem, a MOTORAD brand from Canadian Tire ($8.00) did the trick. I have a problem with the other cap on the rad tank - it won't come off. It looks like it has a plastic cover on it, with a small "slot" on each side that engages a "tab" on the rad, making it impossible to turn and remove. A label on the cap says "NEVER REMOVE - NOT REFILL PORT". This might deter some would-be mechanics from trying to remove this part... but not me! I tried prying, pulling, and wiggling - and finally a bit of well deserved swearing. Nothing. I thought it best to leave it alone until I did more research on this matter. So, I had a cold beer and gave up. My question to you all: Is this part removable? How? Should I just leave it alone as it doesn't seem to be leaking or causing any distress at the moment? Does anybody care about this? By the way, I will be replacing this radiator with a new one before too long, anyone have any advice? Will my new aftermarket radiator have this same annoying problem? Or am I over-reacting to this whole radiator thing? Just wondering... tck.

Just a thought.... My '93 ES300 had similar symptoms a few years ago. Yours sounds like it's more severe than mine was, but very much the same - a real "loose" feeling on turns, steering wheel not returning to center, funny "slack" feeling on bumps, etc. I was sure my steering rack was shot. I took my car to a little local garage in a small town in PEI (I was on a road trip, didn't want to drive 100's of miles with "wonky" steering). The mechanic got a BFW (Big F---ing Wrench) and tightened the two bolts that hold the steering rack mounting brackets. It took him about ten minutes. Problem solved! I had the steering checked by a Lexus dealer when I got home, everything was perfect. No problems since. Wouldn't it be great your problem is something simple like that? Don't know if you've already checked the steering rack mounting brackets, if not it's certainly worth a look. TC...

My 93 ES300 had a torn right side outer CV boot last summer. I took it to a local Speedy Auto Service shop; they had done some work on my 1969 MGB, and I was very satisfied with the result. Here's what they did to repair the Lexus: - removed both driveshafts, checked, cleaned and re-packed the CV joints, and fitted new boots to both outer joints; - removed both inner CV boots, cleaned & re-packed the joints. The mechanic said the inner boots were perfectly OK, so he did not replace them; - he also said the left inner CV joint seemed "stiff", so he disassembled it, checked & cleaned it, packed it with grease - problem solved. The cost (in Canadian $$, don't forget): $35.00 for each CV boot kit (2 req'd); 2.3 hours labour @ $55.00 per hour; TOTAL: $228.49 (icl. taxes, etc.) Pretty reasonable, I think. Independent shops often use the same parts as the dealers, too. The same Speedy shop did some brake work on my Lexus recently. The new rear brake calipers they installed were Toyota parts, exactly the same as the ones that were removed. The entire job cost less than half what the Lexus dealer quoted for the same job. It pays to shop around! Hope this helps. TC

______________________________ *** -when i make a left turn and bring the car back straight, the steering wheel is off centered to the left about 10 degrees or so. when i make a right turn, the wheel does the same thing in the opposite direction. -at highway speeds, the steering is late to respond in 1 direction, sometimes both. on mine you have to turn the wheel about a half a rotation before the car will go around a curve to the left at 65-70 MPH. -above 80 MPH, the steering wheel comes back straight and all feel returns to normal. this is because there is suffecient drag on the tires to bring them back into proper alignment. *** ___________________ My '93 ES300 had these exact symptoms a couple of years ago. I was on a vacation to Prince Edward Island at the time. I stopped at a Toyota dealer (in Summerside? - I think), they told me my steering rack was bad and had to be replaced. I continued on my way. Later in the week I went to a small garage in a little village in PEI, just to have it checked again as I was concerned about driving all the way back to Ontario with "bad" steering. The mechanic pulled the car into his garage, and within 10 minutes he pronounced the steering fixed. I was skeptical. I drove it around the block, it handled like a new car! Tight steering, no play at all. I asked him what he did to it. He said that he noticed that the steering rack mounts seemed loose, so he just cranked them on really tight - problem solved. He said he'd seen the problem before on some GM cars, he thought it might be from driving on bumpy country roads. The best part of all - he didn't even charge me for the repair! A long story, I know, but it couldn't hurt to check the steering rack mounts for looseness. If they're loose, you can see some lateral movement of the rack if someone moves the steering wheel back and forth while you look at the rack. An easy fix. Good luck!!

Good morning all, I just had the rear brakes on my '93 ES300 serviced (new rotors, pads, one new caliper). While the car was on the lift, I noticed that the brake proportioning valve attached to the rear suspension is broken. The valve itself is fine, but the link attaching the valve to the rear suspension arm is broken at the bottom. The plastic "joint" has cracked and the link is just hanging from the little spring, not attached to anything. I'd like to know - how important is this thing? My brakes seem to work fine (my ABS light on the dash has been on for some time, but I think it's a separate issue - a bad wheel speed sensor in front, according to my local Toyota dealer). I know the dealer will tell me to replace it - at a cost of $???$. Bottom line - I really don't want to spend any money fixing this proportioning valve if it's not going to make any difference to the braking of my car. Anyone have any experience with this??