MNJack

original owner 97, now have 148k. Stopped dealer maintenance at 100k. I change the oil regularly (myself) but have deferred most everything else. Strangely, dealer wanted to replace valve cover gaskets and p/s pump at about 80k (I declined) but p/s still works and engine is relatively clean. Timing belt was changed by dealer at 60k so I should probably do that again soon. Might take it to a Toyota dealer for a major service soon. I have had NO problems with this car, except charcoal cannister emissions issue that was repaired under extended warranty.

Well, I kinda chickened out, and stopped short of removing the throttle body. However, I did give it a good cleaning. There was lots of black carbon on the plate and inside. I will take another crack at the IAC Valve some other time. I actually solved a problem I had been having! From a dead stop (at a stop sign or red light) it had become very difficult to accelerate smoothly. The gas pedal would seemingly stick slightly, and when more pressure was applied it would unstick and the car would lurch forward. I got in the habit of tapping the gas pedal lightly to get the car going. I tried lubing the throttle linkage to no avail. Well, apparently it was the throttle body plate that was sticking. After cleaning it all up, no more sticking. The other problem I am having is sometimes I get the stalling on a warm startup. I very rarely do a warm startup so it doesn't happen very often. I do want to clean that IACV tho.

Service manual says drain engine coolant before removing throttle body. Haynes manual says plug the hoses to prevent coolant leakage. How much coolant is going to leak out if I don't drain the engine coolant? I started to remove one of the bypass hoses and coolant started leaking out and I didn't have a good method of plugging it, so I was just wondering how much of a mess I am going to make if I don't drain the coolant. I would guess I would only need to drain 1/4 to 1/2 anyway.

At this point I would at least want to make a visual inspection of the car. Is it still there or has it been parted out? Has any work actually been done on it? I would want answers to those basic kinds of questions. Where in NJ?

My dealer recommended that I replace the valve cover gaskets and p/s pump about 40k miles ago. I have done neither with no ill effects. I guess they are very conservative with their recommendations. New Jersey is a very high cost area. I can't recall the exact amount for the valve cover gaskets, but it was explained to me that a lot of labor is required and much of the top of the engine needs to be disassembled. I am thinking of an old American car where the valve covers just come off with a few screws.

Hi, just as a reference to you, I fixed the exactly same problem of my 97 ES300 by spraying throttle plate cleaner to clean the IACV. It has been like 3 months and the problem has not come back yet. ← Getting ready to do the same thing. Did you take it all apart first? Lazy man (me) here would like to just spray clean without taking anything apart!

I am trying to gather info to do this job (clean IAC valve). I have had the stalling at initial startup problem, although only very rarely. Here is my current question: I have the Haynes repair manual which recommends cleaning the throttle body with carb cleaner (make sure carb cleaner is safe with O2 sensor systems and cat converters) but they caution: Do not clean the throttle position sensor (TPS) or Idle Air Control (IAC) valve with the solvent. So, what's up with this warning and what should I use to clean the IAC valve? I also have the official Lexus repair manual, which states: NOTICE: To prevent deterioration, do not clean the throttle position sensor and IAC valve.

see my old post: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...232entry74232 You should be able to view the notice I received from Lexus good luck!

I was hoping Wulf would return and see my post. It does sound to me like something that is covered by the extended emissions warranty but I doubt his dealer would tell him.

how many miles on your ES? This sounds like something that may be covered by an extended federal warranty. Search for my old post!!! I had a similar problem - facing a $900 repair bill. Dealer claimed they weren't aware of the extended warranty, but Lexus HQ fixed me up and I paid nothing!!! (I have a 97 es300. mileage was around 125K I think. warranty was extended to 150k miles!) my old posts are still out there... link to epa is bad - try this one: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ca...caa/toyota.html The evaporative emission control system warranty will be extended from the current two years or 24,000 miles to 14 years or 150,000 miles.

I was hoping for a supercharger, especially since they make one for the Camry 6 cylinder engine which I thought was identical to the Lexus engine, but I was told it wouldn't work on my es300. :(

so would YZZD1 be the short one and YZZD3 be the long one? I searched and found several threads on Toyota forums. Apparently there is a lot of confusion out there. The filter on the car, which I purchased at the exact same dealer parts counter, is 08922-02011. I guess the one I have will work.

I have a 1997 es300 I just went to the Toyota dealer parts counter and they had a real hard time telling me which oil filter to get. After staring at their computer screen for 5 minutes and asking me if I was sure it didn't have a V8 engine I finally figured out they didn't have Lexus info and told them it should be the same as the V6 Camry (1997). They did not inspire my confidence so I just wanted to check the correct part number. Last time I was there the clerk was knowlegeable and immediately gave me the right filter. Oh, they gave me 90915-YZZD1 Made in Thailand... why do I bother?

The first time I changed the oil in my es300 I called the dealer and asked them if there was any special trick to removing the oil filter without making a mess. Their reply.......................... "That's what we are here for" I thought that was pretty annoying, but I am a bit more willing to accept it knowing it is a univeral problem. It also took me a half an hour to FIND the filter!! I kept looking underneath the car, like every other car I had ever owned!!

I did a search on struts/shocks and found some great stuff (One member actually posted a very well documented step by step how-to with photographs: excellent!!) but I still have a few questions. First of all, the most basic question: Are struts and shocks the same thing? Do I have both? If I order KYB struts (and strut mounts) and replace them is that all I need to replace? One of the searched threads identified a website that seems to have the lowest prices on KYBs, which includes shipping. A bit cheper than tirerack. But for all 4 struts and all 4 corresponding strut mounts it still comes out to $475 for the parts alone! Does that sound right? I am going to try to install them myself. I don't have the adjustable suspension which should make the install a little easier. The instructions I found via this forum look awesome. I already bought a Lexus repair manual and a Haynes (Camry) manual. I may also buy a new tool set. I have been using SAE tools for the past 5 yrs doing most of my wrenching on an old American car. Need a metric set! Any other suggestions or ideas? My ES has 130k miles and the ride quality has really deteriorated.... very gradually. My daily commute takes me into New York City with lots of potholes, and I feel every one of them!

Oil Change- 1998 Es300, First time by owner since new. oh.... it was the first time that YOU changed the oil. I thought you were going to tell us it was the first time the oil had ever been changed on this 98 ES!!! :cries:

Mine is a 1997, purchased new by me in December 1996. Most of the miles on my 50 mile rt daily commute.

sorry the pic is so fuzzy! I'm sure there are plenty of high mileage ES300 out there, but you only see this once! :D hmmm... I guess that could be said of any odometer reading.... oh well, I got a kick out of it!

I think you can download an owner's manual on the lexus website.

My dealer wants $640 to change the valve cover gaskets on my 97. In response to my gag!!! the service writer explained the amount of labor required to do the job. Mine aren't leaking too bad yet so I am waiting.

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The short answer is "no" :( I have seen this question asked and answered previously on this forum. I didn't fully understand the reason it won't work. I emailed TRD a while back and they told me they don't make a S/C that will work on the 97 ES300. I thought the Camry engine was the same as the Lexus, but they told me there were enough differences so that the S/C that bolts on the Camry V6 will not work on the ES300. Something about the chip and measuring the oxygen, which obviously changes drastically with a S/C. Maybe someone can explain it. But I did ask, they said "no", and I was bummed.

I was going to say "Diehard" also! Didn't notice Eric was in HK. I lived there from 1987 to 1990, but didn't have a car. Are you on HK or Kowloon? Can you order a battery and have it shipped in, or are you pretty much at the mercy of what they have at the local garages?

If you can get anything back from the seller, great, but I seriously doubt you have any kind of a legal case or even an arbitration case. (He's actually taking it back and refunding your money?? congrats!) "Meticulously maintained" means different things to different people and is difficult to prove that vehilce has not been maintained. I tried to mention this point in another thread. Even if an ES300 has been well maintained, there are some benchmark services that are fairly expensive. My 97 has 123,000 miles and has only required routine maintenance. Up to now I have only taken it to the dealer EVERY 5,000 miles. But now the dealer recommends the 120k service, plus wants to change the valve cover gaskets, plus the p/s pump, all for a total of about $3,500 !!!!!! So, who wants to buy my car for $7,000 ?? Meanwhile I had the brakes done and oil changed at midas, and I am going to defer the major service for a while, probably have it done at a Toyota dealer, maybe wait until 150k for the timing belt since it was changed at 60k. My point is that most of the problems with your car are routine maintenance items, and even if your car had been serviced regularly it could have needed a major (and routine, and expensive) service. I think many cars are sold right before a major service is required. It's the estimate from the dealer that pushes the seller over the edge, "I might as well sell this and buy a new one rather than dump all that money into it!!!!"

I re-read my post and see you may have taken it wrong. I quoted lexusfreak because I agree with what he was saying and understand the importance of the maintenance history. I was asking if MY point was too obvious, that in addition to reviewing the maintenance history of the car you should also be aware if a major (and expensive) service is due soon or has just been performed.