fergi

guys i have an es300 1997 model, one owner, never in an accident.

180,000 kilometers, about 110,000 miles.

i put a new set of toyo tyres on the car 18 months ago, the front tyres have probably 60% tread left, probably more, the rear tyres have scrubbed out on both outside rears with about twice the wear the front tyres have experienced. the rest of the rear tyres have still got a bit of tread on them, probably around 40% left, has anyone had this sort of wear on the rear, if it was on the front i wouldnt be so surprised as its a front wheel drive. seems strange that the rear is wearing so fast. the car drives immaculate. 120kmh on the open road and it tracks perfect.

fergi

thanks for the reply steve, i didnt think they had adjustment.

by the way the new layout looks good. i am in australia but always come to the USA site as it seems to get more response from questions.

thanks steve

hi, does anyone know if the es300 1997 model has an adjustment for camber on the rear, my lefthand side tyre is wearing on the outside edge, the tyres have done 25000 klm,s since new.

its not a big issue as i have rotated the two rear tyres. the wear is not a lot but just curious to know if it can be adjusted.

fergi

hi, i think the lexus you are looking at would be an excellent aquisition.

i bought a 97 es300 12 months ago with a 160 klm,s on the clock, the car was from the original owner and i must say it is the quietest smoothest vehicle i have ever driven in. it seems to me as it is a low owner car that if a guy can afford to buy that car from new then i am sure he would be wise enough to keep the maintenance up to schedule.

i am sure you would be more than happy with it so dont worry about the sludge problem its not like it happens to every car,

infact when you consider all the lexus and camry v6 made there is not much of a recall or problem . it really is a bit over exagerated that problem which is not to say it wasnt happening to a few vehicles which werent serviced properly, look online and pick any car , google the faults and you will find every make of car has a horror story.

just go for it, you like the car and i am sure once you get it you will be wrapped in the excellent ride and comfort level, you will forget about the sludge hysteria.

fergi

I have a 96 ES 300 that started overheating the day I had the Power Steering Pressure line replace. I am not really trusting of Shops, but they are a last resort of evil. I told the guys that my car had never run hot before, and that I was 100% this was new and caused by something they had done. They told me in no way shape or form might this have anything to do with the work they have done.

I have also read much post here that say this might have something to do with a connection or a harness. I have checked everything around it and I cannot find anything that seems to be unplugged.

But here is what I am facing.

• Fan Speeds are very low / Never speed up

• When driving on the highway the car temp runs normal.

• Only when stopped at lights is the car running hot.

Any Help with this would do.

i think your problem could be that the mechanic maybe disconnected a wiring loom and possibly this has not been put back correctly, it seems if your car is okay while running on the highway but over heats while city driving your electric fan could be not running due to the wiring harness connection problem,

let your car idle over in your driveway and see if the electric fan comes on,this should activate while you are sitting in your driveway with no air being pushed through the radiator, give it 5mins or so to get some heat into the motor, also then try turning on the air cond this should kick in the other fan straight away.

fergi

thanks for the replies,appreciate the comments.

fergi

hi, i have a 1997 es 300,one owner ,until i bought it, 150,000 kilometers,100,000 miles,i had a set of tyres put on it when i first bought it, i dont think they are very good tyres but thats what car dealers do,what tyres have you put on your lexus and what do you recommend,i am thinking pirelli or Michelin,what i am after is a really quiet tyre that also rides smooth,mileage is not a great concern but i am after the two preferences i mentioned,i have found the tyres i have at the moment have worn uneven and are making noises now,

i had the tyres rotated a few days ago and that really helped with the noise ,my local mechanic said they are crap tyres and they tend to wear uneven because of their design.they are warrior tyres,dont know if anyone has heard of them but they are supposed to be made by michelin, though obviously not one of their premium tyres.

fergi

glad you got the problem fixed, at least you had the courtesy to reply back and let us know what the problem was,unlike some people on this forum that ask for help then never ever report back as to whether they fixed the problem.

cheers fergi

yes as other two replys,99% that it is your wheel bearing,as you turn into the corner the wheel bearing loads up ,check to make sure the noise is coming from the side you think,sometimes the noise seems to come from a certain side but may infact be the other.also try going around the corner and as the noise starts slightly depress the hand brake, it could also be the rear hand brake drum .

fergi

looks like catalytic converter

fergi

hi mike, looks like a major meltdown there, i would imagine the mark numbers refer to could be for the crankshaft regrinds, 1,2,3, would probably mean there are 3 oversize bearings that you can get ,thats 3 cranshaft regrinds ,i doubt using fine emery paper would take enough off the crankshaft to worry about putting in an oversize bearing, certainly pull the rod cap off and inspect the crankshaft for grooves, you may be lucky enough to not have any damage but i doubt it, the number 2 you refer to could be no two piston, you can see if its number 2 by looking at where the piston ,conrod is on the crankshaft, i am not saying for sure thats what all the numbers mean but sounds like it to me, dont know if you can buy just one bearing you may have to buy a set, then you might as well put a new bearing in each one, if you do dont get the bearing caps mixed up do one at a time, also make sure the bearing cap goes back on the same way it came off, mark the cap so you know .hope you get it going.

cheers fergi

Hi Paul, well the time that you received my post it was 2.15 pm ,15th which is a tuesday afternoon here,we have friends in Lynchburg Virginia, so this reply is being sent at 9.52 pm tuesday nite,15th, the time in Lynchburg at the moment according to my desktop clock is about 6.30 am ,tuesday 15th. i live in Adelaide south australia.i gather you are in Iowa, never been there but i think we flew over your house on the way to washington dc from Los Angeles.LOL.

cheers

fergi

A special puller isn't needed for the rear rotors. The factory provided two threaded holes in the rotor for that job. Usually the rotors can be removed with a light tapping on the edge with a hammer. But if they're rusted on, you put a suitable bolt into each hole and tighten them. They'll bottom out on the hub and force the rotor off.

I've only ever needed to do that on one car over the years, one of my wife's early ES's, and I believe I used one of either the front or rear caliper mounting bolts to do the job. Just be sure not to destroy the bolt by stripping it, and then find that you can't use them to remount the caliper you took it from. Good Luck.

thanks again ,that is good to know about the rear rotars,'

fergi

As a person who does not live in your country' but a country that i believe is the best country in the world to live in being Australia ,i must say your gun laws amaze me, allowing almost anyone to carry or have a gun is ridiculous,in australia it is very hard to buy a gun or even own one unless you are in a gun club or a few other exceptions,we are constantly amazed at the gun wars that you seem to have over there,drive by shootings,murders,school shootings,mall shootings it never seems to end,its not the guns fault its the idiots that are allowed to have them, and theres plenty of idiots out there,yes we too have the same feral idiots here in australia but with our tight gun laws the feral idiots dont have a gun at hand when they lose it to just pull the trigger and shoot people,i have visited your country in the last 18 months and i found the American people in general to be fabulous ,friendly, and well mannered,but stick a gun in their pocket and when they loose it they can so easily pull out the gun and in a moment of anger pull the trigger, as i said we are the same type of personalities here in australia but if we have a bad moment of anger we have to sort it out with fists,still not a nice thing but we walk away to cool down and think how lucky we were that the other guy didnt have a gun in his pocket, sure we have criminals over here that dont follow the guidelines on the laws regarding guns, but thats what cowardly criminals do they need weapons because most of them are cowards anyway.

fergi

A first timer can remove and replace both front pads and rotors in little over an hour. Pull the wheel, remove the slide pins on the caliper and remove caliper (hang it from the coil spring with some wire so the rubber brake line isn't stressed). Then remove the 2 bolts holding the caliper mounting bracket to the hub assembly. Slide the rotor off.

Clean the pad ends and middle groove in the pads. Clean the chrome runways that the pads slide in on the caliper mount. Push the caliper piston back into the caliper using a large C clamp or water pump pliers. Lube the slide pins with silicone grease. Optional, ... lube the chrome pad runways with antiseize compound, but don't get carried away.

Reverse the entire procedure. Then pump the brake pedal until the pressure holds the pedal from the floor, then disassemble the second front wheel and do the same to that side.

The rears are similar, except that there is only one slide pin/bolt to remove. Then you swing the entire caliper up until you can slide it off the upper slide pin towards the centre of the car. Remove the caliper mount, and pull the rotor. Your emergency brake shoes will be visible and should only need cleaning with a spry bomb of brake cleaner. Don't be concerned about how thin the shoes are, as they are only 4 mm thick when new, and should last the life of the car. Rears should take about an hour as well. Good Luck!

ok thanks for the info, i have done brake pads before so sounds like the rotars are straight forward, didnt know if i needed special puller for rotars, thanks again.

cheers fergi

I am in Sydney (north West Sydney to be exact)

The problem is the car is only worth 2.5K so I need to try a few things myself - Because pretty much everyone is going to say

"Yeah Mate needs a new motor - $1800-$2500 bucks fitted" !!!!

And the car just inst worth that much

It sounds like "rod knock" - ie the bottom end But that sounds like the whole motor needs to come out and once you've done that you are up for 10-20 hours labour (and no one in Sydney seems to work for less that $90 per hour!!!) then the cost of a used egine - say $800 - Youch !!!!

:cries:

I am looking for things I can try myself before I make a call on "scrap value" or "repair"

Cheers

Mike

hi mike, really sounds like a bearing has let go, i think you are correct as it sounds like a big end bearing, either way you have to pull the motor and to be honest for the cost of a jap used motor which are generally pretty low milage and fitting i think its a lot better option than messing around with a conrod bearing, the bearing sounds bad enough that it has probably damaged the crankshaft so it would need to have the crankshaft pulled out and then regrind the journal,this would cost you a fair bit so i reckon all up the used jap motor would be a better option, reliability wise and cost wise,. how long have you had the car, i have had mine for about 6 months, one owner but in fantastic condition, they drive superb dont they.

cheers

fergi

I have an older es, but regardless - I inspect my brakes here and there to get a feel for how they are wearing. generally speaking i find this is the best way because it all really depends on how much you drive. Ive put 25k on the car already and only had it for a bit over half a year.... obviously my pads/discs are under much more use than the buying bread and milk corner store driver.

When i check, if i dont like how low the pads are getting. i just change them. it's a very easy job anyways and do-it-yourself way costs next to nothing. while the pads are being done, then ill check the discs for wear/warping/gouges and the works. if those are sketchy for some reason, off they come and a new set gets installed. again doing this yourself is a joke of a job, and costs parts only. which again are cheap.

when i bought the car the previous owner had done the brakes about a month before. I re-did them about 2 months ago, and im gonna guess that when i put the winter tires on sometime in november, while the wheels are off im going to do a complete pad/disc change also. quebec winters are retarded and i like the security knowing that im fresh and good to go.

hope that helps a bit !

edit: just realised that i didnt even mention cost or answer your rotating question. all depends on your budget for rotating. i never rotate. even though i could/should. it's just as easy for me to put new discs on as to rotate... so i just dont bother and slap new ones in when it's time. i dont do this until i see wearing or something. as for oem pads/discs - the oem are generally better than the jobber parts you can get. i think it was dc or sw that was telling me in some other thread of this very fact. i dont bother going oem because i like to keep new(er) parts and change them often enough.

I know people will say that putting oem will last longer, thus be more cost effective etc... yes you are right. But i rather have new parts on the car being swapped for more new parts. where i live and the routes i drive are ever changing. from incredibly stupid torn up roads under constant construction that abuse the hell out of cars to instantly changing weather conditions that end up forcing you to work the car harder than necessary under regular driving.

to me having brand new parts on by brakes, is total piece of mind. where as if i had 5 month old oem pads and 1 year old discs... i might not be as confident as the sudden flash rain storm hits when im dodging chunks of cement and broken cones from construction dotting the @#$% terrible torn up roads.

not that it will matter if i make a mistake and die. new brakes or not, but at least then i know it was my fault at the last second, and not worn brakes. heh. ;)

thinking of doing my front rotars, how long does it take to put new ones on, is it just a matter of taking the wheel off and does the rotar come off easily,i assume the calipers have to be taken off first.

cheers

fergi

this post is a classic no response from the OP ,i have found on this forum that a lot of people come on here for advice and after everyone trying to help with suggestions the OP doesnt get back with how they fixed the problem, i think its only common courtesy if you ask a question on this forum and take peoples advice the least you can do is to get back to your posted original question and let everyone know how you went, it helps people with the same problem to maybe diagnose their own problems that may be similar and the people that went to the trouble of answering the original post at least feel their advice has been appreciated.

fergi

has anyone changed the cv joints on their lexus es300, how difficult is it and how long does it take.

cheers fergi

no answers i find that a bit unusual, anyway i have fixed the problem.

cheers fergi

has anyone changed the cv joints on their lexus es300, how difficult is it and how long does it take.

cheers fergi

no answers i find that a bit unusual, anyway i have fixed the problem.

cheers fergi

Does anyone know what this is ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeFnCfDudQs

It started as little rattle then developed into horrendous noise oil light came on and the expansion bottle spewed the coolant back out.

Seems to be coming from inside the block

Should I try to pull it apart or just drop another engine in - Is this doable (with engine crane hire) by a DIY mechanic?

Is it true the Toyota Camry engine exactly the same (it looks it from what I have seen) - Except ?

Thanks

:cries:

where in OZ are you, sounds like terminal damage there, best take it straight to your local mechanic but i would get it towed, i think if you drive it then its going to go bang in a big way, secondhand jap motor seems like your best bet.

fergi

has anyone changed the cv joints on their lexus es300, how difficult is it and how long does it take.

cheers fergi

just wondering if you have lexus workshop manual, is so is this the instructions you are following, if you dont have it i can email it to you with the relevent section on installing the tb.

cheers fergi

Hi Fergi,

Yes, even tho my car is a 92 Lexus ES300, I could only find the FSM for a 93...but it is a 3vz-fe motor.

I was trying to think through the crankshaft/camshaft relationship before...see discussion with George Jetson. If I am thinking right...one 360 revolution of the crankshaft should always put the #1 piston at TDC - without the TB on, you don't need to think about the camshaft position. The problem is getting the camshaft right before putting the TB on...which one does by aligning the mark of the RH cam pulley (distributor camshaft) with the timing cover mark. This I assume is TDC for piston #1. I'm assuming this is what the FSM procedures is getting me to do. But it's obviously not working.

When I put the timing light on, it seems like if I had put the cam pulley on aligning the 4V knock pin slot (instead of the 3V as per FSM) then the timing would be right according to the timing light (But not right according to the timing marks on the cam pulleys). I'm going to recheck where the rotor is when the 4V mark is lined up with the timing cover, cause it looks like it's pointing half way between 1 and 6. So I'm gonna recheck this.

Anyways, I've got it set up as per FSM right now...if the valves are in exhaust mode shouldn't I then turn the camshaft 360 to compression mode (TB off) - instead of turning the crankshaft?

lexus.............

set no 1 cylinder to TDC/compression stroke. 1: turn crankshaft pulley and align its groove with the timing mark "0".with no 1 timing belt cover.

check that the no 1 inlet valves are loose and the no 1 exhaust are tight. if they are not turn the crankshaft 1 revolution 360 deg. and realign the mark. this is with the belt on. if the belt is not on turn crankshaft to align mark, then turn the camshaft with distributor connected so rotor is pointing to no 1 plug with inlet valves loose and exhaust valves tight.the mark on this camshaft should then be just about aligned . make the minor alignment adjustment on camshaft pulley to line up exactly,then align the second camshaft , put belt on once these are all aligned, check to make sure they are all lined up exactly and this should then be able to start.

one thing is certain, eventually this problem will sort itself out

fergi

Thanks again fergi...I'll get at this this weekend and let you know how it went.

hi, just wondering if you sorted out your timing problem.

cheers fergi

fill it from the auto trans dipstick hole.

fergi

just wondering if you have lexus workshop manual, is so is this the instructions you are following, if you dont have it i can email it to you with the relevent section on installing the tb.

cheers fergi

Hi Fergi,

Yes, even tho my car is a 92 Lexus ES300, I could only find the FSM for a 93...but it is a 3vz-fe motor.

I was trying to think through the crankshaft/camshaft relationship before...see discussion with George Jetson. If I am thinking right...one 360 revolution of the crankshaft should always put the #1 piston at TDC - without the TB on, you don't need to think about the camshaft position. The problem is getting the camshaft right before putting the TB on...which one does by aligning the mark of the RH cam pulley (distributor camshaft) with the timing cover mark. This I assume is TDC for piston #1. I'm assuming this is what the FSM procedures is getting me to do. But it's obviously not working.

When I put the timing light on, it seems like if I had put the cam pulley on aligning the 4V knock pin slot (instead of the 3V as per FSM) then the timing would be right according to the timing light (But not right according to the timing marks on the cam pulleys). I'm going to recheck where the rotor is when the 4V mark is lined up with the timing cover, cause it looks like it's pointing half way between 1 and 6. So I'm gonna recheck this.

Anyways, I've got it set up as per FSM right now...if the valves are in exhaust mode shouldn't I then turn the camshaft 360 to compression mode (TB off) - instead of turning the crankshaft?

lexus.............

set no 1 cylinder to TDC/compression stroke. 1: turn crankshaft pulley and align its groove with the timing mark "0".with no 1 timing belt cover.

check that the no 1 inlet valves are loose and the no 1 exhaust are tight. if they are not turn the crankshaft 1 revolution 360 deg. and realign the mark. this is with the belt on. if the belt is not on turn crankshaft to align mark, then turn the camshaft with distributor connected so rotor is pointing to no 1 plug with inlet valves loose and exhaust valves tight.the mark on this camshaft should then be just about aligned . make the minor alignment adjustment on camshaft pulley to line up exactly,then align the second camshaft , put belt on once these are all aligned, check to make sure they are all lined up exactly and this should then be able to start.

one thing is certain, eventually this problem will sort itself out

fergi