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

its a bit hard looking at the timing marks etc in pictures but if the rotor is not quite pointing to no 1 cyl could your belt be one notch out. fergi Hi, As per the pictures above, the timing marks on the cams are right on at TDC after manually turning the crankshaft 2 revs. Only the marks on the belt have shifted which were all lined up on the pulley alignment marks before I turned the crank,... shouldn't matter as long as the timing marks on the cam and crank pulleys are aligned right? Fergi, the rotor must be right since I have the knock pin on the RH cam pulley aligned properly with the timing mark on the timing cover. I have turned the crankshaft several times and the alignment marks on the cams always line up with the timing marks on the timing covers at TDC. Still not firing. Will try the starting spray...and get a timing light. OK, first of all there are two sets of knock pin slots on the cam pulleys...I assume for different engines. They are labeled 4V and to the right of that, 3V. With the RH and LH cam pulleys installed on the FSM prescribed (3V) knock pin slot on the cam pulley, I noticed that cylinder 1 fires when the 4V knock pin slot (on both cam pulleys) actually lines up with the timing marks on the timing cover. I figured this out by strobing the TDC mark I marked on the face of the crankshaft pulley. After cranking with the starter, I manually moved the crank TDC mark, I made, to the position where the timing light stopped it while cranking with the starter. So, where the strobe stops this mark is where, on the cam pulleys, the 4V slots lines up with the alignment mark on the upper timing cover. So it looks like I should have used the 4V slots instead of the 3V slots lining up with the knock pin. But the FSM calls for the 3V slot. Can anyone please figure out why the 4V slot lines up proper with TDC instead of the 3V mark? Is the 4V slot for a different engine type? One more thing. I can feel that with the 3V slots lined up, the cam shafts are at rest, the valve spring tension holds them at rest and in in alignment with the Timing cover mark. I can foresee that if I used the 4V slots, the camshafts will be under higher valve spring tension and in a different position and would need the TB in proper place to hold them in alignment. That doesn't seem right but I would need to have the valve covers off to see. This is getting complicated. If there is a Lexus technician or guru out there, I would greatly appreciate some feedback. Thanks! just wondering if you have sorted out your timing problem, its hard to really diagnose the problem from a distance but this is what i would be trying next. 1. turn motor by hand until distributor points to no 1 plug 2. make sure that the motor is at TDC with valves rocking freely, ie not under any tension from rocker arms, this will be compression stroke, i know it will be a hassle to take off the rocker cover but only take off RC for no 1 cylinder. if the valves are under pressure then hand crank it another revolution to bring it to compression stroke. 3.check your timing mark on the camshaft to align to the proper marks, then set the second camshaft to its marks then the belt should go on with the marks in the correct alignment. keep us posted. cheers fergi. Hi Fergi, Thanks for the followup. No...I'm kinda stumped. But...I will attempt the rocker cover removal this long weekend...so that I can be sure of the timing once and for all. just thinking, if you have the timing etc set the way you originally had it and its not starting , why not just turn the motor over one more turn and line up the timing marks etc then put the timing belt back on. and give that a try, reason being if you have got it set to exhaust stroke then with one more turn it should then be on compression stroke, saves taking the rocker cover off, just a thought, also is there anyway you can put the distributor cap on 180 deg out, not sure on this, i know in a car i had about 30 years ago the dist cap would fit but would be 180 deg out. also recheck your firing order and physically follow each lead from spark plug to distributor cap, one wrong plug lead will stop it from starting cheers fergi ps firing order is 123-456 firing order is counter clockwise.double check plug leads.

its a bit hard looking at the timing marks etc in pictures but if the rotor is not quite pointing to no 1 cyl could your belt be one notch out. fergi Hi, As per the pictures above, the timing marks on the cams are right on at TDC after manually turning the crankshaft 2 revs. Only the marks on the belt have shifted which were all lined up on the pulley alignment marks before I turned the crank,... shouldn't matter as long as the timing marks on the cam and crank pulleys are aligned right? Fergi, the rotor must be right since I have the knock pin on the RH cam pulley aligned properly with the timing mark on the timing cover. I have turned the crankshaft several times and the alignment marks on the cams always line up with the timing marks on the timing covers at TDC. Still not firing. Will try the starting spray...and get a timing light. OK, first of all there are two sets of knock pin slots on the cam pulleys...I assume for different engines. They are labeled 4V and to the right of that, 3V. With the RH and LH cam pulleys installed on the FSM prescribed (3V) knock pin slot on the cam pulley, I noticed that cylinder 1 fires when the 4V knock pin slot (on both cam pulleys) actually lines up with the timing marks on the timing cover. I figured this out by strobing the TDC mark I marked on the face of the crankshaft pulley. After cranking with the starter, I manually moved the crank TDC mark, I made, to the position where the timing light stopped it while cranking with the starter. So, where the strobe stops this mark is where, on the cam pulleys, the 4V slots lines up with the alignment mark on the upper timing cover. So it looks like I should have used the 4V slots instead of the 3V slots lining up with the knock pin. But the FSM calls for the 3V slot. Can anyone please figure out why the 4V slot lines up proper with TDC instead of the 3V mark? Is the 4V slot for a different engine type? One more thing. I can feel that with the 3V slots lined up, the cam shafts are at rest, the valve spring tension holds them at rest and in in alignment with the Timing cover mark. I can foresee that if I used the 4V slots, the camshafts will be under higher valve spring tension and in a different position and would need the TB in proper place to hold them in alignment. That doesn't seem right but I would need to have the valve covers off to see. This is getting complicated. If there is a Lexus technician or guru out there, I would greatly appreciate some feedback. Thanks! just wondering if you have sorted out your timing problem, its hard to really diagnose the problem from a distance but this is what i would be trying next. 1. turn motor by hand until distributor points to no 1 plug 2. make sure that the motor is at TDC with valves rocking freely, ie not under any tension from rocker arms, this will be compression stroke, i know it will be a hassle to take off the rocker cover but only take off RC for no 1 cylinder. if the valves are under pressure then hand crank it another revolution to bring it to compression stroke. 3.check your timing mark on the camshaft to align to the proper marks, then set the second camshaft to its marks then the belt should go on with the marks in the correct alignment. keep us posted. cheers fergi.

its a bit hard looking at the timing marks etc in pictures but if the rotor is not quite pointing to no 1 cyl could your belt be one notch out. fergi

thanks for the reply cheers fergi

sometimes if you set the timing to tdc you may have it set on exhaust stroke and not compression stroke, that is you could be 180 degrees out with your timing, can you put a timing light on it and try cranking the motor over when its set to tdc your your tappits on no 1 pot should be under no pressure on both exhaust and intake valves, that is the tappits should be loose' also double check your plug leads are correct, check each one properly with the correct firing order. cheers fergi

hi, its difficult to diagnose problems like this over the net but it sounds like you have a blown head gasket or cracked head, that is why you are loosing water and you have white smoke coming out from the exhaust.check your oil dipstick, make sure it is still at normal level and does not look a real milky color, if this is the case stop driving the car until you get the head problem fixed otherwise you will also ruin the motor, if the oil looks ok and the level is normal this means your water is not leaking into your sump. fill your radiator up then start your car, while it is running put the palm of your hand next to the exhaust pipe about , about 4 inches away, be careful not to touch the pipe as it will be getting hot, see if you can feel drops of water hitting your palm. let me know how it goes mate and we will take it from there. cheers fergi

does anyone replace their fuel filter on a es300 1997. i have the fuel filter but i am wondering what the procedure is. i would gather the battery would be disconnected so the fuel pump is able to depressurize. do i have to pull off much in the engine bay to get at it.or is there a web site with instructions. thanks in advance for any info. fergi

I had that same thought. I was wondering if the wear was a result of 8 years of accumulated use or if something happened to the drive more recently that would have caused it. I'm not really interested inspending $200 to wreck another disc only to find out that the drive is shot. I wouldn't normally consider a DVD a wear and tear item. I have considered the alternative of replacing it with a burned copy to test the integrity of the DVD drive itself. I know that by doing so, I might be entering into a gray area that some around here may frown upon. So the moral question is this - is it stealing if I replace my old factory disc with the same version burned disc? do you really need us to answer that question, just do it.

thanks for the reply. fergi

i have a 1997 es 300, on top of the dashboard drivers side up near the front window there are two small domes, one i think is the auto headlight sensor, what is the other one for,its about 6 inches away from the headlight sensor, is it some kind of button, fergi

ok thanks for replies, appreciated. fergi

hi guys, just got my 97 es 300 lexus, one owner from new and maintained by lexus dealer.its in fantastic condition,question , how many miles do you get approx, when the gas light comes on for low fuel, i realise this is dependent on driving speeds, road conditions etc but just approx idea.what do you guys use for keeping your leather seats and trim in good order, do you use anything on your door frame suround rubbers to keep them soft and plyable,also do you use normal car polish to clean up your paintwork if needed, i have heard something about a clear coat but not sure on this. sorry for so many questions. cheers fergi

sounds like it could be cat/converter, if it only does it when the motor is cold then it could possibly be the problem, when the cat warms up the metal inside expands and stops making the noise,also doing it at that rev limit really seems to me to be the culprit. let us know how it goes, as the cat wears a bit more it will probably make the noise more often and at different revs. cheers fergi

hi everyone, new member and new lexus owner, well not really new lexus but used,es300 1997, 120,000 klm,s. first bit of info i would like is what is the power rating of the 6 stacker cd system in the 97 lexus, great sound so i am curious as to its power output,thanks in advance for any replies. fergi south australia