ArmyofOne
-
Posts
2,655 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Store
Articles
Videos
News & Articles
Posts posted by ArmyofOne
-
-
You need to buy the HID lamp, the reflector housings are different to accept the different type of lighting element and the different reflector shape to provide the proper beam pattern. Plus the lights have an autolevelling feature, you need to get the HID lamp.
I second the advice to tape up the lamp, those HID bulbs are $150 each. Once it gets wet it'll be ruined.
$1700 isn't that bad for all that damage, could have been worse. I do see some warping of the bumper cover down by the foglight that may or may not be able to be smoothed out...
not only are the housings different, but an HID bulb in a standard housing may melt the standard hosuing...i think the HID housings are built for this.
-
The gauges are LED I believe, the only Lexus that uses cold cathode lighting for the gauges is the LS.
I'm just talking about maplights, courtesy lights, etc.
I bet the bulbs would fit in the Contour too, they make LED bulbs in almost every concievable size.
SK- I'll order some now!
SW, look here:
-
whats running rich mean
Too much fuel, not enough air.
-
Hi
Just reading other suspension threads (spings and coils) and where people have to replace bushings and mounts and whatever, is there any sort of maintenance to do on a 1990 LS400 with airsus? Its only done 61000km. I don't actually know if the ride is fine or not (is there anyway i can tell). Like i don't feel and abnormalities.
Is it wiser to leave it because some people have suggested around here don't do anything to it since it probably cause more trouble and its going to fail sooner than later. Is there evening bushings and mounts and rods and whatever on the airsus setup like the other type?
Thanks in advance
Air suspension replacement struts can run as high as $900 USD a piece. I would leave them alone. WHen it does fail, i would invest in regular suspension, the difference is not much. except a $3,000 USD repair bill difference.
-
not bad. go for it.
-
$1700 to replace all of that? My body shop charged me $1600 just to replace my passenger side door panel (somebody backed into my door) and repaint/blend it in to match the rest of the car.
Luckily insurance picked up most of the tab.
I dont see anywhere a radiator core support would have to be repaired...
TAPE OFF THAT LIGHT WITH SOME KIND OF ANYTHING
you dont want to blow than xenon bulb...expensive. cover it. the first time water hits it while it on it could mean bulb death!
-
help me out, cause this is bad news, i just see like smoke from cold weather, i dont see blue smoke, and it passed inspection last year
probably old valve stem seals. means a head rebuild usually. I would wait to do it until you have to.
he may have just ben blowing smoke up your !Removed! too.
it coudl also be something as simple as spark plug seals, fouled plugs, thinsg fo this nature. but not likely since you just got then replaced.
May be running rich. the car is burning oil if he saw smoke...thats IF he saw smoke.
-
o.k. here goes. i am a new member that recently purchased a 98 es300. it has 115,000 miles on it. it runs and drives as smooth as i have ever driven any car. this question concerns the "gelling" problem. i removed the oil filler cap in preperation the change the oil. inside this area did not look "clean". the oil itself did not look very old. however, the dipstick appeared to be discolored by brown stains that i cannot remove. like i said, this car is very smooth mechanically. should i be concerned? what are the chances that lexus will take care of the "potential" sludge problem? i have read alot of information on this websight about this problem. thanks in advance for your knowledgable replies.
The brown stains are probably just oil varnish. thats normal. most engines that dont have synthetic oil (DONT START) have this, there isnt much that can be done about it.
if you are really THAT concerned about your engine, then do a search. :D i dont know enough about the sludging as it wasnt an issue on my model. Wish i could be of more help.
-
help me out, cause this is bad news, i just see like smoke from cold weather, i dont see blue smoke, and it passed inspection last year
probably old valve stem seals. means a head rebuild usually. I would wait to do it until you have to.
he may have just ben blowing smoke up your !Removed! too.
it coudl also be something as simple as spark plug seals, fouled plugs, thinsg fo this nature. but not likely since you just got then replaced.
-
Welcome Tony.
It really sounds like your second problem is the IACV (idle/intake air control valve). Do a seach using those letters (IACV) or you can spell out the name. The search will bring up tips on how to deal with it.
As for your original problem, I'm not too sure about. I'm sure someone can provide you some feedback on how to go about dealing with the problem.
could be a power steering belt slipping. check them.
-
armyofone , what would you use to clean ur wheels wth, would you use a alloy polish , and what brand, i have the same rims as you
NO!!!! no alloy polish! LOL.
remove your Center caps. They are plastic. Use eagle one wheel cleaner (or similar)
follow up with a toothbrush and more wheel cleaner, then rinse, let dry, wax with a cleaner wax, then apply Zoop seal or similar sealant. (google Zoop seal to find kits for sale)
my wheels look that ggood after every wash, and i only wax them once a year.
DO NOT USE th wheel cleaner on the center caps.
here are better pics of a clean wheel (mine):
before you ask they are wrapped in Dunlop SP2 Sports
now, on wih the thread,,,no more hijacking LOL.
-
Ehhh, I don't think I'm ready to go there lol. I just want whiter more attractive light.
well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy).
you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan.
trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon.
1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too.
2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient.
the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be.
oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;)
really? i had no idea.
learn something new every day. in the contours (again my domestic experience ringing in here) they required mods to fit.
but these arent contours LOL.
anywasy, as for the gauges being cold cathode, i dont know....incandescent bulbs will still get hot...cold cathode gives off "cool light" its soft, yet bright at the same time. hard to explain. and as i said before, you can leave the bulb on for 5 hours and then touch it. it will feel room temp.
But this is your desicison SW, and personally i think if LED's can achieve the same effect, be cheaper and easier, i say go for it!
-
LOL you guys.
Think about how good yours will look once you get your polishes...they're on their way!
yeah i am waiting for those, i still need to get a utting pad before i can use them though.
-
thanks guys for all the help. i am taking in to the dealer next week to put a new rack on. the service tech told me to only worry about the boot if it starts leaking fluid and it is. when you rub your finger in the hole on the boot, it's a lot of wet fluid in there and the boot is covered with fluid on the bottom of it. after he told me how the rack flows fluid, i was told that the seal is bad on the end of the tie rod by the boot and that is why it has fluid in it. hopefully, he is telling me the truth????????? :(
thanks
I have found with dealers, that if they arent trying to rip you off on the price, then you probably have had the truth given to you...how mcuh are they charging labor for thsi repair?
-
You should replace the strut isolators together with the struts.
you mean strut rods? (curious as i have never heard this term used before)
-
It's over at the dealership again. I basically told them that I didn't pay $600 last week to have the thing worse off than before. They're good guys over there though. They're installing my new weatherstriping around the doors for free, so I can't complain about that. Took the mechanic for a drive, he heard the noises and felt the vibrations I've got. Said he'll get to the bottom of it. In the mean time, I riding in a 04' ES330. Nice car, but not a fan of Toyota's new electronic throttle set up. It's got a serious lag in response time, and very very shift happy, in my opinion. Dude, you got me on the gas milage , I haven't a clue as to why I get that milage, and I don't want to know.
i wish you were near me. i hate diagnosing vehichles over the net LOL. the funny thing is, i could probably take one ride in it (or drive) and tell you exactly what it is.
trust me. If you want to do the struts, do them yourself. they arent difficult at all. a mankey with one arm tied behind him and only a set of socket wrenches could do it in 8 hrs.
ok maybe not...but you dont need many tools to do the job. Maybe a strut compressor if you cant get thecar high enough off the ground, but you can get that at autozone (put depiosit, take home, use bring back get $$$ back).
-
Ehhh, I don't think I'm ready to go there lol. I just want whiter more attractive light.
well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy).
you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan.
trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon.
1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too.
2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient.
the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be.
oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;)
-
Army- How did it turn out?
SK- something like this? www.visionbulbs.com
well it was actually very good. all the lights had the same light output. so when the door was open, and the cortesy and dome lamps came on, it was extremely bright inside. like having a florescent light in the car. i was planning to redo the gauges with cold cathode white light, but then i wrecked.
The thing about this, all the connections have to be changed. this is custom work. a cold cathode bulb will not fit in a standard socket. your dome light will have to have wires cut etc.
basically, once it starts, there is no going back ;) but you wont regret it. I got the hook up with mine. and it was easy, cause it was a cheap car, everything kind of came apart without tools. the wires have to be soldered. very similar to an LED instlal, except the bulbs are bigger.
but you can touch the bulb and while its on, its room temp. no melting of the circutry or anything.
i would guess the light output was similar to that of a standard florescent tube light in your kitchen light.
-
Really? What all is involved in that?
heh, i didnt actually do them...i had them done at a car audio shop. so to behonest, i really dont know what was involved. but it couldnt have been much, they only charged me $20 per light plus bulb cost.
so $100 bucks for all 4 courtesy lights, my map lights and trunk lights.
Sorry i said that LOL. my fault.
-
That's right, no need to drop the whole rack. Disconnect the outer tie rod end and you'll be able to put the boot on that way. Shouldn't be more than 45 mins a side - tops.
Bob
FOrgive my ignorance LOL. i was completely wrong. See in the world of the GEN I ES (mine) and most other cars, the rack has to be removed to do this repair as there is just NO ROOM to do it any other way. My fault guys. :D
-
Thanks Army, yeah I made sure to avoid the air suspension option. I had a neighbor years ago that had the air suspension on his Infiniti Q45, it put him in the poor house. I did the test last night, it doesn't really bounce up and down that much, but it's pretty soft, too soft if you ask me. The whole car leans too much when making simple turns and she fells like the SS Loveboat. Thankfully the shocks are about $50 a piece, which suprised me since everything else is so expensive. I'm wondering though if the dealer didn't mess something up last week when putting on the strut rods, because this has all happened since then. Yeah is squeeked a bit before, but now it's aweful. Oh well, I keep telling my self that it's a Lexus for the price of a Kia. FYI: I drove 850 miles last weekend, city & highway, on 32.5 gallons of gas. That's an average of 26 mpg. Now on a V8 engine! I love these cars. That's better than my old 2001 Maxima, or my 99' Subaru Outback.
true, and a lexus's tranny wont fall out on the test drive (long story!) LOL.
I wish i coudl get 26 MPG. i get about 13.5 city.
Sponginess is no good either. I would go ahead and replace them. Struts are not very labor intensive, but you may need an alignment afterwards.
if you dont want to do it yourself, a garage with a lift and basic toosl can do it in 3-4 hrs.
-
Neil- I'm definately going to tint here before too long, it needs it. I'm undecided about the new projectors, I like them but I think I like the reflectors better.
man SW, you suck! :P
What swilrs are you talkig about, its flawless!
mine looks pretty good too:
not bad for 15 years old eh? its actually better in person, my cam sucks too LOL.
your car is perfect. but it could use a tint. and a drop (it not your car, its all the ES300s/330's since the last major redesign in 02 i think, they ALL look like they ride WAYYY to high.)
i like subtle luxury, as long as you dont bling it ou, you will have the most beautiful ES this side of the LOC.
-
This is a tough noise to describe - sounds like a rapid vibration or "flutter" over the smallest bumps or curbs. Comes from the Driver's side front of car - possibly from the wheel area but not sure. No other noises over potholes or large bumps. I can hear it at idle speed up until about 40mph. Over that and I think the road noise drowns it out but it still may exist. Had the car into a brake and muffler shop for a free inspection. They could find nothing wrong (now that's an honest (or stupid) shop!) The Dealer suggested that the sound may be the heat shield rubbing against something. Have you heard of this or should I suspect the beginnings of bushings going bad or something else? It drives me crazy and I don't think its normal!
it might not be normal, btuif it isnt affecting drivability it is harmless.
sounds liek it may be a header/flex pipe/cat heatshiled.
take it to a MUFFLER shop and ask them to look at it.
-
i guess i need to get it fixed now then :cries: they are big rips in 2 of the boot's creases and you can put your fingers in them and they are on the bottom of the boot :)
upon looking at the components fo the rack i have found that if you remvoe the tie rod end, the new boot may slide right over...not a bad job...
Luckily insurance picked up most of the tab.
Just Got Tune Up, Blue Smoke
in 92 - 06 Lexus ES250/300/330
Posted
I agree with the compression check, i presumed your mechanic did this whne he did the tune up.
and engien can burn oil for years and still run fine. in fact, there are cars out there that burn more oil than gas and run ok LOL. howeverm yoyu wont pass most state emissions tests, so i woudl get ti fixed.
The motor is non interference. if youe timing belt breaks, the engien will die and not start back up again. The clearence is fine. there is too much room between Mr. Piston and Mr. valve for the 2 to touch. the valves are recessed in the head too far.