ArmyofOne

ok, i was looking on the driver side by the intake tube.  And then I looked under actual plastic covering of the engine....is there anything in the way i need to look out for, or is it a pretty straightforward install?

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straightforward, pop the old one out and the new one in!

glad people red my sig. you will be glad you change dit, better idle, slightly better fuel economy and a leak free engine will be your rewards.

do you know what a PCV valve does?

if not, i will be delighted to educate :)

PCV=Positive Crankcase Ventilation

An internal combustion engine ceates excess pressure when running, that can buld up, causing massive leaks by blowing seals, and if you let it go long enough, it can even do thinsg like blow your valve seals in your head, or a head gasket.

THe PCV valve prevents this by taking that excess air/oil/gasoline mix and putting it into the intake to be burned.

Without this ventilation, oil pressure will build up, causing things like cam seals and valve cover gaskets to leak, because the pressure has pushed itself out of the seals. Usually the cam seals go first, then the valve cover gaskets. Next to go are the main seals (front and rear main seal) the oil pump seal and then finally the heads, in the worst case scenario.

My engine had the original PCV valve at 138,000 miles. It broke off of the valve cover when it was tapped lightly with a small screwdriver.

my engine leaks from every seal it has except the heads. my vvalves are ok, but had i not gotten to it when i did, it would have been a blue smokey startup every morning.

If the car does not pull to any direction but the wheel is not straight it means the last peron to get an aligment was an idiot.

they are supposed to center the wheel after bouncing the car up and down to remove tension on the tires and then lock the wheel straight with a tool.

Then and only then can they do a proper alingment.

After all they are aligning the steering wheel to the wheels.

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An alignment may not solve your problem either.

Does the direction the wheel is off centered depend on the last direction turned?

What i mean is, when you turn right, is it off center to the right until you turn left?

This is Hystorosis, and it is a tell tale sign of a bad rack and pinion.

But get a proper alignment done first so you know for sure. This will be cheaper than a R&P repair/replacement.

and SK: an alignment involves alot more than just setting the wheel to be straight when the front wheels are, there is also camber angle, toe in and out, caster angle.

but you are correct in how they make sure the wheel ends up straight. they are supposed to lock the wheel in place with a special tool. i was simply stating there is more to an alignment that what is in your post. for good reference. :)

I drove a new GS today and the LED lighting seemed nice and diffused, but those light sockets were designed to refract LED lights.

Basicalkly I want a whiter cleaner looking light, I dont want to go blue or racerish or anything like that. Any suggestions SK?

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have you considered cold cathode...?

I did cold cathode coutesy and map lamps in my contour, and i gotta tell you, it worked pretty good.

i see that advance has a few to choose from also.

http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectParts.as...%20%26%20Pinion

the cheapest, i guess must not come with everything? how soon do i need to get this fixed?

they have a picture to look at on the cheapest one and this is what i am in need of.

thanks

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i wouldnt worry about fixing it until one of the following happens:

you either:

A) start leaking power steering fluid from it

or

B) Feel looseness or play in the steering.

i would get it through autozone, not advance. just personal prefernece relaly.

Hi all,

  Has anyone changed an oil pan gasket on a 92 ES 300..?  If so, how did it go..?

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piece of cake in my 1990 ES250.

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Looks like all you have to do is disconnect from cat on one end..and from the exhaust the other end..or is there more..?

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not sure, my exhaust goes OVER my transaxle, i simply undid my oil pan and redid it.

see:

Hi all,

  Has anyone changed an oil pan gasket on a 92 ES 300..?  If so, how did it go..?

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piece of cake in my 1990 ES250.

i just called Iron Toad. he says the car does not have front axel boots. he said it's the steering boot that i am looking at. i called toyota and lexus and they both gave me prices on front axel boots and axels.  my mechanic looked up the labor cost for replacing the axel for the front and it was in the price book :(

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LoveLext, this would be the Rack and Pinion...and THAT is expensive...

let me check...

the boot itself is $12. however it will tkae 8-10 hrs of labor to gt to it, remove the boot and put the new one on, and then reinstall.

a new rack (qhich will have to be done eventualkly, might as well do it now) will be...about $900. you have to buy it piece by pice at Discount toyota aprts.

iron toad is the smae way, have to buy piece by piece in this case.

Autozone.com has it for:

$469.99 witha $165 core value.

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?U...RACK+%26+PINION

labor for Removal and install on a LS400 is about 2.5 hrs.

I noticed today that the passenger's side axel boot has 2 rips in it.:cries:  It seems to have just happened recently. My mechanic says it's best to put a new axel on instead of replacing the boot. He said that people usually come back after a boot replacement and get the axel put on because the axel did not hold out after replacing the boot, because of debris that had gotten in the boot and axel. Lexus wants $90.00 for a boot and almost $800.00 for an axel. Any recommendation will be greatly appreciated and any cheaper places will be appreciated. I am trying to decide what to do before the axel goes bad. How soon should this be fixed, with driving it in the rain and all?

Thanks :D

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On an LS? it has boots? if this is on the rear(and it has to be), and the LS does have Independant Rear Suspension (wasnt aware that it did), then the only thing i can tell you is go somewhere like autozone. the fact that its aftermarket (IN THIS CASE) will have little to do with reliability. your mechanic is right though, in my experience, people who Re-pack CV joints, ususally dont have a great sucess rate.

im looking up prices right now.

if you must have OEM, cause you like to waste money (j/k) ;) , then go here:

Discount Toyota Parts, Austin TX

they are the cheapest OEM option AFAIK.

i am checking prices at autozone right now for you.

EDIT: Prices are:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker/?...E%29&PageSync=3

Lifetime warranty, remaned Axle, left side, $99.99 with a core value of $45.

sas i said, in this case, remaned is the best way to go. it should last just as long. and if it doesnt, you cna replace it 3-4 times and still not have paid as much for ONE axle from lexus.

Autozone only carries remaned in this case. good luck.

Thanks Army! Got one more question for ya' if you don't mind. The dealer swore the diff. bushings were fine. Said he would change them if I wanted, but they didn't need it. Of course that would have been $500 in labor, so I told him no. The rear carrier's fixed the vibration to a degree. The front strut rods smoothed out the bumps a bit. But I've still got the squek and bad vibration on smooth black top surfaces. The stabalizer bushings are new, ball joints "lower" are new, and you know the rest. All tires are dealer balanced as well as alignment. The car is all over the road in a cross wind, and you can push down on the front and hear is squek like crazy. It's coming from the point where the shocks connect to the control arms. Question: is it time at 10 years and 95k miles for new shocks on the black beauty? I think the ones on there are stock originals. Wouldn't that cause the car to vibrate like a wheel was out of balance on smooth surfaces, but not on concrete surfaces, and do it more at higher speeds? I can't really tell if the "boat" ride is Lexus designed, or the car is riding on the springs now. The front comes up when putting on the gas, and dives when braking. What do you think?

I would LOVE to know what your mechanic did to get those diff. bushings out for only $50. All my guys say it's super labor intensive due to dropping out the drive shaft and differential all together to get them to come out.

Thanks Amigo...

PS, my girl said yes this past weekend, we're gettin' married, so I gotta get this fixed before my mad money turns into floral patterns. Hahahaha.

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Definately struts. i hope you dont have air suspension.

do this, go outside and push the front of the car down hard and hold it (careful not to dent or scratch). then let it back up. how many times does it bounce up and down? if more than 2-3 i would say you are due for struts.

My car is smaller than your, but believe it or not, it still weighs 4,012 lbs according to its door sticker. On the ES, especially the first gen (mine), the car is simply too heavy for the shock, so you get alot fo bottoming out. i probably bottom out once a month on freeway dips, but i dont have a bit of problem with spongynes fo the shocks, and now after my $1300+ bill from JPI i have no more clunking (not saying yours will be that much, i had ALOT wrong with mine) either. it just bottoms out. i have driven one other ES250 and it has the same issue. there is nothing abnormal about it.

as for your squeaks, this reinforces my opinion that the shocks are shot.

replace with OEM if you do not hae air suspension. get them from the site i mentioned above.

Seems like in the ES, the suspension was the week point, or at least in my gen. the struts just cant support the weight of the car.

I hope (for your checkbooks sake) you have regular struts and not the air suspension. if you have the air suspension, it could cost you up to $600-$800 per strut. easily looking at $2,000 by the time its all said and done.

if you have this option, best bet woudl be to replace with regular OEM shocks.

if you dont, try my test and see how the shocks are.

My only concern is wiring it up there with the side curtain airbags in place. No install shop wants to touch it because of that.

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guessing then that the ES doesn't have the powered self dimming rear view mirror?

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it should, my concorde has it.

when you say powered, do you mean able to move with a switch, or powered as in, has electricity going to it...if its the latter then my concorde ahs it, if its the first one that scratch that.

One day the radio (Pioneer, I think) on my 1991 LS400 was working with no sign of a problem and the next day when I turned it on the volume had to be turned fully clockwise to hear just a low output from the speakers.  The radio appears to be tuning the stations properly; I just don't have sufficient volume.  Has anyone had a similar problem?  Thanks,

BillyC

91LS400

239,000 Miles

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sounds like you may have blown your amp.

what's the kelly blue book say?

I personally like cloth instead of leather.IMHO.

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about mine? not sure. it was around $1500 when i bought it.

Seems as though this problem occurs to the older cars, which is to be expected.

Army - as you said, heat and humidity would cause the glue to deteriorate over time.  We get very high humidity in Sydney in the summer months.

Funily enough, I pushed the roof lining up to try and restick the sticky velcro back onto the brakest and it has now held for 2 days.  But the rattles are still there - damn.

I may have to pull the lining down a little and use gaffer tape to stick the wires to the roof to stop the rattles.  The wiring for the phone antena runs under the roof lining to the middle of the rear window and I suspect that this is the cause of the rattle.

If i can get the rattle fixed this way and the velcro holds (doubtful) I will be one very happy camper.  I'll let you know how I go.

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if you intend to remove the roof lining anyways, take it to an upholstery shop and spend the $250 US to have it reupholstered professionally, and be doen with it for another 10-15 years. as i said, there are a few things you can do to slow thsi process down, btu it will eventually happen again. In the US, i look at it like this:

In the northern US, the cars rust out usually before 10 years because most people dont care enough to get the salt off and spend 2 days a year cleaningt he undercarriage of their car.

In the southern US, Heat ruins a cars interior, and sunlight ruins the paint.

so doesnt relaly matter where you go, you will be hardpressed to find a car without SOME kind of asthetics problem. and if you do, you will pay dearly for it.

May i suggest looking for a high heat adhesive? most adhesives garuntee their ability to adhere at 120F. most cars in the souther US (let alone austrailia) get MUCH hotter than that inside, especially in the summer months.

another thing that helps, is let the heater gradually warm up the inside of the car in winter. the sudden heating fo things liek dashbaords and headliners is not good for them.

I just bought a complete sunroof assembly (mine broke) and a dash out of a local 94 LS400 that was in great condition before the rear end wreck. Came from Geico insurance.

The guy from the junk yard called me yesterday and said the 94 dash I bought won't work due to the passenger side airbag. Is this true? Shouldn't it still bolt on but there just won't be a airbag in there?

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Wont even bolt up. With the addition of a passenger side airbag, i am pretty sure the mounting locations changed as well.

The interior of my ES250 is stunning.  the cloth is perfect, as is the carpet.  ask the few people herewho have seen it in person (blake918 woudl be a good one) it is immaculate...a testament to lexus.

best pic i have:

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I'm not sure about the 'testament to Lexus' part. Seems to be more a testament to how you (and the previous owner(s) if any) took care of the car.

I couldn't personally live with cloth - not with kids in the house.

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Thats the funny part. this car wasnt maintained at all.it was just 2 old farts that owned it, then never changed the tranny fluid in the 12 years they had it...scared now? i was when i found out...after i paid for it.

he also never did any kind fo interior work, if you look closely, you can see serious heat warp on the dash. cuased by not protecting it with armor all or something.

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Lemme guess...that credit card prevents rattling?

no, it actually doesnt, its there in case i need it. its a Kroger Plus card (Grocery Store Discount Card). also gives me 3 cents a gallon off of gas.

ask Blake, this car is as rattle free as it was when new. he drove it quite a good distance.

I used to have a ford contour, i knwo all about rattles.

Gumart- Thank you! I just gave it a wash and a wuick wax, shinin again.

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Yes, i have to agree with Gumart, Steve. You have the best looking 03 ES on the site IMO. :)

ArmyofOne, how were you able to get $ back from the Seller, was it a Private Party or Dealer? Was it an airbag issue? Your 90' REALLY is rare and special. And the best part, although you have spent some serious $, is that you have the peace of mind knowing it is done right, and you probable have an ES250 that performs equal or better than new, plus the appreciation that you took something in such poor shape and gave it a new life. And also the fact that you can share your knowledge with all of us!

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No, it wasnt an airbag issue. It was actually the rack and pinion.

i will PM you with the details so as to keep the thread intact.

:)

Sheesh man, its a Lexus not a potato chip, you CAN stop after one lol

Just kidding, congrats!

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that is an AWESOME deal.

you paid $900 more for yours than i paid for mine...and mine was a pile of *BLEEP* when i got it. you dont even want me to start.

since i got mine, i was rfunded nearly the entire purchase price (thansk to my lawyer who found an undisclosed saftey issue) and have since spent about $2,000 in repairs.

about to spend another $1,000 in a few weeks.

god luck with your rare lex, welcome to the club. mine is pretty rare as far as es's go. post a pic or to eh?

Moved to the meet section for members to meet.

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I posted it in general discussion because more people go there than here. but ok...whatever works i guess...

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Allow me to say it, becuase i havent said it already, ALL DFW CHAPTER MEETS ARE OPEN TO ALL CURRENT AND FORMER LEXUS OWNERS, (and anyone else with a really cool car LOL).

I will have a football this time guys. And hopefully a MUCH better camera. and a non leaking car. LOL. I will also be able to stay fro the entire meet. LOL.

we have a few options as to where we can hold the meet, so heres my take:

We can do it in the same place as last time. It was a nice park. It was River Legacy West park in arlington.

We can do it at Arcadia Park in Ft. worth (kind fo a hike for all of you though, so i dont want to do this one if its an inconvieneice, and it probably is. LOL)

We can do it in the parking lot of my College. on a saturday there wont be many cars. Still a hike for most fo you though.

You all expressed that you wanted to have it closer to dallas after the last meet...problem is, i dont know anything about dallas. so you all will have to provide me with some suggestions.

I have heard something recently about Fair Park. is that a subdivision? or an actual park?

[Dr. Evil] Throw me a frickin bone here, ok? [/Dr. Evil]

LOL

so the list is:

1. ArmyofOne-Josh

2. Blake918 (LexusOwnersClub)-Blake

3. JPI-Jason

4. southernsc-derek

5. 1QWKLEX-Tom

6. HoeBag-Chethan* (hope i spelled that right )

7. UTGS400*

*=Possibly

The interior of my ES250 is stunning.  the cloth is perfect, as is the carpet.  ask the few people herewho have seen it in person (blake918 woudl be a good one) it is immaculate...a testament to lexus.

best pic i have:

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I'm not sure about the 'testament to Lexus' part. Seems to be more a testament to how you (and the previous owner(s) if any) took care of the car.

I couldn't personally live with cloth - not with kids in the house.

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Thats the funny part. this car wasnt maintained at all.it was just 2 old farts that owned it, then never changed the tranny fluid in the 12 years they had it...scared now? i was when i found out...after i paid for it.

he also never did any kind fo interior work, if you look closely, you can see serious heat warp on the dash. cuased by not protecting it with armor all or something.

What up fella's! well this week im buying a 92 SC300! cant wait to get it, it has 140,000 miles and is in pretty decent condition.  its black with the tan interior. cant wait to play with the 2jz.  I had a 03 Nissan altima 2.5s and the motor blew twice so im done with it and the whole new car business. i'll see yall around :D

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Welcome, is it an auto or a manual?

Moved to the meet section for members to meet.

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I posted it in general discussion because more people go there than here. but ok...whatever works i guess...

I don't think there have been any significant developments since you asked this question on January 26, 2004.

I have not seen anyone on this or other Lexus forums come up with a way to pop a modern digital phone into a 90's LS system and to allow the use of the steering wheel controls and to play the call through your radio speakers.

Since then, however, I found to be fairly easy to hook up an aftermarket phone kit in my 2000 LS so that it at least mutes the radio a call is in progress.

If you are not using your Lexus phone, I recommend removing it and installing an aftermarket phone kit - probably a Bluetooth kit.  Of course if you don't have a Bluetooth phone you will have to change phones and perhaps even carriers.

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Thanks. Any specific manufacturer of Bluetooh technology that you have experience with?

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MOTOROLA. :D

Lexus dealers are run by Americans and there's nothing corporate Lexus can do to force us Americans to be honest and ethical; i.e. force American dealerships not to overfill the engine with oil.

In all the cases I have seen, the actual amount of oil a Toyota / Lexus needs is 1/2 to 1 quart LESS than the oil capacity figure shown in the owners manual.  So in your case if the owners manual says 7.5 quarts,

the actual amount needed to bring the oil level up to the full mark is likely only 6.5 quarts or less.

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Ah! he speaks the truth! finally we agree on something. LOL

when i bought my car it was a little below the add line, still working fine. i keep it full all the time now, but it wasnt when it was delivered to me.

Count me in!!  :D

blake918-Blake

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Get on AIM you knucklehead! Or call me at my house...you have been recruited to help me organize LOL!

PS: Heres pix from the Christmas Meet!

Peter Farell Supercars IS300

Panoramic

Not a very great group pic...

So:

1. ArmyofOne-Josh

2. Blake918-Blake

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The list is growing LOL!

1. ArmyofOne-Josh

2. Blake918-Blake

3. JPI-Jason

4. Southernsc (Clublexus)-Derek