ArmyofOne

i take the high road on things because i give people the benefit of the doubt, i knew you knew it was the left side. we all have brain farts, dont worry about it. it really does suck when you ask a simple questiuon on a car forum and people either A. leave you high and dry cause they dont want to answer a "dumb"question. or B. they Flame you because you asked. im a mechanic, i know the only way to learn these things is to ask, then do, no book can teach you how to be a mechanic...trust me. i rebuilt my first engine when i was 12. ill share a not very well known (or at least followed) secret in the automotive mechanics feild, if you dont know exactly what you are doing, or you have any doubts, dont even pick up a wrench. in short, dont be embarrased to ask, its better than not knowing, and the beauty of asking a question like that, is you will only have to ask once. never again will you "forget" which side of your car is the left. i gauruntee it. :D LOL now, do you have any mechaincal questions about your engine, care to be educated on how one works? i can explain it to you. PM me. :whistles: :)

the only thing: CHANGE YOUR PCV VALVE EVERY 40,000 MILES! that is the ONLY reason my motor is leaking, at 138,000 miles, mine stil had the toyota factory PCV valve. when the PCV valve clogs, the crankcase has nowhere to vent the extra air/oil pressure, so it starts to push oil out of your seals. my car is leaking the most oil from the oil pump seal. about 3/4 of it is coming from there. the only things not leaking are the heads and the rear main. the exhaust manifolds, the camshaft and crankshaft seals, the oil pump seal and the valve cover gaskets are all leaking. since i had the PCV valve changed, i will probably attack them one at a time, cam and crank seals (w/oil pump seal) when ihave the TB, WP and tensioners replaced, the total on that will come to around 1K. the valve covers and exhaust manifolds i can and will do myself more than likely. whoops meant $2.60 my bad.

if you have coolant in you oil you are *BLEEP*ed, the antifreeze washes out the oil from the bearings and kill the motor. as for the kit I do not know were you can get it. it was given to me by one of the guys the shop I work in. it has green fluid that goes inside a tub that goes on the radiator top. as the air flows thought the fluid turns yellow if there is carbon monoxide. once you take it off and air goes thought the fluid it turns green again. the other way to test but it is more of a pain in the !Removed! is to use a compression tester. remove all the sparkplugs and do a compression test. this way you can also test the integrity of the motor to see if it is worth fixing. because at 176 it think you are reaching the end of it;s life. ← heh, NOT always the case, i drove a Chevy Chevvete $2300 Miles Across County with a blown headgasket. the coolant burns almost completely out before it does any damage, hence the white smoke. yeh, if you REALLY blow it (like at full rev's) then yeah, it can do damage, but you have to have near hydrolock levels (about 1/2 inch in each cylinder) to kill your motor, that wont happen unles you suck water through the intake (on a stock intake its hard ot do as well, you will have water coming throughj your doors!) i have also blown 2 headgaskets (one on each bank) in my 68 charger, at 5,000 RPMS doing 110. got me home. no adverse damage to the motor other than the water pump and the headgaskets themselves. it just ran liek *BLEEP* and smoked like a bniatch.

is that the one where you mistreated your car? :P as for me: before air filter change: ~190 Miles per tank After air filter change ~300 Miles per tank (almost) all highway.

UPDATE, Getting MUCH better gas mileage now, somewhere around 300 a tank hwy...better than 200.

yeah, it does look a lot like a camry... and its not even the top model, it doesnt have leather, no cd player... if i can come up with the amount of cash i need between now and the time i leave, i may leave it at jason's shop while im away, and he can tinker with it whiel i feed him money via electronic transfer...they can do that from iraq right ? its only costing me $260 every couple of weeks to put oil in it, and its not getting any worse (*knocks on wood*) so i might just live with it...

well, i drove out to JP Imports today, (jason is very cool BTW, answered all of my questions and gave up an hour of his time for free.) my car is leaking...badly. not bad enough i cant keep putting oil in it (it takes a quart every 2-3 weeks, when colder leaks more), but it smells bad and just isnt cool to have to stop 3 times in a 100 mile trip cause you are worried about your oil level. Jason at JP Imports looked at it today, and in addition to the cv joints (which will be done tomorrow if i ever get PAID!!!!), there is oil leaking from nearly every external gasket on the motor. in fact, i would guess (he said it was impossible to tell for sure because fo all the oil) that everything that can leak oil, except the rear main seal, and the heads, is leaking oil. the exhaust manifolds, cam and crank seals, valve cover gaskets, spark plug seals, and most importantly, the oil pump seal. the oil pump seal is leaking the most. so i am at a turning point. i can either sell it now and try to recoup some losses that i have put into it (CV JOINTS< BRAKES ETC>>>) or i can keep it and have it fixed to the tune of between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars, (wont know till hes in there). here is my dillemna, if i buy another car for 2-3K (what im looking at to fix this one) i will most likely be buying someone elses problem...again. if i pay to fix the lex, i know i have an entierly sound motor that is working fabulously and is in nearly new condition. im thinking he will pull; the motor to replace all these seals, hence the amount of money involved...but the car still has other issues. they can be worked around, but they are still there. so since i cant figure out how to make a poll on this site, here are the options sell and be done fix and keep. remember, it is a rare car, and the interoir is in mint condition, minus the window switch on the drivers side door, and a little heat warp on the dash... thoughts?

seriously though, the only styupid question is the one you dont ask (ask that question on some other auto forums and you might not like the response tho, none of the lexus/toyota ones though, so dont even worry about it :) ) however, that said, im glad you asked that, because i would have felt bad if you hadnt said anything, then ordered the wrong side.

if you payed for that, you shouldnt have LOL, it can just as easily be done at your house with 5 minutes of your time and some grease. :D but thats ok, it couldnt have been too expensive, and next time you know. i wish i had a NON LEAKIN 1993 ES 300 right about now. BTW, glad everything worked out :)

i can almost garuntee that you have the same problem as me, a short in the ebrake handle sensor. the next time the light is on, pull the handle up (not quite to thew first click) and drop it back down, ill bet it goes out.

ACK!!!!!!!! :wacko: get the rebuild kit off of ebay comes with new rod bearings, rings, gaskets and all the goodies for $550, take it to someone and have it done for $2000...OR LESS!!! $5500!!! i almpost fell out of my chair. it sounds as if oil sludging might be your issue. do a search on "sludge" to find out more ;) compression in each cylinmder should be greater than 150. and thats crap, if your compression was at 50 PSI the engine wouldnt even run, it wouldnt even spark. did it smoke at all, did it make any odd noises when it finally did start? any warning lights on the dash? i would be willing to bet it is something simple, like the start, or an electrical connection somewhere, dont get just one opinion. although with 193K, it may need a rbuild, but take it somewhere else, rebuild is a last resort, and it shoudl NOT cost $5,500. anywhere. for that price, you better have titanium forged pistons.

there are sooo many things that could be...

heh, you are just out of reach. there is a shop i reccomend here in dallas (garland) called JP Imports. Lexus and toyota only, the email address is jpimportz@yahoo.com. if you want to have the car towed (it sounds liek its not driveable) or drive it there, he can fix you right up, with dealer quailty work at a fraction fo the cost. the owner, jason, is a Lexus/Toyota Certified Master Technician. adress is: 3521 Security St. Ste 101 Garland Tx, 75042-7627. you may be able to find good work in your area, but Jason is thew best i know of. if the car will make it here, that is my suggestion. ;)

1990 Lexus ES250, 2.5L V6, Auto Trans i am going to have a different shop do it. $356.74 Labor only. still too high? i could do it myself, i just dont have the time, and that diff doesnt make things any easier. ineed to tell the guy at the new place not to flush anything, my trans may not work if he does. now that i have some clear answers, one last thing does the Differential fluid have any relation whattsoever to the Transaxle? and will the diff slip if the fluid in it is burned and then given new? ← the diff will not slip becasue there is nothing to slip. there is a gear that directly drives other gears. the fluid is just to lube them. the diff just lets the wheels move at different speeds when going around turns ← thats what i figured, but wanted to make sure... i may have JP imports do it (they are kinda far away (50 miles) for me to drive on bad CV joints, BUT, if he can do it for cheaper, then it will be worth it. my only issue is that it will take me a ful day to get out there, have hin look at my car and come back, i cant take the time off of work and i have classes most nights. however, jason reccomended ONLY replacing the boots and overhauling the CV joints. i need to save money, and i am wondering if this will cost more than just replacing the axles, as it is quicker to replace the axles. ← scratch that, he didnt know i already had the parts. so as it standsright now, i will drive out there tomorrow and have him look at it...i will let y'all know.

they did make a mark 8 in 1998...

1990 Lexus ES250, 2.5L V6, Auto Trans i am going to have a different shop do it. $356.74 Labor only. still too high? i could do it myself, i just dont have the time, and that diff doesnt make things any easier. ineed to tell the guy at the new place not to flush anything, my trans may not work if he does. now that i have some clear answers, one last thing does the Differential fluid have any relation whattsoever to the Transaxle? and will the diff slip if the fluid in it is burned and then given new? ← the diff will not slip becasue there is nothing to slip. there is a gear that directly drives other gears. the fluid is just to lube them. the diff just lets the wheels move at different speeds when going around turns ← thats what i figured, but wanted to make sure... i may have JP imports do it (they are kinda far away (50 miles) for me to drive on bad CV joints, BUT, if he can do it for cheaper, then it will be worth it. my only issue is that it will take me a ful day to get out there, have hin look at my car and come back, i cant take the time off of work and i have classes most nights. however, jason reccomended ONLY replacing the boots and overhauling the CV joints. i need to save money, and i am wondering if this will cost more than just replacing the axles, as it is quicker to replace the axles.

my bad didnt catch the year... every car will have some vibration, somemore than others, but on something like a lexus,the suspension should absorb it all...

damn dude, i have a lot too, most of which is on your list.

a bad set of V joints can cause this on acceleration, seen it many times.

not to call you out or be an !Removed!, but VGR, you have to know that my ford contour had 385,000 miles on FACTORY CV joints. not all american parts are junk, and i would much rather pay $55.95 for a remanned driveshaft and have to replace it every 3 years than pay $285 dollars for one and have to have it replaced every 5. with the amount of miles i drive, i can tell you, remaned joints last just as long as toyota/lexus or any other brand. yeah, they get bad ones, but things happen. i drove the *BLEEP* out of that contour, and i drove it hard too, and not a single issue. i put 100K on a car about every 3.5-4 years. not as many as some people, but more than others. i bought this es250 with 138K on it. it has 141K on it already, and i have had it barely a month, and i have cut wayyyyyy back on the amount of miles i drive, since i am not allowed to deduct them for work purposes aforthe time being. as soon as i am, they will start going back up. do yourself a favor, go remaned. get under there once every 6 or so months and slather a light coating of high speed bearing grease ON the boots, this keeps them from dryrotting. you will be good to go. that was the only treatment i gave my ford, and she came through for me every time. nowhere in ANY toyota/Lexus manual i have seen does it say not to use remanufactured driveaxles, or any other part for that matter (excpet for steering racks and struts, for the obvious reasons). it makes no sense to me at all to pay almost $300 for a set of CV joints...ok, over $300. 1997 Lexus ES300 (just an Example): CV JOINTS, ES300, Outer 97-01 $314.45 CV JOINTS, ES300, Inner, Right 97-01 $261.48 CV JOINTS, ES300, Inner, Left 97-01 $225.56 if you have to do both sides, inner and outer, thats over $500!!! with toyota parts. or the axle shafts: AXLE ASSY, ES300, Right 95-01 $342.63 AXLE ASSY, ES300, Left 95-01 $318.15 then you still need the boots: BOOTS, ES300, Outer 97-01 $14.95 BOOTS, ES300, Inner 97-01 $26.37 i got 2, TWO!!!, Remanufactured Axle Shaft Assemblies, CV joints and all for $120. is that NOT a killer deal? oh, and it came with a LIFETIME Warrnty from O'Rielly's Auto Parts. even if i do have to replace them again in 3 years, and it may be sooner than that due to my worn steering rack...o well. i still saved a TON of cash. Remanufactured Parts have to go through Rigorous quality checks, many even more strict than those on new parts. i know, i work in a place where cellular phones are reconditioned and sent out as "Motorola Certified Reconditioned" units. any RESPECTABLE auto parts remaunfacturer (the ones at O'Rielly's and Autozone are usually respectable) will at least have standartds on par with the rest of the auto industry. it would be bad business not to. BTW, above prices are from http://www.discounttoyotaparts.com

1990 Lexus ES250, 2.5L V6, Auto Trans i am going to have a different shop do it. $356.74 Labor only. still too high? i could do it myself, i just dont have the time, and that diff doesnt make things any easier. ineed to tell the guy at the new place not to flush anything, my trans may not work if he does. now that i have some clear answers, one last thing does the Differential fluid have any relation whattsoever to the Transaxle? and will the diff slip if the fluid in it is burned and then given new?

i have a firend who has done ti beofre, but not on an import. im still thinking i might tackle it, since i dont trust a mechanic not to powerflush my 140K old trans...

buy a mount from autozone etc its ok if remaned ( i have never heard of remanufacturered mounts, but im sure they exist) and then take them to a private, but qualified mechainc for the labor. shouldnt run more than $200 for labor.

I also believe that the smell is caused by the fuel. The sulfur content seems to change even though you get it from the same supplier. I get the smell occasionally, but I learned to live with it. Also, I never had this odor problems years ago, before they used catalytic convertors. ← Back when we had 400 plus cubic inch engines and high compression and leaded gas, and carbs that you could adjust, and distributors you could play with and all those thiings you could easiily do to make a car run really good. Those were the days. ← yeah, but those old muscle cars didnt usually use leaded gas, my dads charger has "Unleaded Fuel Only" written right on the gauge, in the owners manual (he still has it) and inside the fuel filler door. so lead wasnt really a factor, even in 1968. (The car is a 1968 Charger R/T.) ← Oh well, I'm going back further than that, but leaded gas was still available, at least where I lived into the early 70's. The big inch cars I had experience with were mid 60's cars, such as 429 and 406 Fords, big Chrysler and Chevy engines, as well. BTW: The first unleaded cars hat had EGR and stuff for lower pollution ran like crap and got very poor gas mileage. This was before catalytic converters came along. I had a 72 Maverick 302 that ran like a bat out of hell at WOT, but ran poorly otherwise, and only got 16 MPG. You couldn't legally adjust the carbs or remove the pollution control stuff either. Those pre-converter unleaded gas cars would also knock and ping on hills and in heavy traffic. During a 2 or 3 year period there, cars just would not run like the cars from the unleaded gas days. ← ahh those were the days. i dunno man that #'s matching 440 can haul some !Removed!, but the other 44o we have is even better :). the "other" 440 has 426 HEMI heads set on it...among many other thinsg (including a custom S/C). but you are thinking of the 429 fords of old, the mid 50's right?

sorry fro cross posting Steviej, just trying toget as many opinions/facts as possible. the diff can be filled through the dipstick too? i was just told a minute ago it had to be pumped back in?? im confused now, i will consult the haynes manual...