ArmyofOne

So the OD isnt for going fast, its for towing and stuff like that huh.

Thanks for the replies.

Chris

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heh, i had a friend in my car today, i floored it form a light and he was like "HOLY *BLEEP* !!!"

:D

i caught him off gaurd, i dont think he expected it to be that fast LOL. its by no means a FAST car, but very respectable for a "rebadged camry"

sounds liek a bad motor mount or mounts...

CV joints on this car will run you about $300 parts and labor. i own one too, but i have done my own.

sounds very much like a wiring harness issue...maybe a loose grond somewheres?

also ask them that if the EGR replacement doesn't solve the problem, will they credit you the money?  The starting problem sounds more like a dirty or sluggish IACV or a dirty throttle body.

steviej

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i concur B)

ESPECIALLY if you intend to keep the car for another 5+ years.

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This beast is going nowhere anytime soon! Dropping $2k is still hard to stomach (for a college freshman anyways) regardless of how long I plan to keep the car. I've really started to get used to it(the crappy paint). I'll drive it until I can get a new/er one. I don't think it's going to give me much trouble along the way either! A few little annoying things here and there, but nothing that I can't live with! Good Lexus!

Good to hear that you got your car running. ;) What are you going to do with it? That's just for the "outer panel" which I suppose is a skin, no?

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yes the outer panel of the door is the "skin"

for right now its just sitting...its got $4,300 worth of damage, the airbags deployed and blew out the front windshield....and cracked the dashboard.

i may just say screw it, drop a cobra V8 and custom chassis, cut the flor out, bolt/weld a RWD drivetrain in there and go to town in the SCCA...

Hi everybody, i have a 98 lexus es300 with 75k miles.  I brought my car to the dealer for regular 15k service and a problem with the car starting sometimes. 

The problem was sometimes (maybe once a month) the car would start, then the rpm would lower and the car would shut off.  The only way to start the car is to start it, then pump the gas before the rpm meter went down and try again until it stabilizes. 

They call me and say they found a few problems.  They need to replace the EGR Valve which will cost me $400 parts and labor.  And they found that the front suspension bushing needs to be replaced because they are cracked/broken.  And that will cost me $900. 

My question is, are these critical to fix?  Are the prices reasonable or can i get it done for a lot less?  I don't have much car knowledge so i have no idea what these things do.  Maybe getting the part from somewhere else then bringing them to the dealer would be cheaper?  Any advice or references to a good mechanic in the LA area would be great! 

adthanksvance

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that can be done alot cheaper. IIRC, the EGR valve is right on top of the motor, easy to get to.

the strut mounts will be the kicker, since they have to be removed to fix...

If there was a leak you might need to give the car a little more time to burn off the oil before the smell goes away.

Marc

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How long should I wait?

Thanks for the reply.

Jw

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depends on how much you drive, get it up on the frreway for an hour or so.

good excuse to go for a drive ;)

the only lexus i would by to go fast in would be an SC300/400/430.

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I have a GS430, and thats no slouch - 0-60 under 6 seconds.

The LS430 moves well for a big car.

Neither are 'race cars', but they are far from slow. :D

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true matt, however, they do not look fast...well...maybe the GS does, but the LS i almost always will regard as a cruiser and nothing else. :)

BTW, did you get my PM about the site skin codes?

i have a 5 year old American Bulldog...110lbs of Muscle. her name is Chancie. shes a very good dong, protective, but always ready to go for a ride in the car (not mine of course LOL!) she has had surgery to rpair two broken knees...one from sliding into a fence when we lived in anchorage and one from falling down a set fo stairs...we are very carflu withher now.

she stil runs aroudn the house at 20MPH tho! lol. shes a very strong dog, and just plain loveabe. shed sit in my lap right now if i let her.

I can't get any of the pictures?  All I see is a Search The Web button?

SWO,  I agree with your wheel wheel cleaning.  I use Westley's and spray the whole inside, then use the No Touch tire foam and just spray it all over in there.  Looks so good.

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photobucket deleted the account...the pics arent there anymore.

my dad traded the ram in a week later and got an 02 F150 (paid for!)

3. Transmission mount between radiator and transmission next to the cooler lines.

4. Transmission mount next the driver's side front wheel on the subframe.

check those 2...they are the ones most liley to cause hard shifting. if they are gone, the rest fo the mounts take the heat.

EDIT: engine support is a must, the holes for the bolts will not line up correctly if you dont support the engine, it will drop slighhtly.

The vehicle maintenance schedule for my 94 ES only goes to 60K...

I took it to the dealer this week and got a copy of all the service records (I bought the car last month), it has had all the recommended service done that was listed in the book through 60K and appears to have had all the service done from 60K through 85K (in 5K increments).  The vehicle was sold with 91K on the odo with an oil change and I had the oil changed this week with 96K.  It does not appear to have had the 90K service completed.

Does anyone have a service manual for this year model w/ the recommended PM?

from deducing from my VMS, i am estimating that I will need the following for 90K:

Check & Adjust Valve Cleareance

REPLACE Timing Belt

REPLACE Drive Belt

Change Oil / Filter

Change Engine Coolant

Inspect Exhaust Pipes & Mountings

REPLACE Air Filter

Inspect Fuel Lines & Connections

REPLACE Fuel Tank Cap Gasket <<at 90K or 120K? was last done @ 60K

REPLACE Spark Plugs <<at 90K or 120K? SAA

Inspect Charcoal Canister

Inspect Brake Linings/Drums

Inspect Brake Pads/Discs

REPLACE Brake Fluid

Inspect Brake Line Pipes & Hoses

Inspect Steering Gear Box (Leakage)

Inspect Steering Linkage

Inspect Ball Joints & Dust Covers

Inspect Drive Shaft Boots

REPLACE ATF Fluid (filter also?)

REPLACE Differential Fluid

Inspect Nuts/Bolts on Chassis

Inspect Body

Road Test

Inspect Battery

Set Tire Pressure

Rotate Tires

Also, from reading other posts, I take it that replacing the water pump is also a good idea.  The Lexus dealer told me that the 90K service is around $1,300.  Your thoughts, opinions, experiences?  Thanks!

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yes replace the Water Pump. they ar in there, if they dont than its really a wast of time in money IMO, cause they will be bcak in there shortly...murphy's law.

$1,300 is a pretty good deal for all work performed.

90k service is alot of stuff that gets done.

Nice Car!

I just sold my Ford Contour and bought a 94 ES 300, lol about ditching your  contour for a lexus...

So what if it is an older model...I took mine to the dealership on Monday to get the oil changed and see if I could get a copy of the maintenance history (11 pages...almost all PM! only major probs were dead batteries (2) and a leaking transmission pan @ 60k!)...there must have been 35 cars there for service that morining, and mine was the oldest one there!  It was funny though b/c everybody thought that I was the original owner and kept asking me questions about how well it was holding up and how great it still looks LOL....

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what kind of contour? SE? GL? was it the 4 cylinder or V6? manual? Auto?

i know alot (and i do mean ALOT) about those cars. i also know the cheif of R&D at ford who designed the CDW-27 platform. that platform is now used on the following cars:

Jaguar X type

Mazda 6

Mazda 3

Ford Escape

Ford Escort ZX2

Mercury Cougar

Mercury Mystique

Lincoln LS

and of course, the ford contour :P

and i had no intention of getting rid of it, i still dont. i didnt ditch it. i think i will save up the $850 and have the core supports pulled back into place, then start replacing the little *BLEEP* as i have time.

BTW, my contour now runs fine, apparently the fuel sutoff switch was activated when i wrecked, it didnt get any gas LOL.

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The Mazda3 and the Mazda6 do not share platforms, I am sure.

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whoops! How the heck did that get in there?? my bad.

fixed.

but if you really want to know, the 3 is based off of the focus platform, which has only minor changes from the contour platform...which is the basis for the 6, so they are tied together.

bottom line..the 3 is a derivative of the cdw-27 contour/mystique/modeo chassis.

the 6 is based off of the contour SVT/Mondeo ST220. still the same platform, but with a 2.3L duratec instead if the 3.0L V6.

i have a Pioneer DEH 1550 head unit that i want to put in my LEx. the built in amp on this unit is a 50x4 MOSFET. i have a separate amp for the SW. can i run the HU with the factory amp thats connected to the rear deck speakers?? will it blow my HU and/or speakers??

also, what kind of wiringh harness do i need?

Anyway, thanks for the advice about the water pump addition and what the price should be, or shouldn't be. BTW, what did you mean about the gasket? Is that part of the water pump job?

Shirley

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yes, the gasket cant be reused once the old pump is removed. it comes with the new waterpump as a "kit" for most mechanics. if you buy it from autozone, i think you have to buy the gasket separately. but the gasket is only a ~$3.00 part if i recall correctly.

between $150-$200 is pretty typical for a waterpump. on my ford it was $105, but i figure with a lexus it will be more. if you didnt have it replaced this go round, thats ok...but make sure you get it next time.

meantime, flush out your coolant system FREQUENTLY. clean coolant lubricates the water pump impeller better than dirty coolant, which can clump around it.

change coolant every 5 oil changes...depending on how much you drive, that couls be 2 months or 2 years from now. :D

FWIW: most of the cost on the timing belt repair is labor...

i just remembered you had mice in your wiring, so you didnt have it changed...ill reiterate, get it done first chance you get!

mine leaks, and it smells. there isnt much you can do about it except give it a few days to burn off after its fixed.

Has anyone heard or used this item?  Something i came across on ebay, a SUS-304 stainless steel downpipe for the GS300.  It looks nice but im not too sure if this thing is legit especially with a name like MEGAN RACING.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

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thats a y pipe, nto a downpipe.

downpipe is for a turbo/supercharged application.

we need to be able to preview it before we spend $50 a year on it...

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to thank you all for your help and information. I had the $500.00 job done and, as of now, the car is running very smoothly and very quietly. 

To the person who mentioned hoses, the mechanic said that he did check all of them. Regarding the price of $285.00 that I got from one garage for the timing belt, it was a AAA approved one, which should mean something good. Right? Someone, I think Army of One, said that I should do the water pump at the same time as the timing belt. Is that always a 'must'? Approximately, how much would that add to the price?

Any more thoughts will be appreciated.

Thanks again; you're a great group!

Shirley

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it SHOULD only add the price of the part, no more than $150 i wouldnt think.

and just cause they are AAA certified doesnt mean i woudl elt them within an inch of my car.

the Jiffylube that did an emissions test on my first car ever (a 1983 Chevy S10 P/U) decided to leave the engien at redline for 1.5 minutes and belw my motor in half...yes, they cracked the damned block in half!. they were AAA certified.

all that AAA cert means is that they are a certified AAA service center, meaning that AAA will send your car there if/when it leaves you stranded.

go to a private mechanic.

if they want to charge you extra labor for adding the WP and gasket in there, tell them no and go on about your merry way. the WP change interval should be every time the belt is changed because it is a crucial part to your engien, it is what pumps your coolant around inside your engine. if that goes, you can do things like, blow head gaskets.

^not according to my mechanics^

In a disc brake, the brake pads squeeze the rotor instead of the wheel, and the force is transmitted hydraulically instead of through a cable. Friction between the pads and the disc slows the disc down.

if what you are saying is true, then that means that braking would be improved.

www.howstuffworks.com

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/disc-brake4.htm

i cant find a link at the moment, but basically, either your pads, or your rotorsd can become glazed.

glazing occurs under high heat. the surface hardens and goes SMOOTH.

0-60mph: 8.6 seconds (a/t) 8.0 seconds (5spd)

1/4 mile: 16.7 seconds

Top Speed: 130mph

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thats about right, not too bad...

in fact, considering they are 15 years old, and not race cars, thats pretty damned good LOL.

EDIT: but i fyou bought this car to go fast, you wasted your money. the only lexus i would by to go fast in would be an SC300/400/430.

Remember the expression, "Cheap is Dear". In other words, don't even consider buying it. IMO :whistles:

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Not worth it unless you can get that body panel and door the exact color cheap from a junk yard...highly unlikely.

You also have to worry about frame straightening...save yourself the headache and get a certified lexus.

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frame straightening is a defnate must on that particular car. that b pillar is warped.

Last Mobil 1 oil test I saw had there PH around  737 and Zn around 819 & Cal around 2600ppm. It is a high average oil at best. There oil is not at Amsoils level yet.

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say what you want about it, my last car went almost 400K and would have gone further. never having a mechaincal issue in its life. i trust mobil 1 in all of my cars.

JMO.

Some pads just plain squeal more than others. Typically the harder the pad the longer it will last, but the louder it will be. Nothing wrong with organic pads.

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ceramic pads are loud. thats pretty much all there is to it. they dont squeak, but i cna hear mine scrape the rotor. ceramic pads are very hard, leave very little dust, can stand extreme heat (NASCAR uses them on thier brakes) and will eat a regular rotor alive. i hope you have a high performance rotor. standard steel/iron ones will glaze over pretty fast (5 stops max) with ceramic pads on them...typically lexus uses a better quality rotor though, so i think you should be fine.

also, the are ventialted, so this helps.

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What do you mean they will glaze over pretty fast? Does that mean that they will stop squeaking after 5 stops?

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no, no, no glaze is a bad thing. its when the rotor heats up anc then re cools and then heats up again so fast that the rotor goes smooth. like a mirror. when the rotors are exposed to extrreme heat, they "glaze" or lose their ability to let the pads grip them. the go so smoot that the pad just slides over the rotor, providing oalmost no stopping power.

glazing is not something you want, because it requires you to by new rotors. when they glaze over, 99% of the time they cracked. my front rotors cracked in 4 pieces when they guy took them off. pads are supposed to "bite" the rotor, for lack of a better term. when they heat up and then cool down and the heat up and then cool down and then heat up and the cool down, they lose their bite. thereofre, it feels like you are stopping on ice.

before i had my brakes done, it took me ~100 yards to come to a complete stop...with the pedal all the way to the floor...from 40 MPH, sqealing all the way.

when you change you r pads, you need to turn the rotor, this takes a thin layer of metal off, so the new pads have a fresh biting surface. did the brake tech do this? if not thats porbably your problem.

if you have under 500 miles on the new pads,then the problem is they arent broken in yet. you have to break them in just liek a new car. no fast stops for at least 500 miles. after the first 500, make a few fast stops from 50 or so MPH. this will allow th pad to "set" then you are set to go. squeak should be gone.

do this in reverse too. from about 20 MPH thopugh. it doesnt matter ifyour tires screech, if you do it righjt, they will.