ArmyofOne

thanks :D i am a DIY MECH TECH LOL. im a mechanic only by hobby, usually on older american cars, but a car is a car, you just have to get to know it or study it a little before you got the ins and outs. and every engine operates off of the same priciples. a PCV valve will do the same thing on a Dodge Viper that it does on a VW Bug. so will a spark plug. theres a lot to the complexities of engines, but after a few days of searching the net, most DIY'ers can do anything they will ever need to to a car...for the most part. but i have grwn up around engines, so heh, i have a backround LOL.

price depends on wheather they bondo and repaint, or if they replace the door, loooking anywhere between $500-$1,000 depending on how they do it. and before you tell me im nuts, just for a comaprison, to get that saturn completely repainted, will cost somewhere between $3500 and $5,000 depending on who you go to for a quality job (i aint talking maaco). and thats IF the body is FLAWLESS so all they have to do is sand and paint. so the $1,000 estimate seems to be about right.

hello shirley, let me be the first to weclcome you, and also tell you that your car is probably not suffering from a broken timing belt. i am a mechanic by hobby, so i may use some terms that you arent familiar with, but i will do my best to put it into an easily understood perspective...if i get off on a tangent, call me on it, cause sometimes i get so wrapped up in my hobby, that even i dont know what im saying LOL. timing belts: when they go, they go, there is no warning, the engine only runs for a few seconds, then stalls. once it stalls it does not start back up. they typically break when you are putting the engine under load (i.e Uphill climbs or taking off from a light). they should be good for 80K i believe on the ES300, but i could be wrong. IF (and thats a BIG if) it is the timing belt, it and the Water Pump should be replaced at the same time (a while you are in there kind of thing). also, if its the timing belt, have them change your spark plugs and plug wires. on second thought (if it hasnt been done recently) i would have the Spark plugs done if the mechanic has to do anything to the engine at all. more than likely it is a fuel pump, but other things will cause this too. 1. a severly clogged fuel filter (it would have to have well over 150,000 miles on the original) 2. Bad Ignition Coil (the black box that your plug wires run to. it generates electricity sending spark down the spark plug wires, to the plugs where they ignite the fuel) 3. Bad ECU (engine control unit, not sure of the specific name for it on these cars, but its basically the computer that controls your car) 4. Bad spark plugs: when plugs get too old, they crack. if you have recently had them replaced, sometimes they get defective ones. on a 6 cylinder, if one plug crakcs, the car will still drive. 2, and you may be sputtering and stalling, but it wll restart and get you home/ to a mechanic. 3 cracked plugs, and you wont be going anywhere...its very unlikely (even if they are the factory lexus plugs) that they are cracked. 5 Clogged air filter: again, the car will still drive with this, it will just run like crap. 6. Bad MAF. the mass airflow sensors on cars just give out after a period of time. it happens. 7. clogged Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve. usually the car will still run, albeit like crap. 8. WATER IN YOUR GAS (if you dont know what this will do, please let me know and i will be more than happy to explain, some people believe it will just make steam, trust me, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. but i figure you are smarter than they are, so i wont explain at the moment.) anyway, those are things to look for. but the description of the symptoms you gave (with the exception of the smoke) sounds an aweful lot like a car that runs out of gas. it stalls once or twice first, then stalls out again and will not restart. so there are 2 questions i have for you. 1. how much gas did you have in the car (most fuel pumps either die with a full tank, or with less than 1/4 tank, usually not in between. 2. Where waw the smoke coming from? Tailpipe, under the hood, under the car???oh and if it is a broken Timing belt, go ahead and have the mechainc replace the following parts (depending on labor rates in your area, the price may vary.) Based offof labor in Dallas/Ft Worth: -Timing belt: ~$50 -Water Pump: ~$110 -Timing Belt Tensioner and pulley: ~$85 -Water Pump Pulley: ~$25??? -New Motor Mounts (if yours are worn, i wouldnt think they would be with only 70,000 miles though): ~$150 -TRANSMISSION FLUID DRAN & FILL (i cant stress this enough):~$30. -Coolant Flush (they will have to change your coolant anyway when they change the water pump) -Spark Plugs/wires: ~$90 - Cam Seals (again, theywill probablyhave to do this anyway) -Oil change: ~$30. with about $450 in labor, your total comes to: ~$1,020. thats again, depending on labor in your area. count on at least $600 for just Timing Belt and Water Pump. For all the work above, shoot for $1,050.

Hello Mike. :D

how and where does a breather filter fit into the picture? ← a breather filter rplaces the PCV valve. it is illegal in most states. the fumes/oil must be put back into the ntake system to be burned...hence, Positive Crankcase Ventilation. a breather filter releases the vented pressure into the atomosphere...not legal, and it WILL fail an inspection.

Drudge is reporting that Christopher Reeve died on Sunday. I was holding onto hope that he would some day be able to walk again. I guess it was not meant to be.... RIP Superman

thanks for the tips! anyone else?? and the reason why i need a new one, is mine onlyworks on 2 settings (any of it, fans etc, it doesnt matter) 3, or 4. thats it, they dont work on any other stting. all the other switches work, but it can only blow the fans at med-high/high speeds.

90% sure its just the actuator. if you live in a hot climate area, it probably goes out every 50K or so due to excessive use. seen this many other times on other cars, though never on a lexus.

mine does it too, but its 15 yearsold, i have chalked it up to a bad sensor i think, or a wiring problem...i should have 4 brake lights in the bach (not including the top light) right?? i have only 2 that illuminate as brake lights on the body fo the car, the two inner ones (closest to the liscense plate) illuminate only as running lights, but go out completely as soon as the brake pedal is depressed. i will take pix in a minute. EDIT: heres the pix, they dont go out completely, but they dont get any brighter: just headlights: brakes on: are they working correctly?? yes iknow i have aliscense plate light out, but thats not whast triggering it i dont think.

meh, no biggie, at least your helping, thatsmore than i get alot of other places... and that was also a joke. i will take it to a lexus dealer and take a technician there for a ride, instead of the other way around for a change. LOL.

oh thats wonderfull...it sounds alot like a noise ihave heard transaxles make before... and why are you the one to always give me the bad news first???:chairshot: LOL. :) thanks for the input. anyone else? BTW, i think i will have the trans rebuilt next spring while im away on acitve duty assignment. EDIT: are you talking about the bearings on the inner part of the axles, the ones just inside the trans case? (what would be the inner race bearings on a RWD car) if so, thats not so bad, at least i dont have to take apart thetrans to get to em...

i find that odd, i used newspaper on my limo tyint on my contour (not with alarming frequency, once a year maybe) and i never had any problem...hmm...i guess i got lucky?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...7926590769&rd=1 but i have never bought anything off of ebay before, is there a specific way i shoudl go about it?? what to look for?? is 98.5% feedback good?

every time i drive my car, i have a whirring noise coming from the front, it doesnt matter if the car is hot or cold, it will still do it. also doesnt matter if the tranny is in D or any other drive gear or coasting in N. it sounds like an old automatic transmission when you reverse really fast. could it be the tranny?

DO NOT GET A FLUSH if the fluid is black....get a drain and fill.

i will do that. as soon as i do mine, i will do a how-to.

about drum in disc types?? i have never done a drum-in-disc, just drums or disc (the last time i did drums was on my contour, and it was a 7.5 hr job...dont ask!). mine really need done, and i cant afford to have somebody do them for me ATM. i will pick up a gen II camry Haines manual at the end of the week...but i dont think my brakes are gonna last that long. first they were squealing, now i am seeing increased stopping distances...next think you know, they will be grinding...

wow, i never knew that...ive never owned anything high end enough to need ot know that... but my windows are framelss. are you referring to the chrome trim along the bottom of the windows??? and how much are these MF Glass Towels???

I keep a roll of Kleenex Viva paper towels and Turtle Wax ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner in my trunk. It's inexpensive and works great. Give that a try, and if you don't like it, I'll buy it back from you. heehee :D Here are some users reviews: http://www.epinions.com/auto-Care-All-Glas...isplay_~reviews ← well youhave to remeber, my car is 15 years old and looks like !Removed! anyways. but you know. i will be getting the windows tinted (probably the rear only) this week. then th fronts will follow. and before anyone points out that the window tint will not make the outside of the paint peeling 15 year old car look any better, it will help protect the nearly MINT interior...thast the purpose behind it.

i just use newspaper for that...i dont see the reason to use the xtra $, but, your perogative.

heh, you mean fluid, not fuel. :D yes that is a bad thing. black tranny fluid is never good. it shoudl always have a reddish tint to it. like the color fo strawberry jelly (but not the same cosistency). if it ever looks like 6,000 mile old motor oil, then its too late. but, your fluid is not still dark. after draining approx 2.8 quarts out of 6.9, my fluid now has a reddish tint to it. if you have done yours twice in a few weeks, yours is redder than mine. what i need to know is should i have it done again and slowly put new fluid back into it, or will i just be replaceing the tranny if i do???

hmmm, its disappeared today, maybe my imagination LOL.

First of all I don't really appreciate that, I do have hand eye coordination I just don't care for the product, thats my opinion and I'm entitled to it. ← my bad dude, wasnt directed at you. you have a PMin which i explained. i also edited the original post. sorry, i didnt mean to make it look like it was directed at you. you have hepled me quite a bit, theres no reason for me to be that way sorry man.

no,it has a bucnk of holes in the panels and the paint is not glossy.

no its not, btu at the same tme, i dont have anotherone to use right now...so it may have to be. i just need it to last till february, when i go active duty. then i wont have to wrry about a car for awhile. its not slipping bad, if i baby it i think i can milk her. ill look around on ebay for a gen II camry ATX...will it bolt up?