ml30306

@Hazouma: Thanks for your input. I checked for the vehicle speed spensor (VSS), even had a Lexus repair shop check for it, the place where it is supposed to be is closed off with a plate, odd. No clue how speed is transferred to the speedometer. Looks like some models have them, others do not. I pulled my instrument cluster, took it apart. I moved the needle with my finger and it kept sticking at around 80 and I had to manually ove it back. Maybe the screws in the back were too tight, who knows. Still not sure why it did not go above 60, it at least moves more smoothly now, will road test tomorrow and post results.

My speedometer will slowly creep up to around 60 mph, then stay "stuck" there until there is a significant reduction on speed. Then the needle will quickly jump down to the "correct" speed. My guess would also be that whenever I exceed 60 mph the needle simply stays and will not move until I actually hit 60 mph again. At that point the speedometer "catches up" with the correct speed again at around 30 mph. This is what still works in my car: - Odomoter works normal (on actual and trip A and B mileage) - Cruise Control At this point the problem (my guess) could be the vehicle speed sensor (VSS, still trying to find the location of it) or the instrument cluster itself. I have yet to check if the car shifts into 4th gear (I believe it does). I also want to note that a dealership 2 owners ago left a GPS tracker which is behind my coinbox. It is still wired in, active, with the light blinking. I wonder if this unit could be throwing my instrument cluster off? ANY SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

I have gotten 0 replies to my post, either everyone on Lexus Owner's has the perfect vehicle or are not sharing DIY people. Either way, another update in case someone may have somehting to add: Thanks for all your suggestions, here the latest update: A certified Toyota Shop in Decatur, GA that had my car called me and suggested to drive the car until the codes came back and to immediately have the codes checked hoping it would give a more specific code output. Sure enough, after about 2 miles driving around 40 mph the codes reappeared, rough idling and running of the engine. I returned, their Mastertech reader showed me the same codes, P1300-P1325 plus P1201. They also tried to clear them, but that did not work (any input here?). I am not sure if they ever physically checked the cylinders coils, I would hope so since in the end a code only indicates a problem and is not the source, though my charge for the checking was $0. You get what you pay for. They suggested changing all 6 ignition coils since there may be "feedback" into the other coils (not sure what that really means). Their quote to do the work was around $870.00. I told them that my concern was that I do not want to end up throwing money at a problem in the hope that it will solve it. They offered to credit me for the coils in case it would not solve the problem - a nice gesture but that leaves me asking if they are really confident in the diagnosis. I understand that these codes are unfortunatly pretty generic, here my questions: - Is there really no way to test the ingition coils individually? My amateur idea would be to take each one out individually while connected, attach a spark plug, and with the help of a friend test them by turning the engine on, see if it sparks, then quickly turn off. I don't know if one could read a misfire that way, any suggestions? How would be the best way to test an ignition coil? - "Feedback into other coils" - valid statement or are they too lazy to test each one individually? - The codes could not be cleared - does that reveal any problem with e.g. the ECM? - Ignition coils - I will most likely have to replace at least one coil. They retail at around $101, any sugegstions on OEM vs. Aftermarket? I found a seller on EBay, 6 new Denso coils for $220 (with VVTi) plus $20 shipping. Other aftermarket coils start around $30.00. Any suggestions? - @yeskay - why cylinder No. 5? Which one would that be facing the front of the engine? What is this suggestion based on? Thansk again. Looks like some other people may have the same problem, I have done a good amount of research but have yet to find a solution online with these specific codes.

Just heard back from the shop. I am not sure if disconnecting the battery truly clears all error codes or whether they are simply not visible as lights on the dashboard anymore. Their reading gave them the same error codes - P1300 - P1325 plus P1201. Their primary suggestion would be to drive the car until it picks up any new codes. Their secondary recommendation would be to either replace all ignition coils or perhaps test every ignition coil since one of their machanics stated that one bad ignition coil can feed back to all others. In other words, they really don't know what is wrong. Any comments/suggestions?

UPDATE: I disconnected the neg. battery wire and decided to start with the easiest fix, cleaning the gas cap (more wishful thinking though). Sure enough, today on my way the lights cam back on, this time the check engine light flashing. I have researched this topic in the forum - there are plenty of cases with the lights on but none with these error codes. I doubt that my case would be the very first on this site - anyone?

I own a 2000 Lexus ES300, 127k miles, changed spark plugs, timing belt, tensioner, and water pump a few months ago, no problem. Today I was driving, at an intersection the CHECK ENGINE and TRAC OFF buttons came on at the same time, I also felt the engine run a little rough for a minute. Turned the engine off, then on, ran smoothly, lights still on. I also tried to operate the TRAC OFF switch, nothing happened. Went to the nearest Autozone, they checked the error codes. Read out as follows: P1300, P1305, P1310, P1315, P1320, and P1325 - all Igniter circuit malfunction (bank 1 or no. 1). Probable cause: 1. Open or short circuit condition, 2. Failed ignition coil/igniter, 3. Ignition secondary fault. I drove the car home with both lights still on, turned the engine off, then on again. I then pressed the TRAC OFF button, the light and check engine light both went off, TRAC OFF button behaved normal again, both lights are off. QUESTION - Anyone know or have a good guess what is going on? I am pretty sure that the lights will come on again. Solutions I have researched range from dirty gas cap, failed ingition coils (highly unlikely in my opinion that all 6 would fail at once) to bad MAF sensor. Also read that people were not able to operate the Overdrive button. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

I own a 2000 Lexus ES300, 126k miles. I noticed that whenever I e.g. park on a slight incline, put the car in park, then step off the break, the car moves a good 2-5 inches backward, even bounces a little. This being my first automatic transmission vehicle - is that normal? Is that much play ok or is this a sign of a failing transmission or another problem? I also noticed this when stopping at an up-hill incline. The car moves slightly backwards like a manual shift car. What is the cause of this? Can it be corrected? Should I be concerned?

I own a 2000 Lexus ES300, white with tan seats. My front driver side leather cushion cover it pretty cracked on the left side (looking down), the vinyl band underneath across has a huge patch missing and the under fabric is showing. Does anyone have any clear forward directions on how to remove the bottom seat cover? Pictures are always great, but simply looking for the "how to". The service manual is just not clear enough. Has anyone repaired any seat cracks before? There seems to be a number of repair kits and car upholstery companies out there, does anyone else have any experience with any of these? It just does not seem right to trash a leather seat cover and buy a new one for x hundred dollars. Are the left and right front bottom cushion covers inter-changeable? Mine are not heated, but I think the outer sides both have holes for the seat control plugs. Is it possible to simply punch a new hole?

I just looked at a drawing of the complete strut and shock assembly. The strut mount appears to be parts 48603 (RH) and 48609 (LH) on my ES300. The bearings are 90903-63014 (x2). What about the components below - 48471B (RH) and 48471C (LH)? Are these metal or rubber? Could the rattling also come from those 2 items being deteriorated?

Thanks for the input! Will also check on E-Bay. So general advice is that the bearings are usually good and can be re-greased? I have never seen a strut mount, but I am assuming that the interior holds some type of rubber bedding that hosts the bearing and either shrinks or simply wears out. Once the rubber has deteriorated then the bearing will come in contact with metal and rattle around. The rubber part is also attached to the metal mount, hence the whole part has to be replaced since the rubber and metal upper are not separate components. Is this about right? Or is the bearing itdelf that rattles?

Great, thanks. I stopped by the nearest Lexus dealership today to inquire about the problem and parts. The service desk guy suggested new strut caps and bearings, apparently it is the bearings that are worn out and make that sound. Strut cap? I know there is a cover to protect the strut assembly from dirt and dust (Lexus parts 4850B and 48590A) but I do not have those on my vehicle. I also thought those are usually only on the rear struts? Maybe someone has an answer to this one. The parts are very expensive, the set of bearings alone are $145.00. Will check online for either cheaper OEM or aftermarket parts. The strut mount and bearing - I wonder if both have to be replaced? Are they considered a set? Since the rattling seems to come from the bearing why not only replace the bearing?

Happy to say the vibration is gone after replacing all 4 tires with 4 x 205/60/R16 Firestone Firehawk GT H, buy 3 get 1 free deal, which ends this month, April 2011. Wheels were spin balanced, alignment was also done. The read-out of the alignment showed that my car was not too bad. My guess is that the tires needed to be replaced abd balanced. My suggestion would be that unless you feel the car shifting lanes too badly to get your wheels balanced first before also getting an alignment.

Hi lexlogic, sounds like I could have a similar problem like you had. It is worse on the passenger side but I do have it on both sides. Question - can you tell me exactly what parts you had replaced? I assume it is not the engine mount, is it the the anchor (very top of strut assembly that is fastened with three screws and comes with a metal bearing) or the rubber ring? Not to get too technical, but do you know what exactly causes that noise? metal clacking on metal due to worn out rubber?

Thanks for your advice. I plan to do that this week, will see how it works out.

I own a 2000 Lexus ES300 125k miles. My steering wheel vibrates when I hit about 60 miles or more. I do know that the owner put wrong tires on the car which are pretty worn on the inside (size 55 instead of 60). The vibrartions while driving are 99% always when I am driving straight on the highway. The moment I turn the wheel to either direction it stops almost immediately. Any advice? New tires, blancing, and alignment? Tighten the steering? Check the steering column for any defects?

I own a 2000 Lexus ES300, 125k miles. For a while now I have noticed a rattling noise near the front wheels which sometimes goes away after driving for a while, sometimes is does not. The sound first sounded to me like there was an empty Coke can stuck in some empty space above the wheel that was shaking around. Did some research, answers so far were strut mounts, sway bar bushings, control arm bearings, and shocks. There was a TSP in 1999 for the re-design of the rubber bushing shape. I replaced the sway bar bushings, cheapest fix, no change. Questions - does anyone have any advice on this isse? Is there a way telling if I have the newly designed strut mounts or the old one's without removing the whole assembly? Any diagnostic advice to locate the problem?

UPDATE: I replaced the climate control and the mirror adjustment switch backlight bulb with part #'s 90010-03001 (climate) and 84999-10470 (mirror). Ordered from lexuspartsnow.com, toyotalexusscion.com carries them as well and are a little cheaper on shipping. The mirror bulb is indeed the only lightbulb in that three button cluster, gas tank and trunk do not have backlights. A bit strange me answering my own questions.

I went with Toyota T-IV transmission fluid and did clean the screen filter.

OK, did the drain and fill - I recommend doing this somewhere indoors, I had 2 wind gusts come twice at the moments when I was draining the pan and the differential, huge mess, now I know what ATF tastes like. Dropped the pan, cleaned the pan interior and magnets, cleaned the filter as well (mine is the steel mesh kind, not paper). O-Ring was still good, re-used it. One thing I did different was to start the engine while draining and go through the automatic gears for about 8 seconds. It released more fluid, my total re-fill was around 4 3/4 quarts. I would also recommend doing the measurements in litres or millilitres - messing with the quarts and ounces wastes time. May do another drain and fill without dropping the pan on my next oil change. Thanks for all the advice.

Never mind. Here are some sources for these lightbulbs: http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-14LH-T1-/25-995 6mm lenght but seem to have worked for others. http://home.earthlink.net/~dwojo/index.html 4.2mm, seemed to work as well.

Hello camlex, do you have the specs and asource for those bulbs?

Some clarification on the fill amount - apparently I have been writing nonsense. An independent Lexus repair shop told me that the 2000 Lexus ES300 takes 14 quarts of transmission fluid. It sounded like a lot to me but this being my first automatic I had no idea. In retrospect I assume he wanted to justify his cost for a $180 tranmission fluid flush.

Thanks, I saw that very good write-up, did not know it was the same transmission, thanks for clarifying that. However, if the total amount of transmission fluid is around 14 quarts and 4.2 are re-filled then that would mean that only less than 1/3 of the total capacity gets changed, right? In the write-up on the RX300 the author talks about re-filling 5 quarts after the 2 drains plaus another 2 after the cooler hose is disconnected. Is there o way besides a flush to get all the fluid out?

Thanks, lenore! I have done some research, this is what I have come up with so far: While engine is hot do: 1. Remove drain plug and drain fluid - OK 2. Remove differential plug and drain - OK 3. Drop pan carefully, drain, clean magnets and pan, place in same position, replace gasket then re-attach - OK 4. Clean plugs from shavings, then screw back on --> some add the transmission fluid directly via a hose into the differential - could you also add it through the dipstick opening? 5. Measure exactly what amount of oil came out, add fresh T-IV through dipstick. Total is oil added is around 5 quarts. 6. --> I have also read where some detach the cooler/supply hose, then while adding new fluid let the car run until the colour changes, then turn the engine off, then add the amount that came out. Questions - if this works, do the wheels have to be off the ground? Should you at some point not also go through each gear which will also release more fluid? If the total amount of transmission fluid is around 14 quarts then there should be a way to change at least 80% in one procedure or not? I have yet to find complete instructions. Looks like there are bits and pieces on various models and years out there but no comprehensive guide to do a full DIY job. If anyone can share more information (and perhaps a pic of the hose to be detached) that would be great!

Thanks, LL. Regarding 1: OK, I understand. 2: I would never let the transmission ever run without fluid. That procedure requires that you add what has come out and while the engine is running you have to keep adding new fluid until it is clear. From my research the 2000 Lexus ES300 holds about 14 quarts of transmission fluid, don't know about the 94. If the capacity is the same then you have remoced about 1/3 of the fluid on your car, right? Yes, it would cost more transmission fluid. 3: OK. 4: Will do. Idid check and it seems like both would work.