GeoffSchultz

I have a RX450h and will be traveling out of the country for 4 months. What I need to do to store the car for this extended period of time? -- Geoff

Lexlogic, Unfortunately that didn't help. I need the actual pin-outs for the ECM connectors on the 2001 ES300 ECM. Thanks for the help though! -- Geoff

We have a 2001 ES300 & I have the shop repair manual which is supposed to cover 1996-2001, but the diagram for the Engine Control Module is wrong. It shows 4 connectors and the one in this car has 5. In the manual that I have, there's a diagram on page DI-19 which shows the terminals for the 4 connector ECM, but I would like one for the 5 connector ECM. I wasted $15 and bought a 2 day pass to Toyota's TechInfo site, but you're highly limited as to what you can see in the repair manuals. The reason that I'm asking for this is that recently the Check Engine and Track Off light came on. I checked the error code and it was P0500 which indicates a problem with the speed sensor. It immediately came back on after clearing the error. The speedometer displays fine, so I suspect that it's a problem with the cable between the speedo and the ECM. What's interesting is that the anti-theft indicator led on the climate control panel flashes when you drive and the flashing rate is relative to your speed. I suspect that there's a short between the SPD output and this LED & I think that if I can see where the commonality of wiring is located, that I can limit my search. Thanks in advance for any help. -- Geoff

I just got a RX450h about a month ago and just returned from a 2500 mile road trip. I've found for city driving in relatively flat territory, that I could get 30-31 MPG. I live in hilly territory and it from to 28-29 MPG. On the highway where I typically drive 70-75, I get 25-27 MPG depending upon terrain. Note that this is with 93 octane premium fuel. I've determined that the increase in mileage for Premium offsets the price differential ($0.20 on average), especially if you can get 93 octane instead of just 91 octane for that price. -- Geoff

Mike B: On my 1999 Chrysler 300M the parking brakes are definitely held in place by something other than pins. I just replaced the rear rotors and it took a 5 lb hammer to separate the rotors from the parking brakes. I can assure you that the parking brake shoes did not move during that process. -- Geoff

I understand how the parking brakes work, but it seems to me that the only thing that keeps the park brake shoes from rotating is the parking brake cable and those tiny pins. Granted that I haven't studied other car's parking brakes in any detail, but I know that the my Chrysler 300M has the shoes bolted to the wheel assembly and it can't rotate at all. This just seems rather tenuous to me. -- Geoff

I just replaced the pads, rotors and 1 caliper on my fiance's 2001 ES300. While getting one of the rear rotors off, I elongated one of the pins which holds the parking brake assembly in place. Based upon my conversation with the parts guy at the Lexus dealer, it sounds like this isn't unusual. I replaced the pins and got everything back together again. This morning I was laying in bed thinking about the parking brake and I got to wondering how it works. Basically the two shoes are held in place by (2) 1/16" in diameter pins and a spring that pushes the assembly inward. Other than the parking brake cable, there's nothing else that holds it in place. So, my question is, how does this keep the vehicle from moving? The two tiny pins aren't a match for weight of the car.

Ignore - posted in wrong forum.