Anovice

It was really no clunker to me either. These were the circumstances. While I took good care of the car since 1992 and it only has 150,000 miles, it was getting tired. Many small issues like the radio did not work, the dashboard lights were completely out, constant issues with the ABS (maybe not so small), the leather seats were not in good shape and so on. Then there was the bigger issue of bad oil leaks. I was loosing about a quart of oil per month, it was messy and every time I would stop at a light the oil leaking from the valve cover (and other places) would drip on the engine and burn off, creating a bunch of smoke coming from under the hood. At each stop sign or stop light it looked like my car was over heating. I gather I could have spend + - $1,800 and had the gaskets replaced or better yet purchased a used engine, but I still had the other issues and with a 17 year old car with 150,000 miles, certainly more to come. Then, I have a friend who owns a Honda dealership who offered me a 2009 brand new V-6 Accord, fully loaded, leather, sunroof, dual temperature controls and so on, for a bit under $25,000. And with the C.A.R.S program, another $3,500 off. So if it were not for all these circumstances combined, I would not have done this and instead put some money into the ES 300.

Well, tomorrow is the big day and I am sad already :cries: I cleaned out the car today and even came across the original sticker and bill of sale. I am have a difficult time throwing them out. And, then there is the "1992 Lexus Owner's Manual", 1992 Lexus Owner's Guide" and "Owner's Guide Supplement", all in absolutely perfect condition. Even the black leather case housing these manuals looks like it never has been touched and inside I found a green colored tag saying "Genuine Leather", with cleaning instructions in English, French and Japanese. I should try auctioning this on ebay ;)

I apologize if this topic was covered before. Does anyone know if a 1992 Es 300 with automatic transmission qualifies for the Cash For Clunkers' program? The reason I ask is because Edmund's does not have it listed as qualifying. http://www.edmunds.com/cash-for-clunkers/e...e-vehicles.html But yet "CARS" does have it qualifying. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/!Removed!/CarsResult1...n=1&id=8902 I also see that "CARS" indicates the 1992 Es 300 with manual transmission does NOT qualify http://www.fueleconomy.gov/!Removed!/CarsResult1...n=1&id=8903 What I am starting to think is Edmund's has not differentiated between the automatic and manual transmission. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Anovice

Thanks again for all the help :-) I figured that anything that could POSSIBLY stop a leak could not be good for the other components, but I also figured there was nothing to loose. If it holds for a while, hopefully it will not gum up my heater core. It's getting cold! I did drive the 1995 Lincoln yesterday (The Shark). It has 105,000 original miles and a new engine, suspension and tires with only a few thousand. The interior and exterior are in outstanding condition. Truely a car driven by an "old lady". The blue book on it is about $2,500 and I think I could get it for $2,000. I don't like the idea that it eats gas, but based on 4,000 miles per year, that's not a great big deal. I need to weigh this against the car I have emotional connections to, or shall I say connections I need to seperate myself from. It seems clear that if I am going to keep my 1992 ES 300 I will need to buy the new engine online. It looks like with shipping that will be in the area of $700-$800 and probably the same for installation. So yes, for about $1,500 I have a new engine, but the rest of the car has 145,000 miles. And again, no dashboard lights, no radio, an ABS problem (probably the sensor), leather seats that require seat covers in the front and who know what else. Based on blue book, if I sell, it looks like I might be able to get $1,500-$2,000. I sometimes think that time kills a car as much as mileage. All the proper maintenance was done on my car and it was never driven hard. However, the first six years of its life were spent in south Florida and I can't help but to think that the hot temperatures affected the seals. Anyhow, if you have any last words of wisdom, I certainly would appreciate hearing them. I will use my car and with a little luck the leak will hold. If the leak holds for any lenght of time and the shark is sold, then I will be left with the option of buying a new engine for my ES300. If I get to that point, please be ready to give me some more of your good advice ;-)

Good morning guys, blk_on_blk, I will try to address you comments and answer the questions the best I can. The oil leak(s) I have are long persisting. Of course, it get worse over time, but I have learned to live with that...put cardboard down and add a quart about every two months. The smoke only come from under the hood. I especially notice it when I get off the highway and I think that's because there is no airflow. I can see the smoke burning off the rear of the engine, somewhere below the PCV (I think that's the name of the changeable valve). But my point is, two seperate problems, but there is clearly no purpose in spending good money to fix one problem only to have the oil leak(s) still there. The mechanic dropped the exhaust manafold and tried to show me with a mirror where the headgasket was leaking and did so when he was pressure testing it. I really could not see, but everytime he pumped air into the radiator, he kept say "see, see, see". So it was in the front. I first noticed the problem by see a 'stream' of liquid coming from under the car. When I looked under, it was "flowing" from the lowest point. It looked like I had a hole in my oil pan. And, it was not a drip, drip, drip, but rather a continous flow. Like when you turn your sink water on and get just past the point of drips. Now here is where it gets more interesting. After picking up the car yesterday, I went to Pep-Boys and picked up a stop leak product. I think it was Bars, but definately in a pellet form. Six per package, 3 per gallon of liquid and each pellet was tan in color and bigger than a nickle and smaller than a quarter. I crushed them up as they were a bit too big to put in whole and the instructions were to run the car for 15 minutes. I did that yesterday and thus far the leak has stopped. Now, I am not optimistic the problem is solved, but the leak has stopped for the moment. Moving forward, I think we all agree it makes little sense to replace the head gasket on this car. The machanic did say to me yesterday that we could try to stop leak product he was talking about. The process definately entails a number of steps of draining and refilling the radiator. And, it will take some hours. However, whatever this stuff is, based on the process, it is some liquid that is put in through the radiator. He said the manufacturer (I am wondering if it was the distributor) said he would refund the cost of the product if it did not solve the problem. The cost of the polymer product is $120 and the labor is $180. So, if it works, I pay $300 and if not, $180. But, this is getting a bit crazy. Yesterday it cost me $120 for 2 hours of labor and if I do this, it's another $300 for a total of $420. And for that, it seems like I only bought some time, which maybe I already have with the pellets I put in yesterday. Anyhow, I wanted to update you. I will be using the car today and I will re-post tomorrow or Monday. All in all however, I think I need to start looking toward a long term solution which is either the new engine from Tiger (I guess that's the place you guys think is best) or "The Shark". I am real interested in hearing some thoughts as to what the pellets did to stop the leak, at least from yesterday to today. Anovice

Again, thanks so much for your posts. I called the mechanic this morning and I got the feeling I am running the course with him, albeit I do know another mechanic. He said that he visually saw the leak and it is from the head gasket. He futher said since it is an "external" leak and not an "internal" one, that I the oil would not look milky and I would not see whote smoke from the exhaust. For the same reason, he said a compression test would not tell us anything. Asa a long shot he mentioned a polymer sealer product by the name of Blue Devil or Blue something. I put the name in Google, but came up empty. For use he would need to drain the radiator (I think he said twice) and to me it sounds like throwing good money after bad. Does anyone have any familiarity with this product or any other sealer? Unless I go to the other mechanic I know, it looks like the only other option I have is to replace the engine on ebay or tigerJapanese.com. Since buying one online is WAY over my head, can someone spend a few more minutes educating me. For instance, are these motors rebuilt? Low mileage? Then, how do you know if they really are low mileage and so on. Anovice.

blk_on_blk, First, I would like to say thank you for your reply and a detailed one at that. Since my post, I have a little more information to offer. The mechanic did in fact pressure tested the system. He did it by taking off the radiator cap and I guess what amounts to blowing air in. By doing so he was able to see liquid come out. The intital problem he had was due to the exhaust manafold, he was not able to get a good view of where the liquid was coming out. He removed the exhaust manafold and concluded it was the head gasket. That said, I called a few Lexus dealers in my general area. Interestingly, each one said they rarely have seen this happen on this car. What struck my attention was that each said the same thing. And, as you mentioned, each asked if I am seeing white smoke out of the exhaust. The answer is no. I was also asked if the car overheated and that answer is no too. In fact, the temperature guage did not even go up, but that could be because I made certain there was liquid in the overflow reservoir. But, when pressure tested, liquid did come out and knowing the mechanic I do not have a reason to question his honesty. Tomorrow I will pick up the car, double check for white smoke and check the oil as you suggest. Am I correct to say that I can drive the car so long as I make certain antifreeze and water is in the overflow reservoir tank? The reason I ask beyond the obvious is that living in a city I am only putting on 4,000 miles per year. If it's only a question of insuring that there is liquid in the overflow reservoir and cleaning up a mess in my garage (I can put a turkey pan under the spot it is dripping and re-use the antifreeze ;-) them maybe I can get by for the time being. Based on yesterday it will be a headache, but that may just mean I cut down from 4,000 miles to 3,000 per year. Assuming it is the head gasket, you have not given me any encouragememt on making the repairs. Thank you for your honesty. Yes, I will still have an engine with 145,000 miles and still one that leaks oil. I will check into the other route, that of a replacement engine. However, if I can do nothing for the time being except watch the fluid level, that may be my best short term option. Again, please give your thoughts in this regard. I may have one other option. A good friends aunt recently passed away and she had a 1995 Lincoln Towncar "The Shark". Becuase she loved this car so much and was a bit crazy, two years ago put in a new engine, new suspension and new tires. Since, less than 5,000 miles have been put on. The interior and exterior are in excellent condition. I would be able to get this car for $2,000. Just another option. Anovice

Yesterday I noticed anti-freeze leaking under the car and the level in the overflow reservoir starting to go down. Fortunately (I guess) I was still able to see fluid in the reservoir. However, the first thing I did was add some anti-freeze and water to the reservoir and drove the 4 miles to the mechanics. Late yesterday afternoon the mechanic took a quick look and felt it was the freeze out plug. Upon a more detail look this morning and after taking the exhaust manafold off, he now says it's the head gasket. He called the machine shop, which I don't quite understand, but said to machine the "heads" and he wanted to get me a maximum cost. This morning he called me with the damage. First, please understand I know nothing about cars. The estimate is $1,830 wich includes the machine shop. He mentioned about 11 hours of time. It does not include a timing belt as that was changed last year. He said I get all new gaskets and seals from the head up...valve cover gasket, cam seals, head and exhaust gasket ansd so on. I guess this means nothing under the head is touched (oil pan and whatever else is there and I mention this because the car leaks oil). My car has 145,000 miles on it and while I have changed all fluids religiously since day one, the car is aged...no radio, no dashboard lights, but more so and for some time now the car has leaked oil. Recently I have been adding about a quart of oil every two months and I can see smoke from oil burning off the manifold at the rear of the engine (near the firewall). I have no idea if I went forward and spent the $1,830 if all the oil leaks would be fixed. If not, why do it. So to the questions. What do I do? It seems like putting $2,000 (with tax) in this car is a bit much. I am still left with a 1992 with a 145,000 miles and who knows what is next ready to go. If the feelings are not to put the money in, I guess I could try to sell the car, of course disclosing the problem and hopefully I would be able to find a buyer. In that case, how do I come come to an asking price? Would one way be to find the blue book price and subtrack $2,000? Your ideas and suggestions would be highly appreciated. Anovice

The other day the final few lights on my instrument panel went out. This, in and by itself, is not a problem. However, at what seems like at approximately the same time, the car developed a problem with the right turn signal. When I put on the right signal, the green turn arrow blinks rapidly. I thought this would indicate that the turn signal bulb is out, but the light bulb indicator, which is functioning, did not come on. In addition, the front and rear turn signals are in fact blinking, albeit rapidly and with less illumination compared to the left. To add to the craziness, when I turn on the headlights, the speed of the green turn arrow and front and rear turn signals blink even more rapidly! Still thinking I may have a bulb problem I changed the right rear turn signal bulb, but the condition did not change. I would have changed the front one too, but I have no idea how to access it. If anyone thinks the front turn signal bulb may be the problem, please instruct me on how to access the bulb. As mentioned, this problem seemed to start when the remaining lights on my instrument panel went out the other day. I am now wondering if I have an electrical problem somehow created by more volts (or is it amps) going to my turn signal. While I think the turn light are still 'legal', it is an annoying problem. Any thoughts on how to remedy this problem would be appreciated. Anovice

As scheduled, I had the hose changed on Wednesday. Thus far the reservoir remains full, which is a good thing. If this was the problem (only) as it appears, the cost was $104 for the hose and $130 for labor. Thanks for all the help! Anovice

Good to know and I will have definitive information Wednesday when I bring the car back in. That said, the mechanic is fairly certain the problem is the hose. I ordered it on line as it was $30 less than the local dealer and it is to arrive UPS Tuesday. In the unlikely event it turns out not to be the problem, so long as the part is not used it can be returned. Is has been about a week since I added p/s fluid, but that is because I have not used the air conditioning. Once I do and the cooling fan runs, I loose the fluid quickly. After Wednesday I will post the findings. Anovice

Thanks much. I have noticed that the leaking has increased. Before I was adding ps fluid every 3-4 days and over the past 2 days I needed to add each day. One diffference is due to the heat I have been running the A/C and for whatever unknown reason, this has increased the rate of the leak. Anovice

I look forward to the part number when you get the chance. Thanks much. Anovice

Well, I am not certain if I am making any progress! I took the car back in today (bottom cleaned the other day) and the mechanic, in his mind, is certain of the cause of leak in the power steering fluid. He said it is the 'big' hose that runs from the cooling fan to the power steering pump. I went online to Park Place Lexus and all I could find was "P/s hose, pressure feed" at a cost of $306.79. Yikes! My first question is this "the hose that runs from the cooling fan to the power steering pump"? If so, it presents two problems. First, that is a bunch of change for a hose. Secondly, from what the mechanic showed me, to replace that hose requires a bunch of other stuff to come out of the engine first, so I can see $300 bill in labor. I went by the local AutoZone and on their screen they show three different hoses. Once that runs to the gear, one that runs to the pump and one called a power steering return hose that runs from the gear. At about $32 for each hose, sure does not seem like anyone of the three are the $306.79 pressure feed hose from the Lexus dealer. I have to add a quart of oil every two months due to gasket leaks in the engine, so before I spend $600 to 'maybe' fix the power steering leak, I am starting to think that possibly I should just add power steering fluid once a week and call it a day. Another option is to take the car to a second mechanic I know and for $40 he will perform a dye test. He assures me this will isolate the leak(s) and claims he has the ability to fix the hose if that is the problem (can crimp the fittings onto the rubber hose). I would greatly appreciate if you could help in determining which is the hose that runs from the cooling fan to the power steering pump and if you were in my shoes would you go for the second opinion and do the $40 dye test. Thanks much. Anovice

The leather on the seats, especially the drivers side, is cracking badly. It seams like the best solution is to buy a pair of seat covers. Where would be a good place to buy inexpensive covers that hopefully will fit fairly well? Anovice