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whh333

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Everything posted by whh333

  1. Sorry I did not see this reply until now. Dealership cleared the light for free. Problem has not resurfaced for 3 months now. Thanks again. Bill Harrison
  2. OK, this was the problem. The owner admitted that he had cleaned the engine and had sprayed water on the engine. He took it to a mechanic and the mechanic found problems on cylinder #3 and told him to drive it a few miles so the water would dry out of the wiring/spark assembly. In a few miles, the problem disappeared. I drove the car this morning, it was perfect, and I bought it. Thanks for your help. If the problem returns, I will check the coil/plug in #3. I inquired about a fuel filter, and Sewell Lexus in Dallas indicated that this was in the fuel tank and not a recommended replacement item. I think I ran into a similar situation on a Honda Civic once and found a replacement filter. Thanks again. Bill Harrison
  3. I have a 1999 GS300 that I am new to. It has 143,000 miles and seems like it was well cared for. There is a vibration/shudder in the drivetrain when the car is accelerated slightly, whenever the accelerator is pushed in gently about a half inch or an inch. I think I heard a slight thunp out of the exhaust as well. This problem just appeared, and when the car was driven about an hour or so, it disappeared. I am expecting it to return and wanted to get any ideas on causes or remedies. I did a search and found two links that mention similar problems: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;hl=vibration http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=14406&hl= Unfortunately, there was no resolution or solution found. Thanks for any ideas. Bill Harrison
  4. abrarcool' is ur airbag malfunctioning. I had once turned my airbag light on by mistake by wrong battery terminals i took it to a toyota dealer and he cleared it for 45 $ abracool, Not malfunctioning other than light. I broke down and took it in to dealership. They turned off light, said I needed an new computer ($1200 + tax + labor), then said it might turn light back on in 2 miles or never. 100 miles later still OK. Thanks. Bill
  5. My Mom's 1995 ES300 has the airbag light constantly on. I searched past posts and found the procedure for turning off the light on a 1990-1994 LS 400 which looks pretty easy. It is at http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lighting/airbaglight.html Does this procedure apply to the 1995 ES300? If it does, I cannot find the plug described as the TDCL port on this car. Where is it? Thank you for any help with this. Bill Harrison
  6. I thought I had made a report to this thread, but my reply must be on some other thread making no sense to the readers of that one!! :chairshot: Many thanks for all the ideas, and I have begun to track them down. I found that I had set the timing wrong by misreading the marks on the flywheel. It was 3degrees instead of 10 degrees. That alone has improved the situation, but I am still getting some thump and a rich smell of gas on morning startup. I will continue to troubleshoot. I have cleaned the idle air passageway pretty, and had cleaned the throttle body not too long ago. Possibly my idle air solenoid is shot, but it is making the click noise it is supposed to. Will check the book about the temp sensors, but they should be enriching the mixture as it is pretty cold even in Mobile. Thank you very much once again, and I am confident this is solvable. Bill Harrison
  7. My 1993 SC300 has a 75,000 mile engine, runs great, minimal oil loss, good mileage, smooth, etc. For the last few months, it backfires once on first startup of the day. At least that is what it seems like, kind of a thump (not a bang) right before the engine starts. This has been in warm weather, and cold as well. There is sometimes a brief hesitatation when it is first put into gear, but then the thing runs great the rest of the day, only to repeat this annoyance the next morning. I have tried to clean the fuel system with SeaFoam gas treatment a couple of times. It is no big deal, but I thought there might be something to check before pulling the injectors and getting them tested--my first hunch is a leaky injector, but I hate to just go off of a guess if there is better information out there. Thank you very much for your help. Bill Harrison
  8. I have an 01 IS300 Motor and transmission and would like to find a car to go around them. I think they will fit in a GS as well as an IS. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks. Bill Harrison
  9. I have a motor and transmission for a 2001 IS300 and would like to find the a car for it to go in. If anybody has anything will fit, please let me know. Thanks a bunch. Bill Harrison
  10. I have an SC300 and do not look forward to changing the plugs, but I am sure it will be easier that when I changed the plugs in my mother's ES300! Good Luck! Bill Harrison
  11. I apologize if this thread is getting stale, please disregard if it is. Just wanted to let you know that I finally think I have a diagnosis. I ran radiator flush through the system and the bubbling bacame rampant. I think a previous owner had a head crack or a head gasket leak, tried to seal it, and left the confusing symptoms I have been trying to figure out. When the flush went through, the sealer came out and a more clearcut pattern came out. I can even see a leakdown with a radiator pressure tester now, even though there was no leakdown before. I will still pursue changing out with a low mileage engine if I can find one, otherwise, the head comes off. Thanks. Bill Harrison
  12. I have done a lot of buying over e-bay and have had good luck with honest people. The only time I have run into a blatantly dishonest person was when I won an auction for some Mercedes parts and they demanded a Western Union wire transfer for payment. Fortunately only $32, but I refuse to bid on an item that has only the Western Union form of payment. Bill Harrison
  13. Many thanks for the replies. The engine heat an flow of oil into the differential must be the reason I thought I had it all full, but two days later I was showing low fluid even though there were no leaks. I filled it again when hot, thought I had it full again, but the level would drop again. Finally got a stable reading. Thanks again. Bill Harrison
  14. Well, yours truly is back to Square 1. My dream engine arrived and it looked great! Before I did a compression and cooling system leakdown test on it, I removed the drain plug to get out any old oil, and water came out of the pan. Leakdown was OK, Compression was bad on one cylinder, and Cam lobes were corroded, and rust residue was all through the engine and in the pan. The seller agreed to take the engine back, after telling me that I was just not familiar enough with engines to know that these were not serious problems. Twelve hours work and $200 in shipping down the drain. The reason I bought this engine was that the history was supposed to be known and an expert had checked it out. It probably was a great engine before he cleaned it, got water in it, and let it sit in his shop for a year. Will consider head gasket replacement. I am concerned about the Japanese engine sources because they do not know anything other than average miles on a Japanese engine. Have others had good luck or bad luck with these sources? One of them is engines-r-us, but there are a lot of others. Thanks. Bill Harrison
  15. Well, yours truly is back to Square 1. My dream engine arrived and it looked great! Before I did a compression and cooling system leakdown test on it, I removed the drain plug to get out any old oil, and water came out of the pan. Leakdown was OK, Compression was bad on one cylinder, and Cam lobes were corroded, and rust residue was all through the engine and in the pan. The seller agreed to take the engine back, after telling me that I was just not familiar enough with engines to know that these were not serious problems. Twelve hours work and $200 in shipping down the drain. I will give one more try to backflush the engine in case the problem is a water port blockage, then run 6-hour radiator flush through it. Might pull the head or might get another engine if these do not work. Will ask for engine suggestions on another thread I am running on engine replacement. Woe is me! Bill Harrison
  16. Pinkpearl, I think I have seen SC300/400 antenna masts on e-bay for 19.95 . I paid 51.00 for an ES300 mast at the dealer. You can replace the antenna yourself very easily, but it is really easy if you have a helper. First, you unscrew the bezel surrounding the base of the antenna. This has 4 slots coming out radially from the center. You can use a pair of pliers around the outside rim, but put a rag or piece of leather between the pliers and the bezel to keep from scratching it. Second, turn on the ignition and turn on the radio. This is where a helper comes in so they can turn on this stuff and you can be by the antenna when it starts coming out. The motor will just keep extending it until the antenna and the white nylon rack gear come out in your hand. As it is coming out, keep track of the direction the gear teeth on the nylon section are pointing so you can insert the new one in the same orientation. The fact that yours is bent and still operating probably means the whole nylon section is intact, but compare lengths of the old and new one and look at the end of the old one just to be sure some of it is not left in the motor. Third, place the new nylon mast in the antenna tube with the gear teeth pointing in the same direction as the old teeth came out. Press it in gently and turn off the radio. As the motor retracts the new antenna, feed it in as straight and as gentle as possible. I have been told not to put grease on the new mast, even though the old one comes out with a lot of grease on it. Opinions may vary on this. Replace the bezel and you are done. If the new mast does not go in just right the first time, you can turn off the radio, let the mast entend back out, and try again. You need to handle the mast without forcing it. The utility of a helper is that all this happens faster than you would expect. You can do it by yourself, but you have to be quick, and there is a risk of the mast scratching paint. Good Luck. Bill Harrison
  17. I got a Haynes manual for the Camry, which covers the engine in my Lexus ES300 and it specifies that the differential is isolated from the transmission and to fill it through the fill plug. After draining the transmission fluid and differential fluid, I kept pouring more that the 1.9 quarts it specified through the plug and the fluid level started showing on my automatic transmission dipstick. I looked in the past posts and they state the 1998 models have a combined reservoir for the transmission. Is this the case on the 1995? How do I fill it? I finally poured in a few quarts through the plug, then topped up the transmission through the transmission dipstick tube. Could I have just used the transmission dipstick tube for all of the filling? Also, I was buying parts at my Lexus dealer and casually stated that I would just use Dextron II or III to fill the transmission after dropping the pan and cleaning the filter. They gasped in shock and made it sound like a sin against nature to use anything other than the Toyota transmission fluid, Toyota IV or something like that. I bought the 6 quarts of the Toyota fluid to do the right thing, but my Lexus owner's manual says to use Dextron II and the automatic transmission dipstick says to use Dextron II. Other than the fact that the Toyota IV fluid is $5.00/ quart and Sam's sells Dextron III for $1.00/quart, is there any difference that matters? Thanks for any ideas. Bill Harrison
  18. I realize there is reason to argue both sides of the sealant option. I would not have a lot to lose, since I have already given up on this engine. The probelm is that if it worked, I would never know when was about to stop working. I got another engine only because the description of the engine was what I wanted, and because for $1,000 I could get it in hand (At first I thought it would be $1200, but the shipping was cheaper than I thought.) It may be another bad engine and I may be a fool for believing another seller, but it seemed worth the risk. I would have taken the sealant route if a good replacement engine would not have been available for a reasonable price. For what it is worth, I got the radiator pressure tester yesterday, and there was no leakdown under pressure. The process must be a result of the engine warming and opening something up, whether a gasket or a crack. I even tried the test of starting the engine up with the pressure tester attached and there was not a rapid rise in pressure. On the way to work, the engine started missing again, and relieving coolant pressure once again leveled it out. Bubbles were coming up the reservoir as well. I think my other thread about changing the engine out got deleted. I might have broken a forum rule by having two threads at the same time. If I did not like the car so much, I could just walk away from it, sell it for $4,000 and cut my losses. It is just too fun of a car and I would be getting another one before long only to start again. Thanks. Bill Harrison
  19. Danny, I got my leather seat skins from http://www.leatherseats.com/ and was very happy with them. They were made with a tough piping around the attachment perimeters that makes installation easier because the hogrings can grab them much easier. I took about 15-20 hours to install both front and rear seats, but that time could be beaten by someone with more experience or someone working more intensely. I took my time and enjoyed it. You will need hog rings ($5) and hog ring pliers ($15). The quality of the leather is great and it feels more like leather than the factory leather. I have always felt that the weakest quality of Japanese cars is in their OEM leather. Also, my kit included the center console piece, and I sent them my old armrest covers for a pattern. In exchange they sent me a prototype set of covers, so these are probably available with the kit now. Good Luck. Bill Harrison
  20. jzz30--I do not know if the head is cracked, but I have my suspicions. Hopefully, pulling the exhaust manifolds will reveal something. twinturbo619--The whole engine assembly will be changed out. Sounds like Lexus hoses. Bill Harrison
  21. I have decided to change out my 1993 SC300 engine with a lower mileage stock replacement after discovering head gasket or head problems with my engine (please see "Coolant Bubbling (boiling?) Through Reservoir, Need help figuring out why."). As far as the new engine, it is reported to be a 75,000 mile USA version with no problems. I plan to replace water pump, timing belt, check valve clearance, and replace plugs before installation. I will replace transmission mounts, probably motor mounts, all hoses, and any other rubber pieces I can find. I do not know if there are quality parts aftermarket for this or if I need to stick with Lexus parts. Any other ideas on how to tackle this would ba appreciated. My goal is low maintenance stock stuff, but I would not mind a custom look under the hood if I can get high quality stainless braided hoses. Thanks for any help. Bill Harrison
  22. I'm the one with the problem of the bubbles in the coolant. I went ahead and bit the bullet, bought another engine, and plan on switching it out. My reasoning was that I would spend several hundred dollars on the parts and head work even if I did do the changeout myself. For about double this, about $1200, I can have another engine delivered with half the mileage, hopefully all in working order. Adjust valves, replace timing belt, change out new water pump from present engine to new one, install all new hoses, belts, mounts (another 3-4 hundred) and I can get a fresh start. There may be some residual value in the present engine if the head gasket is all that it needs. I will still try to pressure test it and might be able to see source of leak once it is removed and exhaust manifolds are off. It is such a shame to give up all that is working with this engine, but it can be a spare. I will post more on this thread in case I can find out more about the problem. I will start a new thread titled "Engine Changeout" and try to get ideas on the changeout process. Many thanks for your ideas regarding things to check, as well as the patience and follow-through as different peripherals were ruled out. Bill Harrison
  23. Hello again, it's me, the one with the trouble of the bubbling reservoir. I did not solve the problem over the past week, because I still have bubbles. I have bypassed the heater valve, bypassed the throttle body, and drained the Extended Life antifreeze and replaced with water, all to no avail. Also, removed the thermostat and confirmed it is operating in boiling water, and had already changed the radiator cap. Still no smell of antifreeze in the exhaust, no oil in the water, no water in the oil. I have a veteran mechanic friend who confirms no smell of antifreeze in the exhaust and agrees to hold off pulling the head gasket until some conclusions can be drawn. The only think left other than the head gasket is the Exhaust Gas Recirculation circuit. I would like to bypass this or test it before pulling the head gasket. The strange thing about this problem is that I can drive the car to operating temperature, it will develop a slight miss at idle, and I can make the engine smooth out perfectly by twisting the radiator cap and relieving the coolant pressure. When the radiator cap is removed, exhaust gas comes out. Any ideas on how to check out to determine whether the EGR is causing this would be appreciated. After that gets eliminated, the head gasket or the engine as a whole gets changed. Still waiting on the radiator pressure tester to get here and I am confident it will show a leakdown, but finding the source is something I have not been able to do for weeks. Regarding the question about the alternate radiator, I do not have a reference of having a working SC300 radiator to compare to because the car had a leaking radiator when I bought it, though a pre-buy at the Orlando Lexus dealership did not reveal this. When all this is finished, Toyota anti-freeze will go back in the car. Thanks again for all the help and ideas. Bill Harrison
  24. Some progress, I think!!!! Using suggestions from posts, I topped up system as much as possible, tried to burp air out of upper hose, crammed as much coolant into system as I could, then bypassed the heater control valve on the firewall by replacing it with a 90 degree copper pipe fitting. Drove about 80 miles, which would have shown a drop of at least a few inches in the reservoir tank before, and there was no detectable loss of coolant!!! I still had the bubbles in the reservoir tank, though. Either the coolant has been working air out of the system and is about out, or the heater control valve was sucking coolant into the vacuum system and into the intake manifold. I had checked it for external leaks several times before, and could not find any. The bubbles will need to be tracked down. With luck, I will be able to get a radiator pressure tester in a few days, and I will have access to a vacuum tester tomorrow to check the vacuum circuit on the heater control valve. Thanks for the new ideas, because I was stuck checking the same things repeatedly with no results. I am optomistic that the problem can be figured out with some more work. Bill Harrison
  25. I appreciate any ideas I cannot get and take responsibility for whatever I agree or disagree with, so there is no bad input as far as I am concerned. I will be emptying out the cooling system before this is over, so the green coolant will be going back in the system. There is no oil in the water or water in the oil. I do not mind changing the head gasket myself, I am just not wanting to jump into it, take the head off, and have to say "Well it's not the head gasket!". Several years ago, I woke up after an appendectomy to hear the doctor say "Well, your appendix was totally normal when I removed it!" Had a brain storm and did another test this morning. Opened the radiator cap, started the engine, and bubbles started in about a minute. For what it is worth, the bubbles are big blobby bubbles, not little ones, and they do not seem to have steam in them, just air. I guess if they traveled far enough, they could have started as steam and cooled down, but it would seem it they cooled down from steam bubbles, they would not be bubbles any more. Bubblology. This weekend, I will pull the spark plugs and do a compression test. I am trying to find a radiator pressure tester, and will do this with the plugs still out in case I am getting leaks into any of the cylinders. Many, many thanks for all the input. Bill Harrison
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