82DMC12

thats crap.  I would figure out a way to get those, whoever responsible,  FIRED.  there is no excuse whatsoever.  Such a mistake should not be taken lightly. 

Remember,  it could have screwed u.

after being a lexus customer for so many years,  u should expect more than this.

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That's for sure. You have definitely owned a lot of Lexus'. But a lawsuit will get you nowhere with this one. The best you can hope for is a profuse apology. I would consider finding a new dealer too, if you live in an area with more than one. Believe me, I'd be *BLEEP*ed too. Someone certainly didn't follow procedures.

Good Luck,

Andy

HaHa  :P  I had to have my rx300 serviced @ my dealer to do a wheel balancing etc. When i picked it up, as i started to drive i noticed that the steering wheel was off-centered. I figured they had the wheel off and put it on sideways. But as i continued to drive the wheel was turning even more. Then i pulled on it and it did come off!!

They forgot to tighten it as they said. Lawsuit in progress  ;)  I could have killed myself!

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Good luck with that law suit. You can't exactly sue someone if you didn't suffer any damages. Sure the wheel came off. But it didn't hurt you any. Was it right for them to forget to tighten it or whatever happened? Of course not, they were negligent, BUT you didn't have any setback of any kind because of it EXCEPT the time it took you to return it and have it resolved. Had you gotten into an accident or something, that's a different story.

So like I said, good luck with that law suit and free car.

Andy

I put the new bushings in this past weekend and it fixed the problem completely.  It took all of 20 minutes.  I did notice that the inside of the new bushings has a series of ridges running around it.  On my old ones the ridges were worn away which was probably part of the problem.  Lubrication of the old bushings may have helped, but it would only have been a band aid to the worn out part.

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Branshew,

Thanks for the tip. I am pretty sure mine were completely smooth inside too. I will order new bushings as well.

Andy

I'll kick myself if that's all it takes.  I bought some new bushings today and I'll probably put them in on Sat - apparrently w/ a little lube on them.

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Good luck! Today is Saturday and I have driven ALL WEEK w/o a single odd noise from the rear end. This was exactly what my car needed. The funny thing is, it sounded like something was broken or loose back there. Weird how all I had to do was grease up these bushings so the bar slides easier.

Andy

Thanks for the responses, guys. I believe I have found the solution. I talked to Lexus of Wayzata, MN today over the phone and they recommended lubricating the sway bar bushings. I removed the bushings and layed a thick bead of NAPA Sil-Glyde silicone weatherstripping cream to the inside the bushings. I wiped the sway bar off where the bushing goes and rubbed Sil-Glyde all over where the bushing goes, and put it back together. I did this to both bushings. That was this morning. I have driven all afternoon with NO vibrations or odd noises!!

I believe this is the solution. It has so far worked 100% for me and I haven't been able to drive the car w/o hearing these noises for at least 2 weeks now. The dealer recommended silicone-based spray, but when I asked if silicone cream would work, the tech said that would be even better because it would be more permanent.

Try it and see! I think I will add this to my list of yearly maintenence.

Andy

I have taken everything out of the trunk (spare, jack, CD magazine, etc.) and driven around with no success. I am considering selling my car soon so I was going to take a hard look at it this weekend (weather permitting). I'll probably take out the back seat and just make sure that the rear deck isn't rattling around, but I don't think that's it. I have already checked to make sure my rear speakers are in tight (and they are), so I know that's not it either. I am convinced that it is something in the sway bar assembly somewhere, but I haven't had the time to isolate it yet. I'll try to post back on this thread after I get the chance to look at it. (I probably won't want to sell the car after I get the noise to go away.)

Hey there,

Today I got under the car in the pit at work and looked more closely at the rear sway bar. There seems to be some play in it, such that I can move the sway bar from side to side, and it slides thru the two mounting bushings perhaps 1/2 cm. I see no damage to any bushings or connections, but maybe this play is causing some noise? Is yours like this too? This is so odd because it never made this noise before. I have checked every bushing in the rear suspension and all appears to be in good order with no cracks or brittleness. I can't make the car even squeek when i push down on the suspension, so it's hard to simulate the jostling that causes the noise in the first place while driving.

Any other thoughts?

Andy

Hello group,

Very trouble-free 94 ES300 w/ 109K miles on it.

Sometime this last week I started noticing a vibration coming from apparently the rear end of the car. It is especially noticeable on rough roads or when crossing expansion joints. There is the typical low-frequency tire thump from going over the joint, and following the rear axle i hear a 'thump-thump-thump-thump' of a higher frequency than tire noise (i would characterize it as mid-bass frequency as opposed to low-bass tire noise). This wasn't present before last week and I can't think of anything that has happened to bring it about.

I am the store manager of a quick lube where I have access to a pit. I have inspected the underside and see no signs of suspension damage. all the links in the rear end have undamaged bushings and seem ok. the exhaust system and all heat shields are in excellent shape.

I haven't emptied my trunk out because nothing has changed back there all winter. my trunk closes tightly but I suppose you can lift it up and down while it is latched about 1mm, and the rubber stoppers COULD make a noise but i highly doubt it. I suppose i could eliminate the trunk by driving with the trunk open tomorrow.

Any other suggestions before I bring it in and pay lots of money for trial and error diagnostics? I am very handy in the garage and can do most work myself but this one has me stumped so far.

Thanks for any insight,

Andy

No amount of broken engine mounts will ever cause a tranny to slip.

Glad you solved one problem.

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What I meant was that before it felt like the transmission was slipping from a dead stop or any time you gave it some hard throttle. The rocking motion of the power train was causing this sensation. Now that the mounts are fixed, all symptoms and feelings i had previously have vanished. It never was literally slipping. it only gave a similar experience.

Andy

Group,

Earlier this month I posted about my '94 ES300 transmission seeming to be shifting harder and harder over the last few months. Many responded with advice about getting the fluid flushed and such but I knew that wouldn't help because I change it every year anyway - the fluid never has time to get bad!

So I turned to my motor and transmission mounts. It turns out that the front motor mount by the oil filter was 100% totally non-functional. apparently it is filled with oil or liquid and recently it lost its charge, rendering it useless. In fact the technician who told me about this brought me out, power braked the car, and i could see my engine tip about 30 degrees in the engine bay!!! We replaced the motor mount as well as the upper dogbone mount (it was getting torn up from the stress) and now I am pleased to say that everything is perfect again. This car shifts better than it ever has. it is so smooth that this 106K mile tranny seriously feels like brand new again.

So, if you have a problem with your transmission feeling like it is clunking each time it shifts or if it feels like it slips a little from a dead stop, you should really check out this mount. a lot of the 'snap' this engine should give is lost when the engine rocks as it twists up from a dead stop. the repair was $240 installed at an independent shop and it completely cured me of my problems. I was afraid i was getting into internal transmission damage. Luckily i fixed it before it tore more stuff up than just the dogbone!

Andy

My fluid looks good but the tranny shifts awfully especially 1-2 and sometimes 3rd.

I got an inline tranny filter and it has solved most of my problemsfrom debris build up getting caught in the valve body to be removed and caught in the filter itself instead

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\

SK:

Are you saying the inline filter SOLVED the problem, or that it is keeping it from getting worse?

Andy

Your hard shifting may be a bad tranny ,did you get a flush?

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Yes, I bought the car with 87K on it and the fluid was not dark but just starting to get discolored. I flushed the system and changed the pan gasket and cleaned the pan as well as changing the final drive fluid. that was last year. this year I just did a drain and fill. the fluid wasn't even looking like it needed to be changed but I still changed it after 15K. The transmission has progressively given me harder shifting during the last two years. I don't recall if it had any problems when I first bought it. I use Dexron III fluid, no extra additives.

Andy

Hey group,

In attempting to diagnose my intermittent hard shifting problem in my 1994 ES300, I have been trying to find and check the motor and transmission mounts. Earlier this year I replaced the dogbone style one on the top passenger side of the engine due to excessive deterioration. That was last winter/early spring. Now I just checked that same mount and it is again almost totally ripped up inside.

This tells me one of two things:

1. motor mount was defective

2. there is another bad mount that is causing excessive play and tearing the new one up again.

I would assume #2.

What i need is detailed descriptions of where the various mounts are and how I can check them for wear.

I have found 5 mounts:

1. passenger side top dogbone

2. Motor mount between radiator and exhaust manifold

3. Transmission mount between radiator and transmission next to the cooler lines.

4. Transmission mount next the driver's side front wheel on the subframe.

5. Motor mount around axle on passenger side between axle and firewall.

My friend at autozone says his computer lists 6 mounts.

Which mounts are likely to be bad? mount #4 by the wheel I can visually see and it looks fine. When i have someone start the car and shift through P-R-N-D I do not see much movement here. what about the two in front by the radiator?

Is is possible to remove the two front radiator mounts one at a time without supporting the engine?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Andy

Group,

I am looking for some input on a problem i am having with the transmission in my 94 ES300. In the last few months it has begun shifting harder than it did when i first got it. there are 106K miles on the car. I bought the car with 87K and the transmission fluid was a little discolored but not bad. I work in the auto industry and i would say it was right at its time to be changed before anything got bad. I changed it then and then I changed it again this summer. The first time i dropped the pan (didn't see much debris if any in the pan), replaced the gasket, and flushed the system with Dexron III. The 2nd time I did a drain and fill thru the pan drain plug. I would say about 1/3 of the time when it shifts it shifts hard. Other times it shifts so smoothly you can barely feel it. in fact when accelerating onto the freeway the 2-3 and 3-4 shifts are so smooth it feels like butter. other times it shifts a lot worse. it doesn't seem to be related to temperature of the fluid or if i am driving it hard or easy, but if i drive it hard from a stop or rolling stop, it usually clunks when i floor the gas. I have noticed that i can nearly eliminate the hard shifting by lifting my foot up on the gas a little right before it shifts and by taking it easy from a stop.

I replaced the upper passenger side motor mount this spring (it was really deteriorated) and that made a difference but not a whole lot. could the other mounts be in bad shape and cause this? also when i had the pan down i didnt clean the screen because i didn't know you were supposed to. the dealer told me there wasn't a transmission filter in there so i didn't monkey with anything.

what can I do to eliminate possibilites before bringing it in to a tranny shop?

Andy

Group,

Is there a website i can order some lights for the buttons in my 94 ES300's automatic climate control unit? about half of them are burned out. Last time i called the dealer they were like $15/ea!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are the part numbers for each button? surely they are standard and available elsewhere.

Andy

Group,

This is the other issue I'd like to get fixed on my car, in addition to the PCV valve post below.

Again, i have a 1994 ES300. The same day i replaced the PCV valve I noticed that my coolant reservior was a little low. I check all fluids frequently so this was odd to me. I found a small streak of coolant on the front frame which I found to be sourced at the frost plug looking thing just to the left of the oil filter. it is a plate held to the head with two nuts. I am pretty sure this is where the leak is coming from - I blew out the little lip below it with shop air and ran the engine for a while - after about 15 min i finally saw a little fluid seeping onto the lip. There is no other place for coolant to be coming from because there are no stains or fluid leaks higher than this lip. ... well unless the head had a crack in it which i doubt.

I had an independant mechanic give me his opinion and he agreed with my conclusion. I ordered a new plate from Lexus and the tech told me to seal it with black RTV. is this a problem anyone else has seen? what is the function of this plate? I don't see how the plug could pop out if it is held in place with nuts, unlike a traditional frost plug. the dealer told me a block heater is usually put in the plug by the firewall.

Any tips on replacing this thing? Luckily i have all the right universals and such!

Thanks,

Andy

Hey Group,

I have a 94 ES300. The other day I replaced my PCV valve and grommet as preventative maintenence. I took a look inside the valve cover while the valve and grommet were out and noticed that it was very dirty inside - i put my pinky finger in and could feel really gritty dirt inside. The car has 104K miles on it - i got it when it had 83K. I have used Mobil 1 every 3000 miles since. I always run a quart of dino oil thru the engine and out the plug before refilling the crankcase, just to get as much old oil out of the pan as possible. The oil is still pretty clean looking even after 3K miles so I know i don't have much garbage where it counts. Is it worth it to use one of the many 5-10 minutes oil flush 'run before draining' additives out there or am I asking for some serious trouble with dislodged debris? Is this dirty crap inside the valve cover indicitive of some major neglect that will come back to haunt me? Or is this normal? If an engine flush treatment is OK, which one seems to work the best? I have noticed that when i remove my oil cap, what little you can see of the inside of the engine looks similar to what i saw under the PCV, only not quite as bad.

As an aside, this motor runs very clean, quiet, and sounds 100% perfect. I have no reason to believe it has any internal problems. I would hate to wreck it with a $5 bottle of cleaner.

Thanks for the opinions.

Group,

yes that price quote was parts only (like i would pay someone to do that piddly stuff :-)

after doing some digging this afternoon i found that the accordian between my MAF and throttle body had a rip inside one of the inner folds, almost all the way around!!! this is quite surprising because i keep my engine steam cleaned and detailed, i would think i would have found this a long time ago. I ordered a new accordian (about $90) from Lexus and in the mean time put duct tape around the tear to keep dirt out.

i will pull the plugs tonight anyway and see if they are worth replacing just for preventative maintenence.

Andy

Hey Group,

my 94 ES300 has about 104K on it. I have owned it for the last 10K miles. Recently i have noticed that when the car is cold it bucks a little on acceleration until it warms up, then only slightly bucks under certain throttle conditions when warm (very rarely, usually only noticeable when just leaving my driveway cold). I was motivated to really get down and fix it when my check engine light came on while the engine was hot coming off the interstate, giving me a freeze frame code of 171 - engine too lean.

I called up Lexus of Wayzata, MN and found that three O2 sensors, plugs, wires, and a fuel filter will run me about $475. i have not done any of these services during my ownership and are unsure of the car's history.

any probable suspects so i don't drop half a grand and get no results?

With these parts, is it best to stick to OEM parts or will aftermarket do the job just fine? I will spend the money on OEM if they really are superior (like Toyota starters vs. aftermarket).

Thanks,

Andy

Its the AC expansion valve. Very common problem on the 1st generation ES.

You description was great and nailed it.

steviej

Steve (and others),

Am i correct to assume you mean what is commonly referred to as the orifice tube valve?

either way, where is this part located and about how much is it. i assume a freon evac is necessary too.

Andy

Hello Group,

I don't have many problems with my '94 ES300 but this one has crept up and needs to get fixed.

The problem is my A/C has been acting up.

I always use the auto climate control. Frequently, especially on very hot days, I can turn on the climate control to any cooling setting (COLD, 66, 67, 68, etc) and the air from the vents isn't very cold. other times, it is. usually with past cars this has meant the A/C needs a recharge.

here are some observations and symptoms:

1. when i bought the car a year ago, i am pretty sure that when the A/C was running the compressor would cycle on and off at a regular rate. Now, with A/C switched OFF, the compressor doesn't engage (normal) but when A/C is switched ON, the compressor engages but never cycles. it just turns and never stops like i would assume it should. i don't hear any grinding or other weird noises.

2. belt is 3 months old and properly tensioned (genuine lexus part)

3. when the A/C is on, after about 2 minutes or so the far passenger side vent has normally cold air. the middle three vents are cold too, but as it goes towards the driver's side, each vent is a little warmer. finally at the far driver's side vent, the air is not very cold at all, it feels like it is on VENT. so, the cold air disappears as you move your hand from passenger side to driver's side.

4. Just yesterday the system did the same thing, but after college classes, i started the car up and the whole A/C system was working normally (not sure if compressor was cycling properly or not though). today however, is a hotter day and after about 6 different trips and tries, the A/C will not function properly.

5. the A/C switch on the dash does NOT blink as the owner's manual says it would if the compressor was broken (i assume if it doesn't engage at all under A/C request).

I have an appointment with a local shop on monday. i was hoping maybe this same thing had happened to someone else and i could find out what i was in for or if the problem is fixable by myself, or if not, i can point the mechanic in the right direction. i have an extensive tool set (was going to auto school but ended up going to a 4-year business degree) so i am not afraid to tackle anything unless it deals with evac of the freon.

Thanks for the help, guys!

Andy Lien

Hello Group,

I have a '94 ES300 that has been giving me problems with condensation from time to time for the last year. last summer (when i bought it) it was getting condensation in both lenses, so used some RTV silicone and sealed it up on the outside all along the lens to housing seam. That did the trick all fall and winter, and now that things are warming up, i am having problems with my driver's side only. Two days ago i removed it and put more RTV on and blew it out with an air compressor until it was dry inside. The next day, condensation again.

I called a dealer and i drilled holes in the bottom of the headlight (not visible from the outside when installed) to let the assembly breath the condensation out faster as they suggested. I am now interested in perhaps taking the whole assembly apart and cleaning it (i see water spots are developing) and then making sure it never leaks again. I have found some posts on here about putting the lens in an oven, but I am afraid of melting the housing. Does anyone have any specific tips on how to solve this problem? What exactly must I do?

Thanks!

Andy

1982 DeLorean DMC-12

1994 Lexus ES300

Fargo, ND 58102

Hey guys,

i think my car has a couple of lights out, maybe you can help. the car is a 94 ES300.

1. the Front Defrost bottom is not backlit but all the buttons to the right of it are.

2. the OFF and Outside Temp buttons are not backlit but the buttons to the right of them are.

3. in my instrument cluster, right where the 3 is on the tach, it is dimmer there than the rest of the console. i assume a bulb is out back there too.

first, how do i get to these bulbs? do i have to remove the center console? next, what bulbs do i need? part numbers?

Thanks!

Andy

Group,

i want to change out my OEM tape deck for the CD changing deck with a CD changer in the trunk.

so far i know this:

1. The dealer told me that the wiring is already there in the harness so it should be plug and play but another guy on a newsgroup said that's not true. i did find a white plug in my trunk behind the carpet where the changer would go. that must be it?

2. the only other difference would be that i don't have the right carpet in the trunk for a seamless CD changer install. anyone know where to get it?

is there anything else i should know before i start hitting ebay for a new stereo?

Andy

Group,

I need a pair of hood struts. Lexus wants $180 for them. Surely there is a cross reference or a cheaper way to get them?

Andy

Group,

turns out the problem was the while plastic ring inside the motor was installed backwards and the cable was grinding on the lip. i turned it around, and now everything works properly.

Andy